Spotify bridges the gap between podcasters and their listeners by launching a podcast comments section, which will begin appearing on episodes starting today. Listeners can find the service’s new comments section by scrolling through the playback controls or navigating to the episode page once they’ve finished listening. At launch, all posts will be private by default, and creators will have complete control over which comments appear on their page. They have the power to publish and unpublish any response they want. If they don’t have time to do so, they can enable comments for specific episodes only or disable the feature entirely.
The service allows all creators to oversee comments by giving them access to the updated Spotify for Podcasters app, whether or not they are hosted by the company. Creators who are not hosted on the Spotify for Podcasters platform must first claim their show through the app. In addition to being able to control the replies posted to their page, creators will also receive notifications for new comments and for reaching show goals. They will also have access to analytics and insights about their audience.
Spotify says listeners who interact with its interactive features, such as its Q&A and PollsSpotify users who listen to podcasts are (on average) four times more likely to return to a show within 30 days. These users also spend twice as many hours per month listening to podcasts than those who don’t use Spotify’s interactive features. The company intends to make its platform even more interactive, with more planned for fall of this year. It’s also committed to continuing to improve its commenting experience based on feedback it receives from podcasters and listeners.