Using other sites to Subscribe to podcast

[dakotagts]

I am super new at this idea of RSS feeds. I see that Itunes and Yahoo allow direct subscriptions to our Podcast on our site http://www.midwestrea.com/Podcasts.aspx I have created a subscribe button that I want to link to a Itunes for people to sign up using Itunes. However I do not know where I start to use itunes. Do i need to create a Store account in order to allow people to use Itunes and not have to do a manual entry? Is this also true with other companies? and what other companies should I be using other then Itunes?

[Rasheed]

According to this thread (http://www.podcast411.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=98) on the Podcast411 forum, you don't need to enter your feed into the iTunes Store. You should be able to use itpc://urlofyourfeed and people who click that link will subscribe to the feed with their copy of the iTunes program.

In the iTunes program itself, under podcast overview, you can find a box called LEARN MORE.
http://lh3.google.com/image/Rene.van.Belzen/Rm8OOz1kQ9I/AAAAAAAAADg/WgHwtEblPHU/LearnMore.jpg
There you'll find how to submit a podcast and podcast technical specs. Be sure to read through the technical specification carefully, because you have only one chance to offer your feed. If there are any mistakes in it and the feed is rejected, most podcasters have found out they are out of luck and have to start a new podcast.

Be sure to read Rob Walch's excellent article about how to start your own podcast for free:
http://www.podcast411.com/free/

Especially, steps 9 and 10 are important if you want to be listed in the iTunes Store's Podcast Directory.

I hope this helps.

[WyethDigital]

You should be able to use itpc://urlofyourfeed and people who click that link will subscribe to the feed with their copy of the iTunes program.

This option should only be used for certain conditions. For instance:
1) You can't get iTunes to list your podcast.
2) You don't want to get listed in iTunes.
3) You don't care about iTunes Music Store stats.
4) You want a true one-click subscription method.

Here's the deal. The "itpc" addressing trick tells the user's iTunes app to subscribe to a podcast automatically, but it doesn't tell the iTunes podcast directory that they subscribed. If you have a listing in iTunes, this method can actually hurt your visibility in iTunes, since the amount of exposure you get to the overworked staff at iTunes (who has a say in who gets featured in the directory) is partly related to the amount of subscribers and downloads that are attached to your listing in the store.

What most podcasters do is link to their iTunes Store page, where a user can subscribe. The link will automatically launch iTunes (if it's installed on a user's computer) and take them directly to the podcast's page.

An iTunes user does not have to be registered at iTunes to subscribe to or download podcasts.

A podcaster that wants to include their podcast in the iTunes dirctory does need to have an account at the store to submit their show.

It's always best to make sure everything works before you start submitting your podcast to any podcast directory, including iTunes. But I have to disagree with Rasheed when he says it will tank you if you have an error in your feed. Just wait a week and try again.

Before you even think about submitting your podcast to places, you need to validate your feed. Do that here. (http://www.feedvalidator.org/)

Then try manually subscribing to your feed in iTunes (Advanced Menu>Subscribe to Podcast>Enter Feed URL). If it works, then your feed is fine.

Eric