A podcast isn’t a podcast without listeners. But where do you find listeners for your show? That’s where distribution platforms, like Apple Podcasts, come in!
It’s best practice to share your podcast as far and wide as possible. There are dozens of podcast listening platforms and aggregators that help to share your show with their users. So, it can be overwhelming to try and figure out the optimal place to distribute your podcast.
We looked at our top-performing shows and discovered where a majority of their listeners are tuning in from. At the very least, be sure your show is being distributed from these platforms!
Apple Podcasts
It’s not surprising to see that a significant portion of listeners use Apple Podcasts as their listening platform of choice. It’s the largest podcast directory in the world, and some consider it the first. Podcasts supposedly got their name from iPods after all! If you’re not on Apple Podcasts then you’re missing out on a crucial space for listeners.
Learn how to distribute your show on Apple Podcasts in our Help Center.
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Spotify
Spotify is a newcomer to the podcasting space in comparison to legacies like Apple but that doesn’t mean their platform isn’t wildly popular with listeners. It consistently ranks as a close second in our findings.
Learn how to distribute your show on Spotify in our Help Center. For new shows created on RedCircle, you can distribute your show on Spotify with one single click.
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Amazon Music
Unexpected to some, but Amazon’s influence in the podcast industry is weighty, to say the least. Not only do listeners have access through the web, they can even tune in to your show through their Alexa devices. Amazon’s helpful AI assistant takes up a majority share (nearly 70%) of U.S. household smart speakers.
Learn how to distribute your show on Amazon Music in our Help Center.
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Podcast Addict
Podcast Addict started as a side project of Xavier Guillemane in 2011 and has quickly become an indie favorite among listeners. It’s also the #1 podcast app on Android!
Learn how to distribute your show on Podcast Addict in our Help Center.
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Castbox
A uniquely interesting listening app as they’ve dedicated a majority of their resources on their search functions. They’ve invested heavily in artificial intelligence making podcast discovery incredibly easy. Listeners can painlessly find new podcasts, like yours, when using this app.
Learn how to distribute your show on Castbox in our Help Center.
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Honorable Mentions
While these podcast listening platforms didn’t make the Top 5, they still have tons of active listeners ready to discover new shows!
Google Podcasts: Google Podcasts boasts a high number of downloads, but we moved them to honorable mentions as they’re unfortunately shutting down in late 2024. However, they’re switching shows over to YouTube Music!
Right now, though, you can submit your show to YouTube and automatically post episodes to your channel on RedCircle.
iHeartRadio: A well-known player in the podcast industry, iHeartRadio has been around for quite some time. It tends to be a favorite among older demographics (perhaps reminiscing on the heyday of radio.)
Learn how to distribute your show to iHeartRadio in our Help Center.
Overcast: Similar to Podcast Addict, Overcast was started by one person passionate about podcasts. Unlike the others on this list, though, this platform automatically pulls from Apple Podcasts. So, if you’re distributing on Apple then you’re distributing here, too!
Don’t stop your distribution journey with the Top 5 platforms! Be sure to spread your podcast across the web by distributing it on every platform you come across.
Check out the Distribution section in our Help Center for a full list of platforms and in-depth instructions on how to set them up.