If I were employed by Apple to review podcasts for iTunes here is a list of “Quality Checks” or qualifications I would like to see in each program.

1. Quality of Media: A high BitRate for each audio and/or video episode would be encouraged.
2. Hosted Website: A functional hosted website that acted, at least in part,  as the home for the podcast.
3. Archives: At least three previously published full-length episodes of each submitted program.
4. Feed Monitoring: It would be encouraged for each podcast feed URL to be submitted through a “Feed Tracking” service such as FeedBurner.
5. iTunes Feed Information: Accurate and detailed information about each program and episode being submitted to iTunes.
6. ID3 Tagging: Creating the correct ID3 tags for your MP3 episode files.

Now, I should say that these five criteria are only hypothetical and that iTunes may have different ideals entirely. However, after having submitted over a dozen different podcasts for myself and others, these elements seem to be universally successful in achieving a listing in iTunes.

After having podcasted for the past two+ years, I am beginning to see the value in quality across the board when it comes to production and distribution. And as iTunes is one of the most valuable resources for disseminating independently produced episodic media for most publishers, understanding their internal review requirements is important.