How to Create Podcast Playlists That Pull Episodes From Multiple Podcasts

If you’re looking for a way to create a playlist of podcast episodes from multiple podcasts for later listening, there are a couple of ways you can do that in a pretty seamless manner.

How to Build Podcast Playlists Using ListenNotes

Let’s say you’ve spotted an episode of a podcast you know you’ll want to listen to later, you should opt for ListenNotes. This service behaves in the same way that Pocket or Instapaper do for saving articles for later reading, and what’s great about it is that it plugs into whatever podcast app or service you’re already using.

Here’s how to build your podcast playlist in ListenNotes:

1. Once you’re logged into ListenNotes, you’ll find that a few episodes have already been added to your list. You can remove them by clicking the Remove from Listen Later button. 
2. To add new episodes to your playlist, you can search for them directly through ListenLater. If you come across something online, just fire up ListenNotes in your browser and search for the episode title or podcast name.
3. Once you find an episode you want to save, click the Add to playlist button. 

As you build your list, you’re going to want to listen to it in your podcast app of choice. Here’s what you have to do to get it into your app. (You’ll have to use an app or service that allows you to add podcasts by URL):

1. With your playlist open, click the RSS button and copy the RSS link to your phone. (Either open up ListenLater on your phone or just email yourself the link)
2. Open up your podcast app of choice and go through the steps for adding a new podcast. (In Pocket Casts, a great choice for managing your podcasts, just paste the URL into the search bar for new podcasts.)
3. You can now access the list in your app of choice as you would any other podcast.

You can see this process in action using Apple’s podcast app below:

To access your list again, on the ListenNotes site, Tools >Listen Later in the menu in the top right-hand corner.

You can choose your sharing settings by clicking the Settings button. You can choose from Unlisted, Private, or Public. If you want to share your playlist with others, just send them the RSS link.

The one thing lacking in ListenNotes is an extension or button, much like Pocket’s to make saving episodes more seamless.

How to Build Podcast Playlists Using Pocket Casts

Maybe you don’t have any particular episodes in mind, but just want to keep up with all the new episodes from your favorite podcasts. Plenty of apps offer like this capability, such as Pocket Casts:

1. Scroll down to the bottom of the Pocket Casts home screen and tap Create Episode Filter.
2. Choose a name for your filter and an icon of your choice.
3. For playing state, choose Unplayed.
4. For status, choose Downloaded and Not Downloaded
5. For Episode Release Date, choose the timeframe that works for you—either Last 24 hours or Last 3 days is probably best.
6. Under Included Podcasts choose the podcasts you want to include in the playlist.

Now if you need access to the list offline, you can go that particular filter and download all the episodes.

If you prefer to listen at your computer, there are plenty of great browser extensions for listening to podcasts.

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