Landing a coveted spot in one of Apple’s famed podcast lists can be quite the reward. Podcasters big and small all want to be featured on their many collections, and for good reason! These collections can help to expose your show to a wider audience and can boost your perceived value to new listeners.
Apple is one of the top listening platforms, so being featured on one of their collections for their 28+ million listeners is a great way to grow your podcast!
We’ll help you to understand why these charts matter and how to get your podcast in them.
Why It Matters
These collections can help your podcast grow in several different ways. Being featured on one of these collections can elevate the visibility of your show and help it be discovered by listeners who may not have stumbled across it another way.
Being featured also helps to build a level of credibility that makes you more attractive to potential sponsors. You’d be able to make that a key part of your pitch when responding to brand inquiries or reaching out to brands on your own.
You can also take advantage of organic marketing techniques like SEO (search engine optimization) and social media marketing to call attention to your show.
It’s a worthwhile endeavor to have your show featured on their many collections!
The Different Apple Collections
Apple offers many different collections based on the content of your podcast. They have more generalized ones meant to highlight a wide array of shows and more niche ones that hone in on specific categories.
Collections are most often seen on the “Browse” and “Search” pages of Apple Podcasts.
Let’s explore what each of these collections entails.
New & Noteworthy
This collection is the more generalized one, focusing on shows that are new to the space and others that are making a big impact. Shows in this collection are hand-picked by editors at Apple, so it can be a little challenging to ensure a spot for your show (but not impossible!)
Curated Category Collections
Most of these collections are also hand-picked by an editorial team at Apple. They focus on different podcast categories as well as relevant topics in the world. Let’s take a look at some of the featured collections this week:
It’s currently the holiday of Ramadan, so Apple Podcasts has created a collection of shows related to the communities that celebrate it. There are also specific episodes selected that are centered around Ramadan.
Here are a couple more featured collections that focus on distinct subcategories of popular categories. One collection includes True Crime shows that focus on romance and murder.
The second collection featured is even more niche as it looks at the history of food!
Because Apple Podcasts curates dozens of unique collections a month, there are plenty of opportunities for your show to be featured. But how does one go about that exactly?
How to Score a Spot
Believe it or not, there are some key things any podcaster can do to help better their chances of securing a spot on a featured collection. And the advice isn’t too much different from what we’ve said before!
Apple Podcasts advises interested podcasters to submit their shows through the promotional request form. But let’s take a look at how to craft your response before hitting “submit”!
Sell Yourself!
Similar to setting yourself apart in your brand inquiry responses, you’ll want to put effort into creating a response that highlights the best of your show. Why is your show the perfect fit for the collection, and why would Apple be remiss to exclude you?
Of course, you’ll want to strike a balance between informative and succinct. You want your submission to be engaging but you also want to ensure their editorial team can quickly digest the information.
Have Good Cover Art
You know the old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words!” Make sure that your podcast cover art is both eye-catching and informative. You want listeners to understand the gist of your show by simply glancing at your artwork.
If featured, your podcast might be one of the first that a listener sees when opening up the “Browse” or “Search” page. Having cover art that grabs the attention of potential listeners in mere milliseconds is key to snagging a spot in a future collection. Bright and contrasting colors, large fonts, and striking images can help create a memorable image that will draw anyone’s eye.
Concise Titles
Much like cover art, you want the title of your show (or episode) to be interesting yet informative. See our guide on creating your first podcast for tips! Be descriptive, be unique, and be creative!
Timing is Everything
If you didn’t know, Apple refreshes their collections on a weekly basis. So, a good time to pitch your show is 2 weeks before you wish to be featured. Always pick Mondays as the start date, too! Working within their planning schedules is an easy way to stand out from the other submissions.
If you create timely content like news, politics, pop culture, etc., then consider choosing a time when a big buzz is likely to generate. For example, let’s say you’re the host of a podcast all about a specific TV show. A great time to submit your podcast to be featured is the week the new season of that TV show airs.
Be sure to also keep holidays and other world events in mind, too!
You can find a full list of tips from Apple Podcasts here.
Other Things to Consider
Don’t underestimate the power of your network! A wonderful way to help better your chances of securing a spot is to ask your audience for help. Encourage them to share your show with their friends and family, ask them to rate your podcast and leave positive reviews on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe if they haven’t yet. These small pushes can make your podcast shine amongst the others!
It might seem like an impossibility to be featured on Apple Podcasts’ collections, but following all of these tips can increase your chances of seizing that coveted spot. Good luck!