Spotify has made A TON of changes this year. The bottom line? They’re leaning into video. We’re talking coming-for-YouTube-video-revenue levels of leaning into video. Many audio purists question the choices, asking the age-old question, “What is a podcast?”
While many argue leaning into video is disrupting the industry negatively, the proof is still a bit in the pudding. Basically, people like to watch podcasts.
For us, we take a step back and look at it through the brand lens: how do these features impact you? Is the effort worth your time?
We got you.
First, let’s start at the beginning: (as of November 2024) is the recent rebrand from Spotify for Podcasters to Spotify for Creators. And their message is clear: Spotify wants to be your all-in-one platform for creating, monetizing, and managing next-level content. So, for B2B brands, this is your cue to get creative and lean into these updates to build stronger connections and maybe even new revenue streams.
Now, these changes only matter to you if you:
- Have a video podcast (although, tbh, we recommend you do)
- Upload that video to Spotify (and if you’re working with us, we’ll handle this)
✨CHANNEL STRATEGY TIP✨
We’d recommend you start posting your video on Spotify if you haven’t already. Now you might say, “I put my show on YouTube, why should I also put the video on Spotify?”
Because Spotify is Spotify, and YouTube is YouTube. The people who watch on YouTube may or may not be the same as Spotify users. So, making each experience on each platform as entertaining and high quality as you can is recommended. Here’s a helpful article if you’re uploading on your own.
Now that we’ve got the basics covered, what has actually changed?
Let’s walk through the timeline.
April 2022 – Spotify Allows All Podcasts to Upload Video to Their Platform
In April of 2022, Spotify opened up the video floodgates to any and all podcasts on their platform. Before it was only certain creators and started with their own shows (like The Joe Rogan Experience and Call Her Daddy) in late 2020 and early 2021. By mid-2022, Spotify allowed all podcasts to upload video via their platform under the Spotify for Podcasters tool.
July 2024 – Spotify Adds Comments on Podcasts for More Ways to Engage
Spotify introduced a comment section for podcasts on July 9, 2024. This feature lets listeners engage directly with podcast episodes by leaving comments, enhancing interaction between creators and their audience. You have control over the comments, with options to enable or disable them for specific comments, episodes, or entire shows. And a fun feature—you can control the questions at the end of each episode to encourage this engagement.
November 2024 – Spotify for Podcasters becomes Spotify for Creators
In November 2024, Spotify rebranded its podcast creator platform from Spotify for Podcasters to Spotify for Creators. This change reflects the platform’s expanded support for audio and video content, providing creators with tools to grow, monetize, and manage their content on Spotify.
Immediately, two things have changed on their platform:
- There is now a vertical feed (a lot like YouTube Shorts, Reels, or TikTok) associated with podcasts. With each episode, you can upload one clip (this clip should be used to entice people to press play)
- Each video episode gets a thumbnail. You can customize these yourself on the app, or Spotify will choose one for you that is a still from the episode. (and again, if you’re working with us, we got you)
Here’s what this looks like in real life, because depending on when you’re reading this, this feature may not be available to everyone just yet:
January 2025 – Introduction of the Spotify Partner Program
Starting January 2, 2025, Spotify will launch the Partner Program, allowing video podcast creators to earn revenue based on engagement from paid subscribers. This initiative aims to provide creators with additional monetization avenues beyond traditional advertising.
Recognizing the growing popularity of video podcasts, Spotify has introduced features to support this format:
- Uninterrupted Video Podcasts: Premium subscribers in select countries, including the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, will enjoy ad-free video podcast experiences starting January 2025.
- Audience-Driven Payments: Creators will receive payments based on the engagement their video content generates from subscribers, incentivizing high-quality content production.
Future State – ?? 2025
To cater to listeners’ preferences, Spotify is also planning to introduce more video features like chapters, comments, pinch-to-zoom, thumbnail scrubbing, and personalized video recommendations throughout the app. (More user-first features? We love to see it.)
TLDR: What does this mean for your branded podcast?
Here’s the new Spotify playbook we’d recommend for your branded show (and why):
- Put your video episodes on Spotify. Why? Prioritizing your audience’s experience is key for creating long-lasting relationships with them. So give them the option of watching your high-quality content if they are into that format.
- Upload one clip per episode with a custom thumbnail. Why? For discoverability! Spotify has essentially created a video-first social media feed just for podcasts. This is a great opportunity to find new listeners on a podcast platform prioritizing high-quality video content like your brand’s.
- What clip should you upload? Your favorite video clip (which could also be your spicy opener). Or even better, start creating a trailer clip (you know, like a hype video) for each episode. This gets people excited and intrigued to press play.
- Keep tabs on the comment section and engage with the people who show up there. If listeners are taking action to engage with you after listening to a full episode, you know they care. This can also serve as a great way to crowdsource your next guest or topic.
- With Spotify looking to drive more engagement to their platform, it’s worth noting the opportunity to drive revenue from your subscribers. We don’t have all the insights here yet – but ultimately, you’ll get paid similarly to YouTube’s strategy of sharing ad revenue with creators.
Each podcast platform is creating more user-centric (aka sticky) features and experiences. When it comes to running any successful content strategy tied to the channel, we follow the methodology of perfecting the medium rather than scaling the effort. So, look where you want to grow first, then apply what you have learned to the next one. And if I had to get super simple, I’d ask this question for yourself: YouTube or Spotify. The best way to answer is to look at your numbers. Already have a big list of subscribers on YouTube? Play their game first. And vice versa.
Bottomline: Use the features. (What, like it’s hard?)
