(Updated June 2019) There is no need to introduce Spotify. It’s been a decade since the audio giant launched in Sweden in 2008. As a music streaming site, the company has now opened its doors to all types of audio. In return, with 159 million users worldwide, it is the most popular platform for digital audio content worldwide 83 million paying subscribers in June 2018 (up from 57 million in June 2017).
Most recently, the platform opened to podcasts, giving audio content broadcasters the opportunity to literally reach millions of new listeners in over 60 markets. With this article we want to give you the necessary toolkit for Get your podcast on Spotify by giving you tips on how to be accepted.
Since April 2019, podcasters have been able to monetize their podcasts through Spreaker’s monetization program! Add to list of listening platforms podcasters may be able to earn from their podcast. Whether you’re already “activated” or not, we’ve made a quick blog post that summarizes everything you need to know about how it works and to get you on the right track to your bottom line to maximize. And meIf you want to learn more about monetization, check out this article that covers the topic Audio is a new era in advertising).
What does it take to get approved on Spotify?
Here we would like to explain the basics for creating your audio content “Spotify ready”! To send your podcast to Spotify, you first need to make sure that it is in the following format:
- MP3 format with good quality: Audio with bit rates between 96 and 320 kbps).
- Size: Each episode must be under 200MB. 200 MB is approximately 83 minutes at 320 Kbps or over 200 minutes at 128 Kbps.
- Podcast image: Your artwork must be square (1: 1), the highest possible resolution, and either JPEG or PNG.
- Podcast Feed Values: Special characters, especially the ampersand (&), must be HTML-coded (&). HTML tags like
or
will be removed from Spotify. - Episode title: shouldn’t exceed 20 characters to ensure they sit well on all Spotify screens.
- Podcast feed fields: All podcast feeds must have a title, picture, and at least one episode to be eligible.
Last but not least, Always make sure that your content does not contain any copyrighted material (Podsafe Content is ok!).
How to send to Spotify
Once you’ve ticked all of the points on your technical checklist, it’s time to start thinking about the logistics of getting your podcast to the platform. The Spotify submission process is very simple. So don’t worry if you’re not technically interested!
The best way to get your podcast on Spotify is to use our one-click distribution system. In order to do this:
- Log into your Spreaker account and select ‘dashboard‘from the drop-down menu in the top right, which will take you to the CMS page.
- Select the podcast that you want to distribute.
- In the Your Podcast section on the left, select Distribution.
- Click the down arrow next to Spotify and choose Send.
- Your podcast will then be reviewed by the Spreaker and Spotify teams.
How long will it take and how do I know if I’ve been approved?
It’s pretty instant!
Where do you see Spotify stats?
After your podcast has played on Spotify, you will no doubt want to see how it affects your listening experience! Although Spotify doesn’t give podcasters direct access to their stats and data, most of the numbers you need to know can be found on their host platform. Spreaker made sure that your stats dashboard on your CMS page includes your Spotify games and downloads. When you access your Sources page, you can even dig deeper into the data to see how Spotify games affect your overall data. For example, Blubrry and Libsyn also support Spotify Statistics.
There is no doubt about it, distribute your podcast on Spotify and you will see a huge difference in your listening experience. Submit your podcast to Spotify and watch your listeners grow!
