If you’ve launched your podcast on Spotify, chances are you’re hoping people will actually find it. The problem? With thousands of shows available, standing out isn’t exactly easy 👀
You might be wondering: how do some podcasts manage to pop up everywhere while others stay invisible?
Getting “ranked” on Spotify isn’t just about having great content (even though that’s essential). It’s also about understanding how the platform works, and what you can do to give your show the visibility it deserves 🔥
In this article, we’ll break down exactly how you can increase your chances of being discovered on Spotify 🎯
Before we dive into how to improve your visibility, let’s take a moment to understand how podcast discovery actually works on Spotify. As a podcaster, it’s important to know where and how your audience might come across your show, especially if they’ve never heard of it before 🎧
When someone opens Spotify and wants to find a new podcast, they have several options. The app suggests shows directly on the homepage through personalized recommendations. It also offers editorial playlists curated by Spotify’s content teams, and a category-based browsing system where users can explore different genres like Comedy, Business, or Health. Each of these paths helps people discover content in different ways and they all play a role in shaping a podcast’s visibility.
In this article, though, we’re going to focus on two specific discovery methods: the Spotify Charts and the Search bar what we have called Podcast Search Optimization. Let’s take a closer look at how each one functions 👇
The Spotify Charts are official rankings published by the platform to showcase the most popular podcasts of the moment. They’re updated daily and vary by country, language, and category. Users can check out overall rankings like “Top Podcasts” 📊
For many listeners, these charts are a go-to place to find high-performing shows. They offer a quick snapshot of what’s hot, what’s rising, and what others are tuning into especially for users who aren’t searching for something specific. However, it’s worth noting that the charts only display the top 200 podcasts, which makes it a competitive space. Still, for those browsing by popularity or looking to follow the crowd, this is a highly visible and influential part of the app 📱
The search bar is another major way people discover podcasts and arguably one of the most natural ones. When someone has a specific topic in mind, they’ll open Spotify, type in a few keywords like “daily motivation,” “marketing tips,” or “French history,” and browse the results. Spotify then displays what it considers the most relevant podcasts, episodes, or curated lists based on those keywords ⚡️
This kind of discovery is proactive. Instead of waiting to be recommended something, the listener goes looking for it. And according to a 2024 study by The Podcast Host, 70% of podcast listeners use their app’s search bar to find new shows. That makes search an essential part of how people connect with new content. It’s where they go when they want something specific, a theme, a question, a genre, and it often happens in real time, based on their current need or curiosity 😋
For podcasters, this means that the search bar is a primary way your future listeners might come across your work. And as we’ll explore later, it’s also a space where you have a lot more control over how your podcast appears ✨
Getting into the Spotify Charts is often seen as a big milestone for podcasters and it’s true, it can really boost your visibility. But how does it actually work? What do you need to do to show up there? Let’s break it down.
Spotify doesn’t officially publish the full list of criteria used to build its rankings, so we don’t have a precise formula. That said, by observing trends and comparing shows that do appear in the charts, we can identify some key factors that seem to matter.
First, there’s the number of unique listeners, in other words, how many different people are tuning in to your episodes. Then, there’s the total number of streams, but that alone isn’t enough. What counts is the growth trajectory: a show that suddenly gains a lot of listeners is more likely to rank than one with stable, long-term numbers. Spotify also seems to consider engagement signals like whether people listen all the way through, follow the podcast, or come back regularly.
It’s a mix of reach, retention, and momentum 😎
Here’s the reality: the Spotify Charts only display the top 200 podcasts in each country and category. That’s not much when you think about how many shows exist on the platform. So yes, the competition is tough 🥊
Even if your podcast is solid, consistent, and loved by your audience, it might never appear in the rankings and that’s totally normal. The Charts highlight the top-performing shows, but that doesn’t mean the others aren’t valuable, interesting, or successful in their own way. Don’t let that discourage you 💡
If you’re curious about whether your podcast is close to ranking or just want to understand how others in your niche are performing tools like Ausha Charts can help. It gives you access to Spotify ranking data in real time, lets you filter by country and category, and shows how different podcasts are trending 🥇
Even if you’re not in the top 200, it can be a useful way to benchmark your progress, identify rising competitors, or just stay in tune with what’s working in your genre 📈
Let’s be honest: most podcasts don’t appear in the Charts. But that doesn’t mean you can’t grow, far from it. There’s another way to get discovered on Spotify, and it’s one you can actually control more directly: the search bar. Let’s talk about it in part 3.
If you’re not in the Spotify Charts (yet), don’t worry there’s another way to gain visibility: the search bar. Unlike the charts, which rely heavily on performance data like unique listeners and trending growth, search visibility is something you can actually influence directly through strategy and content structure. That’s where Podcast Search Optimization (PSO) comes in 🧑🚀
When someone types a keyword in the Spotify search bar like “self-confidence,” “parenting advice,” or “startup podcast” Spotify displays a list of shows and episodes that it considers most relevant. But how does it decide which ones come first?
At Ausha, we conducted a large-scale study to better understand how podcasts appear in Spotify’s search results. What we found is that Spotify builds its search results using three main criteria:
These are things you can change today. And the best part? You don’t need a huge audience or a viral moment. You just need to structure your podcast content with search in mind 💪
Good news: you don’t need to have a huge audience to show up in Spotify’s search results. What matters most is how well your podcast is structured. Based on our research, here’s what you can do to improve your visibility with data to back it up:
Your show title and description are scanned by Spotify. We found that 74% of podcasts in the Top 10 results include the searched keyword in their show name. That means if your podcast is about confidence, it should probably say “confidence” in the title.
Similarly, repeating the searched keyword at least 5 times in your show description can improve your ranking by 5 positions on average. Don’t stuff keywords but be intentional, clear, and relevant in how you describe your show 😇
To go even further, you can use the PSO Control Panel, our complete podcast search optimization toolkit. It helps you identify high-impact keywords, optimize your metadata, and track your rankings on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. A simple way to take control of your discoverability 🥳
Shows with vague names like “The Talk” or “Podcast Central” tend to underperform. We found that avoiding generic terms in the title can boost your position by up to +4 spots. Be specific. Make your value clear right in the name 🪞
Spotify’s algorithm also values freshness. 66% of the podcasts that appear in search results have published within the last 15 days. That doesn’t mean you have to publish weekly but regular updates signal to Spotify that your show is active and relevant ⏰
These are all actions you can take right now. And they’re not about hacking the algorithm they’re about making your podcast easier to find for people who are already looking for content like yours 🙌
Getting visibility on Spotify can seem a bit mysterious at first but once you understand how the platform works, it becomes much more manageable. Between the charts and the search results, there are real opportunities to grow your podcast even without a huge audience.
And if you want a hand with that, we’ve got you covered. Whether it’s tracking your position with Ausha Charts, or boosting your visibility with the PSO Control Panel, Ausha gives you the right tools to take control and grow with confidence 🚀
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