How to Add Your Own Audio Files to Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts does not host audio files. To listen to your own audio there — or in Overcast or Pocket Casts — you need an RSS feed that points at your file. You can build that feed by hand, or have it generated for you.
This guide walks through both, the manual method first.
The manual method: host the file, write a feed, add it by URL
- Host the audio file. Put the MP3 or M4A somewhere with a direct public URL — a web server, or cloud storage that serves the raw file.
- Write an RSS feed. Create an XML file that describes your show and lists the audio file as an episode enclosure. Host that XML file too.
- Add the feed to your app. Apple Podcasts: Library → Follow a Show by URL. Overcast: the + button → Add URL. Pocket Casts: paste the feed URL into search.
- Repeat for every new file. Each new episode means re-uploading and hand-editing the XML again.
This works, and it costs nothing beyond hosting. It is also the same manual workaround people have been recommending on forums since 2019 — because until recently there was no other answer. Nothing about it is automatic: no step runs by itself, and the feed never updates unless you edit it.
The automatic method: a feed that fills itself
If the material you want to listen to starts life as PDFs or YouTube videos, you can skip the hosting and the XML entirely. pluCast gives you your own podcast feed built from your PDFs and YouTube videos: it converts each item into a two-host podcast episode and adds it to your RSS feed for you.
- Create a pluCast account — 5 free credits, no card.
- Upload a PDF or paste a YouTube link. Or connect a Google Drive folder or YouTube playlist once, and new files convert automatically.
- Subscribe to your feed once in Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or Pocket Casts. Every new episode appears on its own.
One honest caveat: pluCast generates its episodes from PDFs and YouTube videos today. Uploading a finished audio file directly is on the roadmap — for that single case, the manual method above is still the answer.
Which method should you pick?
One finished audio file, one time: use the manual method. It is free and you control every step.
A recurring stream of documents and videos you want as listening material: use an automatic feed. The whole point of RSS is that subscribers do nothing — including you.
Frequently asked questions
Can Apple Podcasts host my audio files?
No. Apple Podcasts is a directory and a player, not a host. It only plays shows that live in an RSS feed hosted somewhere else — which is why every method starts with creating a feed.
Do I have to publish my show publicly to listen to it?
No. Adding a feed by URL works with any feed address, and nothing appears in the public directory unless you submit it to Apple Podcasts Connect yourself.
What if my content is PDFs or YouTube videos, not audio files?
Then you can skip hosting entirely. pluCast converts PDFs and YouTube videos into podcast episodes and delivers them to your own RSS feed automatically.
Hear your reading pile instead
5 free credits, no card required. Turn a PDF or YouTube video into a two-host podcast episode.
