Did You Know Your Podcast Could Be CPD Accredited? Here's How...

Podcasts have quietly become one of the most natural ways professionals fit learning into a busy week. A commute, a lunch break, a dog walk, all of it can double as professional development if the content is genuinely educational. The bit most podcast creators miss is that this learning value doesn't have to stay informal. If your podcast teaches something real, it can be formally CPD accredited, and the process is straightforward.

What Podcast Accreditation Actually Means

CPD accreditation for a podcast confirms that an episode, or a series, has been independently assessed and meets recognised standards for professional development. Once accredited, listeners can claim CPD minutes for the time they spend listening, and download a personalised certificate as evidence. For a professional working towards annual CPD requirements, that turns a podcast from a nice-to-have into something they can actually log and use.

The Four Steps to Getting Your Podcast Accredited

Getting a podcast accredited with The CPD Group is a straightforward, four-step process:

1. Become a CPD Provider

Before any podcast can be accredited, you'll need to register as a CPD Provider so we know you're CPD ready. Provider approval is free.

2. Delivery is Assessed

Next, we assess the expertise of the person delivering the podcast, making sure they are qualified to do so.

3. Content is Reviewed

You'll then provide a detailed summary of the podcast's content, so we can check it offers a quality listening experience.

4. Your Unique Code is Issued

Once approved, you receive a unique accreditation code and certification link. Read these out during your episode, and listeners can use them to download their CPD certificate and claim their CPD minutes.

Filming your podcast?Video Podcast Accreditation works in the same way, with one difference at the end: instead of a code to read out, you receive a QR code to display so learners can get their CPD certificate.

Those are the four steps between recording your episode and giving your listeners something they can put towards their professional development.

Which Podcast Formats Can Be Accredited

We accredit live, interview, co-hosted, pre-recorded, solo and story-telling audio podcasts. What matters most is not the format you present in, it's whether a listener walks away having learned something real and applicable to their professional life. A relaxed, conversational interview episode can carry just as much learning value as a more formal, structured one, provided the substance is there.

Worth knowing too: The CPD Group was among the first accreditation bodies in the UK to offer dedicated podcast accreditation.

The Benefits for Podcast Creators

Accreditation adds real, tangible value on both sides of the microphone. For you as a creator, it means:

• A verifiable accreditation logo and certificate, backed by an assessment rather than a self-applied badge
• A unique accreditation number for each episode, listed on The CPD Register so listeners and employers can independently verify it
• The ability to design bespoke, branded certificates, with your own colours, logo, and signature
• Visibility into who has downloaded their certificate, giving you a genuine sense of listener engagement

For your listeners, it means being able to turn time they were already spending with your show into CPD minutes they can record as evidence of their development, and share with employers, regulators or professional organisations. That makes CPD minutes a genuine selling point for your podcast.

How Pricing Works

Podcast accreditation is priced per podcast rather than as a blanket subscription, and the more you accredit at once, the lower the cost per podcast works out. Each accredited podcast has a 36-month accreditation period. Shorter "Bitesize" episodes under 30 minutes are quoted individually, so shorter-form series aren't excluded. You can see current pricing on our audio podcast accreditation page, or get in touch for a bespoke quote.

Getting Started

If your podcast already covers genuine professional development content, whether that's industry insight, technical know-how, or practical career advice, accreditation is a way to formalise the value you're already providing. The CPD Group can guide you through each of the four steps and help you get your episodes ready to offer CPD minutes to your listeners.

Looking for CPD Accreditation?

We accredit a wide range of CPD activities, so take a look at the different types of accreditation we offer to find what suits you best:

• CPD Courses
• CPD Webinars
• CPD Edutorials
• CPD Audio Podcasts
• CPD Video Podcasts
• CPD Accredited Events
• CPD Trainers
• CPD Employers

The CPD Group's published A.C.C.R.E.D.I.T.E.D Framework provides transparency around the standards we apply to learning activities, with every activity independently assessed on its own merit against the relevant accreditation requirements. As a value-added service, we submit all accredited activities to The CPD Register on behalf of the provider, providing a transparent and independent way to verify accreditation status.

How to become an accredited CPD Provider

We hope this article was helpful. The CPD Group is the first CPD accreditation organisation to be certified by The CPD Register, working with over 13,000 approved providers across 170+ countries and 100+ industries. Every course, webinar, event or podcast we accredit is assessed on its own merit, never as part of a blanket approval.

If you're delivering training, running events, hosting a podcast, or creating any learning content that offers genuine professional development value, we'd love to help you get it accredited. Visit our Become a CPD Provider page or contact our team for a friendly chat about what we can do for you. If you're a learner looking to track, store and verify your own CPD, create your free CPD Passport - it connects directly to The CPD Register for instant verification of your accredited learning.

This content is provided by The CPD Group, a CPD accreditation service for training providers. We help training organisations demonstrate quality standards through independent CPD certification.