Spotify Podcasts, Part 2: Can the Habit Stick?
+20 XPCase study
Spotify Podcasts, Part 2: Can the Habit Stick?
The same listener comes back to Spotify a few days later to download episodes, discover new shows, follow a reference and take notes. Downloading is easy, but missing notifications, missing social proof and weak links between shows keep Apple Podcasts ahead.
+20 XP when you reach the endWhat you will learn
- Use visual weight to make key actions easy to scan
- Add social proof where people must commit time
- Turn listening into an investment loop
Scroll to follow the story. The screen changes with you.
Based on the learnings from Growth.Design: Spotify vs Apple: How Spotify is betting $230M on podcasts to win over Apple users (Ep. 2), presented in our own format.
Step 1 of 10
- Silent new episodes
01
The setup
Before a flight, the listener finds new episodes he was never told about.
Heading to the airport, he opens Podcasts to download a few shows. Small blue dots next to 'The Accidental Creative', 'The Science of Social Media' and 'Seeking Wisdom' show new episodes, but no notification ever arrived.
TakeawayA missed notification is a missed return visit.
Negativity biasPeople remember unpleasant experiences more than positive ones, and negative moments tend to outweigh good ones. Reducing errors in the first few uses of a product can lead to a significant boost in conversion.
Spotify 
Time separatorsApple Podcasts 
Dense list02
What works
Spotify's 'Unplayed' list is easy to scan. Apple packs in more per screen.
Spotify groups episodes under 'Today' and 'Yesterday' headers and gives each one a large card, so the eye sorts them without effort. Apple fits more episodes on one screen with small colorful thumbnails, which is harder to scan quickly.
TakeawayGive the most important content room, and group it in ways the brain sorts instantly.
Visual hierarchyWith many elements on a page, give extra visual weight to the most important action. Apple uses bright, high contrast thumbnails to make the screen attractive, but be careful not to pull attention away from what matters.
- Download button
03
A gap in both
Downloading is one tap, but neither app lets you add to a queue.
Each episode card has a download arrow on the right, which is exactly what the listener needs before his flight. Yet neither Spotify nor Apple offers 'add to queue' on the card, the first thing he would do with an interesting episode.
TakeawayPut the next likely action right on the item, where the decision is made.
Show not found04
Problem 1
Searching for a recommended show returns music, then nothing useful.
After finding a list of the best customer experience podcasts on the web, he searches Spotify for one of them. Results are all music playlists, and the podcast filter shows only other shows. Apple finds it right away.
TakeawayIf search keeps failing for a content type, people decide it does not belong in your product.
Spotify 
No ratingsApple Podcasts 
5.0 from 4905
Problem 2
A new show on Spotify has no followers, ratings or reviews to judge by.
The show page offers a cover, a 'Follow' button and a list of episodes. Nothing tells the listener whether 43 minutes of his time is well spent. Apple shows a 5.0 rating, the number of ratings and written reviews.
TakeawayWhen you ask for time or money, show what others thought first.
The power of the tribePeople follow the behavior of others in new or unfamiliar situations. Ratings and follower counts help, but you can go further: knowing a close friend listens to and loves the same show is even more convincing.
Best episodes06
What Apple does
Apple's 'Best of the Podcast' section points new listeners to top episodes.
Starting a podcast is a bigger commitment than trying a new song. Apple highlights the best episodes of a show so a new listener spends their first session on something worth their time.
TakeawayLower the cost of trying something long by pointing to the best entry point.
Off target picks07
Problem 3
The episode refers to another show, but the notes are too thin to find it.
While walking, he hears the hosts mention another episode. Spotify's show notes are two short paragraphs, and the 'You might also like' suggestions are life coaching shows rather than the one referenced. Apple's notes include links and full detail.
TakeawayWhen a creator mentions something, make it one tap away.
Growth experiment: podcast backlinksIf a creator mentions another show, link directly to it. It would make shows easier to discover, and creators could reach new audiences more efficiently. Apple also lets people search within their own library, which Spotify does not.
Unclear link08
Problem 4
Saving a quote works through the share sheet, with a confusing result.
To save a line from the episode, he taps the share icon, looks past Messages, WhatsApp and Copy Link, and finds Notes under 'More'. The note saves, but the link preview reads 'adjust deeplinking' rather than the episode and timestamp.
TakeawayIf people repurpose a feature, look at what they are really trying to do.
Good signifiers mean ease of useA signifier shows what an object does before you use it. Ask whether a 10 year old could tell what an icon does before tapping. Here, finding the share button is an educated guess based on past experience.
Saved moments09
The opportunity
Apple's Notes app shows the episode clearly. Spotify could own notes itself.
Notes saved from Apple Podcasts show a rich preview with the show artwork. The quote he saved from the episode came from Drift's CEO David Cancel: the truth is always outside the building. Building notes into Spotify would make each listen something people invest in.
What changed
- Save a timestamped note inside the episode
- Use notes to learn which podcasts are most engaging
- Resurface old notes and let people share them
TakeawayThe more people put into a product, the more reasons they have to return.
Talk to your users every weekGrowth.Design quotes David Cancel of Drift: the truth is always outside the building. Spreadsheets do not question your decisions, but people do. Go and talk to the people who use your product to understand what the data means.
Your top podcasts10
The result
Weeks later, a 'Your top podcasts' row appears on the home screen.
Spotify starts to bring podcasts into Home next to 'Recently played'. It only summarizes what the listener already hears, but it signals a shift from a music company to an audio company.
What changed
- Add rows like 'Podcasts made for you' and 'Popular podcasts'
- Send notifications for new episodes
- Show ratings and follower counts on show pages
- Link referenced shows from episode notes
TakeawayDiscovery is the core strength to build on: recommend new shows, not just familiar ones.
Every takeaway, in one place
- The setupA missed notification is a missed return visit.
- What worksGive the most important content room, and group it in ways the brain sorts instantly.
- A gap in bothPut the next likely action right on the item, where the decision is made.
- Problem 1If search keeps failing for a content type, people decide it does not belong in your product.
- Problem 2When you ask for time or money, show what others thought first.
- What Apple doesLower the cost of trying something long by pointing to the best entry point.
- Problem 3When a creator mentions something, make it one tap away.
- Problem 4If people repurpose a feature, look at what they are really trying to do.
- The opportunityThe more people put into a product, the more reasons they have to return.
- The resultDiscovery is the core strength to build on: recommend new shows, not just familiar ones.
Turn a first try into a weekly habit.
Most features are tested on their first use, but retention is decided by the tasks people repeat. Zyxware can map the recurring jobs your users do, measure where each one stalls, and design the small links, signals and reminders that bring people back.