Thinking through Spotify from a podcaster's perspective

I really, really, really LIKE Spotify.

It's been my go-to music listening app ever since I got frustrated with Pandora's inability to add TRULY similar music to my various playlists.

Since I like the app so much, I began thinking through some of the ways I could utilize it's specific functions to amplify my podcast distribution.

Following are some thoughts that I haven't implemented all of these yet, I'm just thinking (typing) out loud.

General Playlists

One of the things I enjoy about Spotify is the playlists. I can create them however I like and can even create PUBLIC playlists that others can find when they search.

PUBLIC playlists - did you hear that? What could we podcasters do THERE that would be both discoverable, and helpful?

It might take some experimentation, but I can foresee us (for example)...

• Creating "Sales Tips" playlists and including a variety of podcast episodes on the subject (along with ours)
• Optimizing playlist TITLES for specific KEYWORDS that may be searched
• Getting creative with TITLES to APPEAL to Spotify app users (and generate the click)

It seems very similar to what we'd do for typical SEO and web-page optimization, but Spotify-oriented.

Spotify-Generated Playlists

If you're not up on the way Spotify works, there's an aspect to the app that's oriented toward user-preference, just like Google serves up stuff to you that it "thinks" you'll like based on your recent search history.

Spotify does the same based on what you've already listened to on the app.

You'll see all kinds of playlists it offers you based on your previous listens.

So....

There's an opportunity here that I'm not sure how to leverage toward, simply because it's not clear how Spotify goes about selecting music/podcasts for it's specific playlists.

HOWEVER, there is ONE Spotify playlist that we COULD create content to serve...

The Daily Drive Playlist

The "Daily Drive" is a playlist customized to fit the listener... and it's aimed at the commute time most working Americans endure each day.

Spotify-magic curates this playlist, so there's nothing you can do to directly impact whether your episodes show up there or not.

But there is ONE thing that you can do to increase the chances it happens...

Create SHORT episodes.

The content featured on the Daily Drive tends to be shorter - 5-ish minutes. Like the Amazon Alexa "Daily Briefing" or short newscasts like "The Daily."

But it doesn't HAVE to be news only.

THIS is where I think we podcasters can get creative and serve that Daily Drive audience. Here are some of my ideas...

• HOT TOPIC episodes - featuring best-practices, breaking news for your industry, or quick tips for practitioners you serve. Can you think of a better way to position yourself as an expert in your field than to be in listener earbuds every day (or at least regularly)?
• INSPIRATIONAL episodes - these could be oriented around mindset, daily focus, spiritual topics, all kinds of stuff. People need to get their minds right going into a workday, so why not with YOUR content?
• FEATURED QUOTES episodes - I envision a short clip you produce from a longer episode that highlights the value your guest shared. These could serve as lead-in episodes to your longer podcast - and when produced well, could have a clear call to action that guides listeners to subscribe.

AND TO BE CLEAR - I'm not saying you should abandon your traditional, longer format podcast episodes in favor of shorter episodes.

I think you can (and possibly should) do both.

Many of my clients only do interview episodes.

I often ask them this question...

Why not include a shorter "you only" episode in the same podcast feed to highlight your thought leadership and expertise?

You'll be serving your audience and building brand equity at the same time.

I'd love to hear YOUR ideas about how we can make the most of Spotify's charge into the podcasting space.

And below is a video that explains the Daily Drive playlist in more detail...