Spotify is enhancing its platform by introducing a comment section for podcasts, available on episodes starting today. Listeners can access this feature by scrolling past the play controls or navigating to the episode page after listening.
Initially, all comments will be private, and creators will have full control over which comments are published on their pages. Creators can also enable comments for specific episodes or opt out of the feature entirely if they prefer not to manage comments.
The updated Spotify for Podcasters app will allow all creators, regardless of their hosting platform, to oversee comments. Non-hosted creators must claim their shows through the app to access this feature. Besides controlling comment visibility, creators will receive notifications for new comments and show milestones. The app also provides analytics and insights into their audience, helping creators better understand their listeners.
This initiative is part of Spotify’s broader effort to make its platform more interactive and engaging. The platform highlights that users engaging with its interactive features, like Q&As and polls, are significantly more likely to return to a show within 30 days and spend more time listening to podcasts. It added that these engaged listeners tend to spend twice as many hours per month on podcasts compared to those who do not interact.
Looking ahead, Spotify plans to introduce more interactive features this fall and continuously improve the comments experience based on feedback from both podcasters and listeners. It also vows to continue improving its comments experience based on the feedback it gets from both parties.
(Source: Spotify [official blog])
