Spotify is revolutionizing podcast engagement with the launch of a new interactive feature: podcast comments. This innovative addition, announced on Tuesday, allows listeners to leave comments on episode pages, fostering a sense of community. Creators can like and respond to comments while maintaining control over which comments appear.
Entering the Arena with YouTube
This move places Spotify in direct competition with YouTube, enhancing the interaction between creators and listeners. Following the introduction of video podcasts in 2021 and their wider release in 2022, Spotify has continued to expand its interactive capabilities. Now, with over 250,000 video podcasts available, the platform is poised for even greater engagement.
Interactive Features Driving Engagement
Spotify’s interactive features have seen significant adoption. In 2023 alone, 9 million listeners engaged with features like polls and Q&As, an 80% increase from the previous year. According to Spotify, listeners who use these features are four times more likely to return to a show within 30 days and listen to twice as many podcasts.
Building Community Through Comments
The introduction of podcast comments aims to further enhance community building, potentially leading to better listener retention and increased podcast consumption. More than 70% of podcast listeners have expressed a desire for more ways to engage with their favorite hosts, and comments provide a new avenue for this interaction.
Cautious Rollout with Creator Control
Maya Prohovnik, Spotify’s VP of Podcast Product, emphasizes a cautious approach to ensure high-quality conversations. The feature will initially roll out on select podcasts and expand over the next month. Creators can enable or disable comments per episode and approve which comments are visible.
Creators can like and reply to comments, receive alerts, and access audience insights through the Spotify for Podcasters app. Spotify is also testing automated systems to ease the moderation process, ensuring comments can scale without manual oversight.
Positive Beta Feedback
The commenting feature has been in beta testing, with positive feedback leading to its public release. Creators who have previously used polls and Q&As will be among the first to enable comments.
Shifting Podcast Strategy
Spotify’s podcasting strategy has evolved from exclusive content investments to serving as a platform for all podcasters, including video streamers. This shift has led to profitability in podcasts.
While the new commenting feature doesn’t include immediate monetization, Prohovnik hints at future possibilities, such as identifying super fans in comments and potential paid-for fan badges, similar to YouTube’s Super Chat and Super Stickers.
Engaging Listeners with Push Notifications
Comments may also re-engage Spotify users through push notifications, drawing them back into the app for social interactions. “Just like with video podcasts, it’s clear to us there’s a need. People want that deeper engagement on Spotify, and that’s really our goal,” says Prohovnik.
Opt-Out Option for Creators
Updated at 9:05 am ET to clarify: Comments will be opt-out for creators, ensuring they remain optional.
Spotify’s new podcast comments feature is set to transform the way listeners and creators connect, driving deeper engagement and fostering a vibrant podcasting community.
