A critical part of finding success as a podcaster is making sure that your show is widely available. That being said, uploading audio to a host’s platform is a time-consuming process. Being able to streamline this by uploading to an RSS feed can reduce the time that goes into content distribution. To that end, YouTube intends to give podcasters the option to upload via RSS feeds to the YouTube Music app by the end of 2023.
As reported byPodnews, Steve McLendon, product lead at Google, confirmed that the company is aiming to fully support RSS feeds on YouTube Music, including private feeds (via9to5Google). Generally speaking, YouTube Music has lagged in its debut as a podcast platform. While it’s possible tolisten to podcastson the app in the US, Canada, and Latin America, it has been limited to these regions.
Speaking at the Podcast Movement conference on Tuesday, McLendon acknowledged that more countries will be able to access podcasts on YouTube Music by the end of the year. He also confirmed speculation that YouTube has been testing a feature that would generate videos from uploaded podcasts. The idea is that this content would then be available on the standard YouTube website and app, potentially extending podcasters’ reach. However, McLendon noted that they will need to categorize their show as a podcast within YouTube Studio in order for it to be promoted elsewhere.
Once the feature is rolled out, McLendon added that users will be able to manually add podcasts to YouTube Music via RSS. The company is also planning improved discovery and search features for podcasts, and individual shows will soon be eligible to be automatically downloaded instead of the entire channel’s content.
Despite its slow expansion into podcasting, YouTube seems to remain dedicated to improving its features. In April, it began transitioning podcasts from YouTube to YouTube Music in the US. This was a notable change, as content could not be continuously played on YouTube without a Premium subscription. Bymoving podcasts to the YouTube Music app, listeners are now able to stream podcasts in the background or offline without a subscription.
To differentiate itself from its competitors, YouTube has also added new social features to YouTube Music. Now, it’s possible to comment and like or dislike content while listening. For podcasters who depend oninteracting with their fansto maintain a sense of community, the move is beneficial. However, it has yet to be seen if YouTube Music can become a go-to source for podcast listeners. With service providers like Spotify and Apple Music already claiming pieces of the pie, Google may have to offer something better to win over listeners.
