RSS Feed Custom Fields: iTunes Tags Explained

itunes:author, itunes:explicit, itunes:category — the tag-by-tag guide to a compliant feed.

The landscape

When it comes to the tag-level detail that determines directory acceptance, the details matter. Here's what the evidence and practitioner experience point to:

• itunes:author and itunes:owneritunes:email identify you — the email must be monitored; it's how directories send verification codes.
• itunes:category uses Apple's taxonomy (e.g. 'Technology', 'Business/Investing') — pick the most specific accurate subcategory.

What actually works

When it comes to the tag-level detail that determines directory acceptance, the details matter. Here's what the evidence and practitioner experience point to:

• itunes:explicit must be accurate — 'true' for explicit content, 'false' otherwise; mislabelling gets shows rejected.
• itunes:typeepisodic|serial — 'serial' for ordered content (your listeners should start at ep.1); affects default sort order.

Putting it into practice

When it comes to the tag-level detail that determines directory acceptance, the details matter. Here's what the evidence and practitioner experience point to:

• itunes:image requires 1400–3000px square artwork on HTTPS — the single most common rejection reason.
• Podcast 2.0 adds podcast:transcript, podcast:chapters, podcast:funding — PodKrafter emits all of these automatically.

Key takeaways

• itunes:author and itunes:owneritunes:email identify you — the email must be monitored; it's how directories send verification codes.
• itunes:typeepisodic|serial — 'serial' for ordered content (your listeners should start at ep.1); affects default sort order.
• Podcast 2.0 adds podcast:transcript, podcast:chapters, podcast:funding — PodKrafter emits all of these automatically.

Ready to put this into practice? PodKrafter turns research into broadcast-ready podcast episodes — start free.