- A podcast on YouTube is a playlist with extras switched on
- Where listeners find podcasts on YouTube
- Two ways to get your own show onto YouTube
- Submitting an RSS feed, step by step
- The catches YouTube lists before you go public
- Not every playlist qualifies
- Podcasts and shows aren't the same feature
- Where I'd put a business podcast
- Frequently asked questions
On YouTube, a podcast show is a playlist and each episode is a video inside it. You either switch on podcast features for a playlist in YouTube Studio, or, if you're audio-first, you submit your RSS feed and YouTube builds a static-image video for each episode you pick, in select countries only and with no ads allowed in the audio.
That's the whole idea. The rest of this page is for business owners and marketers who want their own show on YouTube, with the catches YouTube's Help pages spell out, as of Nov 2026.
A podcast on YouTube is a playlist with extras switched on
YouTube says a podcast show is a playlist, and podcast episodes are the videos in that playlist. It wants full-length episodes only, in the order people should listen to them, and if you've got several seasons they all go in the same podcast. So trailers and short clips belong elsewhere on your channel, not inside the show.
Once a playlist is set as a podcast, YouTube says the content may be eligible for:
- Inclusion in YouTube Music, where people can listen in the background and download most podcast content without a YouTube Music Premium membership.
- Podcast badges on Watch and Playlist pages.
- A spotlight on youtube.com/podcasts.
- Easier discovery from the Watch page, so listeners find your other episodes.
- Recommendations to new listeners with similar interests.
- Improved search features to help your audience find the podcast.
Notice the word may. YouTube says youtube.com/podcasts pulls shows in from across YouTube using social signals, machine learning, signals from other Google products and services, and human input. Switching on the podcast setting makes you eligible. It doesn't book you a slot.
One more thing people don't expect: YouTube sometimes classifies a playlist as a podcast automatically. If it's labelled one of yours wrongly, or you don't want it treated as a podcast, you can remove the podcast settings in Studio.
Where listeners find podcasts on YouTube
Listeners can browse youtube.com/podcasts, or use the Home and Explore tabs in the YouTube Music app, where Explore lists podcasts and episodes by country or category. I've covered the listening, saving and downloading side in my guide to podcasts in YouTube Music.
Two ways to get your own show onto YouTube
There are two podcast routes, plus a third feature that looks similar but isn't a podcast. Here's how they line up:
| Route | What it needs | What YouTube does | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set a playlist as a podcast | Episode videos already on your channel, in a playlist of full-length episodes you own | Adds the podcast features the playlist may be eligible for: badges, youtube.com/podcasts, YouTube Music | YouTube Help: Create a podcast in YouTube Studio |
| Submit an RSS feed | An audio-first podcast with an RSS feed, access to the email address on that feed, and a country where RSS ingestion is available | Makes a static-image video from your show art for each episode you choose, uploads it to your channel and notifies eligible subscribers of new episodes | YouTube Help: Deliver podcasts using an RSS feed |
| Create a show instead | A video series you want arranged into seasons and episodes | Uses the separate shows feature, which isn't the same thing as a podcast | YouTube Help: Create shows from your videos |
If you already film your episodes, the playlist route is the natural one. Upload each episode as a normal video (my walkthrough on uploading a video to YouTube covers that part), then set the playlist as a podcast in Studio.
If you only record audio, the RSS route saves you making video files at all. The trade-off is that each episode on YouTube is your show art sitting still for the whole recording. That's fine for someone listening in the background in YouTube Music. On the main YouTube app it's a still picture, so be honest with yourself about who'll watch it there.
Submitting an RSS feed, step by step
As of Nov 2026, YouTube Help gives this route in YouTube Studio on a computer:
- In YouTube Studio, click Create, then New podcast, then Submit RSS feed. If you don't have advanced feature access, you'll need to verify your identity first (here's what YouTube's advanced features cover).
- Read and accept the RSS Ingestion Tool Terms of Service, read the on-screen instructions and click Next.
- Enter your RSS feed URL and click Next.
- Click Send code. YouTube sends a verification code to the email address in your RSS feed. Enter it and click Verify. If you don't know which email that is, YouTube says to contact your hosting provider.
- Choose what to upload: all existing episodes, episodes published since a specific date, or only future episodes.
- If most of your episodes contain branded content, tick the option that says so.
- Review the visibility details and click Save.
- Wait. YouTube says it may take a few days for the episodes to upload, and you'll get an email when the podcast is ready.
- Go to Content, then Podcasts, and click Publish next to your feed. The button only appears once the episodes have finished uploading, and nothing goes public until you click it.
The catches YouTube lists before you go public
This is the part most guides skip, and it's where business podcasts trip up.
- No ads in the audio. YouTube says that to comply with its Terms of Service, podcast content you upload can't contain advertisements. Branded content is handled differently: if your show includes host-read promotions, brand deals or endorsements, you must tell YouTube, either with the branded content box on the podcast details page or in each episode's video details. If you sell ad reads to other businesses, read that twice.
- Select countries only. YouTube says RSS ingestion is only available in select countries or regions, and it keeps a separate list of where it works.
- Episodes start private. The episodes you choose upload as private videos. YouTube recommends waiting until they're all in before you make the podcast public, then checking your Videos tab for monetisation or copyright issues, to head off claims or strikes.
- YouTube only. YouTube won't distribute your podcast to other platforms. It'll be on YouTube and YouTube Music, nowhere else.
- The back catalogue arrives quietly. Subscribers aren't notified when older episodes are added through the feed. New episodes are what trigger a notification.
- Feed edits don't always flow through. YouTube won't automatically update show details you change in the feed, or audio files you re-upload to it. For audio, each episode's menu under Content, then Podcasts, then Videos has a Re-upload from RSS feed option.
- No HTML in titles or descriptions. Angle brackets and any HTML count as invalid characters.
The sneakiest one: episode details update from your feed, but if you change an episode's details in YouTube Studio, YouTube blocks future feed edits to that episode. Pick one place to edit and stick to it. If you ever want to stop new episodes landing on YouTube, you disconnect the feed from the Podcast details page.
Not every playlist qualifies
YouTube says some playlists aren't eligible for podcast features even if you designate them as podcasts, and ineligible content includes content that isn't owned by the creator. So a playlist of other people's interviews won't become your podcast just because you tick the setting.
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Shorts you make to promote the podcast won't appear in YouTube Music either. They can still help on YouTube itself, but they don't count as part of the show over there.
Podcasts and shows aren't the same feature
YouTube also has shows, which organise a video series into seasons and episodes, with their own artwork rules and Shorts series. YouTube treats that as a separate feature. Don't confuse the two: the badges, the youtube.com/podcasts spotlight and the YouTube Music listing above come from the podcast setting.
YouTube's own FAQ for people new to podcasting on the platform also covers whether your podcast host can submit the feed for you, which policies apply, the metrics you'll see, and whether to remove burned-in ads. If earning from the show is part of the plan, start with the YouTube Partner Program basics before you build anything around it.
Where I'd put a business podcast
I'd start with the playlist route if you already record video, because it's your own content in the format YouTube's main app is built around, and the podcast setting then adds whatever features the show is eligible for. I'd use the RSS route if you're audio-only and it's available in your country.
Skip the RSS route for now if your episodes carry ad breaks you can't strip out, because YouTube says uploaded podcast content can't contain ads. Whichever route you pick, declare branded content, keep only full episodes in the show, and edit in one place, not two.
If your business runs a podcast, working out where it should live and how episodes get there without extra admin is part of the content and workflow planning I help teams with. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
Is a YouTube podcast just a playlist?
Yes. YouTube says a podcast show is a playlist and podcast episodes are the videos in it, with full-length episodes in the order they should be heard.
Can I put an audio-only podcast on YouTube?
If you're audio-first and RSS ingestion is available in your country, you can submit your RSS feed and YouTube makes a static-image video from your show art for each episode you choose.
Will YouTube send my podcast to Spotify or Apple Podcasts?
No. YouTube says it won't distribute your podcast to other platforms, so it'll only be available on YouTube and YouTube Music.
Can my podcast include ad reads?
YouTube says podcast content you upload can't contain advertisements, and branded content such as host-read promotions or endorsements must be declared with the branded content box.
Why isn't my playlist getting podcast features?
YouTube says some playlists aren't eligible even when they're set as podcasts, and that includes content that isn't owned by the creator.
