Help · Migration

Verification and Soak

Keep the old host online. Soak 3–4+ weeks. Decommission last. Do not delete early.

Your zPod RSS URL

In checklists, paste your zPod RSS URL. That looks like https://rss.podfora.com/{slug}-{feedId}.

Copy your zPod RSS URL. That looks like https://rss.podfora.com/{slug}-{feedId}. rss.zpod.cc is a backup host and 301s to the matching rss.podfora.com URL. Prefer rss.podfora.com for directory submissions and new integrations.

Day 0 — Redirect Day

Old RSS URL → 301 → your zPod RSS URL (browser and curl -I).
zPod feed validates. Episode count matches (plus or minus intentional drops).
Spot-check 5 or more enclosure URLs (oldest, newest, mid-catalog).
GUID sample match (at least 10 episodes, including first and latest).
Apple Connect shows the expected feed after crawl. Use Studio Directories if you need to claim or edit.
Spotify Creators Settings shows the zPod URL after Update or redirect.
YouTube podcast is connected to the zPod RSS without a duplicate blast.
Amazon claim or update is done.
Publish a canary episode or a quiet metadata edit only from zPod. Confirm it appears on Apple, Spotify, and one indie app within 24–48 hours.

Days 1–7

Watch for duplicate episodes on Apple or Spotify (GUID failure).
Watch subscriber / follower counts for cliff drops (failed redirect or wrong feed update).
Confirm artwork and show title are unchanged in directories.
Confirm private feeds still authenticate (if any).

Weeks 2–4 (Minimum Soak)

Leave the old host redirect in place (3–4 weeks minimum; 45–90 days if the old host is cheap or free to keep).
Re-check Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon still pull new episodes from zPod.
Export any remaining old-host reports.

Decommission

Cancel a paid old-host plan only when the redirect policy allows.
Prefer downgrade-and-keep-redirect over delete when docs warn that deletion kills redirects (Buzzsprout free plan, Pinecast, RedCircle, Squarespace, Transistor permanent redirect).
Update website, link-in-bio, YouTube description, and email footer to your zPod RSS URL and durable show links.
Document the final zPod RSS URL (and Custom Hostname if used) in your runbook.

Failure Triage

Symptom	Likely Cause	First Check
Duplicate episodes	GUID or enclosure identity changed	Diff GUIDs. Contact zPod support before more publishes.
New episodes missing in one directory	Portal still on the old URL, or a slow crawl	Spotify Update, Apple Connect feed, YouTube reconnect. Use Studio Directories.
Total subscriber loss	Redirect missing or old show deleted	curl -I the old feed. Restore the redirect.
Ads in imported files	DAI not disabled	Re-import ad-free. Replace enclosures.
Apple claim fails	Email, channel, or subscription constraints	Fix itunes:email. Apple Support. Studio Apple row.

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