Podcast Launch Checklist: 10 Things To Double-Check Before Launching Your Podcast

When it comes to launching your podcast, you may think that all you need to do is press “publish” and you’re good to go! But in order to create the most successful podcast launch, there are a few things that you should double-check. By checking them before you launch, you can cut down on any snags or mishaps your podcast may face in the future!

Here’s ten things to check on your podcast before you launch:

1. Your podcast logo

Your podcast logo should be 1400×1400 pixels square, with a maximum of 3000×3000 pixels, in a JPEG or PNG format, and smaller than 1MB. If your podcast cover doesn’t meet these parameters, it could cause issues for your podcast RSS feed down the line.*

Need help resizing your podcast logo? Check out this link here.

2. Your owner/author line in your RSS feed

Your RSS feed will have a spot where you can list your name (or your company name) as the owner/author of the feed. It’s always beneficial to have your name listed here in case of any ownership disputes. This is one of many fields that is required by some directories.

3. Your email address

Your feed also has a spot for you to input your email address in case someone needs to contact you. Some directories will deny your feed if your email address isn’t included in your feed.

4. Your podcast description

Statistics show that your podcast description is the main make-or-break thing that either entices listeners to check out your podcast, or make them move on to another podcast. Before you launch, or even as you progress with your podcast, make sure that your description is written well and matches the tone of your podcast. This is yet another field that is required by some directories.

5. Your social media handles

While you don’t have to have a presence on every social media channel, make sure that before you launch, you have your social media platforms chosen, and your social media handles signed up for. You should be promoting your podcast before your launch, and your social media channels are one of the best places to do this. If you’re just launching your podcast’s website (which all Podbean hosted podcasts have as part of their plan), it’s also best to ensure that your social media handles are there, too. You can also put your social media handles in the description of your episodes (although we don’t recommend putting the full link…just something akin to “Twitter: @mysocialmediahandle”).

6. Teaser/trailer episode

Your teaser episode/trailer serves two purposes. Not only does it give listeners a preview of what your content is going to be like, it gives you an episode that you can use to submit to directories in advance of your first official episode. This way, you can ensure the launch of your podcast isn’t delayed by waiting for your podcast to be accepted into directories. Speaking of…

7. Submitting to directories

As you get ready to launch your podcast, make sure that you’ve got your podcast submitted to as many directories as possible so that they’re all ready to go. This ensures that there are as few steps as possible for your new listeners to get to your podcast. It’s okay to push your release date back so that your directories are absolutely ready, instead of trying to launch too soon and have directories cause a snag! 

If you’re hosted with Podbean, you can navigate to Distribution – Podcast Apps from your podcast’s dashboard and easily submit to a wide range of directories such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, and more.
*Check out our Submit Your Podcast to Podcast Directories master post for even more directories to submit your podcast to!

8. Backlog of episodes for launching/fall back on

We highly suggest launching with anywhere from 3-5 episodes, as this gives your new listeners something to binge when you launch, instead of just giving them one episode that they may quickly listen to and forget about. Having episodes as a backlog helps you by giving you breathing room in case of an emergency where you can’t record, or space to take a break as needed.

9. Mark content as explicit/clean

This may seem trivial, but if your podcast isn’t correctly marked as explicit if your show is going to contain explicit content/language, there’s a chance that your podcast will be taken down. If you don’t know for sure, you can always mark your podcast as non-explicit and mark individual episodes as explicit as needed. However, if episodes are mislabeled as non-explicit when they are explicit, your podcast may be removed from various podcast directories.

10. Episode number limit

This is also something that can seem trivial, but definitely important for long running podcasts. Found in your feed settings, this number is automatically set to 100 (meaning 100 episodes can appear in your feed). However, if you don’t change that and you have over 100, there are episodes that won’t be listed. Raising the episode limit is one of the first things we recommend doing to ensure that your podcast doesn’t get cut off in your directories as you publish more content.

Want to learn more about launching your podcast? Check out our podcast launch plan post here!