Have you claimed your podcast on Apple Podcasts?

In this bonus episode, I'm going to be talking you through how to do it.

So maybe you've tried submitting your podcast before.

Maybe you got halfway through and thought to yourself, sod this, I'll do it later.

It's all too complicated.

Or perhaps Apple's verification emails mysteriously vanished into the abyss.

Trust me, you're not alone with this.

But sorting it all out is easier than you think and totally worth the effort.

So stick with me for the next couple of minutes and I'll walk you through the process.

First off, let's address the question of why should you even bother claiming your show?

I mean, your podcast's already live on Apple Podcasts, right?

So what's the fuss?

Well, claiming your show means you get full control over your podcast listing.

You can manage your podcast's info and even team members like producer and marketing manager.

You can track the listener analytics and crucially respond to any issues that might pop up with your feed.

This is going to be something you'll want to do.

If you worked with a podcast manager who took everything in house and didn't share any of the logins with you, perhaps you've stopped working with them, they've gone off to work with somebody else, but they still have full access to your show.

Doing this will ensure that you grab full control of your show through Apple Podcasts again.

Now, if you're using a podcast hosting platform like Captivate, Buzzsprout, or Libsyn, they've recently made this process an absolute doddle.

They've introduced a one click submission feature that allows you to submit your show to Apple Podcasts directly from their dashboard.

No more screwing about with multiple accounts or waiting ages for verification emails.

This integration streamlines the whole process, making it quicker and much more efficient.

So if your show is already on Apple Podcasts, maybe it was submitted by a podcast manager or a consultant, but you want to claim it.

Here's how you do it right?

First of all, you need to head over to podcasters.apple.com that will take you to Apple Podcast Connect.

You'll log in with your Apple id.

If you don't have one, you will need to create one.

Once you're logged in, click on the Add show button and select Add an existing show with an RSS feed.

You'll then enter your podcast's RSS feed URL.

That's the web address that your podcast hosting platform gives you.

Apple will then provide a unique claim token.

This is a bit of code that proves you own the podcast and this is where your hosting platform comes in.

So, for example, if you're using Captivate, you'll go to your show settings, find the Apple Podcast section, and paste the claim token into the designated field.

This then embeds the token into your RSS feed.

After adding the token, return to Apple Podcast Connect and click Verify.

Apple will check your feed for the token, and once it's found it, you'll have full control over your show.

This new token system absolutely simplifies the claiming process, reducing the waiting time and the potential hiccups with verification emails, no more worrying that they've gone to your junk folder.

Now I know that you're probably sat there thinking, but Neil, my show has been live for years.

Do I really need to do this?

My answer is yes.

Not only does it give you more control and insights, but claiming your show also makes you look more legit.

If you're talking to potential sponsors, imagine trying to pitch a brand and then they ask you for your Apple analytics specifically.

Bit awkward if you don't have access, right?

Plus, with Apple Podcasts still being one of the biggest platforms out there, you want to make sure that your show is properly set up and easy to find.

Trust me, your future self will thank you.

So a quick recap for you.

If you're using a platform like Captivate, Buzzsprout, or Libsyn, any of the hosting providers that have been approved for this one click method, take advantage of it to get your show on Apple Podcasts effortlessly.

If your show's not new and you want to claim an existing show, then go to Apple Podcast Connect, generate a claim token and add it to your RSS feed via your hosting platform.

Go through the verification process and once you've done it, start telling people all about your show being on Apple Podcasts.

It's still one of the top three platforms.

If you believe everything that you read on the Internet, it's no longer number one, but certainly the stats suggest it is.

So you definitely want to be sending your potential listeners to find your show in Apple Podcasts so that they can help you grow it.

If you found today's episode useful and you think somebody else could do with claiming their show in the Apple Podcast Connect Dashboard, feel free to share this with them and tag us in social media.

Either myself, Neil Velio on LinkedIn or Podnos podcasting on the other socials.

Make sure you do this and enjoy getting yourself one step closer to to Podmastery.

The Podmaster is a pod nose production.

Find out more about us@podnos.co.uk podnos.