In the world of podcasting, creators constantly seek ways to grow their audience and monetize their content. With its massive user base and significant investment in the podcasting space, Spotify may seem like an attractive advertising platform at first glance. However, a closer look reveals that Spotify's interests may not align with those of podcasters and advertisers.
A History of Broken Promises
Podcasters initially flocked to Anchor.com for hosting and automated monetization through Ambassador ads. Anchor offered a free hosting platform that allowed even newcomers to the podcasting world to start making money. However, Spotify's acquisition of Anchor changed the landscape dramatically.
First, Spotify eliminated Ambassador ads altogether, leaving podcasters in the lurch. When they finally reintroduced them, they came with a catch: podcasts had to maintain a consistent 100 Spotify specific downloads per month, a challenging milestone for most aspiring podcasters. Even worse, they recently jacked that number up to 1,000 Spotify specific downloads per month (how Youtube of them?). These moves excluded many smaller creators from the monetization game. Like many mega-companies, Spotify seemed more interested in taking as much money as possible while delivering as little as possible to content creators. You spent the time to make your content; shouldn’t you be entitled to a piece of the action?
Overpromising and Underdelivering
Spotify boasts of its advertising services to grow podcast audiences, but the results tell a different story. I recently decided to put Spotify's advertising to the test with my podcast, Terrifying Lies. I bought in on their minimum of $200 to test their big promises. The results were far from impressive.
With 39,528 impressions and reach on Spotify's platform, you would expect a significant subscriber boost. However, the reality was quite disappointing. The ad campaign only added 23 new subscribers to Terrifying Lies. Crunching the numbers, that's $200 for just 11 subscribers, resulting in an astounding cost of $8.69 per subscriber.
My advice, is don’t buy into Spotify’s big promises. Don’t give them your money. Tell every other podcaster you know to do the same.
Better Alternatives Exist
If you want to advertise your podcast, better alternatives offer more bang for your buck. Platforms like Podcast Addict and Overcast have consistently provided better results for podcast creators. The same podcast, Terrifying Lies, upped its subscriber base at around $4 per subscriber on both platforms for the money spent, which is nearly a fivefold improvement over Spotify's dismal performance.
While Spotify may seem like an enticing option for podcast advertising due to its massive reach and resources, it's essential to consider whether their interests align with your goals as a content creator. Spotify's history of making it increasingly difficult for smaller podcasters to monetize and their underwhelming advertising results make it a terrible choice.
If you value your creative work and want to see a better return on your advertising investment, it's worth exploring alternatives like Podcast Addict and Overcast. These platforms have shown that they care about content creators and provide better results at a lower cost. Ultimately, the decision to advertise with Spotify should be made carefully, considering the company's track record and the available alternatives.
