How Spotify Designs Podcast Discovery at Scale

Spotify product director Frances McNamara explains how the company is building intuitive, human-centered discovery for the next generation of podcast listening.

When I think about podcast discovery, I picture that moment before you press play. You’re about to walk the dog, do the dishes, lean back on the couch, or head out on the road, and you want something new to listen to or watch. Your hands are busy, but your mind is free, and listening becomes a way to make that time feel well spent.

My job is to make that possible. At Spotify, we always aim to make discovery feel personal, intuitive, and as natural as a recommendation from a friend. We want every creator, not just the biggest creators, to have a real shot at being that next discovery. That is what we build toward every day.

Podcasting has grown into a central part of culture, evolving from a niche format to a phenomenon recognized on some of entertainment’s biggest stages. With more shows, formats, and ways to engage than ever before, discovery has become both more important and more complex. Listeners are curious but short on time, and creators are competing for attention in a crowded landscape.

That complexity is reflected in how fans engage with podcasts today. Every week, users discover more than 34 million shows on Spotify for the first time. And over the last three years, the total number of shows followed on Spotify has nearly doubled, reflecting how podcast fans aren’t just finding a single hit; they’re also building deeper relationships with more shows. Audiences are exploring more and staying engaged longer, and 93 percent of them expect Spotify to help them discover their next favorite podcasts.

We deliberately design discovery in a way that works for listeners and gives every creator a real chance to connect with the right audience. At Spotify, we don’t think of discovery as a single click or a single feature. We think of it as a journey that starts with a spark, builds confidence through small moments, and turns curiosity into habit over time. Everything we build for podcasts is designed around that idea.

Designing for the first spark

So how do we do that? It starts with understanding how people actually behave when they are open to discovering something new. Most users don’t begin with a full episode. It usually starts with an unexpected spark: a topic we care about, a familiar voice, a clip we were not expecting to love, or a tiny window of free time where the right suggestion can pull us in.

That is why so much of our investment this year has focused on making those sparks easier to find. The Spotify Home is designed for that moment. It’s where curiosity tends to kick in, and in 2025 we made it even more immersive by giving listeners more ready-to-play recommendations and clearer context about why something fits their taste. As a result, Home is increasingly where curiosity turns into commitment with more users discovering and engaging with more shows than ever before.

But discovery rarely follows a straight line. Once something catches your interest, you often want to follow that thread a little further. That’s why we’ve built subtle cues across the episode and show experience, like “In this episode,” “Best place to start,” or host recommendations that help listeners move naturally from one idea to the next. Whether someone wants to dive deeper into a topic, explore more from a guest they liked, or jump to a related show, we make those pathways clear and uncluttered.

How small moments drive big discoveries

One of the most powerful ways we’re making discovery effortless is by making sampling a core part of the experience. Most episodes cover more than one idea, and people often connect with different parts. So instead of asking people to commit to a full episode, we can surface the chapter that’s most likely to resonate with them. It’s a lighter first step to getting hooked on a show.

That’s why we’ve recently expanded auto-generated Chapters across even more shows, supported by transcripts that make it easier to follow along or jump back in. Chapters have become an important navigational tool and their use has tripled over the past few months alone.

Across Spotify, discovery feeds now surface short, compelling tasters of episodes, helping listeners get a sense of a host or topic before committing. In fact, it’s how I became a fan of Dissect. All it took was one clip about a Radiohead album (which, as a big fan, always pulls me in) and a small, beautiful moment in that conversation that made me fall for the hosts.

Bringing conversations into the discovery journey

Of course, some of the best discoveries still come from people who know you best. Messages gives those moments a home inside Spotify. Since its launch, almost 40 million users have sent nearly 340 million messages, sharing everything from songs and artists to podcasts, episodes, and audiobooks. It’s a powerful reminder that discovery is often a shared experience.

We’re also making sharing itself more intentional. Instead of sending a full, often long episode, listeners can now share the exact moment that pulled them in. That might be a six-minute insight, a great exchange, or a clip they know a friend will love. It lowers the barrier to pressing play, and initial feedback has shown strong enthusiasm from users who enjoy pulling friends into the conversation.

But conversations don’t always start inside Spotify. Sometimes discovery begins somewhere else entirely. That’s why we’ve always aimed to meet listeners wherever they are, whether that’s in the car, on the TV, or while gaming with friends. Spotify in ChatGPT is a natural next step, giving users a simple, conversational way to find podcasts and move seamlessly into listening. And it’s already driving meaningful discovery with more than 80% of recommended episodes coming from shows that are new to listeners.

Unlocking the next wave of discovery

So, what’s next? We’ll keep investing in every part of the discovery journey, from the signals that spark curiosity to the paths that keep listeners engaged. Discovery feeds and Chapters have proven to be powerful onramps into new shows for millions of listeners worldwide. We’ll continue to expand their role across Spotify to help listeners explore with confidence and help creators reach the audiences who will love their work.

In the end, our job is to make it easier for fans to discover and connect with the right shows at the right time. Discovery isn’t a single feature or a single surface. It’s a collection of small, well-timed moments that make it easier to stumble into something you’ll love. There’s so much more we can do and I’m excited to be just getting started.