Selfhost Podcasting lets you create podcast RSS feeds from inside WordPress. It focuses on podcast feed management: show metadata, episode metadata, media URLs, and RSS output for podcast apps and directories.
The plugin is useful when you want to own your podcast feed URL and keep podcast data in your WordPress site instead of relying completely on a hosted podcast platform.
What the Plugin Does
- Creates one or more podcast shows.
- Stores podcast and episode data in WordPress.
- Generates an RSS feed for each podcast.
- Provides a browser-friendly preview page for each feed.
- Lets you add audio files from the WordPress Media Library or from external URLs.
- Supports Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other apps that read standard podcast RSS feeds.
- Supports optional integrations for Podcast Player, third-party analytics prefixes, and S3-compatible cloud storage.
- Supports private podcasting when the Pro module is available.
Important Terms
Podcast
A show or feed. One WordPress site can have multiple podcasts. Each podcast has its own title, cover art, categories, settings, episodes, feed URL, and preview URL.
Episode
One audio or video item inside a podcast feed. Each episode has a title, description, media URL, publish date, duration, episode number, and optional transcript.
RSS Feed
The XML URL that podcast apps use to discover your show and episodes. Submit this URL to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other directories.
Preview URL
A browser-friendly version of the feed. It is created by adding ?shp_preview=1 to the feed URL. Use it to inspect the podcast, play episodes in a browser, and share a readable preview page.
Enclosure
The media file URL inside an RSS episode item. Podcast apps use this URL to stream or download the episode.
Podcast Slug
The feed key used in the podcast feed URL. With pretty permalinks, a public feed usually looks like:
https://example.com/feed/podcast-slugWith plain permalinks, it usually looks like:
https://example.com/?feed=podcast-slugFree and Pro Features
The base plugin handles public podcast feeds, episode management, imports, preview pages, and integrations.
The bundled Pro module adds private podcasting:
- Private feed URLs with access tokens.
- Subscriber and guest access management.
- Token revocation, regeneration, reactivation, and deletion.
- Usage counters for feed and episode access.
- Private audio proxy URLs.
- E-commerce access automation for supported membership or store plugins.
- Shortcodes for logged-in users to access private feed URLs.
What the Plugin Does Not Do
Selfhost Podcasting is not an audio editor and does not record or process audio. Create your episode audio elsewhere, then upload or link the finished media file.
The plugin also does not automatically submit your podcast to directories. It gives you the RSS feed URL that you submit to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other services.