Spotify is now much better for podcast fans – here are the 3 really useful new features you should try today rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies) | usagoldmines.com

• Spotify is rolling out new features for its library of podcasts, bringing you closer to the shows you love
• This includes a new Following feed in the Home page, which groups all the podcasts you follow
• There’s also a new function that helps you to discover new shows, which Spotify has been criticized for lacking in the past

Spotify has introduced a small slurry of new podcast features, all designed to boost the presence of its library of audio and video podcasts to the same level as its music catalog – the most notable new addition being a new Following feed.

Yesterday the platform announced the new functions in a blog post and although they’re minor additions to Spotify’s interface, they play their part in bringing you closer to the podcasts you love while helping you discover your next favorite show. They also give creators an upper-hand, with Spotify adding ‘it gives them new ways to reach even more audiences around the globe’.

The new features are already starting to roll out to users and are widely available, with the exception of one which Spotify says will be ‘rolling out globally in the coming weeks’. So if you’re a keen podcast fan, or you’re at least trying to be, these are the three new tools to test out.

1. New podcasts Following feed

The main podcast feature of the three is the new Following feed, a dedicated space for shows you already follow. It puts them all into one place in the Spotify Home page, allowing you to stay on top of new episodes and releases from the creators you listen to the most.

When you go to the Spotify Home page and use the Podcasts filter at the top of the screen, it now displays an extended Following tab that you can enable. From there, all of the latest episodes from the podcast you follow will appear. It’s simple, and easily accessible.

2. Podcast recommendations in your Home feed

As well as bringing you closer to your favorite creators Spotify is doubling down on its podcast discovery features. The second new feature is a recommendation-focused function in your Home page.

Just under your Home page shortcuts, Spotify has started displaying recommendations for new audio and video podcasts, ready for you to play or save. This new addition is designed to save you time when scrolling through Spotify’s podcasts categories in search of a new show, while adhering to its own ethos of optimizing exposure for creators.

3. New ‘In this episode’ section

Spotify recently launched its ‘Follow-Along’ feature for audiobooks, and it’s doing something similar with podcasts. In the coming weeks, Spotify will be rolling out a new ‘In this episode’ section for podcasts, which allows creators to link to content they mention in episodes that’s also available on Spotify.

For example, if a creator mentions a specific album, song, or audiobook in a podcast episode, the ‘In this episode’ section will show those titles and give you the option to explore the referenced content.

For the past few years, Spotify has given much attention to bringing new features allowing users to optimize music discovery, however it has received criticism for not applying the same to podcasts. But these features mark a step towards Spotify’s new strategy for podcast discovery.

The battle for the best podcast platform continues, and Spotify is putting up a fight to compete with the likes of Apple Music and YouTube, the latter of which is the current reigning champion for podcast fans in the US.

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