Podcasting on Spotify: Understanding Their Platform

Spotify is one of the leading platforms not only for music, but also for podcasts of all genres and styles. Putting a podcast on Spotify and learning how to navigate the platform as a creator are two major keys to success, and thankfully, accomplishing both is easy. In this post, we’ll go over how to upload a podcast to Spotify and best utilize the website's resources.

Quick note before getting into it: if you’re starting a podcast from scratch, Blue has the audio gear you need for top-notch recordings, from the plug-and-go Yeti and Snowball USB mics to the studio-grade Bluebird and Spark XLR mics. Check out the Blue for YouTube & Podcasts section on our website for more info and recommendations. 

WHY YOU NEED YOUR PODCAST ON SPOTIFY

One of the most popular audio streaming platforms, Spotify sees about 406 million monthly active users. While music is the platform’s bread and butter, the Podcasts section includes a massive library from the latest true crime thriller to a rousing pop culture debate. Plus, Spotify’s algorithm offers plenty of ways for listeners to easily discover new podcasts.

Spotify’s interest in hosting and creating podcasts is only growing. In 2019 alone, Spotify bought both podcast studios Gimlet and Parcast, as well as podcast recording software Anchor. Since then, podcast listenership on Spotify has doubled and continues to grow. 

HOW TO UPLOAD YOUR PODCAST TO SPOTIFY

Getting your podcast on a major streaming platform like Spotify is not nearly as intimidating as it sounds. If you have a computer and an internet connection, you’re already well on your way. Here’s a general breakdown of how to upload your podcast to Spotify.

Pick a Podcast Hosting Platform

A podcast hosting platform is equivalent to a website host like Squarespace, so it's a must for any podcast. There are both free and paid options, but the former will work just fine for most types of podcasts. Anchor, for instance, lets you distribute to all major listening apps for free and even features one-click distribution to Spotify (click here for a full list of other platforms with one-click distribution). 

Getting on a podcast hosting platform will give you lots of helpful resources and tools, but most importantly, a host provides you with an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) link, which you’ll need for putting your podcast on Spotify, Apple or any other podcasting platform. In a nutshell, an RSS link automatically updates your podcast feed across all of the places your podcast is accessible so that you won’t have to manually upload new episodes on every single platform and website your podcast is on. 

Join Spotify for Podcasters

Free and easy to join, Spotify for Podcasters offers helpful analytics and audience insight so you can see specifically how your podcast is doing. 

Enter Your RSS Link

Once you’re logged in, find the option to add a podcast to your account. Clicking that will prompt you to paste your RSS link, which you can get from your podcast host.

Add Podcast Info

The last thing you need to do before going live is to enter general info about your podcast, like language, country of origin and genre. 

Review and Upload

Believe it or not, that’s all you need to do to get your podcast ready for Spotify! It might take a few hours after you submit for Spotify to review your submission, but you should be good to go as long as your RSS link works and info is accurate.

For a step-by-step walkthrough with visuals, check out Spotify’s official tutorial video. 

THE NEXT STEPS

Now that your podcast is officially on Spotify, here’s how to navigate the platform and set up your podcast for success.

Audience Analytics

As mentioned earlier, having a Spotify for Podcasters account gives you access to detailed data on listenership demographics, which start coming in as soon as you go live. Some of the data includes:

• General listener demographics like age, gender and location
• Devices used to listen to your podcast
• Start vs. stream rates (meaning how many people clicked on your podcast episode compared to how many stuck around to listen)
• Average listening times
• Your listeners’ monthly top artists (helpful if you have a theme song or background music in your podcast)

Plus, at the end of every year you’ll get to see a Spotify Wrapped breakdown for your podcast, giving you some of the main stats for the year like total minutes listened and followers gained. All of this info is incredibly helpful for perfecting your podcasting skills, pairing with the right sponsorships, getting the word out about your podcast, and even mapping the best places to go on tour or perform live podcasts. 

Create Playlists

Playlists aren’t just reserved for songs on Spotify; you can indeed add podcast episodes to playlists. While Spotify currently doesn’t have submissions for podcasts to make their official playlists, making your own will help bump up your podcast’s engagement and algorithm placement.

If nothing else, playlists are a chance to get creative: If you have a history podcast, for example, you can make a playlist with your episodes alongside songs from the era. Or group your podcast with your favorite podcasts or inspirations, which potentially attracts fans of those podcasts to yours.

Create Ads on Spotify

Ads are commonplace on Spotify podcasts, and you can actually make your own ads via Spotify Advertising. Featuring tools and stats for creating ads, the program helps you get the word out about your podcast and directly target potential fans.

Spread the Word

Finally, the best way to grow your podcast on Spotify is to get the word out anywhere you can. Copy-paste a link for your podcast to your socials, and you can even embed the feed straight onto a website. 

BUILD YOUR PODCASTING CAREER

Spotify is great for posting your podcast, but is just part of turning your podcast into a full-time career. For more info on putting your podcast on YouTube, making the jump from audio to video podcasts and more, check out the other stories on the blog.