How to Add Podcasts to Your Radio Station Website

Here's a truth that most radio stations are slow to act on: your best content disappears the moment it airs. That incredible interview you did last Tuesday? Gone. The themed mixtape your morning DJ spent hours curating? Gone. The call-in segment that had everyone laughing? Gone — unless someone happened to be listening at that exact moment.

Podcasting fixes this. It turns your ephemeral broadcasts into a permanent, searchable, shareable library that works for your station 24 hours a day. And the best part? You're already creating the content. You just need to capture it, package it, and put it somewhere people can find it.

This guide covers everything you need to turn your radio shows into podcasts and host them directly on your station's website.

Why Radio Stations Should Be Podcasting

Radio and podcasting aren't competitors — they're partners. Live radio gives you immediacy, community, and the thrill of real-time broadcasting. Podcasting gives you permanence, discoverability, and reach beyond your FM signal or stream.

Extend your reach beyond live listeners. Your live stream might reach a few hundred concurrent listeners. A podcast episode sits on your website and in podcast apps indefinitely, accumulating listens over weeks, months, and years. That interview with a local musician? It keeps driving traffic to your site long after it aired.

Serve the on-demand audience. Listening habits have shifted. Many people want to choose what they listen to and when. By offering on-demand versions of your shows, you meet listeners where they are instead of asking them to rearrange their day around your schedule.

Reach new audiences who don't know your station. Someone searching for a topic you covered — a genre deep-dive, a local news discussion, a band interview — might find your podcast episode through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google. That's a discovery path that live radio alone can't offer.

Build a content archive. Over time, your podcast library becomes a genuine asset. It documents your station's history, showcases your DJs' talent, and creates a back catalog that new listeners can explore. Think of it as your station's greatest hits collection.

Create sponsor and monetization opportunities. Podcast episodes can carry pre-roll or mid-roll sponsor messages, giving you additional inventory to sell beyond live ad spots. Some sponsors specifically want podcast placements because of the measurable download numbers.

What You Need to Get Started

The barrier to entry is lower than you think, especially since you're already producing audio content. Here's the basic checklist:

Recorded audio files. You need a way to capture your shows. If you're using automation software like PlayIt Live, RadioDJ, or SAM Broadcaster, most have built-in recording features. You can also use a separate recorder on your mixer's output. The key is getting clean audio files — typically MP3 at 128kbps or higher.

Basic editing software. You don't need to edit heavily, but you'll want to trim dead air from the beginning and end, remove any content that doesn't work out of context (like references to "the song we just played"), and possibly add a podcast-specific intro and outro. Audacity (free) or Hindenburg handle this well.

Hosting and distribution. Your podcast audio files need to live somewhere accessible via URL, and you need an RSS feed that podcast directories (Apple, Spotify, etc.) can read. More on this below.

Artwork. Podcast directories require square artwork — at least 1400x1400 pixels, ideally 3000x3000. This is typically your station logo on a clean background.

A page on your website. Your podcast should have a dedicated home on your station's site, not just exist in third-party apps. This gives you control over the listener experience and keeps traffic flowing to your own property.

Repurposing Radio Content for Podcasts

You don't need to create new content for your podcast — you need to repackage what you're already making. Here are the most effective approaches:

Full show recordings. The simplest method: record the entire show and publish it as an episode. This works best for talk-heavy shows, interview programs, or specialty music shows where the flow matters. Trim the music if licensing is a concern (most podcast distribution doesn't cover music licensing the way broadcast does).

Best-of segments. Pull the strongest 15-30 minutes from a longer show. A two-hour morning show might have 20 minutes of genuinely compelling talk — that's your podcast episode. Listeners get concentrated value without the filler.

Interview extractions. If your DJs interview local musicians, community figures, or guest hosts, those segments work beautifully as standalone podcast episodes. They're focused, they have a natural narrative arc, and they're the kind of content people search for.

Themed compilations. Combine related segments from different shows into themed episodes: "This Week in Local Music," "Best Listener Calls of the Month," or "Friday Night DJ Highlights." These add editorial value beyond what any single show offered.

Exclusive podcast content. Once you're comfortable with the workflow, consider recording podcast-only content — extended interviews, behind-the-scenes discussions, or deeper dives into topics you can only touch on during live shows. This gives existing listeners a reason to subscribe to the podcast too.

Podcast Hosting Options

Your podcast audio files need to be hosted somewhere that can handle downloads and serve an RSS feed. Here are the main approaches:

Self-Hosted

You upload MP3 files to your own web server and manually create or generate an RSS feed. This gives you complete control but requires technical knowledge and adequate server bandwidth. If an episode goes viral and thousands of people start downloading simultaneously, your server needs to handle that load. For most indie stations, self-hosting is more trouble than it's worth.

Third-Party Podcast Hosts

Services like Buzzsprout, Podbean, Libsyn, and Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor) handle file hosting, RSS generation, and distribution to major directories. They typically charge based on upload hours or storage.

Buzzsprout offers a clean interface and good analytics, starting free (limited hours) with paid plans from $12/month. Podbean includes a built-in website and monetization tools. Libsyn is one of the oldest and most reliable hosts, popular with professional podcasters. Spotify for Podcasters is free and distributes directly to Spotify, but you're building on someone else's platform.

The downside of all third-party hosts: your podcast lives on their infrastructure, separate from your station website. You'll embed their player on your site, but the experience often feels disconnected — a widget on your page rather than an integrated part of your station's online presence.

Built Into Your Website Platform

The ideal scenario for radio stations is a website platform that includes podcast hosting natively. You upload episodes through the same CMS where you manage the rest of your site, and the podcast page, player, show notes, and RSS feed are all generated automatically. No third-party embeds, no separate login, no juggling multiple platforms.

This is the approach that makes the most sense for radio stations because podcasting is an extension of what you already do — it should be an extension of your website, not a separate project.

RSS Feeds: The Basics You Need to Know

An RSS feed is an XML file that describes your podcast — its title, artwork, description, and a list of episodes with their audio file URLs. It's the mechanism that podcast apps use to find and update your show.

Why it matters: When someone subscribes to your podcast in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, their app checks your RSS feed periodically for new episodes. Without a valid RSS feed, your podcast can't be listed in any directory.

What's in the feed: Each episode entry includes a title, description, publication date, duration, and a direct URL to the audio file. The feed also includes show-level information like your station name, artwork URL, category, and language.

Submitting to directories: Once your RSS feed URL exists, you submit it to the major directories:

• Apple Podcasts — via Apple Podcasts Connect. Review takes 1-5 days.
• Spotify — via Spotify for Podcasters dashboard. Usually approved within hours.
• Google Podcasts — automatically indexed if your RSS feed is publicly accessible.
• Amazon Music / Audible — via the Amazon Podcaster portal.

Most podcast hosting services (and good website platforms) generate and maintain the RSS feed automatically. You add an episode, and the feed updates. You shouldn't need to touch XML manually.

Promoting Podcasts on Your Radio Website

Having episodes available isn't enough — you need to make them easy to find and compelling to listen to.

Dedicated podcast page. Your site should have a clear "Podcasts" or "Listen On Demand" section where visitors can browse all available shows and episodes. Organize by series if you have multiple podcast feeds (e.g., "Morning Show Replays," "Interview Series," "Music Discovery").

Latest episodes on your homepage. Feature your most recent episodes prominently. A "Latest Episodes" section on your homepage catches visitors who didn't come specifically looking for podcasts but might be interested.

Show notes matter. Each episode should have a description that includes what's covered, who's featured, and any relevant links. Good show notes improve SEO (people searching for your guest's name can find the episode) and help listeners decide whether to press play.

Subscribe links. Make it obvious how to subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms. Listeners who subscribe in their preferred app will automatically get new episodes — that's the entire point of RSS distribution.

Embed players on relevant pages. If you have DJ profile pages, embed that DJ's latest podcast episodes there. If you have an events page and you did a podcast about an upcoming event, link it. Cross-reference your content to increase engagement.

Cross-Promotion Between Live Radio and Podcast

The real power comes from the feedback loop between your live broadcast and your podcast:

On-air promotion. Mention the podcast during live shows: "If you missed our interview with [guest] last week, catch the full episode on our website or wherever you listen to podcasts." This drives live listeners to your on-demand content.

Podcast-to-live promotion. In your podcast intro or outro, remind listeners about your live stream: "Catch us live every weekday at radiositemaker.com." This brings podcast-only listeners into your live audience.

Social media clips. Pull short highlight clips from podcast episodes and share them on social media with a link to the full episode on your website. Audio clips with waveform animations or audiograms perform well on Instagram and Twitter.

Newsletter integration. If you send email newsletters, include links to recent podcast episodes. Your email subscribers are your most engaged audience — give them easy access to your on-demand content.

The Easier Way: RadioSiteMaker

RadioSiteMaker includes full podcast management as a built-in feature — not a plugin, not a third-party integration, not an afterthought.

Here's how it works: In your station's CMS dashboard, you create a podcast series (give it a name, description, and artwork). Then you upload episodes — add the audio file, title, description, and publish. RadioSiteMaker automatically generates a valid RSS feed for each series that you can submit to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and every other directory.

On your station's website, a dedicated podcast page displays all your series and episodes with a built-in audio player. Visitors can listen right on your site or subscribe through their preferred podcast app. Episode pages include full show notes and are indexed by search engines.

No separate podcast hosting account. No embed codes to copy. No RSS feeds to debug. No extra monthly fees — podcast hosting is included in your $99/year plan alongside everything else your station website needs.

You're already making great content. RadioSiteMaker makes sure it doesn't disappear after it airs.

Start your free trial at RadioSiteMaker.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need special licensing to put my radio shows on a podcast?

This depends on your content. Talk segments, interviews, and original content are generally fine. Music is where it gets complicated — most broadcast music licenses (like ASCAP/BMI) don't cover on-demand podcast distribution. Many radio stations solve this by editing out music from podcast versions or only podcasting talk-heavy segments. Consult with your licensing provider for specifics.

How long should radio podcast episodes be?

There's no perfect length, but match the content. A full two-hour show replay can work if the content sustains it, but most listeners prefer 20-45 minute episodes. Best-of compilations and interview extractions naturally fall in this range. The key is that every minute should earn its place — trim dead air and low-energy sections ruthlessly.

Can I host multiple podcast series on one radio station website?

Absolutely, and most stations should. Your morning show, your interview series, and your music discovery segments are different shows appealing to different audiences. Each series gets its own RSS feed so listeners can subscribe to what interests them. RadioSiteMaker supports multiple podcast series per station, each with its own feed, artwork, and episode library.

How often should a radio station publish podcast episodes?

Consistency matters more than frequency. If you air a weekly interview show, publish the podcast version weekly. If your morning show runs daily, you might publish daily best-of episodes or a weekly compilation. Set a schedule your team can maintain — an abandoned podcast with no new episodes for three months looks worse than a show that publishes biweekly on a reliable schedule.

Will podcasting cannibalize my live radio audience?

The opposite tends to happen. Podcast listeners who discover your station through on-demand content often become live listeners too — they develop a connection with your DJs and want to hear the live versions. The two formats serve different listening contexts (commuting vs. background at work, for example) and together reach a larger total audience than either one alone.