Today, we’re announcing our biggest update to podcasts on Spotify ever — including a new monetization program for video podcasts, improved analytics and audience growth tools, new ways to get your podcast discovered on Spotify, and an exciting evolution of our name and brand.
The best place for both audio and video podcasts
We’ve been in the podcast game since 2019, and while the podcast ecosystem is as vibrant as it’s ever been, the definition of a podcast is now more fluid. Creators are experimenting and engaging audiences in new ways through video, and podcast fans want the flexibility to seamlessly watch or listen to content depending on what they are doing. And it’s clear that video is growing: according to our most recent Fan Study, we’ve seen an 88% surge in users consuming video podcasts in the past year alone.
That’s why we’re announcing an exciting leap forward in our creator ecosystem: Spotify for Podcasters is evolving into Spotify for Creators. It’s a whole new chapter in our ongoing mission to give you the tools to grow, monetize, and manage your show, whether it features audio, video, or both formats. And to mark this journey, we’ve launched a set of new features that make it easy to be successful on Spotify, no matter what type of show you have.
Introducing new ways to monetize with the Spotify Partner Program
Starting today, we’re making a new monetization program available to creators in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom: the Spotify Partner Program. This new program gives creators who host with us and meet our monetization criteria access to multiple revenue streams to help them transform their show into a sustainable business, all backed by the power of our teams and technology at Spotify.
Creators in the Spotify Partner Program earn a share of revenue every time an ad (monetized by Spotify) plays in an episode on and off the platform. All you have to do is tell us where you want the ads to play and we’ll take care of the rest.
If you’re a creator who publishes video on Spotify, you can also earn with Premium video revenue through the Spotify Partner Program. With this new revenue stream, when Spotify Premium subscribers in select markets stream your video episodes, we’ll serve your content to them without dynamic ads to make sure they have an uninterrupted viewing experience. And instead of earning ad revenue for those streams, you can earn based on how much your fans stream your content. The more your fans watch or listen to your podcast, the more you can earn.
The new Spotify Partner Program can support creators like you who are looking to start earning more consistently for your work, whether audio or video. Head to the Monetize page in your Spotify for Creators account to get started – there you can check to see if you qualify to apply for the program. If accepted, you can start earning with ads and Premium video revenue on eligible video episodes (Premium video revenue goes into effect on January 2, 2025).
Reach new audiences on Spotify with video clips and thumbnails
We’re continuing to invest in new ways to manage your show’s presence on Spotify, so you can capture the attention of potential fans or followers. These features will help you stand out with video, show up in more places on Spotify, and look your best once you’re there.
Get discovered by uploading short-form video clips
Whether you’re making an audio or video podcast, you’re probably already creating short-form video content to promote your show across social media platforms like TikTok, Shorts, Reels, or all of the above. We know that these clips are great at driving engagement, but don’t necessarily translate to more streams of your show.
That’s why we’re thrilled to share that you can now upload clips directly to Spotify where your audience already is. To start, they can be up to 90 seconds and you can upload one clip per episode. Your episode clips can then be recommended across Spotify app surfaces like the Home feed, Podcasts feed, Browse, the Now Playing view, and more. Clips will also always be visible on your show page, as a way for potential audiences to preview your latest episodes.
Our goal is not to make our platform yet another place to watch short, engaging content. We want to help people find their next favorite show where they are ready to immediately listen or watch, and ultimately drive more streams of your full length episodes.
Clips are available now in beta on Spotify for Creators in select markets like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia (see full list here), so let us know what you think!
Customize video thumbnails for every episode
You’ve always been able to set episode-level podcast art for your audio episodes on Spotify, but now you can upload your own video thumbnails too. Choose a Spotify-generated 16:9 thumbnail or replace our suggestion by uploading your own. Video thumbnails are displayed and optimized across our mobile, desktop, and TV app experiences to help you grab the attention of potential viewers.
Thumbnails are now available for all creators to upload for new episodes as well as for your entire back catalog.
New analytics to help you learn and grow
We know how critical it is to understand your performance, and to have as much data as possible to help you make decisions about your show. For creators hosted with Spotify, we’ve redesigned our home d
ashboard on web to bring these key metrics right to the forefront. Now you can always get a quick pulse check of how your show is performing, and navigate directly to the right parts of our app to take action.
At a glance you’ll be able to:
- See how many Spotify followers you have, and how that growth rate is changing over time. According to our 2022 Fan Study, followers consume 4x more of your episodes than non-followers, so make sure to remind your audience — through your show notes or in your episodes — to follow on Spotify!
- Track the performance of your latest episode including how many streams, consumption hours, and comments it has.
- Visualize your audience’s journey to discovering your content, including how many people you are reaching, how many show interest, and how many converted to streams on Spotify.
- View your latest comments so you can like and reply to your favorites to build your fan community on Spotify.
Elevating the video discovery and viewing experience on Spotify
Finally, we’re excited to highlight a number of improvements to the video experience itself on Spotify, including:
- Personalized video recommendations throughout the app
- Playback improvements like thumbnail scrubbing, pinch to zoom, video chapters, and a toggle to make it easy to switch between the video and audio experience
- Comments that make it easy for your audience to share feedback and for you to build you fan community on Spotify
- A following filter on the Podcasts feed so your fans can quickly find your content and keep coming back
And that’s just the start! We’ll be continuing to invest in making Spotify not just the best place to listen, but also watch your favorite shows.
The future is bright (and multi-format)
Regardless of where your podcast is hosted (or if your show isn’t yet on Spotify), it’s easy to get up and running with these great new features in Spotify for Creators. If you’re already making video, we encourage you to start uploading your video episodes to Spotify and check your eligibility for the Spotify Partner Program. If video isn’t for you, that’s okay too — we offer free podcast hosting, distribution to all major podcast listening platforms, and ad monetization (in select markets).
We’re excited to see how Spotify for Creators can be a launchpad for your creativity, and provide you with the right tools to tap into over 600 million Spotify users.