Thread by @mijustin

Curious about Apple's new Podcasts Connect?

I just got access and tried to submit a new podcast RSS feed.

Here's how it went...

It took about 10+ hours before I was able to get access to my existing Apple Podcasts Connect account and see the podcasts I already had active on Apple Podcasts.

Overall, the new interface feels cleaner. 👍

For existing podcasters, the biggest improvement is Apple Podcasts' new analytics.

You can drill into each episode, and see where listener drop-off occurred.

Really helpful feedback if you're trying to optimize your show. 💯

I've heard multiple reports of people having a hard time submitting a new podcast RSS feed to Apple, so I've created a brand new feed (using @TransistorFM) to submit.

You can see it here:
feeds.transistor.fm/podcast-channel

As a comparison, look how fast and easy it is to submit a podcast to Spotify from most podcast hosting platforms.

You click one button, and it's submitted! (No need to log in to Spotify, no manual review process)

This feed was approved in 15 minutes:
open.spotify.com/show/4aUpTXwGB…

Submitting to Apple Podcasts has always had a lot of friction:

- No API for 1-click submission
- You need a valid Apple ID (verified)
- You need to manually copy & paste the RSS feed into a form

It looks like this hasn't gotten any easier in the new Podcasts Connect.

TBH, I'm really disappointed with Apple Podcast's new submission process.

Nearly every other platform makes it easy for podcasters to submit their show (with one click) via an API: Spotify, Google, @PodcastAddict, @Breaker, @ListenNotes, @PlayerFM.

Lots of friction on Apple.

Ok, this is weird: you can now add a show to Apple Podcasts without an RSS feed?

Here's what happens when I try to submit a valid podcast RSS feed to Podcasts Connect currently.

It gives these errors:
- No show art
- No language set
- No website set (even though it's optional)

Check my feed; it has all the valid tags:
<itunes:image>
<language>
<link>

I found the issue @marcoarment was talking about:

In Podcasts Connect, there's a new checkbox called "RSS feed access."

You now have to *explicitly* allow Apple to expose your RSS feed's URL through the iTunes Podcast API.

This is going to be very bad for the open podcast ecosystem.

Apple has removed public RSS feeds from the iTunes Podcast API (even from older, existing shows).

To allow your RSS feed URL to be visible, you now have to log in to to Podcast Connect and find this little checkbox.

Still cannot figure out why Podcast Connect is showing these errors. There's definitely a bug on Apple's side.

When I try to submit I get an error message.

"Need show art" (it's there)
"Need phone number" (WHAT)

WTF.

You now need to enter your phone number to submit your show to Apple Podcasts?!

Ok. I've been trying to submit this feed through Podcasts Connect for 5+ hours.

Hopefully Apple fixes these bugs soon. ✌️

For folks (like @NathanG) here's the full video of my attempt (and how it compares to submitting to Spotify):

Got a DM from someone at Apple.

I asked about the RSS submission bugs:

"We've been having issues with the crawler. Hoping to have it resolved today." 👍

I asked why public RSS URLs were removed from the API:

"That's a bug. There was no intention to remove feed URLs en masse."

The UI for adding a show in Apple Podcasts should definitely be changed.

If you had just created a new podcast on a hosting platform, which option would you choose? 🤔

Really confusing for new podcasters.

Update: I can now submit a new podcast RSS feed to Apple's Podcast Connect! 🙌

✅ RSS feed is being read properly
✅ Artwork bug is fixed
✅ Was able to submit with no errors