While YouTube is primarily a video-driven platform, it has become a popular venue for podcasters who also want to share a video version of their podcasts, benefiting from YouTube’s massive user base globally. On the other hand, Spotify has played a significant role in bringing podcasts to our everyday lives by adding podcast-specific features and signing deals with well-known podcasters, including Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper. Spotify now wants to make podcasts more interactive and engaging by letting listeners leave comments on the content.

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As Spotify highlighted in its blog post (via The Verge), the new Comments feature lets creators engage with their listeners and get their feedback directly. The latest feature follows Spotify’s Q&A and polls functionality, which was rolled out in 2021. Spotify says over 9 million unique listeners have interacted with a Q&A or poll this year, indicating a significant potential for creating interaction between creators and their audience.

Commenting on Spotify podcasts is an opt-in feature, and creators can opt out of the program if they don’t want to receive comments at all. Additionally, all comments are private by default, and the creators need to approve each comment to be shown on the specific episode or the whole show.

Source: Spotify

Spotify has also launched a new Spotify for Podcasters app to let creators interact with listeners, check their podcast stats, and track growth in real-time. The new app is available for both the web and mobile platforms. The commenting feature for Spotify podcasts will be rolled out in the next few days in most Spotify markets.

With this new feature, Spotify is transforming the podcasting landscape, moving from one-sided communication to a more interactive and engaging platform. This shift could significantly impact how podcasts are created, consumed, and shared on the platform, fostering a more dynamic and inclusive podcasting community.

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After Google Podcasts shut down, YouTube Music became Google’s leading platform for competing in the podcast market. Despite getting a slew of podcast-specific features, YouTube Music still can’t hang in the same crowd as Spotify.