How to Find the RSS Feed URL of Any Podcast, Step by Step

Short answer: Almost every public podcast is distributed through an RSS feed, and you can usually find its URL in one of six places: the show’s website (often linked as “RSS” or hidden in the page source), the podcast host’s dashboard, the Apple Podcasts public lookup, an open podcast index, a podcast app’s share or info screen, or a predictable URL pattern used by the host. If none of these turn up a feed, the show is probably exclusive to one platform, and there is no public feed to find.

Why you might need a podcast’s feed URL

Most listeners never see a podcast feed. They search in an app, press follow and the app handles everything. But there are plenty of situations where the raw feed URL is exactly what you need:

• Using an app that is not in the big directories. Many open-source and privacy-focused players let you add a show only by pasting its feed.
• Moving between apps. A list of feed URLs is the most reliable way to take your subscriptions with you.
• Automation. Posting new episodes to a website, a team channel or a newsletter starts with the feed.
• Checking your own show. Podcasters need the feed to submit it to directories, validate it or debug missing episodes.
• Monitoring. Researchers, PR teams and journalists follow shows in an RSS reader alongside news sources.

If you want a refresher on what the feed actually contains, our guide to how podcast RSS feeds deliver episodes to every app covers the structure. In short: it is an XML file with show details at the top and one <item> per episode, each with an <enclosure> pointing to the audio file.

Method 1: the show’s own website

Start with the podcast’s website, because it is the source the creators control.

1. Look for an RSS link or icon. Many podcast sites show a “Subscribe” or “Listen on” menu, and RSS is often one of the options next to the big apps.
2. Check the page source. Open the page, view the source and search for application/rss+xml. A line such as <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="…"> gives you the feed address. This is called autodiscovery, and it is also how many RSS readers find feeds when you paste a normal web address.
3. Try the site in an RSS reader. Paste the homepage URL into a reader that supports discovery. If the site declares a feed, the reader will usually find it.

Be careful with one trap: a podcast website built on a blogging platform may have two feeds, the blog’s general feed and the podcast feed. The blog feed often lists episode pages without audio enclosures. Podcast apps need the one that includes <enclosure> tags.

Method 2: the podcast host

If it is your own show, or you work with the creator, the feed URL is always available in the podcast hosting dashboard, normally under settings, distribution or “RSS feed”. Hosts generate the feed automatically from the episodes you upload.

Many hosts also use recognisable URL patterns, which helps when you know where a show is hosted but cannot see the dashboard. Patterns change and differ between hosts, so treat them only as a hint, but feed addresses commonly start with a subdomain such as feeds. followed by the host’s domain and a show identifier. When a host redirects old feed URLs to new ones, always use the address the host currently shows, not an older one saved somewhere.

Method 3: the Apple Podcasts lookup

Apple Podcasts does not show feed URLs on its pages, but it knows them, because shows are listed there by submitting their feed. Apple’s public search and lookup service returns the feed address for a listed podcast.

1. Open the show in Apple Podcasts on the web and copy its address. It contains an identifier that looks like id followed by a long number.
2. Open https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=NUMBER&entity=podcast, replacing NUMBER with that identifier.
3. The response is a small block of JSON. Look for the field feedUrl; its value is the podcast’s RSS feed.

Several free “find the feed” websites do exactly this behind the scenes. Doing it yourself avoids handing your browsing to a third party and takes less than a minute.

Method 4: open podcast indexes and directories

Open podcast indexes exist precisely to keep feed URLs public. Search for a show by name and the result page normally shows the feed address along with technical details such as the last update time and whether the feed is currently reachable. Some directories also expose the feed through a “RSS” or “copy feed” button on the show page.

These indexes are helpful when a show has disappeared from a website or when you want to confirm you have found the current feed rather than an abandoned copy. If an index lists two feeds for the same show, the one updated most recently is usually the live feed; the other is often left over from a move between hosts.

Method 5: podcast apps

Several podcast apps show or share the feed URL of a show you follow. Look in the show’s information screen, in a share menu, or in an option for exporting subscriptions. Exporting is particularly useful: most apps can export all subscriptions as an OPML file, which is simply a list of feed URLs. Open the file in any text editor and each show’s feed appears as an xmlUrl value. Our guide to OPML files and moving RSS subscriptions explains the format.

Apps built around their own catalog, rather than around open feeds, are less likely to show the address, because they want you to listen inside the app.

When there is no public feed

Sometimes the search ends without a feed. That usually means one of the following:

Private feeds deserve a special mention. Paid shows and member podcasts typically issue a unique feed URL per subscriber, which works like a password. Our explainer on how members-only podcast feeds work covers why these URLs should never be posted or shared.

How to check that you found the right feed

Once you have a candidate URL, spend thirty seconds confirming it is the real, current podcast feed:

• Open it in a browser. You should see XML (or a styled page) that starts with <rss and contains the show name in <title>.
• Look for enclosures. Search the file for enclosure. No enclosures means it is not a podcast feed that apps can play.
• Check the newest episode. The first <item> should match the latest episode listed on the show’s website or in apps.
• Watch for a new-feed tag. A feed that contains itunes:new-feed-url is pointing to a newer address; use that one.
• Add it to an app. The final test is simple: paste the URL into a podcast app and see whether the episodes load and play.

Following podcasts alongside other sources

Many people look for podcast feeds because they want one place to follow shows, blogs and news together. Most RSS readers accept podcast feeds and show each episode as an item, even if they cannot play the audio themselves. If you follow several shows on a topic, it can be useful to combine them into one stream, or to keep only episodes that mention a subject you care about.

This is where a feed tool such as Feeds fits in. It can merge several existing feeds into one, keep only items that contain (or do not contain) your keywords, and remove duplicates, so you can build, for example, a single feed of new episodes that mention your industry. When a show publishes episode pages on its website without offering any RSS, Feeds can create a feed from that page, with titles, images, summaries and dates, which is enough for following and notifications. For plan limits, see the pricing page.

Related reading

• Podcast RSS Tags Explained: iTunes and Podcasting 2.0
• How to Move a Podcast Feed Without Losing Subscribers
• How to Subscribe to RSS Feeds: A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide

The bottom line

A public podcast almost always has an RSS feed, even when apps hide it. Check the show’s website and its page source first, then the host dashboard if you have access, the Apple Podcasts lookup, an open podcast index or your app’s export. Confirm the URL by looking for enclosures and a current newest episode. If nothing turns up, the show is probably exclusive or private, and no public feed exists.

FAQ

Does every podcast have an RSS feed?

Nearly every podcast that appears in several apps does, because open directories are built on RSS. Shows that are exclusive to a single platform often have no public feed, and private member shows use personal feed URLs.

How do I get the RSS feed from Apple Podcasts?

Copy the numeric ID from the show’s Apple Podcasts web address and open the public lookup URL with that ID. The JSON response contains a field called feedUrl, which is the show’s RSS feed.

Can I find the RSS feed of a Spotify podcast?

Spotify does not show feed URLs. If the show is also available in other apps, find the feed through its website, an open podcast index or the Apple lookup. Shows exclusive to Spotify generally have no public feed.

Why does the feed I found have no audio?

You have probably found the website’s blog feed rather than the podcast feed. Podcast feeds include an enclosure tag with the audio file for each episode; look for a separate podcast feed link on the site or on the host.

Is it allowed to use a podcast’s public RSS feed?

Subscribing to a public feed in a reader or app is exactly what the feed is for. Republishing the audio or show notes elsewhere is a different matter and needs the creator’s permission.