Articles on: Private & Unlisted Podcasts

How do I create a private podcast?

A private podcast is only available to the subscribers you invite. Each subscriber gets their own RSS feed and landing page, so you can add or remove anyone's access at any time. Private podcasts are included on every plan, and the number of subscribers you can have depends on your plan.


Create the podcast


  • From your dashboard, click Add a Show
  • Under Create a Private Podcast, click Configure a private podcast
  • Add your podcast's title and basic information, then save
  • Upload your podcast artwork and publish your first episode


You need at least one published episode before you can add subscribers. That way, every subscriber's RSS feed works as soon as they're invited.


Check your settings


Before you invite anyone, go to the Settings tab and look over the options that only private podcasts have:


  • Safelist domains for invite links and Blocklist domains for invite links: control who can sign themselves up with your invite link
  • Email Notification Reply-to: where replies to subscriber emails go
  • Welcome Email: customize the email new subscribers receive
  • Email Notifications: choose whether subscribers get an email for each new episode
  • Password Protection: require a password to listen on the web
  • Remove Transistor.fm branding from your embed players and subscriber emails


For more, see:



Invite your subscribers


Go to the Subscribers tab to add people one at a time, upload a CSV of email addresses, or share an invite link.


See How do I add and remove private podcast subscribers?


How private podcasts differ from public ones


  • They aren't listed on Apple Podcasts or other directories. Subscribers listen through their landing page, their personal RSS feed in a podcast app, or Spotify if you turn on Spotify Open Access. With Spotify Open Access, your podcast's details are visible on Spotify, but only subscribers can play episodes. See How do I add my private podcast to Spotify?
  • They don't have a Transistor podcast website. You can embed episodes on a website you control instead: see Can I embed my private podcast on a website?
  • The subscriber limit for your plan is shared across all of your private podcasts. See What are private podcast subscribers?


If you have additional questions please reach out to us:


Updated on: 02/11/2026

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