An RSS feed is the behind-the-scenes backbone of your podcast – it's how your episodes get from your hosting platform to podcast directories like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and others.

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It’s a web link (a special XML file) that lists all your podcast episodes, includes metadata (like titles, descriptions, dates, episode length, and cover art), and automatically updates when you publish a new episode.

Think of it like a menu for your podcast that apps (like Spotify or Apple Podcasts) read to know what to show.

Here's why you need one:

Distribution: Once your RSS feed is submitted to platforms like Apple, Spotify, etc., they pull your new episodes automatically from it. You upload once (to your host), and it shows up everywhere.

Ownership: You own your feed. If you switch podcast hosts, you can redirect your RSS feed so you don’t lose subscribers or data.

Simplicity: Instead of uploading each episode to every platform, you just upload to your hosting provider. Your hosting provider updates your RSS feed, and platforms check your RSS feed and update automatically.