How to submit podcast to iHeartRadio

To submit podcast to iHeartRadio, take your public RSS feed to podcasters.iheart.com, sign in, let the portal validate the feed, review the show details and accept the required terms. You then verify ownership through the owner email published in the RSS feed. A participating hosting provider can submit the show instead, which matters if the direct portal is unavailable in your region.

iHeart's process reads the show from the feed rather than asking you to upload episodes again. Your host remains the source for the title, artwork, descriptions and audio. Fix those fields before submission so the review screen reflects the show you want listeners to see.

Before you start: choose the right submission route

iHeart's official submission page gives creators two routes. You can submit directly at podcasters.iheart.com or use a participating hosting platform.

The direct portal is available only to people in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. iHeart directs creators outside those five regions to a participating host, or to its Contact Us option when their host cannot submit the show.

Its current partner list includes Omny Studio, Spreaker, Libsyn, Audioboom, Podbean, Pinecast and Podomatic. Check your host's distribution settings before starting a second route. If the host already sent the feed to iHeart, a fresh direct submission can waste time and make troubleshooting harder.

You also need:

• A public RSS feed URL that loads without a password
• A published episode in that feed
• Accurate show and episode metadata
• Access to the owner email address published in the feed
• The rights required by iHeart's Destination / Content License Agreement

If you have never inspected a feed, what is RSS feed podcasting? explains what the directory reads. The feed owner email deserves special attention because iHeart uses it for ownership verification.

Fix the RSS owner email before submission

Your iHeart account email and the owner email in your RSS feed are separate values. iHeart says it is best to use the email in the RSS feed when submitting. If you cannot access that inbox, log in to your hosting platform, change the feed email and then resubmit.

Open the public RSS URL in a browser and search for the owner section. Hosts label the setting differently, so the reliable test is the published feed, not the email shown in your hosting account profile. After changing it, reload the XML and confirm the new address appears.

Use a monitored team inbox if several people manage the show. That avoids tying future ownership checks to a freelancer or former producer. The address is also part of a public feed unless your host applies a privacy proxy, so do not use a personal inbox you want to keep private.

How to submit podcast to iHeartRadio

The live interface validates the RSS feed, parses its show data and asks you to review the result before submission.

1. Open the iHeart podcaster portal.
2. Sign in with an iHeart account. Prefer the address published as the owner email in the RSS feed.
3. Start the podcast submission flow.
4. Paste the full public RSS feed URL.
5. Complete the anti-bot check and ask the portal to validate the feed.
6. Review the parsed title, author, artwork, description and owner details.
7. Correct any bad metadata at your host, refresh the feed and validate it again.
8. Confirm that the information is accurate and accept the required content and copyright terms.
9. Submit the show, then open the message sent to the RSS owner email and complete the ownership verification.

The submission interface states that iHeart does not guarantee submitted content will be used or published, and it requires agreement to the destination content licence. Treat the confirmation screen as receipt of a submission, not proof that the show is live.

If you use a partner host instead, open its distribution or directories section and select iHeartRadio. The host may reduce the number of manual fields because it already controls the feed. Confirm that you are sending the canonical public feed rather than a staging, private or old URL.

What iHeart validates

iHeart's current troubleshooting page tells creators to use a valid feed containing the information required for podcast distribution. Its examples of failed states include RSS Feed Invalid - No Owner Email Address, Update RSS URL failed and a show remaining in processing even though it is already active.

Run this preflight before blaming the portal:

Do not edit the raw XML unless you operate your own publishing system. For a hosted show, change the underlying field in the host dashboard and wait for the feed to regenerate.

Complete ownership verification

When the login email differs from the feed owner email, iHeart sends verification to the owner address. Its portal confirms that the owner must use that message to complete the ownership claim.

If the message does not arrive, iHeart's verification help recommends three checks:

• Look in the spam folder.
• Confirm that the submission email matches the email listed in the RSS feed.
• Add podcasts@iheartradio.com to your contacts.

If you no longer control the feed address, iHeart's email mismatch guidance tells you to update that address through the hosting platform and resubmit. When the host does not expose the field, ask its support team to change it.

Do not forward the ownership link around a team without knowing which account initiated it. Finish verification in the same browser and account used for submission, then record the account owner in your show operations notes.

How to know the submission worked

Search the public iHeart site or app for the exact show title. Open the result and verify the following:

1. Compare the artwork and author with the current feed.
2. Read the description and make sure it is complete and current.
3. Find the newest episode in the episode list.
4. Start that episode and check playback.
5. Follow the show from a listener account.

A portal status can tell you where the request sits, but a playable public page is the final check. Save the iHeart show URL with the date and RSS feed URL you submitted. That record is useful when a future host change leaves several feeds in circulation.

Once the show is live, do not assume an iHeart play equals a host download. They come from different measurement systems. iHeartRadio podcast stats covers the platform's reach and evidence limits, while how to track podcast analytics shows how to keep platform and delivery reporting in their proper lanes.

Troubleshoot failed or stuck submissions

Match the visible error or stale status to the feed check below before you create another submission.

RSS feed invalid: no owner email address

Add or expose an owner email through your podcast host, reload the public feed and verify the address is present. Submit again only after the corrected address appears in the feed. Changing only your iHeart account profile will not alter the feed.

Code 404 or Show has failed processing

Confirm that the feed and episode enclosure URLs return public pages or files. iHeart's submission troubleshooting page asks creators who still need help to provide the podcast type, RSS URL, feed email, issue description and exact error message or code. Collect those details before contacting support.

The show remains in processing

Search iHeart for the show before taking another action. Its troubleshooting page notes that a show may report processing even when it is already live and active. If the public listing works, capture the URL and report the stale portal state rather than creating another submission.

You are outside a supported direct-submission region

Use the iHeart option in a participating host. If your host has no route, use the Contact Us control on iHeart's official submission help page. A location block does not mean the podcast itself is ineligible.

You submitted a video podcast through the audio flow

iHeart now uses a separate video podcast submission form. Its troubleshooting page says video support requires review and approval, so use that route instead of trying to make video work through an audio RSS submission.

After the listing goes live

Add the iHeart show URL to your website and launch checklist. Then monitor the feed after each release to catch missing episodes before a listener reports them.

For visibility inside the app, submission is only the first step. How to rank on iHeartRadio charts separates chart work from basic distribution. Keep those jobs distinct: first make the show valid and playable, then work on discovery.

Start tracking your show with Podder once the public page works, and keep the submitted RSS URL beside the listing in your operations notes.