As a PM for Spotify Podcasts, what success metrics would you define? If engagement on Spotify Music is down while engagement on Spotify Podcasts is up, what actions would you take?

For Spotify Podcasts, key success metrics would revolve around engagement, retention, and monetization.

Engagement Metrics:

• Listening Time: Total time spent listening to podcasts.
• Number of Episodes Listened To: Tracks consumption of individual content pieces.
• Completion Rate: Percentage of episodes finished, indicating content quality and listener satisfaction.
• New Podcast Discovery: Number of new podcasts users start listening to, reflecting content breadth and recommendation effectiveness.

Retention Metrics:

• Daily/Monthly Active Users (DAU/MAU): Overall platform usage.
• Listener Retention Rate: Percentage of users who return to listen to podcasts over time.
• Churn Rate: The rate at which users stop listening to podcasts.

Monetization Metrics:

• Ad Revenue: Revenue generated from podcast advertising.
• Conversion Rate (for premium features): If applicable, how many users convert to premium due to podcast-related benefits.
• Creator Payouts/Revenue Share: If applicable, tracking the economic ecosystem for creators.

Scenario: Music Engagement Down, Podcast Engagement Up

This scenario suggests a potential shift in user behavior or a successful podcast strategy that might be inadvertently impacting music engagement. My actions would be:

1. Deep Dive Analysis:

   • Segment User Behavior: Analyze if specific user segments are shifting from music to podcasts, or if it's a broad trend. Are users spending less time on music overall, or just reallocating time within Spotify?
   • Investigate Podcast Growth Drivers: Understand why podcast engagement is up. Is it new content, improved discovery, marketing campaigns, or a general trend in audio consumption?
   • Examine Music Engagement Decline: Identify specific areas of decline in music engagement. Is it specific genres, playlists, artists, or features? Are there technical issues or bugs affecting music playback/discovery?
   • Cross-Pollination Analysis: Are podcast listeners also music listeners? Is there a correlation between increased podcast listening and decreased music listening?

2. Strategic Actions:

   • Content Strategy Review: Evaluate if the current podcast content strategy is cannibalizing music listening time. Consider if there are opportunities to integrate music and podcast experiences (e.g., artist-hosted podcasts, music-focused podcast series).
   • Recommendation Engine Tuning: Ensure recommendation algorithms are balanced and not overly prioritizing podcasts at the expense of music discovery. Explore ways to surface relevant music to podcast listeners and vice-versa.
   • User Experience Optimization: Address any potential UX friction points in the music experience that might be driving users away. Ensure seamless switching between music and podcasts.
   • Marketing and Communication: If the shift is a positive trend towards audio overall, leverage this. If it's a concern, develop targeted campaigns to re-engage music listeners or highlight the value of the music offering.
   • Monetization Impact Assessment: Understand how this shift affects overall revenue. If podcast ads are less lucrative than music ads, this could be a concern. If premium subscriptions are driven by podcast content, this might be a net positive.