Pocket Casts, the popular podcast application owned by Automattic, has introduced a new playlist feature, allowing users to curate and organize their favorite podcast episodes in their preferred order. This update aims to enhance user personalization and bolster Pocket Casts' competitive edge in the growing podcast market.
Curate Your Perfect Listening Experience
The new playlist functionality empowers listeners to craft personalized collections of episodes. Whether you want to group episodes by a specific theme, compile all appearances of a favorite podcast guest across different shows, or prepare a listening queue for a long journey, the feature offers flexibility.
This move by Pocket Casts is seen as a strategic effort to deepen user engagement and expand its subscriber base, currently standing at 60,000, as it vies with larger platforms like Spotify.
Manual and Smart Playlist Creation
Creating a manual playlist is straightforward. Users can navigate to the "Playlists" tab, select the "+" icon on mobile or "New playlist" on the web, and then handpick desired episodes from their favorite podcasts. For those who prefer an automated approach, Pocket Casts offers "Smart Playlists."
This allows users to set custom rules, such as filtering episodes by duration (e.g., under 25 minutes), or by content status (unplayed or downloaded). This is particularly beneficial for users with busy schedules looking to maximize their listening time.
Platform Availability and Competitive Positioning
The playlist feature is currently available on the web and desktop versions of Pocket Casts, with an Android rollout already in progress. An iOS release is expected soon.
This update follows Pocket Casts' recent decision to make its web player accessible for free, further solidifying its position as a formidable competitor in the podcasting landscape, especially against platforms that often place content behind paywalls.
