Episode 308 | Insider Secrets to a Top 100 Podcast | Courtney Elmer

Featured Guest: Corey Kareem

Spotify’s Latest Power Move: Spotify for Creators

If You’re a Podcast Host, Here’s What You Need to Know

Move over, Apple Podcasts. Spotify for Creators is here, and it’s changing the way we podcast. And if you’re serious about growing your podcast, you need to be paying attention. Because while YouTube is loudly elbowing its way into the podcasting scene, Spotify is stealthily changing the game for creators everywhere.

That’s why I brought on Corey Kareem, Spotify ad executive and podcaster, to break down the latest tools Spotify is rolling out and, more importantly, how you can use them to get discovered by new listeners. Let’s dive in.

Spotify for Creators: The Analytics Every Podcaster Needs

First things first: If you haven’t signed up for Spotify for Creators (formerly Spotify for Podcasters), stop what you’re doing and sign up now. No really. It’s free. Because if you’re not on the inside, you’re missing out on valuable insights that can help you grow your podcast. 

Corey highlighted three new, stand-out features that make it easier not only for people to discover your podcast, but also to show you how they’ve engaged with it. Never before have we had insights like this into our podcasts, and we’re here for it.

Why the New Short-Form Video Feature on Spotify Will Improve Your Discoverability

One of the standout features Corey highlighted? The ability to upload short clips of your podcast—think Instagram Reels, but for Spotify. “This is a great chance for any podcaster, new or seasoned, to improve their discoverability,” Corey explained.

Which by the way, is a massive deal. Unlike Instagram or TikTok where people scroll for entertainment, Spotify users are already there to listen. They’re primed for audio content. 

Which means a well-placed short-form clip could actually convert them into full-episode listeners—something traditional social media struggles to do.

Because those short clips get surfaced in Spotify’s discovery feed, this gives you another chance to grab attention and pull in new listeners who might’ve never found you otherwise.

Why Spotify’s Search and Discovery Features Matter

When I pulled up my own analytics inside Spotify for Creators, I saw that most of my traffic came from Spotify Search—not social media, not direct referrals, but people actually searching within the platform.

Corey breaks it down like this:

• Spotify Home: Where users see recommended podcasts based on their past listening habits.
• Spotify Search: When someone types in a show or topic they’re interested in into the search bar on the app.
• Spotify Library: Where your saved and subscribed podcasts live.
• Referral Links: Traffic from direct links shared outside of Spotify.

These insights matter because they show exactly how listeners are finding your podcast and where you should focus your efforts. Understanding these metrics inside your Spotify for Creators dashboard helps you make data-driven decisions, so you’re not just guessing what works—you’re doubling down on what’s already bringing in listeners.

On the flip side, it also shows you where you’re missing opportunities for listeners to discover you, and how you can close that gap. For example, if your traffic from Spotify Search is low, optimizing your episode titles and descriptions with relevant keywords can help more people discover your show. And if referral traffic is low, you might need to rethink your external promotion strategy.

How to Track (and Improve) Listener Engagement with Spotify’s Latest Analytics

But the most eye-popping feature inside your Spotify for Creators dashboard is the new Discovery Tab (you’ll want to pay close attention to this one).

For years, podcasters have been left guessing about where their listeners come from. Sure, downloads give you a rough idea, but they don’t tell you how people are finding you or whether they’re actually listening. 

Spotify for Creators is changing that by providing real click-through and conversion rates so you can track exactly how many people see your podcast, how many click on it, and how many actually hit play.

This is huge. Because once you know where your listeners are coming from and how they interact with your content, you can make smarter decisions about what’s working and what’s not. “If you’re seeing a lot of organic traffic, you might consider running Spotify ads,” Corey suggests. “But if you’re getting no traffic from your referral links, maybe your promotion strategy needs work.”

If you want to know whether your podcast is performing well on Spotify’s Discovery Tab, here are benchmarks you should aim for. In my episode with podcast marketing expert Jeremy Enns, we talked about the benchmarks podcasters should be paying attention to:

• 9.8% click-through rate (CTR) – A strong indicator that people are engaging with your podcast when it appears in search results or discovery feeds. Anything less than 9.8% CTR indicates that your podcast has an attraction problem. In other words, people are seeing your podcast but not engaging with it. This means something in your messaging, positioning, and/or packaging are off and it’s causing people not to engage with your show.
  
• 62.9% stream rate – A measure of how many listeners are not just clicking, but actually sticking around to engage with your content. Anything less than 62.9% indicates that your podcast has a retention problem. This means that listeners might be clicking play, but not finding the content they’re looking for (or the content didn’t deliver on the promise of the episode). This can be improved by looking at your episode structure, ad placement, topic and title alignment, and most importantly, the first 30 seconds of your podcast and whether it’s doing its job of hooking listeners in.

If your numbers are below these benchmarks, it’ll help you diagnose where the problem is happening so that you can take steps to fix it.

What New vs. Established Podcasters Should Be Paying Attention To

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve got an established audience, Corey outlined the key analytics to focus on:

• New podcasters: Look at your audience breakdown—demographics, location, and listening behavior. Then tailor your content accordingly.
  
• Established podcasters: Package up your analytics into an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) and use it to pitch brands for sponsorships and collaborations.

No matter where you are in your podcasting journey, Corey suggests thinking about a product or service you can offer from the start, giving you a faster path to monetization than traditional ads or sponsorships. (And coming from a Spotify ad executive, that says a lot.) “If I could go back in time, I’d start that way,” he admitted. Because relying solely on ad revenue? That’s a slow and unpredictable game.

New Revenue Predictions for Podcast Monetization on Spotify

So what’s next for Spotify? If Corey’s predictions hold, monetization opportunities are going to be a major focus. Right now, Spotify already offers dynamic ad insertion for creators who meet certain criteria (10,000 hours streamed in 30 days, 2,000 unique listeners, and at least 12 published episodes). But he suspects more ways to make money could be on the horizon—think merch, ticket sales, and direct listener donations, similar to what’s already available for artists.

As for Apple? “Apple will always try to compete, but podcasting is like gas at Costco for them—it’s a value add, not their priority,” Corey said. In other words: don’t expect Apple to match Spotify’s creator-focused innovations anytime soon.

What Spotify for Creators Can Do for Your Podcast

If you want more listeners, more engagement, and actual insight into how your podcast is performing (instead of just guessing), Spotify’s new tools are worth paying attention to. At the very least, consider experimenting with short-form clips to increase discoverability, dig into your search and discovery data to see where your listeners are coming from, and optimize your titles and descriptions with targeted keywords to improve your click-through and stream rates.

The more intentional you are about how your podcast shows up on Spotify, the more likely you are to get found by the right listeners—the ones who don’t just hit play but actually come back for more—and that is the key to growing your podcast long-term.

If you want to dive even deeper into the psychology of how to get more listeners clicking play on your show over the competition from the start, hit “Follow” for Insider Secrets to a Top 100 Podcast on your favorite podcast app so you never miss a new episode.

Or if you’re an established coach, consultant, or creator who’s ready for a proven strategy to build a bingeworthy top podcast that grows your business, book a free strategy call with our team to find out if you’re a fit for PodLaunch® — we’re here to help.

Up Next:

Feel like your podcasting mistakes are proof you’re not cut out for this? Think again. Spotify ad exec Corey Kareem joins us back in the next episode to share his experience from the other side of the mic as a podcast host, and how his early missteps as a host transformed his show into a platform where honest conversations about failure inspire connection and growth.

He’ll also reveal why owning your setbacks—rather than hiding them—is the key to creating a podcast that connects deeply with your listeners. So if you’re ready to turn what feels like failure into your secret weapon for podcast growth, don’t miss the next episode.