Spotify brings out new features for podcasts. (Photo: masterpiece / Shutterstock)
With polls and Q & As, podcasters on Spotify can now interact with their audience. Both sides should benefit from this, explains Spotify: The listeners get a new and more direct relationship to the podcasters. In return, the producers get new insights into their community.
React directly while listening
The surveys and Q & As are now available in 160 countries, including Germany. They can be seen under the respective podcast episode. There, listeners can answer directly in the app and then see how the others voted.
Answers to a Q&A are only forwarded privately to the hosts. They can then decide whether they want to publish certain answers under the question.
Currently only podcasters who watch their shows create via anchor using tools. In this video, Anchor explains how to do it.
Interaction and Gamification
Spotify has been working on making podcasts more interactive for a long time. A year ago, the streaming service had already tested surveys and Q & As – apparently with success. Thousands of podcasters have expressed an interest in using the tools, according to Spotify.
The hosts in the test group, for example, had it asked for feedback or wishes for future guests. The tools are also used as gamification elements to keep the listener’s attention and focus on the podcast again.
“We believe that the future of podcasts is interactive,” says the press release. Podcasts are a promising opportunity for community building. Currently, podcasts mainly use other channels for community building, such as Instagram. It remains to be seen how the new possibilities of Spotify will be used.
