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.
Phase 0 — Inventory
List every public directory and app where the show is live (Apple, Spotify, YouTube / YouTube Music, Amazon Music / Audible, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Goodpods, others).
Note a custom feed domain, Feedburner, Podtrac, Chartable, or other prefix in front of the host feed.
Note private / members / locked feeds separately from the public feed.
Note dynamic ads / DAI / Audio Blocks / RAP. Import the ad-free feed when the old host offers one.
Export analytics CSVs and any revenue reports from the old host.
Save show art (minimum 1400×1400, prefer 3000×3000 JPEG/PNG), categories, explicit flag, language, timezone / publish schedule, and season / episode numbers.
Confirm the email in itunes:owner / itunes:email matches the Apple, Spotify, and YouTube accounts you control.
Snapshot the old RSS (download the XML) for GUID and enclosure comparison.
Phase 1 — Build the New Feed
Register or sign in at https://zpod.cc and create the show.
Open Settings → Advanced → Import From RSS with the old public (or ad-free) feed URL.
Wait until import finishes. Spot-check audio playback, titles, dates, explicit, categories, and season / episode numbers.
Confirm per-episode artwork imported where expected.
Diff GUIDs: old feed vs zPod feed. If any GUID changed, stop and fix before redirect. Apple: altering GUIDs can duplicate episodes and affect show status.
Confirm enclosure URLs resolve and support byte-range requests.
Confirm or re-add transcripts, chapters, Podcasting 2.0 tags, and locked / personal feeds. See What Import Does — coverage beyond episodes, art, and GUID best-effort is flagged where it is not a hard product lock.
Align directory categories, explicit, language, and timezone with the old show.
Copy your zPod RSS URL.
Validate the new feed (Apple Podcasts Connect validate, or a public RSS validator).
Phase 2 — Do Not Dual-Publish by Accident
Freeze publishing on the old host, or publish only to zPod after redirect.
Dual publishing the same GUID from two hosts risks duplicates and analytics chaos. Prefer: import → verify → redirect → publish only on zPod.
Phase 3 — Redirect Old Feed to zPod
On the old host, set a permanent HTTP 301 from the old RSS URL to your zPod RSS URL.
Prefer HTTP 301 over itunes:new-feed-url alone. Apple still recommends both when you control the old server: 301 on the old feed, plus itunes:new-feed-url in the new feed pointing at the new URL (not Apple's Mirror URL).
If the old feed is on WordPress (PowerPress or another plugin), use the Redirection plugin: Source is the path only (typically /feed/podcast/), Target is your zPod RSS URL, status 301. zPod does not ship a WordPress plugin.
Test: open the old RSS URL in a private browser window. It must land on the zPod feed.
Optional: curl -I the old URL and confirm 301 and Location equals your zPod RSS URL.
Phase 4 — Directory and App Updates
Run the Directory Updates checklist (Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, and other apps).
Use Studio's Apple, Spotify, and YouTube assisted checklists. Do not invent extra submit buttons.
Phase 5 — Soak, Then Decommission
Keep the old host account and redirect alive at least 3–4 weeks (many hosts say 3–4 weeks; some recommend 45–90 days). Apple: maintain 301 plus new-feed-url at least four weeks.
Do not delete the old show early. Deletion often kills the redirect (RedCircle, Pinecast, Squarespace, and others warn about this).
After soak: cancel a paid plan if needed, leave a free or downgraded redirect if the host keeps it, and only then delete when the host docs say it is safe.
Universal Pitfalls
Read these before you redirect.
GUID / Enclosure Identity — If the old feed lacked guid and apps keyed on enclosure URL, changing enclosure URLs without stable GUIDs can duplicate or drop episodes. zPod preserves GUIDs when possible; still verify.
Redirect Too Early — Pointing the old URL at an incomplete import strands listeners.
Delete Too Soon — Breaks the 301. Directories keep the dead URL.
Ownership Email Mismatch — Apple claim, YouTube RSS verify, and Amazon claim all key off the email in the feed.
DAI / Baked Ads — Importing a dynamically inserted feed can bake ads into files or leave broken ad markers. Disable DAI or export ad-free first.
Analytics Gap — Host dashboards reset. Apple Podcasts Analytics should stay continuous if the show identity is preserved.
Custom Domain / Prefix Services — Update Feedburner source, Podtrac, Chartable, or similar, or you redirect the wrong layer.
WordPress Plugin Mirror — PowerPress PodcastMirror or another plugin-only feed setting dies when you deactivate the podcast plugin. Use the Redirection plugin (path only → your zPod RSS URL) or a server-level 301. Do not wait for a custom zPod WordPress plugin.
Private Feeds — Members URLs rarely migrate automatically. Reissue tokens / Personal Feeds on zPod.
Artwork / Category / Explicit / Language — Directory rejections and wrong-show UX after the move.
Timezone / Publish Dates — Can reorder episodes in apps that sort by pubDate.
zPodRSS first. Bandwidth off the bill.