Subscribe vs Follow
Apple podcasts have just announced that they will be changing the terminology on their platform from subscribe to follow.
This is an amazing idea and will really help with discovery for all podcasters.
Spotify and other platforms already call it a follow but in Australia, Apple Podcasts is still the biggest platform for podcast listening and this change is very exciting. ( clearly, it doesn’t take much to get me excited)
Why is it so important?
My view is the word subscribe means you have to pay, so hitting that subscribe button on a podcast player like apple could for those that are new to podcasting be turn off as opposed to an opportunity to convert a new listener or fan.
There are lots of studies on the penetration of podcasting in Australia and the best guesses run between 25-35% of the population have listened to a podcast in the last month. That means there are at worst 65% of the population that have not yet listened to a podcast, which is a massive opportunity for growth.
Imagine a new podcast listener, they head to apple to listen to a podcast and they see a big subscribe button and they think ....hmm I don’t want to have to pay or worse still what happens if they steal my info. using the word follow just implies I’m interested in your content and I want to hear more.