Are you a creator looking to publish member-only content? See this guide instead.
Read this first: there are two ways to unlock member content, depending on which app you use.
・Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Castro, Snipd → use your private listening link
・Spotify → link your Spotify account (no link needed)
The two are independent. You can set up one or both.
Everything starts from your subscription management page.
Sign in with the account you paid with, then:
・Subscribed on a creator's own site (the URL is not firstory.me) → click your avatar and choose "Subscriptions"
・Subscribed on Firstory → click your avatar and choose "Membership", or open https://open.firstory.me/donation/recurring
Not a member yet? See how to support or join a show's membership first.
Listening on the web
Once you have joined on the show's Firstory page, open the "Podcast" tab to play member-only episodes right away.
After you sign in, episodes you can access show a play button. The "Members only" tag is just a label. If you are already a member but still see the join screen, make sure you are signed in with the account you paid with.
To listen in a podcast app on your phone, you only need to set it up once. New member episodes are added automatically after that.
Find "Unlock Member Listening"
Every app is set up from this one screen. There are three ways to get there — any of them works.
1. From the show's episode list
On a creator's own site, sign in and open the episode list. At the bottom of the show info column on the left, members see a prompt — click "Unlock Member Listening →".
2. From your subscription list
Open your subscription management page and click "Unlock Listening" at the right end of the row.
The same button appears on Firstory (open.firstory.me):
3. From the subscription detail page
Open the subscription and select the "Unlock Member Listening" tab.
If you have just paid, you may see "One last step...". Your private listening link is still being created — refresh the page after about a minute.
Listen with your private link (Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Castro, Snipd…)
These apps all use the same private listening link. It sits at the very top of the "Unlock Member Listening" page — nothing to expand.
On your phone
Tap an app under "Listen with your private link" (Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Castro). The app opens with your link already filled in — just follow or subscribe.
On a computer
Those one-tap buttons are not shown on desktop — only phone apps recognise those links. Do this instead:
Click "Copy" to copy your private listening link.
Send it to your phone however you like (message yourself, email it).
In your phone app, use "Follow a Show by URL" (or "Add RSS feed") and paste the link.
Snipd is shown below as an example; other RSS apps work much the same way:
⚠️ This link is your membership credential. Anyone who has it can listen to your member content, so please do not share or post it publicly.
What you will see in Apple Podcasts
A new show appears under Library > Shows, named "Show Name (your email)" — for example "Manny's Newsletter Pro ([email protected])". All member-only episodes live there, and new ones are added automatically.
This is a separate show, not a playlist. Look under "Library > Shows", not in your playlists.
Also, do not use Apple Podcasts search to find member content. Search only returns the public show; member episodes never appear there. The public show you already follow stays in your library — the two have similar names and identical artwork, so tell them apart by whether your email follows the name.
Listen with your Spotify account
Spotify does not use the private link — you link your Spotify account instead. Two places to do it:
On the "Unlock Member Listening" page, under "Listen with your Spotify account", click "Log in with Spotify".
Or open the "Connected Services" tab > Spotify > "Connect".
Once authorised, member-only content unlocks in Spotify.
Spotify access is tied to the Spotify account you authorised, regardless of whether its email matches your Firstory account. Sign in to that Spotify account on any device and it will work.
Content is still locked after linking Spotify
If the Spotify account you linked on Firstory is not the one you are signed in to on your device (for example the mobile app), the content stays locked.
Check whether both are the same account. If not, relink the correct one:
Unlink the wrong account: sign in to Spotify Content Access, find Firstory and click "Unlink".
On Firstory, open "Connected Services" and click "Disconnect" for Spotify: https://open.firstory.me/donation/apps
In your browser, sign in to the same Spotify account as your device, then link again.
If you subscribed on a creator's own site, open "Connected Services" in your account page and click "Connected" to reach the management page, where you can "Disconnect".
Troubleshooting
I cannot find the Apple Podcasts button on my computer
That is expected. The link behind that button is only recognised by phone apps and did nothing on desktop, so it was removed. Use "Copy" and send the link to your phone instead.
I just paid and there is no listening link
If you see "One last step...", the link is still being created. Refresh after about a minute.
Apple Podcasts is missing from "Connected Services"
That page only covers Spotify and Discord. For Apple Podcasts and other apps, pick the subscription under "Subscription" and open "Unlock Member Listening".
I found the show in Apple Podcasts but episodes are missing
You opened the public show. Member content only exists in your private show — set it up again using the steps above, and look under "Library > Shows" for the one with your email in the name.
I am a member, but clicking a member episode asks me to join
Make sure you are signed in with the account you paid with. Signing in with a different account (a different Google account, for example) makes the site treat you as a non-member.
Spotify says unlocked, but the mobile app will not play it
The Spotify account on that device is not the one you authorised. See "Content is still locked after linking Spotify" above.
Spotify shows as "Connected" and I cannot change it
Click "Connected" to open the management page and unlink, or go to https://open.firstory.me/donation/apps.
Member-only articles
Firstory's "Articles" feature lets creators publish posts that only members can read.
Once you have joined on the show's page, open the "Articles" tab to read them.