Give WordPress a clear role in the publishing system.

Distinguish the player from the publisher

WordPress’s Audio block documentation describes placing audio in a page or post. That does not by itself establish a complete podcast workflow. Identify which component owns episode metadata, feed generation, media hosting, and approval. Avoid installing a second feed generator simply because a feature appears in a plugin’s menu.

Test with real editorial work

Use a staging environment with representative episodes, transcripts, artwork, and ordinary punctuation. Ask editors to create, review, and correct a release. Inspect both the episode page and feed when applicable. Check keyboard navigation and narrow-screen behavior rather than relying only on a desktop demonstration.

Understand maintenance and departure

Review the proposed plugin’s current maintenance and support information directly before choosing it. Assign responsibility for updates and backups. Export the test catalog, then inspect what remains when the plugin is disabled in staging. Understand which records survive and which display elements depend on the integration.