Did You Know Your Podcast Could Be Accredited? Heres 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 many podcast creators miss is that this learning value doesn't have to stay informal. Whether your podcast is audio or video, if it 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 the episode has been assessed by an accreditation body and meets CPD standards. Once accredited, your audience can claim CPD for the time they spend listening or watching, and download a personalised CPD 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 follows the same four steps for both audio podcasts and video podcasts:

1. Become a CPD Provider Before any podcast can be accredited, you'll need to become a CPD Provider, so we know you're CPD ready. Becoming a CPD Provider is free.

2. Delivery is Assessed Next, we assess the expertise of the person delivering the podcast, to make 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 make sure it offers a quality learning experience.

4. Your Audience Claims Their Certificate Once accredited, how your audience claims their certificate depends on your format:

• Audio podcasts: you receive a unique certification link and accreditation code to read out during your episode. Listeners use them to collect their CPD minutes and download their CPD certificate.

• Video podcasts: you receive a QR code to display in your video. Viewers scan it to download their CPD certificate.

Any Format Can Qualify

One of the most useful things about podcast accreditation is how flexible it is around format. For audio, we accredit live, interview, co-hosted, pre-recorded, solo and storytelling podcasts. For video, we accredit interview, conversational, educational, solo, business and news podcasts. It isn't about the format you choose to present in, it's about whether your audience 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.

The Benefits for Podcast Creators

Accreditation adds real value for both you and your audience. Whether your podcast is audio or video, as a creator it means:

• A unique accreditation number for each accredited podcast, with accredited activities submitted to The CPD Register so your audience and their employers can independently verify them
• The option to design bespoke certificates for each accredited podcast, with your brand colours, a signature and your logo
• Visibility of who has downloaded their certificate and engaged with your podcast

For your audience, it means being able to turn time they were already spending with your show into recognised CPD, and a certificate they can add to their CV or share with employers, regulators or professional bodies. Certificates are digital, so there's nothing to print or post.

What It Costs

Podcast accreditation is priced per podcast, 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 and video podcast accreditation pages, 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 straightforward way to formalise the value you're already providing. To get started, become a CPD Provider for free, or contact our team at The CPD Group for a friendly chat about what we can do for you.

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.