Apple Tells Podcasters About Alexa, Marketing With Apple And Their Holiday Hours

Apple Podcasts sent out an email on December 13 letting us know about Alexa, Marketing with Apple Podcasts, their best listens for 2019 and holiday submission schedules!

The entire email is quoted below.

Please read and tell your friends 😜

By the way, this is not some special email that only some of us get. This email went out to all producers that are in Apple Podcasts. They will send it to the email address associated with your Apple ID account for Apple Podcasts Connect.

Dear Podcast Provider,

Below are some updates to help improve the experience for your listeners on Apple Podcasts.

Play Apple Podcasts with Alexa

Apple Podcasts is now available on Alexa-enabled Amazon devices in the United States. As a creator, you’ll find this presents an even greater opportunity for listeners to hear your show.

Spread the word on your show or episode promotion channels, and wherever else you communicate with your audience. For example, encourage them to say things like:

“Alexa, play [podcast title] on Apple Podcasts”
“Alexa, play [podcast title] from yesterday on Apple Podcasts”
“Alexa, skip ahead 30 seconds”
“Alexa, play the previous episode”
Learn more about how listeners can now play your show with Alexa. Contact Us if you have questions.

Market with Apple Podcasts

The new Marketing Toolbox helps you easily create links for your show and episodes on Apple Podcasts. You can also generate QR codes and short URLs. To get started, simply search for your show or episodes.

Best Listens of 2019

Explore the shows that topped this year’s charts and our editors’ favorites, including those in our three new marquee categories — True Crime, Fiction, and History.

Holiday Submission Schedule

If you plan to release new shows in December, be aware of delays in the review process for new submissions between December 23, 2019 and January 2, 2020.

Shows submitted during this time may not be reviewed within our regular timeframe of five business days. Plan accordingly and submit any new RSS feeds in advance.

Note: This doesn’t affect shows already available on Apple Podcasts. New episodes will to continue be available within 24 hours.

Learn more about managing new show launches.

Regards,
The Apple Podcasts team

We’ll be discussing this email and breaking it down on an upcoming episode of The Feed, so if you have not subscribed, please do so! Head on over here to get deets.