Apple Podcasts is where most people spend their listening time — but it's a closed environment designed for shows, not individual articles. There's no built-in way to add a New Yorker piece or a Substack post to your podcast queue. Until you set up the right tool, that is.
This guide walks through the exact steps to add any article to Apple Podcasts using listen. The process takes about five minutes to set up once. After that, converting an article to a podcast episode takes under a minute.
This same method works with Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, and any other podcast app that supports custom RSS feeds — which is almost all of them.
What you need
A listen. account (free 7-day trial, no card required initially). Apple Podcasts on your iPhone or Mac. Any article URL you want to listen to. That's it.
Step-by-step setup
Go to listentothis.xyz and click "Start free." Create an account with email. You'll land on the converter dashboard.
The converter interface — paste any article URL here
Copy the URL of any article — from your browser, a newsletter, anywhere. Paste it into the converter. Choose a voice (Nova, Alloy, Shimmer, or Onyx). Click "Convert." The audio is generated in about 30 seconds.
In your account settings (or on the main dashboard after your first conversion), you'll see a "Podcast Feed" section with a private RSS URL. It looks something like: https://listentothis.xyz/api/rss/abc123. Copy this URL.
Open Apple Podcasts on your iPhone. Tap the search tab, then look for the option to "Follow a Show by URL" (on iPhone: Library → scroll to the bottom → Add a Podcast by URL). Paste your RSS feed URL. Tap Follow. The feed now appears in your library.
Your listen. feed will appear like any other show in Apple Podcasts
From now on, it's automatic
Once the feed is subscribed, you never touch Apple Podcasts again for setup. Every article you convert on listen. appears automatically as a new episode in your feed. Apple Podcasts will download it in the background if you have that setting on, so it's ready even when you're offline on the subway.
"The best listening habits are the ones that require no willpower — just tap play on the app you already have open."
Tips for getting the most out of it
Install the Chrome extension. The listen. Chrome extension adds a button to your browser toolbar. When you find an article worth saving, one click sends it to the converter and adds it to your queue — without ever opening the listen. app. Particularly useful for paywalled articles, since you're already on the page.
Set playback speed in Apple Podcasts. If you want to get through more articles, Apple Podcasts supports up to 2x speed. 1.3x or 1.4x is a sweet spot for most people — fast enough to save time, slow enough to absorb the content.
Use Overcast for more control. If you switch to Overcast (free), you get Smart Speed (which removes silences automatically) and Voice Boost (which improves audio clarity). Both make AI narration sound even better.