Spotify has started to roll out ratings for podcasts: a star rating system that improves podcast discoverability by highlighting shows’ popularity.
The company says this will give listeners “an opportunity to support their favourite podcast shows and enable a two-way feedback loop between creator and listener.
After listening to at least 30 second of an episode, you’ll be able to give it a rating between one and five stars.
The average rating will be publicly displayed on the podcast’s show page on Spotify, along with the total number of ratings the show has had, once it has received at least 10.
It’s hoped that this will encourage listeners to try out new podcasts, and as the ratings will serve as the first chance to draw new listeners in, they have the potential to build instant interest.
Ratings will also help podcasters to see how well they are doing, and they can then use the results for more specific feedback via Q&As on Spotify and in off-platform social conversations.
Creators can encourage listeners to leave a rating via social media channels and directly through messaging within the show.
This new feature is intended to help with podcast discovery, along with others such as Podcast Charts and personalized recommendations.
