Zencastr Hosting is a high-quality audio and video hosting solution for creators of all sizes.
After you have created a new show or moved an existing show to Zencastr, you can create and publish an episode.
In this article:
What Episode Publishing Does
When you publish an episode to your Zencastr-hosted podcast, it is added to your RSS feed. You can publish an episode to your RSS feed immediately (now) or schedule it to publish to your RSS feed at a future time or date.
Once the episode is added to your RSS feed, your Zencastr show page updates immediately. When new episodes appear on your show listing in the podcast directories – Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. – varies because each directory has different criteria for how often they check your RSS feed for episode changes.
Episode Fields
Episode Image (Optional)
An image for the specific episode. This is optional because your show’s cover image is used as the default for all episodes. If you do add a specific image:
Must be a JPG, JPEG, or PNG file.
The resolution must be at least 1400 x 1400 pixels.
Recommended resolution is 3000 x 3000 pixels.
Some directories support and display episode images in their apps whereas others do not support them and will just display the show's cover image for all episodes.
Episode Title
The name of your episode which will display as the episode title in the directories.
Episode Description
A description of what the episode is about.
Will display as the full description or “episode notes” for the episode in the directories.
In addition to a summary or description of your episode, you can include notes, timestamps, links, or any other information you want to share with your audience.
We also recommend adding links to your podcast’s social media channels here if you have them.
The available formatting – bold text, numbered lists, and bullet points – will display on your Zencastr episode page.
Each directory supports different formatting and consequently might display all of it, some of it, or none of it.
Season (Optional, Recommended if your show is listed on Apple Podcasts)
The season number. Used in combination with your podcast’s show type, episode number, and episode type to determine the order the episode is listed in Apple Podcasts.
Episode (Optional, Recommended if your show is listed on Apple Podcasts)
The episode number. Used in combination with your podcast’s show type, season number, and episode type to determine the order the episode is listed in Apple Podcasts.
Keywords (Optional)
Keywords that are relevant to your episode.
Explicit content?
Whether the episode contains explicit content or not.
Must mark if the episode contains profanity or content not suitable for children.
Feeds into parental controls as well as different countries’ content permissions.
Episode type
The type of episode.
Full: A full-length, regular episode.
Trailer: A short trailer, teaser, or preview of your show’s or season’s content.
Bonus: An extra or special episode.
Create and Publish an Episode From a File Upload
To create an episode from an external file, you first upload it to a session. Sessions are dedicated space for recording and organizing media files. You can choose to either create a new session to store just the uploaded file, or add it to an existing session that already has other recordings.
To publish an uploaded file as an episode on your RSS feed:
On your Dashboard, click the Sessions tab on the left sidebar menu.
Click the Upload in New Session button.
Click Choose File and select the file you want to publish.
For audio episodes, the file type must be MP3.
For video episodes, the file type must be MP4 or MOV.
The maximum file size for episode uploads is 50 GB.
Enter the session name.
Click Create.
You are taken to the Preview Page you can start filling out your episode’s details in the Episode Info section on the right while the file uploads and processes.
Once the file is finished uploading, click the Next button.
On the Review & Confirm insert, click Run Now.
Scroll down and click Advanced Settings to display and complete additional fields.
When finished, click Back on the Advanced Settings tab.
Review your entries on the Episode Info section.
If you want to publish your episode to your RSS feed immediately, proceed to the next step.
If you want to schedule your episode to publish to your RSS feed at a later time and/or date, see and complete additional steps under schedule an episode below.
Click the Publish Episode button.
Result:
If you have not scheduled the episode, it will be added to your RSS feed immediately (now), and you will be taken to the episode page on your Zencastr show listing.
If you have scheduled the episode, it will be added to your RSS feed at the date and time you selected and is added to the Episodes tab on your Dashboard with a yellow dot indicating it will be published later.
Create and Publish an Episode From a Recording
To create an episode from a Zencastr recording, you first create a postproduction so that the participants’ individual files are combined into a single file and enhanced. At the postproduction step you can choose if you would like to just use the default enhancements or select enhancements and/or edit it further.
To publish a Zencastr recording as an episode on your RSS feed:
On your Dashboard, click the Sessions tab on the left sidebar menu.
Under the ‘My Sessions’ list, click the name of the session you want to publish.
Locate the recording you want to publish and click the Preview button next to its name.
If you want to just combine your participant files using the default enhancements, proceed to the next step.
If you want to select specific audio or video enhancements and/or edit the recording, click the Edit button.
On the Preview Page, click the Next button.
On the Review & Confirm insert, click Run Now.
While the postproduction is running, you can start filling out your episode’s details in the Episode Info section on the right.
Scroll down and click Advanced Settings to display and complete additional fields.
When finished, click Back on the Advanced Settings tab.
Review your entries on the Episode Info section.
If you want to publish your episode to your RSS feed immediately, proceed to the next step.
If you want to schedule your episode to publish to your RSS feed at a later time and/or date, see and complete additional steps under schedule an episode below.
Click the Publish Episode button
Result:
If you have not scheduled the episode, it will be added to your RSS feed immediately (now), and you will be taken to the episode page on your Zencastr show listing.
If you have scheduled the episode, it will be added to your RSS feed at the date and time you selected and is added to the Episodes tab on your Dashboard with a yellow dot indicating it will be published later.
Create and Publish an Episode From a Postproduction
If you have previously postproduced/edited a Zencastr recording or upload, you can create an episode from it.
To publish a Zencastr postproduction as an episode on your RSS feed:
On your Dashboard, click the Sessions tab on the left sidebar menu.
Under the ‘My Sessions’ list, click the name of the session that contains the postproduction want to publish.
Click on the Postproductions tab.
Locate the postproduction you want to publish and click the Preview button next to its name.
On the Preview Page, fill out your episode’s details in the Episode Info section on the right.
Scroll down and click Advanced Settings to display and complete additional fields.
When finished, click Back on the Advanced Settings tab.
Review your entries on the Episode Info section.
If you want to publish your episode to your RSS feed immediately, proceed to the next step.
If you want to schedule your episode to publish to your RSS feed at a later time and/or date, see and complete additional steps under schedule an episode below.
Click the Publish Episode button
Result:
If you have not scheduled the episode, it will be added to your RSS feed immediately (now), and you will be taken to the episode page on your Zencastr show listing.
If you have scheduled the episode, it will be added to your RSS feed at the date and time you selected and is added to the Episodes tab on your Dashboard with a yellow dot indicating it will be published later.
Schedule an Episode To Publish
Whether you are creating an episode from an uploaded file, Zencastr recording, or Zencastr postproduction, you can schedule it to publish to your RSS feed at a later time and/or date instead of immediately.
To schedule an episode to publish it to your RSS feed at a later time and/or date, after filling out your episode’s details in the Episode Info section on the right of the Preview Page:
Scroll down and click on Schedule.
Under Schedule, select Enabled.
Next to Date, select the publish date from the calendar.
Next to Time, select the time to publish.
Next to Timezone, make sure the default timezone is correct or change it.
When done, click on Back on the Schedule tab.
Result: Upon successfully scheduling your episode, a blue calendar icon with a checkmark and the word "Scheduled" will appear beside it. You can then click the Publish Episode button to schedule the episode to publish.