If you already have a podcast hosted on another platform, you can easily import all of your existing content to Wistia, without losing any of your subscribers. You won’t have to worry about tracking down any of your original files or resources. All you need is your RSS feed URL. We will use that to copy over all of your content. Your original feed will remain unchanged and you can keep your subscribers.

On your Content Library page, click the “Create” button and choose “Channel.”

In the “Create a Channel” box, turn podcasting on for your Channel, and select “Yes, import an existing podcast.”

To important your podcast, you’ll be able to search for it, or directly paste in your podcast’s current RSS feed URL. This is a URL that usually ends in “.rss” and can be copied from your current podcast provider.

You’ll then need to confirm ownership based on Wistia’s Terms of Service.

Once you check the box to confirm ownership, click “Import Podcast.”

We’ll take it from here and add all your files, artwork, show notes, and other metadata to your Wistia Channel! The time for this process to complete can vary based on how many episodes your podcast has published to date, but you can browse away from the importing screen and come back later.

Setting up a 301 redirect on your old feed will ensure that directories know where to find your new content and that your subscribers never miss an episode.

301 is a status code that a server sends to the browser. It lets the browser know to send both users and search engines to a different URL from the one they originally requested. You can think of it like changing your address at the post office when you move to a new neighborhood so they know where to forward your mail.

To get started, go to your Podcast Settings tab in Wistia and click on the “Distribute” tab at the top.

Copy your RSS feed link and paste it into the 301 redirect settings of your old podcast host.

Most podcast hosts provide a way to set up a 301 redirect yourself, but each host has a slightly different process. We’ve added some links below to help articles from various hosts to get you started. If you don’t see your host listed here, try visiting their website to find out where you can set up a 301 redirect.

After you finish your 301 redirect, we recommend you also manually update your RSS feed in major directories like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

To do this, you’ll want to go into your Podcast Settings and select the “Distribute” tab. Copy your RSS feed link. Now you can log into Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and/or Stitcher and replace your old RSS feed URL with your new URL from Wistia. Note that it can take some time for directories to update once you have updated the RSS feed. Learn more about submitting to podcast directories.

You can add links to your podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts that will appear on your Wistia Channel so your visitors can find you on their preferred platform.

In your Podcast Settings, select the “Distribute” tab. Here, select “Connect” for each directory where your podcast has been approved.

Once you’ve selected “Connect” for a directory, paste your podcast link for that directory on the following page, and click “Submit URL.”

This will then add a link to your Channel for that specific directory. The coolest part about this is that any Channel visitors will be able to subscribe right then and there, on their favorite platform!