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Creating a Category for podcast distribution


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About podcasts in Pangea CMS

Podcasts in Pangea CMS are managed via Categories. Each podcast is linked to its own Category where the podcast episodes are stored. Before publishing a new podcast, you need to create a Category for the podcast management and distribution.




Create a new Category

To create a new Category:

  1. Select Settings > Categories (Zones) in the top menu.
  2. Click + Add new.

The Edit Category (Zone) screen opens.




Complete general settings

IMPORTANT: Changes on the Edit Category (Zone) screen are not applied until you click Save. If you close the screen without saving your work, all unsaved changes will be lost.

This article describes the most important settings for podcast distribution. To learn about other settings, see the following article:

We recommend reviewing the settings below that are important for podcast distribution:



Title

Under Title, enter the name of the podcast. The title is visible on the public website and via third-party distributors (such as Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts).



Program pages

Under Program Pages, select the appropriate option:

  • Radio: Create a Radio category for distributing an audio podcast.
  • TV: Create a TV category for distributing a video podcast.


Content types

Use the list on the right side of the screen to specify which content types it will be possible to add to the Category. We recommend the following:

  • Ensure Audio is selected for audio podcasts.
  • Ensure Video is selected for video podcasts.

It is also possible to select other content types. However, only Audio clips and Videos will be added as podcast episodes.



Program description

Under Program Description, enter a brief description of the podcast. The description will be visible on the public website and via third-party distributors (such as Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts).



Podcast enabled

It is essential to tick Podcast Enabled if the Category is intended for podcast distribution. The main podcast settings are only visible when this option is ticked.




Complete podcast settings

When Podcast enabled is ticked, the following podcast settings are available:



Podcast image

Under Podcast Image, provide original artwork for the podcast. The image must meet the following criteria:

  • Size: 1400px x 1400px
  • Format: .png or .jpg

The Podcast Image is displayed only via third-party distributors (such as Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts). The image is applied as the main podcast image as well as the image for individual episodes.



Backtracks ID

Podcast tracking is available using the third-party Backtracks tool. This functionality is being rolled-out gradually in close cooperation with USAGM OPR. If available, the Backtracks ID might be entered by digital strategy teams.



Podcast category

Under Podcast Category, select the most appropriate category for the podcast. Your selection determines how the podcast is categorized and promoted via third-party distributors (such as Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts).



Podcast type

Under Podcast Type, select the appropriate podcast type:

  • Episodic (selected by default): Episodes are stand-alone units that can be played in any order.
  • Serial: Episodes are part of a continuous narrative that is told chronologically.

If you select Serial, it will be required to assign a season and episode number for new episodes of the podcast. For detailed information, see the following article:

NOTE: If you change an existing podcast from Episodic to Serial, we recommend reviewing recent episodes of the podcast in Pangea CMS to assign the correct season and episode numbers. However, this is not necessary for all previous episodes.


Third-party distributor URLs

A URL box is available for all supported third-party distributors. When the podcast is listed via a new distributor, enter the URL in the relevant box (the URL for the podcast page that is visible on the distributor's website).

The new distributor will be added to the list that appears when a visitor hits Subscribe on the public website.




Publish the Category

After completing all the required general settings and podcast settings, you can publish the Category:

  1. Ensure Visible on site (enabled) is selected as the Category (Zone) Status. This means the Category will be visible on the public website and available in Pangea CMS for adding content.
  2. Click Save.

The Category is now published. Because the Category is configured for podcast distribution, it is visible via the Podcasts tab on the RSS/Podcasts page on the public website. We recommend immediately adding the first podcast episode.

Add episodes to the podcast

If you created a Radio category for distributing an audio podcast, all episodes of the podcast must be Audio clips. For information about adding an Audio clip as a podcast episode, see the following article:

If you created a TV category for distributing a video podcast, all episodes of the podcast must be Videos. To add a Video as a podcast episode, add the Video to the podcast Category. For instructions, see the following article:






Further recommendations

The following articles might be helpful:

Pangea CMS Guide

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