A new Q&A feature would allow podcast hosts on Spotify to ask questions of their fans. They could give their answer directly on Spotify and read that of the others.
The popularity of podcasts keeps increasing. In Q3 2020, Spotify recorded an increase in monthly active users of 29 percent compared to the previous year. Premium subscribers grew by 27 percent. So it’s no wonder that Spotify is working on expanding and improving this area. A new Q&A feature is currently being tested that would allow podcast hosts to ask questions about an episode to their followers. Reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong shared her discovery on Twitter.
Q&A for Spotify Podcasts: More engagement and more screen time
Questions or surveys usually generate engagement. The Q&A function in an episode could firstly result in listeners not simply consuming the content, but rather interacting with it. So they spend more time on Spotify. Second, they could even return to the episode a second time to read the responses from other listeners. So the Q&A feature would make Spotify’s podcast section a much more social area. Spotify had recently tried to do this with the introduction of stories for some playlists. Basically, Spotify is not an app in which you actively spend a lot of time. After all, you usually just look for a playlist, the next track or a podcast, press play and close the app. With these small interactive features, Spotify could significantly increase the active screen time of users.
For podcast hosts, the Q & As would be an interesting way to find out more about their fans. On the one hand, they could ask questions about the content of the current episode, but also ask about wishes for the upcoming episodes. This can also provide exciting insights for advertisers. After all, when it comes to marketing podcasts, hosts and advertisers alike find it interesting to know what interests the listeners. So far, such conversations have always been outsourced to other channels. There is still no official statement from Spotify as to when the function could be rolled out.
