How to Get Your Podcast Featured on a Platform
Being featured in a podcast directory — on the front page of Spotify or in Apple Podcasts' New & Noteworthy — can deliver meaningful listener growth in a short time. It's not purely random, and there are things you can do to make it more likely.
What "Featured" Actually Means
On Spotify, editorial featuring means the show appears in curated playlists, category front pages, or the Discover Weekly-style recommendations for relevant listeners. Some of this is algorithmic; some is selected by Spotify's editorial team.
On Apple Podcasts, "New & Noteworthy" and "What's Hot" are partially editorial, partially algorithmic. The editorial team at Apple has specific submission processes for new shows, and launches with strong early subscriber velocity tend to surface naturally.
Steps That Increase Your Chances
Optimize your metadata. Both platforms surface shows based on category relevance and search. An accurate category selection, keyword-relevant show and episode titles, and a well-written show description all feed into discoverability.
Build strong early launch velocity. A concentrated launch effort — multiple episodes at launch, personal outreach to your network, cross-promotion with other creators — creates the subscriber spike that algorithms notice. First-week performance matters disproportionately.
Apply directly for Spotify editorial consideration. Spotify has a form for artists (and podcast creators) to submit upcoming releases for editorial consideration. Pitching a significant episode or season premiere through Spotify for Podcasters allows the editorial team to consider featuring it.
Engage with platform-specific features. Using Spotify's interactive features (polls, Q&A buttons in podcast episodes) signals platform engagement, which correlates with editorial attention.
