The Multimedia Room begins by making a file (for example, an MP3 audio file) available on the Interne5 and then announces the existence of that file by referencing it in another file known as the feed. The feed is a list of the URLs by which episodes of the podcast may be accessed. This list is usually published in RSS format, which provides other information, such as publish date, titles, and accompanying text descriptions of the series and each of its episodes. The feed may contain entries for all episodes in a series, but is typically limited to a short list of the most recent episodes, as is the case with many news feeds. Standard podcasts consist of a feed from one author.

The Multimedia Room posts the feed on a webserver. The location at which the feed is posted is expected to be permanent. This location is known as the feed URL.

A podcast specific aggregator is usually an always-on program which starts when the computer is started and runs in the background. It works exactly like any newsreader each at a specified interval, such as every two hours. If the feed data has substantively changed from when it was previously checked (or if the feed was just added to the application's list), the program determines the location of the most recent item and automatically downloads it. The downloaded episodes can then be played, replayed, or archived as with any other computer file. Many applications also automatically transfer the newly downloaded episodes available to a user's portable media player, which is connected to the PC running the aggregator, perhaps via a USB cable.

The publish/subscribe model of podcasting is a version of push technology, in that the information provider chooses which files to offer in a feed and the subscriber chooses among available feed channels. While the user is not "pulling" individual files from the Web, there is a strong "pull" aspect in that the receiver is free to subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) a vast array of channels.

In March 2006 it was reported that 80% of podcast "episodes" are "consumed" on the PC onto which they are downloaded, i.e. they are never actually transferred to an iPod or other portable player, or are deleted from the PC without being listened to. However, the latest version of the iTunes program will stop downloading new podcasts that have been subscribed to if it detects they are not being listened to. Thus the percentage of un listened podcasts is controlled through this mechanism.

To conserve bandwidth, users may opt to search for content using an online podcasts directory. Some directories allow people to listen online and become familiar with the content provided from an RSS feed before deciding to subscribe. For most broadband users, bandwidth is generally not a major consideration.

Podcasting's initial appeal was to allow individuals to distribute their own radio-style shows, but the system quickly became used in a wide variety of other ways, including distribution of school lessons, official and unofficial audio tours of museums, conference meeting alerts and updates, and by police departments to distribute public safety messages.

Podcasting is becoming increasingly popular in education. Podcasts enable students and teachers to share information with anyone at anytime. An absent student can download the podcast of the recorded lesson. It can be a tool for teachers or administrators to communicate curriculum, assignments and other information with parents and the community. Teachers can record book discussions, vocabulary or foreign language lessons, international pen pal letters, music performance, interviews, and debates. Podcasting can be a publishing tool for student oral presentations. Video podcasts can be used in all these ways as well.