Your RSS feed is the lifeblood of your podcast. No, seriously. It is what you submit to any podcast directory (including iTunes and Stitcher Radio) for people to subscribe and thus download your content. Your podcast website should also include a link to your RSS Feed. You want subscribers. Much like making it super easy for people to contact you by having a contact page on your website, make it even easier for them to consume your content. RSS feeds are the key! When I created my very first podcast, I knew nothing about RSS feed creation. I quickly learned that an RSS file is simply a file created using XML (Extensible Markup Language). I ended up teaching myself how to code an XML file. Then, for the first year of my podcast, I would update my RSS feed by hand. It was a cumbersome process.

If you are thinking, "Oh crud, do I need to learn how to code XML now?" You are in luck, you don't! There are many platforms available now that will allow you to create an RSS feed easily and without too much technical know-how. This means there is no excuse to skip having an RSS feed for your show. In fact, some would argue that you don't truly have a podcast unless you have an RSS feed.

Nowadays, there are several ways to go about creating an RSS feed. Here are two:

1 - Wordpress - Wordpress is a blog based platform. By utilizing blog categories, you can create an RSS feed for your podcast. Check out this video to see my Podcast RSS feed creation tutorial using Wordpress.

2 - Libsyn - Don't have Wordpress? No problem! Libsyn is a podcast hosting provider. You can utilize their RSS Feed and publishing tools to construct and manage your podcast RSS feed within your Libsyn hosting account.

The two examples above are just a couple of ways to create an RSS feed for your show. The determining factor of how you create your RSS feed will be where and how you host your podcast content. Once you have created your feed, test it before sharing it online and posting to online directories. If you need help with RSS feed creation or podcast management, contact me!

Next time on the blog, podcast directories and other places to submit your RSS feed for increased visibility.