Setting up your iTunes-compatible podcast RSS feed

VeloCMS generates an iTunes-compatible RSS feed at /podcast.xml automatically. The channel title, description, and author come from your blog's own name and description; cover art, category, show type, and the explicit flag are configured in Admin > Settings > Podcast. The feed's language tag is always English, and the feed refreshes itself every 5 minutes.

Step 1 — Configure your show settings

Navigate to Admin > Settings > Podcast. This page holds the fields that populate the RSS channel header: Podcast Cover Art URL, iTunes Category (with an optional subcategory), Show Type (episodic or serial), and the Explicit flag. Your show's name, description, and author in the feed come from your blog's general settings, and the feed's language tag is always English. These settings are written once and rarely changed.

Step 2 — Upload show artwork

iTunes requires show artwork between 1400x1400 and 3000x3000 pixels in JPEG or PNG format. In Admin > Settings > Podcast, click the Podcast Cover Art URL field — it opens your media library, where you can pick an existing image or upload a new one. The artwork appears in the feed as <itunes:image href='...'> and is displayed in every podcast app as your show's identity.

Apple Podcasts Connect will reject artwork smaller than 1400x1400px or larger than 3000x3000px. A 3000x3000 JPEG at 72dpi is the standard — keep file size under 1 MB.

Step 3 — Select your iTunes category

In Admin > Settings > Podcast, choose your primary and optional secondary iTunes category from the dropdowns. Categories match the official Apple Podcasts taxonomy: Technology, True Crime, Business, Health & Fitness, etc. Your show must be in at least one category to pass Apple Podcasts Connect validation.

Step 4 — Verify the feed URL

Your feed is live at https://yourblog.velocms.org/podcast.xml. Open it in a browser and confirm the <channel> block has a title, description, itunes:image, and at least one <item> with an <enclosure> element. You can also paste the URL into Cast Feed Validator (castos.com/tools/podcast-feed-validator) for a full compliance check.

Step 5 — Submit to podcast directories

Apple Podcasts Connect: podcastsconnect.apple.com — Submit RSS feed URL, review in 24–72 hours
Spotify for Podcasters: podcasters.spotify.com — Instant ingestion after RSS submission
Amazon Music / Audible: music.amazon.com/podcasts/submit — 5 business day review
YouTube Music: submit your feed URL through the podcast RSS submission in YouTube Studio
Pocket Casts, Overcast, and other apps discover your show via the directories above; no separate submission needed

Once approved by Apple Podcasts, your show is discoverable in all apps that pull from the Apple catalog — which covers the large majority of podcast listeners.

Keeping the feed healthy

Every time you publish a new episode post with a non-empty Audio URL, VeloCMS adds it to the feed automatically. You never need to regenerate or re-submit the feed after the initial directory submission. The feed regenerates every 5 minutes — new episodes appear in directories within their own polling interval (typically 1–24 hours per directory).

Common feed validation errors

Missing artwork: ensure the Podcast Cover Art URL field in Admin > Settings > Podcast is set to an HTTPS image at least 1400x1400px
Invalid enclosure: every episode item in the feed needs a non-empty Audio URL field on the post
Feed URL returns 404: confirm your blog is live and accessible at the expected subdomain or custom domain
XML parse error: check for stray special characters in episode titles or descriptions — escape < > & with HTML entities if entering raw HTML
Apple Podcasts Connect rejection: the most common reason is artwork below 1400x1400px or above 3000x3000px — verify dimensions before resubmitting