How to Set Up Your Ministry’s Apple Podcasts Channel

Did you know?

Did you know Apple Podcasts has channels? You can connect all your podcasts under your ministry’s name. When people search your name, your channel will appear on the second layer of search after general shows.

Besides listener search, channels give the optional benefit of paid subscriptions directly through Apple. This allows listeners to get bonus content from all your channel’s shows for a fee, similar to Patreon.

Dubbed the Apple Podcaster Program, it’s different than adding your RSS feed to their library or creating a channel (which are free). In exchange for premium content delivery, Apple takes a cut with a fixed annual fee of $19.99 in the US. That’s not bad but most of the time I wouldn’t recommend this for ministries. Why? You’ve probably already got a way for people to make donations.

Another bonus I see is creators can be listed as the owner of the podcast feed within the RSS data but still be linked to the networks brand. For example, the RSS feed owner tag on Rise After the Fall is Shawn and Sonny Hennessy but the show is still under Life Church Green Bay. However unless other platforms adopts channels like Apple, that benefit only stays in the ecosystem of Apple.

How to Set Up Your Apple Podcasts Channel

How do you actually set up your Apple Podcast channel? Here’s a step-by-step guide how to set up a channel in Apple Podcasts.

1. First, navigate to your Podcasts Connect dashboard (Login or create an account here: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/)
   
2. If you’re not already at the dashboard home, click the “Podcasts” tab in the header.
   
3. Tap the purple circle with a plus symbol to the right of “Podcasts.” Select “New Channel” from the options.
4. Enter your channels name (less than 25 characters).
   
5. Next, you’ll be taken to your channel dashboard. Here’s what an empty one looks like:
   
6. Add a logo (PNG with transparent background with 3000 x 750 resolution) and choose a background color.
   
7. Add an icon image (PNG or JPEG 3000 x 3000). It will appear in a circle so make sure it’s centered.
   
8. Add a description of your ministry and the content you serve in less than 4000 characters. Add your ministry’s website.
   
9. Next tap the “Add a Show” or purple circle with a plus. Select all your shows to the channel and then tap “Add.” Shows can only be on one channel at a time. If you have podcasts under multiple Apple accounts, you’ll need to contact Apple to have them transfer ownership.
   
10. If you do wind up joining the Apple Podcast Program, the next box is where you would manage the channel’s subscription.
11. Finally, scroll back up to the top and hit the purple publish button in the top right.
    

And that’s how you set up an Apple Podcast channel for your ministry! Remember, you can always come back and edit this info at anytime, including archiving the channel if you want to.

Video Tutorial

Coming soon!