A universal link means no one gets left out
Since you want your podcast to be available to everyone, no matter what device they listen to podcasts on, you need to share your show using a universal link.
That means a link that works for everyone.
If you share your show using only your Apple Podcasts link that won’t work for anyone using an Android phone. Similarly, if you share your show using only your Spotify link that’s not great for people who don’t use Spotify.
So how do you make sure you’re promoting your podcast using a link that works for all your potential listeners?
How to share your podcast to iPhone AND Android
Share a link to your website
I’ll caveat this by saying you should only share your podcast this way if it’s SUPER easy to listen to your show on your website.
Ideally, you want to remove as much friction as possible for potential listeners, so they don’t get bored and move on.
And friction includes having to click a bunch of links to get to the right spot or scroll for miles to find out where to play your episodes.
If you’re going to point people to listen via a page or post on your website it’s got to be easy.
That means having a clearly visible play button near the top of the page so they don’t have to scroll down as well as links to your show in all the major podcast apps so they know where to follow or subscribe.
Share your podcast host show page
Your podcast host (e.g. Libsyn, Buzzsprout) will generate a show page for your podcast and these often feature a player and links to your podcast in the major apps.
The design of these pages and players vary a lot between hosts so make sure you look at the design before you choose your podcast host if that is important to you.
Use a podcast page generator
Like your podcast host page, these websites generate a show page with links to different apps and (ideally) a player where people can listen to your episodes e.g. Podnews subscribe page.
Use a dynamic link generator
This is my top recommendation when it comes to sharing your show because it removes all the hard work for your audience.
Dynamic URL’s take someone directly to your show in their podcast app no matter what device they’re listening on and you can often choose where to send someone depending on whether they click the link on an iPhone, Android or desktop computer.
This means they don’t have to click any additional links or go searching for anything. They get taken straight to where you want them to go.
It’s important to note that these links take people to your show as a whole rather than individual episodes. So it’s best to go with this option if you’re promoting your show generally or if you’re sharing your latest episode because that’s the one that’ll be at the top of the feed.
Since there are a lot of podcast apps out there, using this method also means you might not be taking people to their favourite one.
But if they’re listening in an app that’s not one of the major ones, chances are they’re a regular podcast listener, so if they like what they hear they’ll know how to find your show in their app of choice.
You can make a dynamic URL yourself using websites like Smart URL or PodFollow or you can use a service that generates one for you for a fee like PlayPodca.st.
Since some people still don’t know how to listen to a podcast, a smart or dynamic URL can remove 100% of the friction because when someone clicks on it they’re immediately taken to a podcast app where they can listen, follow or subscribe.
And no matter what link you’re using make sure you test it on all devices so you know people are ending up where you want them to be!
Got a burning podcasting question you’d like answered? Send me an email.
Want to start your own podcast but need a little help? Download my “How To Start A Podcast” guide or sign up for my online podcasting course, PodSchool.
This is a great post! I’m a podcaster and I’ve been struggling to figure out a way to share my show with more people. This is a great solution!
Another service like playpodca.st is podfollow – and it’s free. Take a look at podfollow.com.
Awesome! Thanks for the tip, will check it out! Rach
Thank you. Love your work Rachel!