Managing multiple podcast subscriptions can be challenging, to say the least. Attempting to do so might see you bouncing between apps, trying to keep track of new episodes. Or trying to remember where you left off. And it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content.
According to a recent survey by Edison Research, 34% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly. As you can imagine, this makes it increasingly difficult to manage subscriptions effectively.
Thankfully, RSS feeds offer a simple solution to streamline the podcast listening experience. With an RSS feed, all your favorite shows are delivered straight to one central location. This eliminates the need for multiple apps or relying on your memory to keep everything accessible.
So you can see how, if you listen to many podcasts, whether it is yours, your friends, or the familiar strangers that keep you entertained, creating an RSS feed for them is beneficial. Doing so makes it a lot easier to keep all of your favorite podcasts accessible from one location. And it also means you’ll never miss an episode again.
With all these benefits in mind, today we’re showing you how to create an RSS feed for podcasts. And it’s easier than you think.
What Is An RSS Feed?
RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, makes it so people can receive updates from their favorite websites and content creators automatically. Originally developed for news websites, RSS feeds have become a popular way to distribute content, including podcasts.
How RSS Feeds Work For Podcasts
RSS feeds function as a conduit for delivering new podcast episodes directly to subscribers. Here’s a simplified breakdown of how it works:
- Content creation: When a podcaster releases a new episode, it’s uploaded to a hosting site of some sort. Popular options include Podbean and Libsyn.
- Feed generation: The hosting platform generates an RSS feed. This is essentially a text file with information about the podcast, including titles, descriptions, and links to audio files.
- Subscription: People who keep up with the episodes can curate them in a single location using a tool like WP RSS Aggregator.
- Automatic updates: WP Aggregator periodically checks for updates. When a new episode is detected, it’s automatically downloaded or made available within the feed, which is then viewable by the listener.
Setting up an RSS feed ensures you receive new episodes as soon as they’re released. And it saves you the trouble of having to manually check for updates. That means you can stay engaged with your favorite podcasts over the long term.
How To Create An RSS Feed For Podcasts
An RSS feed is important for people who collect podcasts because it allows them to stay up-to-date on new episodes in a centralized way, without having to manually check each podcast’s website or app. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up step-by-step.
Locate Your Podcast RSS Feed URL
The first step in creating an RSS podcast feed is to locate the RSS feed URL that you intend to curate. There are several ways to do this:
- Check the podcast’s website: Many podcasts will have their RSS feed URL listed on their website. It might be displayed directly on the podcast’s homepage, or on a dedicated “subscribe” or “listen” page. Look for an RSS icon (an orange box with white radio waves) or the text “RSS feed”
- Use a podcast directory: There are websites like Listen Notes that allow you to search for podcasts and will display the RSS feed URL on the podcast’s page.
- Use a dedicated RSS feed finder tool: Some online tools and plugins specialize in finding RSS feed URLs for podcasts. You can simply enter the name of the podcast and the tool will search its database to find the feed URL.
- Look at the page source: This is a more technical method, but it can be helpful if you can’t find the RSS feed URL anywhere else. You can right-click on the podcast’s website and select “view page source” (or similar wording depending on your browser). Then, use the find function (Ctrl + F on PC or Command + F on Mac) and search for “RSS”. The feed URL will usually be located between quotation marks after “href=”.
With the podcast’s RSS feed URL in hand, you can move on to setting up WP RSS Aggregator.
Setting Up The WP RSS Aggregator Plugin
WP RSS Aggregator is an excellent tool for connecting your podcast to your website, allowing you to import and display RSS feeds with ease. This plugin helps you centralize your content, making it easy for visitors to access your podcast episodes directly from your website.
You’ll need this plugin to create a cohesive RSS feed for your podcast. Let’s walk through those installation steps now.
- Login to your WordPress site and navigate to the Plugins page. To do this, click Plugins in the sidebar.
- Click the Add New Plugin button at the top of the page. Then, in the search box, type “WP RSS Aggregator” and press Enter.
- When the plugin appears in the search results, click the Install Now button. Once the installation process completes, click Activate.
Once the plugin is activated you should see a new menu item in the sidebar called RSS Aggregator on the dashboard.
Adding Your Podcast Feed To WP RSS Aggregator
Now that you have the WP RSS Aggregator plugin installed and activated, it’s time to add your podcast feed to the plugin. Doing this will make it so you can display podcast episodes directly on your website. That means all of your episodes can be compiled in one place, which is a win for your audience.
Here’s how to do it:
- Access the RSS Aggregator menu: As mentioned previously, there should be a menu item called “RSS Aggregator” post-install. Click this new menu item.
- Add a new feed source: You should see a page called Feed Sources. At the top, click Add New.
- Enter your podcast’s title and RSS feed URL: You should now be on a page called Add New Feed Source. Give the podcast feed a title then below this, look for a field labeled URL. Paste your podcast’s RSS feed URL into this field. This URL is the one you located in your podcast hosting platform earlier.
- Import podcast episodes as a feed item: Scroll down to General and click on Post Type > Feed Item.
- Publish: Once you’re satisfied with your settings, hit the Publish button. This action will generate a shortcode that can be used to add your podcast feed to pages or posts on your WordPress website. Your shortcode can be found just below the title of your feed. It should look like what is displayed below in the image.
If you want to use a specific Template for your feed, you can customize it at this point. Otherwise, the default template will be used to display your podcast feeds. Templates allow you to customize the style of your feeds by offering different layouts including a list or grid view.
Simply click on Templates in the RSS Aggregator menu and Add New Template. You must configure the template to suit the layout that you want.
Once completed, paste the shortcode in the pages or posts that you want your podcast feed to appear on your website or use the Gutenberg block to add WP RSS Aggregator directly to your page.
Once added, your podcast episodes should be displayed as such. Please note that I have used a customized template to achieve this Grid view. You can include the Template parameters in the shortcode or select your preferred Template directly from the sidebar.
Also, if you have multiple podcast feed sources, you can set the ones you want to show using the Display Options settings. Additionally, you can show multiple sources in this same feed.
If you’re satisfied with how it looks, click on Publish to make your podcast feed live on your website.
Your final result should look similar to this, depending on what layout is used to show your feeds.
Simplify Podcast Listening With WP RSS Aggregator
Creating an RSS feed for your favorite podcasts can make a positive impact on your time. It makes life easier when you don’t have to go around searching through different apps.
After all, RSS feeds are a great way to manage podcast subscriptions. They keep all new episodes accessible and at the ready without having to hunt down new episodes across multiple platforms. This makes it more accessible for you and also offers a chance for other listeners to interact with a collection of your favorite podcasts if you share them.
And with WP RSS Aggregator on deck, you stand to simplify the process even further. What’s not to love about that? All you have left to do now is give it a try!
