Podcatcher Directories & Apps for Maximum Podcast Distribution

The great thing about podcast distribution is that your fans have a lot of options when it comes to consuming your content. Most people already have a preferred app or platform where they get their podcast fix. These are sometimes referred to as “Podcatchers”. One of your jobs as a creator is to make sure you meet your audience where they are. So, you might be asking, “Where should I submit my podcast?”

The good news is… you’ve come to the right place. With a couple of clicks, I’ll help you list your show in podcast directories and apps you didn’t even know existed. Let’s get into it.

Quick-Start Podcast Distribution

If you’re short on time and just looking to get started as quickly as possible, here’s the thing. Submitting your show to Apple (which I cover in more depth below) means you’ll also automatically appear in most other places podcasts are consumed.

Then, take another moment to submit your podcast to Spotify. Hosting giant Buzzsprout typically shows Spotify as the number one place podcasts are consumed. Having your podcast on Apple and Spotify will cover around 72% of the market, and remember, your Apple listing gets you into a load of smaller apps, too.

That’s the bulk of the work done already. Easy, eh?

So, in summary, do a soft launch of your podcast by publishing a trailer or Episode Zero. This gives you the “one published episode” podcast directories require before you can submit to them. Then, tell Apple and Spotify about it.

Bookmark this Best Podcast Directory List guide to come back to once the dust has settled. There are still a few gaps to fill in where you can list your podcast.

Of course, if you’re ready to learn more about them right now, then read on…

Podcast Distribution Must-Knows

Just in case this isn’t quite clear yet, let’s make sure we understand how it all ties together. There are two stages to podcast distribution, and some clarity might be needed if you’re totally new to it all:

1. YOU upload your episode files to a podcast hosting platform. That’s where they’re stored on the web.
2. YOU, with the help of your hosting platform, register your podcast with the directories, apps, and platforms podcasts are found.
3. Those apps and directories handle distribution, while your host handles delivery.

Think of your hosting platform as the central hub where you upload your content, and the following apps and directories as the places where it can be consumed.

And the good news is that submitting your podcast to directories or apps is a one-time process. Once it’s done, all of your episodes will appear in them automatically, so you only ever need to upload content to your hosting provider.

Best Podcast Directory, App, & Podcatcher List for Maximum Distribution

So now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get that podcast distributed far and wide…

1. Apple Podcasts / iTunes

Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes) is and has always been one of the top podcasting platforms. You’ll almost certainly find it, along with Spotify, is where your podcast is most listened to.

To submit to Apple Podcasts, you need to go through the Apple Podcast Connect system and navigate to My Podcasts.

You can find a full guide on how to get into Apple Podcasts / iTunes here.

Being listed in Apple Podcasts also gets you into Overcast, Podcast Addict, and Castbox (and tons more on top of that!) by default. If you’re serious about your podcast, submitting to Apple is ESSENTIAL.

2. Spotify

Apple had a seemingly unassailable lead on podcast distribution until Spotify entered the field. Now, it’s common to see podcasts that do better on Spotify than on Apple. That was unthinkable six or seven years ago.

One of Spotify’s strengths is that you can use it to host your podcast—and it’s free!

Spotify for Podcasters was recently rebranded as Spotify for Creators. You can log in here to submit podcasts hosted elsewhere or upload content directly to Spotify via its hosting and distribution tools.

Spotify is really pushing video podcasting right now, and if you have a visual component to your podcast then it’s a good place to publish those, alongside YouTube.

Here’s our full guide on how to get your podcast on Spotify

3. YouTube

Video streaming giant YouTube supports podcasting, even if you don’t record a video element for your show.

Assuming you already have a YouTube/Google account, go to YouTube Studio and click the ‘create’ button in the top right corner. Then, select ‘New Podcast’. You’ll see three options:

1. Create a new podcast
2. Set an existing playlist as a podcast
3. Submit RSS feed

Submitting the RSS feed of your audio-only podcast means new episodes will be published to YouTube with static image backgrounds of your cover art as the “video”. Some hosting providers (Transistor, RedCircle, Libsyn) also have dedicated tools for publishing episodes to YouTube in this manner.

You can mark any YouTube playlist to be categorised as “a podcast”, and you can set any YouTube-uploaded content to be marked as episodes within that podcast, too.

Check out our full guide on how to put a podcast on YouTube for more details.

4. Amazon/Audible

Amazon has its finger in every pie, and podcasts are no exception. Amazon, along with its audiobook wing Audible, is becoming an increasingly popular place to find and listen to podcasts. For a full walkthrough, check out How Do I Get My Podcast on Amazon and Audible?

5. iHeartRadio

iHeartRadio is a podcast and streaming audio platform with around 250 million active monthly listeners. If your podcast already exists in Apple Podcasts, it’s likely already showing on iHeartRadio, but there’s no harm in making sure. Here’s where you can check the directory, and if it isn’t there, here’s how to get your podcast in iHeartRadio.

6. The Podcast Index

The Podcast Index is an open-source podcast directory. This means that anyone can add to it, much like Wikipedia. As of mid-November 2024, it was well over 4 million podcasts big. And it’s growing fast.

The good news is that your show is probably showing here already, but, if for some reason it isn’t, here’s our full guide on how to submit your podcast to The Podcast Index.

7. What About Stitcher, TuneIn, & Google Podcasts?

Imagine podcast distribution as a High Street or shopping centre. Some places are busy, thriving hubs, but you’ll see the odd boarded-up store here and there.

Stitcher

The once-mighty Stitcher formerly occupied second place in this list, with a share of around 5% of total podcast downloads. Sadly, the platform faded in recent years and was closed for good in August 2023.

Google Podcasts

Google Podcasts was one of Google’s half-hearted forays into podcast distribution, but the platform was a damp squib and suffered a fairly drawn-out closure between mid-2023 and 2024. It’s safe to say Google’s podcasting eggs are now firmly in the YouTube basket.

TuneIn

TuneIn Radio was always a tiny percent of the pie for total downloads, but fell under the “no harm in” category when it came to podcast distribution. However, they maintained a rather archaic manual submission process and possibly buckled under the strain in mid-2024. Currently, you can’t add new podcasts to TuneIn, but the platform isn’t actually dead, so who knows what the future might hold.

The Next Steps of Podcast Distribution

It is crucial for listeners to be able to find and follow your show wherever they want to. However, there are many other proactive and innovative ways to grow your audience, too.

You’ll find our Growth Mastery course inside The Podcraft Academy, and it’s packed full of tips and tactics to get more eyes and ears on your show. On top of that, you’ll find our feedback and accountability tools, downloadable resources, and a bunch of like-minded indie podcasters for you to grow alongside!