Podcatchers

Podcast listening applications are called podcast players or podcatchers.

They regularly check RSS feeds for updates. Whenever a new episode is uploaded, RSS feed is updated; after this, the podcast player downloads the audio file and extracts relevant metadata to display to the user (e.g. episode title, duration, cover art, and so on).

Kinds of podcast players

There are two main types of podcast players:

1. players that download audio files from podcast hosting services (such as RSS Blue) separately for each user
2. players, such as Spotify, that download audio files from a podcast hosting service only once, store them on their own servers, and distribute them to their users on demand

This is summarized in the diagram below:

As a result, the number of downloads from RSS Blue does not necessarily reflect the total number of episode downloads.

Podcasting 2.0 players

At RSS Blue, we are proud to embrace Podcasting 2.0. To make use of Value 4 Value, transcripts, chapters, and other amazing features, you can direct your listeners to Podcasting-2.0-certified podcast players.

How do podcasts appear in podcast players?

For your podcast to appear in apps like Spotify, you need to submit it to dedicated podcast directories. Find out more here.