1. The first is finding the podcast feed URL. This tutorial is designed to accompany Volcasting@UT, which creates a feed for you. If your podcasts are hosted in another site, you'll need to determine if you have a working podcast feed and copy the feed url from that site instead.
   
   What is a feed?
   A web feed is a file that enables updated content to automatically appear on a user's computer. iTunes does not store podcast files for you; it uses the feed you provide to create podcast subscriptions for interested users.


2. The second key element is having an AOL screen name or Apple ID. If you have email through AOL or buy music from the iTunes store, you already have one of these.

How to Get a Podcast Feed into iTunes

Open iTunes (if necessary, download version 7. In the far-left menu, click iTunes Store.



In the left column of the page that appears, under iTunes STORE, click Podcasts.



Scroll down to the bottom. In the Learn More box on the left, click Submit a Podcast. (Alternately, look for a large purple and white button in the middle of the page that says Submit a Podcast.)



The page will have a text box labeled “Podcast Feed URL.” We’ll visit the site that hosts our podcasts -- in this case, Volcasting@UT -- to find the url.



Open a new browser and go to the Volcasting@UT site. Find the course you wish to post in iTunes by clicking View Courses or typing keywords into the search box. When you find the course, click the orange and gray RSS PODCAST button. A new page will open. Copy the page's url.

If your podcasts are hosted in another site, you will need to check for the existence of a feed (look for a button on the site that reads RSS, XML, or PODCAST) and find the XML file (click the button and copy the URL of the page that opens).



Go back to iTunes. Paste the URL you’ve just copied in the “Podcast Feed URL” text box. Click continue.

At this point, you will need your AOL screen name / password or your Apple ID. If you have neither, you will be prompted to create an Apple account, which will require a credit card number. There is no charge for the submission of a podcast.

When you've entered your information, click Continue. You will see a summary page of the descriptive information that you attached to your podcast when you created it.



To change or update this information later, edit the podcast in Volcasting@UT (the next round of Volcasting@UT features will include the ability to attach a custom graphic for your podcast).

Click Submit. iTunes will confirm your submission and mention its hands-on approval process, which may take around 24 hours.

You will receive an email confirming that your submission has been received, and later, that it has been approved. You will also be given a link straight to your podcast.

Note: the link they send will be fairly long
(http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=yourFEEDIDhere, for instance) but this shorter version will work just as well: http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=yourFEEDIDhere).

How Will They Find You? Give Them Good Directions

Pay very close attention to the title, author, description, and keywords tags at the level of your podcast feed, because these are the fields that iTunes indexes for search (iTunes does not index episode metadata). This metadata, along with your podcast art, is your product packaging. It will affect whether your podcast shows up in relevant searches, and whether users who find your podcast are likely to click the Subscribe button.

Make your title specific. A podcast entitled "Our Community Bulletin" is too vague and will attract no subscribers, no matter how compelling the content.

Take advantage of the <itunes:summary> tag. The <itunes:summary> tag (or the <description> tag if <itunes:summary> is not present) is your chance to tell potential subscribers all about your podcast. Describe your subject matter, media format, episode schedule, and other relevant info so that they know what they’ll be getting when they subscribe. In addition, make a list of the most relevant search terms that you want your podcast to match, then build them into your description. Note that iTunes removes podcasts that include lists of irrelevant words in the itunes:summary, description, or itunes:keywords tags.

Minimize keyword usage. Almost nothing belongs in the keywords tag that isn’t better handled in the title or <itunes:summary> tag. The best use for keywords is to include common misspellings of your name or title, to ensure your podcast is still searchable despite a misspelling. To prevent keyword abuse, iTunes indexes only the first 12 keywords found in this tag.

Oops! How to Remove a Podcast Feed from iTunes

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