RSS Feed Update FAQ

Why are you doing this?

We are reworking how the RSS feeds are structured within the Castos platform for several reasons: 

• To standardize how newer accounts and older ones are configured. This allows us to more rapidly iterate on what is in the RSS feed going forward.
• To decouple the RSS feed "slug" from the podcast website slug
• To anonymize RSS feeds from your show title (going forward RSS feeds will not have the name of your podcast in them)

How does this affect the existing distribution of my podcast?

It won't at all. We will handle all of the redirects (and the "iTunes New Feed URL" tag within your RSS feed) so that directories such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc. all seamlessly begin picking up your podcast contents from the new feed URL. There is nothing you need to do to update this within listening directories or your existing subscribers.

Do I need to do anything to keep my podcast live and updated?

No, we're taking care of everything for you on our end.

Will our subscribers have to re-subscribe to get new episodes?

Nope, they will automatically get any updates you publish to your podcast, including new episodes. There is nothing that subscribers need to do.

My podcast is private, how does this change affect private podcasts?

Your private podcast RSS feeds will be redirected just like public RSS feeds, so there is nothing that your Private Subscribers will need to do in order to receive new podcast episodes.  This is true whether your Private Subscribers are using a private RSS feed or the Castos Mobile App.

How will my analytics be affected by this?

Not at all. The analytics in your dashboard will continue forward unaffected by this update.

There’s a problem with my podcast, is it related to this?

We have tested this extensively for the past several months and are rolling this out in a staged format (with our own shows first) to ensure that no podcasts are affected by this change. However, if you notice something awry with your podcast around this time please let us know so our team can investigate and advise you on the best next steps to resolve any issues you're seeing.

How do I see what my new RSS feed is?

Your podcast RSS feed can be found in the Settings -> Distribution area of your podcast within the Castos dashboard.

I use Seriously Simple Podcasting with Castos, how does this affect me?

The RSS feed generated by Seriously Simple Podcasting (usually yoursite.com/feed/podcast or yoursite.com/feed/podcast/podcast-name) is unaffected by this change and will continue to work as usual. Only the Castos RSS feed associated with your show will change. 

If you happen to use the Castos RSS feed to distribute your podcast, do not worry. As outlined above and in our email communication, all previous RSS feeds will be redirected to the new feed, and podcast directories will be automatically notified to update your show's RSS feed.