Foreword: to activate distribution, your podcast must have at least one publicly visible, published episode. If your podcast only has planned or draft episodes, you cannot start distributing, regardless of the platform. To learn more, check out: How do I distribute my podcast on the podcast directories?
Here are the steps to activate your show’s distribution on Apple Podcasts directly from Ausha (we make this process easy for you!) :
Connect to your Ausha account.
In the main menu, click Settings.
In the left-side vertical menu, click Distribution.
Head to the Apple Podcasts box and click Distribute.
After clicking Distribute, a new dialog will appear, and you will be asked: “Is your podcast already on Apple Podcasts?". If your podcast has never been distributed on Apple Podcasts, select No.
Note: If your podcast has already been distributed on Apple Podcasts, head to this article to verify that you have completed all the required steps to ensure a successful transfer to Ausha.
After answering No to the previous question, you will be able to access a tutorial explaining the steps to set up your podcast’s distribution on Apple Podcasts. Click on “Start” to begin the tutorial and follow each step to the letter! 🤓
To summarize, in this tutorial (we recommend you read the entire thing!), you will be asked:
👉 1. Whether you have an iTunes/Apple account (if you don’t have one, head to https://appleid.apple.com/account to create an account for free from any device).
👉 2. Then to connect to your iTunes Connect account (https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/) with your Apple login (you can login on any device, regardless of whether it is an Apple product or not).
👉 3. From Apple Podcasts Connect, select "Add a podcast with RSS feed"
👉 4. Then, you can paste your podcast’s RSS feed (check out this article: "How do I find my podcast’s RSS feed?”).
👉 5. Your RSS feed’s data (content, images, etc.) will then be analyzed. If everything is correct, your RSS feed will be marked “Ready to Submit”. You can then confirm the process by clicking “Submit”.
👉 6. Your podcast’s RSS feed is then marked “Waiting for validation”. That means that Apple’s team will soon confirm your show’s distribution!
After following these steps on iTunes Connect, your podcast will be validated by the Apple Podcasts’ team within 1-3 days (average observed delay, the delay may be longer at certain times of the year - see this article for more information: "What average delays you can expect on your first publication?").
Once your podcast has been validated, you will get an email from Apple with the link to your podcast’s page on the platform (don’t forget to check in the spam folder). 🍏
Once your podcast is distributed on Apple Podcasts, don’t forget to manually enter your Apple Podcasts listen link in your Ausha distribution settings.
To do so: head to Settings > Distribution > Apple Podcasts > Is your podcast already on Apple Podcasts?: Yes > Scroll up to find the Listen Link field and click on Edit > Paste the link to your Apple Podcasts page and click Save.
From now on, when you publish a new episode on Ausha, it will be automatically published on Apple Podcasts without you having to do anything else! 🥳
Note: distribution on Apple Podcasts is not always instantaneous, and each episode may appear after a delay of several hours (up to 1 day). This is due to the technical inner workings of Apple Podcasts and how it updates with new content (the delay may vary from one episode to another).
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