Since its inception in 2008, Spotify has been sweeping the globe, connecting music lovers from all over the world. Boasting a collection of millions upon millions of songs, every genre is represented, from mainstream to obscure and every mash-up in between. Spotify was once a music streaming site but has since grown into the music giant it is to include all types of audio. Podcasters, rejoice! Spotify has over 159 million users worldwide, positioning them as the most notable digital audio content platform on the planet. As of June 2018, there are 83 million paying subscribers.
Now that Spotify has opened the floodgates, audio content broadcasters are presented with the sparkling opportunity to reach millions of new ears in over 60 markets. That is one big pie with lots of slices. Want one? Of course, you do. With such a huge audience, surely your own audience is out there, looking for you and eager to hear what you have to say!
Here’s the thing. There are a few hoops you have to jump through first, and rightfully so. These criteria are set in place to ensure quality, so once you’ve checked the boxes, you’re good to go and ready to get heard!
Step 1 – Get Your Basics DownIf you want to measure up to Spotify standards, make sure you’ve laid out the groundwork. Your podcast is a reflection of you and what you have to say. It’s your brand, so as long as it’s polished and pretty, you’re setting yourself up for success. Consider the following guidelines so your podcast passes with flying colors:
Sound:
It should be an MP3 format and audio with bitrates between 96 and 320 kbps. Also, keep it clean. No one likes an echo, feedback, muffled noises, and dead air. Try to steer clear of any audible imperfections.
Size:
Ideally, keep your episode under 200MB, which translates to approximately 83 minutes at 320 kbps or just over 200 minutes at 128kbps.
Podcast Image:
Artwork absolutely needs to be square at a 1:1 ration. Keep the resolution as high as possible (to avoid pixelation) and save as a JPEG or PNG.
Feed Values:
Special characters in your copy, especially ampersands (&), must be HTML encoded (&). Any HTML tags (<p> or <strong>) will be removed once submitted.
Episode Titles:
Make it short and sweet! Titles must be 20 characters or less (including spaces) so they are fully legible and live well across Spotify listings.
Podcast Feed Files:
Ensure your podcast feed has a title, image, and at least one (1) episode, otherwise your submission will not qualify. The more the merrier!
Just one more thing to keep in mind – increasing the number of listeners doesn't always translate into a surge of advertising numbers. Spotify re-hosts, meaning if your ads are already set, they won’t be played. This is still a work in progress, however.
Take a look at TalkShoe’s “Cutting Room Floor” for inspiration. Hosted by Casey Ryan, the show is a platform for independent filmmakers and other entertainers to promote their projects. It’s the perfect online space for people who are rising in their filmmaking careers to get a boost and strengthen the independent art community!
All items checked off? Feeling confident? Excited to set forth your podcast to all the millions of Spotify listeners? We’re almost there! Just a few more hurdles until you cross the finish line now that the technical stuff is out of the way.
It’s actually pretty painless. Don’t worry if you’re the techiest person. Spotify has a form right here that’s straightforward and easy to follow. Once you’ve submitted, this is where you have to leave it up to the universe! The approval process can have you sitting on the edge of your seat anywhere from a few hours to 5 days. Keep in mind that Spotify won’t contact you to let you know if your show has been picked up and listed. Check the site to see if it’s gone through…
Good news! Your show made it through! Now that you’ve got some traction, you’re going to want to see your hard work pay off. Spotify doesn’t provide direct access to stats and data, however, the numbers that affect you can be found on your host platform.
Get excited, and ready to keep the content coming because once you open the doors to Spotify, you can expect an increase in listenership. After all, Spotify counts for 10% of the total podcast listen everywhere. Let TalkShoe help get you to that next level with a free hosting service that makes starting and maintaining a podcast simple. Enjoy state-of-the-art tools like YouTube live streaming, and easy-to-use RSS feeds that ensure your podcast is high quality and gets noticed online. Start today.
