Blue Billywig allows you to create and manage podcast shows using playlists. A playlist acts as the container for your podcast episodes, holding all the media items that make up your show.
Publish your podcast:
- On a Channel on your website
- On popular podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts by generating an RSS feed
1.0 | Creating a podcast playlist
To set up a podcast show, you first need to create a playlist that will hold your episodes.
- Navigate to Media Library > Playlists in the OVP.
- Click Create Playlist.
- Enter a Title for your podcast show. This title will be used as the podcast name in podcast directories.
- Set the playlist type to Manual or Smart, depending on how you want to manage your episodes:
- Manual playlist: You hand-pick which media items (episodes) are included and in what order. This gives you full control over the episode sequence.
- Smart playlist: Episodes are added automatically based on filter rules (for example, all media items with a specific tag). This is useful if you publish episodes frequently and want them to appear in the playlist without manual intervention.
- Click Create Playlist.
Each media item in the playlist represents one podcast episode. Make sure your media items have the following metadata filled in:
- Title: The episode title.
- Description: A summary of the episode content.
- Thumbnail: An image that will be displayed as the episode artwork.
For a manual playlist, click Add Media Items within the playlist and select the items you want to include. You can drag and drop to reorder them.
For a smart playlist, configure the filter criteria (such as tags, categories, or publication date) and the playlist will populate automatically.
2.0 | Configuring podcast settings
To ensure your podcast feed is valid, configure the podcast-specific metadata on the playlist in the Content configuration tab by enabling RSS:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Podcast title | The name of your podcast show (set in the Metadata tab) |
| Description | A short summary of what the podcast is about (set in the Metadata tab) |
| Author | The name of the podcast author or organization. |
| Copyright | Copyright text |
| Language | The language of the podcast (e.g., en, nl). |
| Explicit | Whether the podcast contains explicit content. |
| Artwork | iTunes requires artwork to be between 1400px and 3000px square, in JPG or PNG format. |
| Category | The podcast category as defined by Apple (e.g., Technology, Business, Education). |
| Owner name | Apple recommends including a Name and Email address in the podcast RSS feed so that listeners can contact the podcast creator. |
| Email address | Some listening platforms use the email address in your RSS feed to verify that you’re the owner of your podcast when you submit or claim it on their platform. |
| Website | Including this URL improves SEO, provides listeners with more information, and directs traffic. |
Make sure the cover image meets the requirements of the platform you are submitting to. Apple Podcasts requires a square JPEG or PNG image between 1400×1400 and 3000×3000 pixels.
3.0 | Displaying your podcast in a Channel
You can showcase your podcast directly on your website using a Channel. A Channel is a customizable, embeddable page that displays your playlist content in a visually appealing layout.
Learn more about setting up a Channel.
4.0 | Using the RSS feed for podcast platforms
In addition to displaying your podcast on your own website, you can distribute it to popular podcast platforms. Blue Billywig automatically generates an RSS feed for your podcast playlist that is compatible with major directories.
4.1 | Obtaining the RSS feed URL
Once your podcast playlist is configured, the RSS feed URL is available in the playlist settings. Copy this URL; you will need it to submit your podcast to external platforms:
4.2 | Submitting to podcast platforms
Use the RSS feed URL to register your podcast on the following platforms:
| Platform | Where to submit |
|---|---|
| Apple Podcasts | Submit via Apple Podcasts Connect. You will need an Apple ID. |
| Spotify | Submit via Spotify for Podcasters. Log in and add your RSS feed URL. |
| Google Podcasts | Submit via Google Podcasts Manager. Verify ownership of the feed. |
| Amazon Music | Submit via the Amazon Music for Podcasters portal. |
Each platform has its own review process. After submitting your RSS feed, it may take anywhere from a few hours to several days before your podcast appears in the directory.
4.3 | Keeping your feed up to date
Whenever you add a new media item to your podcast playlist, the RSS feed updates automatically. Podcast platforms periodically poll the feed for new episodes, so new content will appear on all connected platforms without any additional action on your part.
Removing an episode from the playlist will also remove it from the RSS feed. This means it will eventually disappear from podcast platforms as well. Make sure you only remove episodes intentionally.