Distribution: How to Share Your Podcast with the World

You did it. You recorded and edited your first podcast. 

Your best friend loved it, and your mom thinks you’re gonna be the next Serial. But right now you might be wondering exactly how to share a podcast... 

To get your podcast out to the world, you’ll need to use a digital distribution network. 

Simply put, distribution will take your finished podcast, and distribute it out to the various streaming services like Apple, Spotify, Google podcasts and more. 

Before you can distribute your podcast, you’ll need to export it from the program that you use to record and edit.  Here are a few tips on exporting:

• Make sure that you don’t have any unused or muted audio files that last past the end of your podcast. You don’t want 30 seconds of silence at the end of your episode!
• You can export as either a .Mp3 or .Wav file. MP3 are smaller files because they are compressed, which some feel reduces the quality of the audio. Wav files are larger and generally have better audio quality. This is less important for podcasts than recorded music, but still something to be aware of.
• By the time you’re done editing, you’ll probably be pretty sick of your own voice. But it's always worthwhile to give one final listen once you’ve exported it to double check for any mistakes in editing, especially if you’re new to recording. You’d be surprised how many errors make it into even popular, professionally-produced podcasts. 

Once you’ve exported your podcast and you’re happy with your final product, you’ll be ready to choose a distribution platform. 

There are many popular options for distributing podcasts. Some of the most popular options include Buzzsprout, Podbean and Spreaker. Most of these offer fairly similar features and pricing options.

All of these platforms offer free options for uploading podcasts, although some have limited features or place limits on how many hours you can upload per month. You can also opt into paid/subscription models for these podcast distribution services. They offer different tiers of subscription, allowing users to upload unlimited podcasts, or in some cases access advertising and monetization features. 

Since they all offer roughly similar services, the best thing to do is to explore different platforms, compare their services, and decide which best fits your needs as a new podcaster. 

All that's left to do now is provide a title and description for your podcast episode. Don’t forget to include your social media info! 

Before you know it, your podcast will be ready for listeners to check out wherever they stream. For more in depth information on podcasting, check out our How-to series on Youtube.