Free tool · 21 checks · no sign-up

Is your podcast ready for Apple, Spotify and growth?

Paste your show's RSS feed. In about ten seconds you get a score out of 100, the fixes that matter most in plain English, and which host you are on and what it costs.

Not sure where your feed is? Here is how to find it, or paste your show's Apple Podcasts link.

  • Apple's and Spotify's own rules
  • Fixes written for your host
  • We never keep your feed address
Sample reportThis is what your report looks like. Paste your feed above to get yours.

The Example Show

by Example Media · Business, Marketing

  • Hosted on Buzzsprout
  • 212 episodes

Listed on Apple Podcasts

Good. Four fixes below take it to 100.

  • Apple and Spotify ready

    9 of 10 passed

  • Plays everywhere

    4 of 4 passed

  • Easy to find

    2 of 4 passed

  • Built to grow

    2 of 3 passed

What to fix, biggest gain first

Fix first

Cover art is only 1200 pixels wide

+12 points

The cover art is only 1200 × 1200 pixels. Apple Podcasts asks for at least 1400 × 1400, and smaller art looks soft on phones and TVs.

How to fix: Export your cover at 3000 × 3000 pixels and upload it in Buzzsprout's show settings.

Quick win

No permanent podcast ID

+2 points

The feed has no permanent podcast ID. It lets apps follow the show if it ever moves hosts.

How to fix: Most hosts add it with one setting; look for podcast:guid in Buzzsprout's show settings.

Worth doing

No newsletter sign-up found

+2 points

We looked in the show details and the newest episodes' notes and found no way for listeners to give you their email. A list you own is the one audience no app can take away.

How to fix: Add a sign-up link to every episode's show notes and to your website.

Worth doing

No transcripts

+1 point

No episode carries a transcript. Apple and others show transcripts, and they make every episode readable by search engines and AI assistants.

How to fix: Many hosts make them for you: look for a transcript setting on each episode at Buzzsprout.

17 checks passed
  • Secure feed address
  • Show title
  • Show description
  • Category
  • Explicit tag
  • Owner email
  • Language
  • Episodes
  • Audio files
  • Episode IDs
  • Episode dates
  • Recent episode
  • Newest episode plays
  • Skipping ahead
  • Listed on Apple Podcasts
  • Chapters
  • Website link

Thinking about switching hosts?

Buzzsprout: free plan, paid from $18/mo. Our comparison puts 16 hosts side by side, with the prices from their own pricing pages. No host pays for its place.

Compare all 16 hosts

What the check looks at

  • Cover art

    We measure the image itself: Apple and Spotify want square JPG or PNG art, 1400 to 3000 pixels.

  • Category and explicit tag

    Apple needs both to list the show and to place it in its charts and browse pages.

  • Owner email

    Apple and Spotify send a code here to confirm the show is yours.

  • Audio files

    Every episode needs an audio address, a file type and a file size. We also ask the newest episode's audio whether it plays and lets listeners skip ahead.

  • Episode IDs and dates

    Apps tell episodes apart by ID and sort them by date; a missing or repeated one shows up as duplicates or gaps.

  • Listed on Apple Podcasts

    We look the show up on Apple Podcasts by its feed address, never by a guess at its name.

  • Transcripts and chapters

    Transcripts make every episode readable by search engines and AI assistants; chapters let listeners jump to the part they want.

  • Permanent podcast ID

    A podcast:guid lets apps follow the show if it ever moves hosts.

  • Website and newsletter

    A website link and a newsletter let you reach listeners without an app in between.

  • How recent

    Apps and search engines treat a show that has gone quiet for a year as inactive.

  • Host and measurement

    Which host the audio comes from and what it costs, and which download-measurement services it passes through.

Questions

Where do I find my podcast RSS feed?
In your hosting account, usually under your show's settings or distribution page, as the RSS feed or feed URL. You can also paste your show's Apple Podcasts link and we will find the feed for you.
Is the Podcast Feed Check free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no limit beyond a few checks a minute.
Do you store my feed?
No. We keep a count of checks and which host each feed was on, but never the feed address and never the owner email in it. A private feed's address carries its own key, so we do not keep it.
Does the check count as a download?
No. We ask your newest episode's audio for its first two bytes, a request that download counters following the IAB podcast measurement rules leave out, and every request says it comes from the Podosphere Feed Check.
What is a good score?
Above 90 means the apps have everything they need. Between 70 and 90 usually means a missing extra such as transcripts or a newsletter. Below 70, start with the items marked "Fix first": they can keep a show out of Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The score has four parts (Apple and Spotify ready, plays everywhere, easy to find, built to grow), and each fix says how many points it adds.
How do you know which host I am on?
From the addresses your episodes' audio is served from, after taking off any download-measurement services such as Podtrac or OP3, and failing that from the feed's own address or the software that wrote it.