How to forward your Captivate podcast feed - 301 Redirect

301 redirect from Captivate

After importing your Captivate RSS feed into Transistor, you’ll then need to redirect your old Captivate feed so that it points to your new Transistor feed.

Important: If you haven't imported your show yet, you should follow our Import Guide first.

Export your Analytics

It’s a good idea to export your analytics from Captivate at this point. Analytics do not transfer between hosts so it’s good to take a copy now for your own records.

How to redirect your feed from Captivate to Transistor?

In your Transistor account, go to the Overview tab and copy your new RSS feed. You'll need this as part of the redirect process.

Each podcast host has their own instructions on redirecting a feed. For Captivate, you can refer to their guide here: https://help.captivate.fm/en/articles/3385348-how-do-i-cancel-a-podcast

The steps to redirect your Captivate feed are:

Log in to your Captivate.fm account
Click on Podcast Settings located at the top of your dashboard
Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Cancel Show
Select I’m moving my podcast elsewhere from the list
Paste your new Transistor RSS feed into the box provided for the new RSS feed URL
Click Close Show and Add 301 Redirect

What if I no longer have a Captivate account?

If you no longer have an account with Captivate you can still contact their support directly and ask for them to enable a 301 redirect for you.

Captivate Support Email: support@captivate.fm

You can use the following email template and add in your own podcast feed details:

I have moved my podcast to Transistor.fm. Please redirect my podcast called (insert podcast name) using (insert old Captivate RSS feed) to my new host Transistor (insert new Transistor RSS feed). Please let me know once the redirect is active.

Captivate Support Details

Captivate Support email: support@captivate.fm
Captivate Contact page: https://www.captivate.fm/contact
Captivate Support docs: https://help.captivate.fm/en/
Captivate Redirect article: https://help.captivate.fm/en/articles/3385348-how-do-i-cancel-a-podcast

What does a 301 redirect do?

A 301 redirect for your podcast RSS feed is very useful when you move to a new podcast host. It ensures that any subscriber or podcast platform still using your Captivate feed won’t be faced with a broken link. Enabling a redirect means that your existing subscribers will stay subscribed and podcast directories can continue to pick up your new episodes.

A redirect is like leaving a forwarding address. It lets anyone using your old feed know where you have moved to.

How long does a 301 redirect last?

Most podcast platforms provide a permanent redirect for free, even after you have closed your account with them.

How long does it take to enable a 301 redirect?

A redirect should be active within a couple of minutes of it being applied to your Captivate feed. Podcast directories will then be able to pick up your new episodes from Transistor the next time they check your feed. That’s usually within 24 hours of your redirect being active.

How to test if a 301 redirect is working?

If you visit your Captivate feed link in a browser, it should automatically redirect to your Transistor RSS feed.

What happens if I don’t forward my old feed from Captivate?

If you choose not to redirect your podcast, you may need to complete a few extra steps.

Without a redirect existing subscribers won’t know where you have moved to. They will need to manually re-subscribe to your new Transistor podcast feed. So be prepared to share your new feed out manually to regain your subscribers back.

Without a redirect podcast directories like Apple and Spotify will still be using your old Captivate feed. To fix that without a redirect you’ll need to manually go to those platforms and update the feed they are using for your podcast.

Here’s how update your RSS feed on Spotify:
https://support.transistor.fm/en/article/how-can-i-change-my-rss-feed-on-spotify-1ttzvm4/

Here’s how to update your RSS feed on Apple Podcasts:
https://support.transistor.fm/en/article/how-can-i-update-my-rss-feed-on-apple-podcasts-1sql0ga/

Updated on: 21/11/2022