How to Find Your Podcast's RSS Feed (Every Major Host)

The short answer: your podcast's RSS feed is a URL your hosting provider creates for you, and it lives in the host's dashboard, usually under a menu called Distribution, Directories, Settings or Feed. If you can't log in, or don't know who hosts the show, look it up from Apple Podcasts: copy the number after id in the show's Apple Podcasts web address and open https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=THAT_NUMBER&entity=podcast. The feedUrl in the result is the feed.

Almost every podcast tool asks for this URL at some point: directories, website plugins, sponsors, analytics tools and repurposing tools like ours. It is one of those things you set up once, years ago, and then can never find again. This guide covers the quick lookup that works for any public show, then the exact place to look on each major host, then how to check the URL you found is the right one.

01What a podcast RSS feed is

An RSS feed is a text file, written in XML, that lists your show and every episode in it: titles, descriptions, artwork and, most importantly, a link to each audio file. Apple Podcasts, Spotify and every other app read that file to know when you have published something new. You submit the feed once and the apps keep checking it.

That is why tools ask for the feed rather than a link to your show on Spotify. The feed is the source. A Spotify or Apple page is one app's view of it.

A feed URL usually looks like one of these:

https://feeds.transistor.fm/your-show
https://rss.buzzsprout.com/123456.rss
https://anchor.fm/s/abc12345/podcast/rss
https://feed.podbean.com/yourshow/feed.xml

If the address you have ends in .rss, .xml, /rss or /feed, or starts with feeds., you are probably looking at a feed.

02The fastest way: look it up from Apple Podcasts

This works for any show listed on Apple Podcasts, whoever hosts it, and you don't need to log in to anything. Apple's directory stores the feed URL for every show it lists, and its public lookup returns it.

1. Find the show on the Apple Podcasts website (search the show name plus "Apple Podcasts").
2. Look at the address bar. The URL ends in something like /id1627920305. Copy the digits after id.
3. Open this address in your browser, with your digits in place of the example:

https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1627920305&entity=podcast

1. You will get a block of text. Find "feedUrl". The address after it is the show's RSS feed.

For the example above, which is Lenny's Podcast, feedUrl comes back as https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/10845.rss.

Two caveats. Apple shows the feed it was last given, so if you moved hosts recently it may still show the old address (which should redirect to the new one). And a show that was never submitted to Apple won't be there.

Other lookups. Podcast Index is an open directory of millions of shows, and searching it gets you the same information. RSS.com and Castos both run free "find my feed" tools built on it. They are handy if your show is on Spotify and other apps but not on Apple.

03Where to find your RSS feed on each host

If you can log in to your hosting account, the feed is always in there. Here is where each major host keeps it, checked against each host's own help pages in September 2026. Dashboards change, so if a menu has moved, look for a page called Distribution, Directories or Feed.

The notes below cover the details that trip people up on each one.

Spotify for Creators (formerly Anchor)

On the web, go to creators.spotify.com, open Settings, then Availability, and scroll to RSS Distribution. On mobile, tap the menu icon first, then follow the same path.

Two things catch people out. Spotify says you won't see this section until you have published your first episode. And a Spotify-hosted show is published to Spotify automatically, but to use the feed anywhere else you have to switch it on. Spotify's help page warns that enabling it makes the email address in your feed visible to anyone who has the link, so use an address you don't mind being public.

If your show is hosted somewhere else and only listed on Spotify, Spotify for Creators doesn't have your feed. It reads it from your host, so go there instead.

Buzzsprout

Log in, open the Directories page and click the RSS Feed tab. Buzzsprout gives each podcast one feed, and current ones look like https://rss.buzzsprout.com/123456.rss.

If you sell a subscription through Buzzsprout, your subscribers get a separate premium feed. That one is private. Tools that should see your public episodes need the main feed.

Transistor

Open your show and go to Distribution. The feed URL is at the top of the page, and it looks like https://feeds.transistor.fm/your-show-name. If you have set up a custom domain for your feed in Transistor, you'll see that address instead. Use whichever one the Distribution page shows.

Libsyn

In Libsyn 5, click Dashboard at the top of your account and scroll to the Quick Links section at the bottom, where there is a link icon next to Feed. You can also find it under Destinations, where your main feed is the one labelled Apple Podcasts / Libsyn Classic Feed.

The friendly version of the address is https://yourshow.libsyn.com/rss. It redirects to a longer one that looks like https://rss.libsyn.com/shows/51271/destinations/181644.xml. Either is fine to paste.

Podbean

Go to Podcast Dashboard, then Settings, then Feed. The RSS feed is at the top of that page. Podbean builds the URL from your podcast site address, so it is https://yourshow.podbean.com/feed.xml or the equivalent https://feed.podbean.com/yourshow/feed.xml.

Captivate

The quickest route is the Copy Feed URL button in the blue show header on your Captivate dashboard. It is also in your podcast settings, in the RSS feed section, with a Copy button next to it. Captivate feeds look like https://feeds.captivate.fm/your-show/.

RSS.com

RSS.com puts an RSS Feed button on your podcast, and clicking it copies the feed to your clipboard. The same button appears on your show's public page. Feeds look like https://media.rss.com/your-show/feed.xml. As with most hosts, upload an episode before you share it.

Simplecast

Click the gear icon at the top left, choose Distribution from the menu on the left, and your main RSS feed is in the centre of the page with a Copy button. Simplecast only shows it once you have chosen a plan, added a card and published at least one episode, so a missing feed on a brand-new account is normal. If you have made extra feeds, they are listed under the main one. Feeds look like https://feeds.simplecast.com/ followed by a short code.

Megaphone

Go to your Podcast Library, open your podcast and click the Feed button. The feed opens in a new tab: copy the address from that tab. Megaphone feeds start with https://feeds.megaphone.fm/, followed by an ID or sometimes the show's name.

Acast

On your show dashboard, click Share Links on the right and choose RSS Feed. It opens in a new tab, and the address in that tab is your feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/ followed by your show's ID or a custom name.

Riverside

Riverside now hosts podcasts as well as recording them. In the studio for your show, click Hosting in the sidebar, open the three-dot menu (•••) at the top right and choose Copy RSS URL. Riverside-hosted feeds look like https://api.riverside.fm/hosting/ followed by a code and .rss.

If you only record in Riverside and host elsewhere, your feed is at your host, not in Riverside.

Substack

Substack podcasts have a feed of their own, separate from your newsletter's feed. It is in your podcast's settings, and it looks like https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/ followed by a number and .rss. The Apple lookup above is often the quickest way to get it.

A host that isn't listed

Every host has the feed somewhere. Look for a page called Distribution, Directories, Feed or RSS, or check the show header and your podcast settings. If you still can't find it, use the Apple lookup. It takes thirty seconds and doesn't depend on any dashboard.

04YouTube: why there is no feed to copy

If your podcast lives on YouTube, you won't find an RSS feed to give other tools. YouTube can read a podcast's RSS feed (in YouTube Studio you can submit one, and new episodes arrive as videos), but it doesn't publish one. YouTube's own help page is plain about it: it will not distribute your podcast to other platforms.

So there are two cases:

• You publish audio through a host and also post to YouTube. Use your host's feed. It is the one Apple and Spotify read, and it has every episode.
• Your show exists only on YouTube. There is no podcast feed. Tools that need your audio will ask for the video link or the file instead. PodRescale takes either: paste the video link and we pull the audio, or upload the file.

05How to check the feed you found is the right one

Before you paste the URL anywhere, spend a minute confirming it.

1. Open it in your browser. You should see code starting with <rss or a styled page listing your episodes. If you see your show's normal web page with a player, you have copied the website, not the feed.
2. Check the newest episode is at the top. Each episode is an <item>. If your latest one is missing, you may have an old feed from before you changed hosts.
3. Check the episodes have audio. Each item should have an <enclosure> tag pointing to an audio file, usually ending .mp3 or .m4a. No enclosures means no audio for any tool to use.
4. Make sure it is public. A public feed opens without a login. If the URL has a long private token in it, it is probably a subscriber or premium feed. Don't paste that into third-party tools or share it.
5. Run it through a validator if something looks off. Podbase (podba.se/validate) and Cast Feed Validator (castfeedvalidator.com) check podcast-specific tags, artwork and the audio files. The W3C feed validator checks the XML, but it wasn't built for podcast feeds, so expect some false alarms.

06Common problems and what they mean

One more on host moves. When you switch hosts, the old host should set up a 301 redirect to the new feed, and the apps follow it. So an old URL can keep working for years. Still, give tools the new one, so nothing depends on a redirect you don't control.

07What to do with it next

If you are here because a tool asked for your feed, you are one paste away. In PodRescale, that is the whole setup: paste your RSS feed (an Apple Podcasts link works too) and it picks up your latest episode and turns it into show notes, LinkedIn posts, captioned clips, quote cards and a newsletter, written from what was said. The first episode is free and needs no card.

On every plan, it keeps watching the feed and starts each new episode on its own, so nobody has to remember to upload anything. Without a feed, you upload each episode or paste its link instead. The how it works page shows each step, the RSS feed docs cover the settings, and pricing has the plan details. If you would rather start from a file, the quick start guide covers that route.

Once the feed is connected, the useful question is what each episode should turn into. The complete repurposing workflow covers the whole pack, and the show notes template is a good first piece to get right.

08Frequently asked questions

Is my RSS feed the same as my Apple Podcasts or Spotify link?

No. An Apple Podcasts or Spotify link points to one app's page for your show. The RSS feed is the file those apps read to build that page. Some tools, ours included, accept an Apple Podcasts link and look up the feed for you, but most directories and plugins want the feed itself.

Can I find the RSS feed for a podcast I don't own?

Yes, if the show is public. Public feeds are meant to be read by any app, which is why the Apple lookup and Podcast Index work for any listed show. Private and premium feeds are different: they are tied to one subscriber and shouldn't be shared.

Does my RSS feed URL change if I switch hosts?

Yes. Your new host gives you a new feed, and your old host should redirect the old URL to it so apps and subscribers follow along. Update the URL anywhere you pasted it, rather than relying on the redirect forever.

Why can't I find my RSS feed in Spotify?

Either the show isn't hosted on Spotify for Creators, in which case Spotify only reads your feed and you need to get it from your host, or it is, and you need to publish an episode and switch on RSS distribution under Settings, then Availability.

Is it safe to share my podcast RSS feed?

Your public feed, yes. It exists to be shared, and anyone can already find it through the directories. Check which email address it shows before you do. Never share a private or premium feed URL, because it gives access to paid episodes.

Written byJames Walker

Founder of PodRescale and a PhD in Data Science. Questions about this post go straight to him.

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