Spotify introduces comments for podcasts

Ever wondered what people really think about your podcast? Or had thoughts on others' podcasts that you just couldn't keep to yourself?

Spotify may have just eased your pain with its new interactive feature--podcast comments.

Now listeners will be able to leave comments on any episode page supporting the feature.

And, just like on social media, creators will be able to like comments, respond to them and filter out less-favourable ones.

It follows Spotify's previous moves to compete with YouTube's creative space. Previously, Spotify launched video podcasts in 2022. And last month, they expanded the feature so all creators - not just specially signed ones - can upload their videos.

Spotify’s listening a bit closer to the community.

There's been broad support for the new feature for a while. 70% of listeners said they want more ways to connect to podcast hosts. 9 million Spotify users have used existing interactive podcast features like polls or Q&As in 2024- an 80% year-over-year jump.

Creators will soon be able to allow podcast comments on a per-episode basis. And they'll have the usual admin tools to ensure conversations are civil. Podcasters will be able to interact directly with listeners and can even get analytics and other insights through the Spotify for Podcasters app.

Spotify says the feature will roll out slowly, but will expand to all users over the next month.

When everyone listens, everyone wins.

Spotify's main reasoning behind podcast comments is to give creators more tools for building and retaining listener communities. Given both creators and listeners want the feature, this is an 'everyone wins' kind of scenario!

It's a pro-creator and pro-listener move supported by the company's own internal data. Listeners who use interactive features are 4x more likely to return to a show within 30 days and listen to twice as many podcasts on average.

So if you're looking to tighten up your audience or want to expand your reach, now's the time to get your feelers (or listeners) out there and make your audience - and yourself - feel heard!

-Devin, Copywriter