Spotify wants to make it easier for podcasters and listeners to interact. Today, it’s launching Polls, a new feature that will allow podcasters to ask questions directly in the app. When listeners respond, they’ll see how their answers stack up against others.
Podcasters have full control over the questions they ask. They might, for instance, create a poll to see who the next guest should be or get input on a debate that came up in an episode. All answers will remain anonymous.
Spotify is still testing this feature, so it’s only available on a few podcasts to start. You’ll find it alongside The Rewatchables, Incredible Feats with Dan Cummins, Crime Countdown and more. During the test phase, about 90 percent of users across all markets will have access to Polls on iOS and Android devices. If you’re in the test group, you’ll see the feature at the bottom of episode pages or an episode’s Now Playing page.
Polls are already a popular feature on other platforms, and they could make podcasts more interactive. Earlier this year, Reddit introduced its own poll creation tool. Instagram has had polls since 2018, and Twitter has been allowing and refining polls for even longer.
