Learn how to create a podcast using YouTube Studio and add your podcast to YouTube Music.
Create a podcast in YouTube Studio
On YouTube, a podcast show is a playlist and podcast episodes are videos in that playlist. Your podcast should only contain full-length episodes, organised in the order in which they should be consumed. If your podcast has multiple seasons, include them in the same podcast.
Podcast content may be eligible for the following features:
- Inclusion in YouTube Music, where users can background and download most podcast content without a YouTube Music Premium membership
- Podcast badges on watch and playlist pages
- A spotlight on youtube.com/podcasts to attract new listeners
- Official Search cards
- Easy discovery from the watch page to help listeners find your episodes
- Recommendations to new listeners with similar interests
- Improved search features to help your audience find your podcast
- Some playlists aren't eligible for podcast features, even if you designate them as podcasts. Ineligible content includes, but isn't limited to, content that isn't owned by the creator.
- Shorts created to support your podcast will not appear in YouTube Music.
Manage your podcasts on YouTube
You can create a new podcast or set a playlist as a podcast in YouTube Studio. Sometimes, YouTube may automatically classify a playlist as a podcast. If this is incorrect, or if you don't want the playlist to be set as a podcast, use the steps below to remove podcast settings.
Check out our best practices for podcast creators for more tips to optimise your channel, or learn how to create a podcast in YouTube Studio using the info below. If you're new to YouTube, learn how to upload videos as episodes of your podcast.
Create a new podcast in YouTube Studio
To create a new podcast:
- Within YouTube Studio, click Create New podcast.
- You may be asked to verify your account before creating a new podcast.
- From the pop-up, select Create a new podcast.
- Select Set an existing playlist as a podcast if you'd like to turn an existing playlist into a podcast. Learn how to optimise existing playlists in the next section.
- Enter your podcast details, including:
- Podcast title
- Description
- Visibility (public or private)
- Square podcast thumbnail
- Click Create to save.
Once you've created your podcast, add episodes by uploading new or existing videos to your podcast. Learn how to add videos to your podcast in the next section.
Bear in mind:
- On YouTube, each podcast episode is represented by a video. MP3s can't be turned into podcasts on YouTube. To create a podcast, upload or add videos to your podcast's playlist.
- If an episode of your podcast violates our copyright policies, your content may not be eligible for podcast features. Learn more about fair use and copyrighted content on YouTube.
- Podcast videos are available for audio-only playback. To turn off audio-only playback for a video, you must remove it from all podcasts within your video settings.
To upload new videos to a podcast:
- Within YouTube Studio, go to Content Podcasts.
- Select your podcast.
- Click Add videos Upload videos.
- Upload the videos that you'd like to add to your podcast and enter video details.
- Click Create to save changes.
To add existing videos to a podcast:
- Within YouTube Studio, go to Content Podcasts.
- Select your podcast.
- Click Add videos Add your existing videos.
- Select the videos that you want to add to your podcast.
- Click Add to playlist and select your podcast from the list.
- Click Save to add videos to your podcast.
Set an existing playlist as a podcast
- Within YouTube Studio, go to Content Playlists.
- Hover over the playlist that you want to designate as a podcast.
- Click Menu Set as podcast.
- Review your podcast's details and add a square podcast thumbnail. Podcast details include title, description and who can view your podcast on YouTube.
- Click Done to confirm your changes.
Bear in mind:
- If an episode of your podcast violates our copyright policies, your content may not be eligible for podcast features. Learn more about fair use and copyrighted content on YouTube.
- Only set a playlist as a podcast if it contains full podcast episodes. If you have an additional set of playlists for seasons or clips, do not set these playlists as a podcast.
Name your podcast
During setup, give your podcast a descriptive title. Don't add extra words to your podcast title (including 'podcast', unless that is part of your show's name).
Avoid generic podcast titles, such as 'Full episodes', 'New uploads', 'Podcast', etc. If your playlist title is too vague, YouTube will replace your podcast's title with your channel name in the YouTube Music app.
- Some playlists aren't eligible for podcast features, even if you designate them as podcasts. Ineligible content includes, but isn't limited to, content that isn't owned by the creator.
- Shorts created to support your podcast will not appear in YouTube Music.
Edit your podcast details
To edit your podcast details:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- Go to Content Podcasts.
- Hover over the podcast that you'd like to edit and click .
- From the details page, edit the title, description, square podcast thumbnail, visibility or video order of your podcast.
- Click Save.
If you want to edit your podcast details, you'll need to add a square podcast thumbnail.
We recommend 1280x1280 pixels for your square podcast thumbnail. To add a thumbnail, go to your podcast details page and upload an image.
If you don't want to add a square podcast thumbnail, you can remove podcast features in the Podcasts menu.
Remove podcast settings from a playlist
- Within YouTube Studio, go to Content Podcasts.
- Hover over the playlist that you want to unset as a podcast.
- Click on the Menu next to the podcast that you want to remove features from.
- Select Set as playlist.
- Click Yes to confirm.
Reorder episodes within your podcast
To edit the order in which your episodes are consumed, you'll need to reorder them within your podcast playlist.
- Within YouTube Studio, go to Content Podcasts.
- Click Edit on the podcast that you'd like to update.
- From the podcast details page, click on the Default video order menu and choose how you want your videos to be sorted.
- Click Save in the upper right-hand corner to confirm the changes.
- If your show is episodic, order your videos from newest to oldest.
- If your show is serial, order your playlist from oldest to newest.
To understand your podcast's general performance:
- Open YouTube Studio.
- From the Analytics tab, click Overview.
- Select the relevant podcast from the Your podcast(s) card on the lower right-hand side of the page.
Note: If you only have one podcast on YouTube, this will be the only option.
For a deep dive into your podcast's performance:
- Open YouTube Studio.
- From the Analytics tab, click Overview.
- Select See podcast analytics.
From this view, you'll find:
- An overview of your podcast performance
- Traffic sources
- Audience demographics
- Audience retention metrics
- Revenue data
- And more
If you have multiple podcast shows, click the title of the podcast that you'd like to analyse.