Is Spotify’s Skip Button Bad News for Podcasters?

Last updated on August 18th, 2026 at 05:03 pm

Spotify’s Podcast Ad Skip Button: What It Means for Podcasters and Advertisers

Imagine paying to advertise your business on a podcast, knowing you’re reaching an engaged listener who trusts the host, only for Spotify to make it easier for them to skip your message completely.

That’s the concern after Spotify started testing a new “skip ahead” feature, which allows some listeners to skip over sponsorships and promotional sections in podcasts with one tap.

You can read the original Podnews story here: Spotify threatens podcast ad skipping.

For listeners, I can see the appeal. But for podcasters who make money from advertising, and the businesses paying for those ads, it raises some big questions, and I think it’s something podcasters need to be paying attention to.

What is Spotify’s new podcast ad skip button?

Spotify is testing a feature that gives some listeners a “skip ahead” button when they reach certain sponsored or promotional sections within a podcast.

Instead of tapping the 15-second skip button several times, listeners could potentially skip the whole section in one go.

Interestingly, according to Podnews, creator sponsorships and promotions can be skipped, while some ads placed by Spotify itself can’t, and that’s where things get interesting.

Why Spotify’s podcast ad skip button is good for listeners

From a listener’s point of view, it’s great. We all skip ads. Whether you’re watching TV, scrolling social media or listening to a podcast, most of us hit “skip” when we get the chance.

Podcast listeners can already fast-forward through host-read ads. This new feature could simply make it quicker and easier.

Think about how you listen to podcasts. You might be driving, walking, cooking or at the gym.

Tapping one button is much easier than hitting “forward 15 seconds” five or six times.

But what’s good for the listener isn’t necessarily good for the podcaster or advertiser.

How could Spotify’s ad skip button affect podcasters?

If you make money from podcast advertising, this is where the change could affect you.

Podcast advertising works so well because of the relationship between a host and their listeners. A recommendation from a podcast host you listen to every week feels very different from a random advert.

An avid listener may have spent hundreds of hours listening to the same host. They know them and trust their recommendations. That trust is valuable to advertisers.

But if it becomes easy to skip those recommendations, will businesses still want to pay the same amount to advertise on podcasts?

And if they don’t, what happens to podcasters who rely on that income?

If you’ve been wondering how many listeners you need to make money on a podcast or how many podcast downloads to make money, this is a good reminder that downloads and advertising don’t have to be your only way to make money from your podcast.

What does Spotify’s skip button mean for podcast advertisers?

Imagine you’re the business paying for the advert. You’ve chosen a podcast because its audience matches your ideal customer. You’ve agreed on the podcast advertising cost and paid the podcaster to talk about your business.

Then Spotify makes it easier for people to skip your advert. Would you be happy?

Businesses will want to know whether people are listening to their ads, not just how many people downloaded the episode.

This makes understanding your podcast statistics even more important.

It’s also one of the reasons I recommend claiming your podcast on all the major listening platforms. You can read my blog on why you should claim your podcast on all platforms to find out what data you could be missing.

Will podcast advertisers start looking beyond download numbers?

I think they could. If advertisers are worried about people skipping their ads, the number of downloads a podcast gets may become less important than how engaged those listeners are.

An engaged listener trusts the host, keeps coming back and is more likely to take action after hearing a recommendation.

Having 50,000 downloads might sound impressive. But if most of those people skip your ads and never take action, how valuable is that audience to an advertiser?

A smaller podcast with a loyal audience could be more valuable.

If you want to increase podcast listeners and build a stronger audience, have a read of How to Build a Podcast Audience Without Spending Extra Time.

Should podcasters stop making money from podcast advertising?

No. This feature is still being tested, and we don’t know how widely Spotify will introduce it or what impact it will have.

But I do think it’s a good reminder not to rely on one way of making money from your podcast.

Spotify and Apple can change their platforms, and social media algorithms can change overnight. You don’t control any of them.

Instead, think about the different ways your podcast could make money or support your business.

You could use advertising, affiliate links, memberships or promote your own products and services.

Your podcast can make money in lots of different ways. It doesn’t all have to come from advertising or sponsorships.

How to grow your podcast without relying on Spotify ads

If you’re a business owner, your podcast can do much more than generate advertising income.

It can show people what you know, build trust and help potential clients discover your business.

You can also reach people outside your own podcast. Being a guest on other podcasts puts you in front of a new audience who are already podcast listeners.

If you want to give podcast guesting a go, download my free Podcast Guest Pitch Template. It gives you a customisable pitch and resources to help you confidently approach podcast hosts.

It’s also a great way to increase podcast listeners, because you’re introducing your show to people who already love listening to podcasts.

How can podcasters prepare for Spotify’s ad skip button?

Don’t panic and rip all the adverts out of your show! Instead look at how your podcast currently supports your business.

Ask yourself:

1. How much of my podcast income comes from advertising?
2. Do I have other ways to make money from my podcast?
3. Do I know how engaged my listeners are?
4. Am I building an email list or community?
5. Does my podcast bring potential clients into my business?
6. Could podcast guesting help me reach more people?

You don’t want one change from Spotify to completely change how much money your podcast makes.

Why podcasters shouldn’t rely on one platform

Podcasters spend a huge amount of time creating episodes and growing their audience, but people listen to those episodes on platforms we don’t control. Spotify can change things and Apple can change things.

So if advertising is a big part of how you currently make money from your podcast, now is a good time to think about what else your show could do for your business.

• Could it bring you new enquiries?
• Could you promote your own products or services?
• Could you grow your email list?
• Could you use your podcast to become known as an expert in your industry?
• And could you appear as a guest on other podcasts to reach even more people?

Will Spotify’s ad skip button hurt podcasting?

No one knows yet. It could have very little impact, or it could change the way podcasters and businesses think about podcast advertising.

But it does remind us why podcasters shouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket.

Build an audience that trusts you, understand who is listening and create different ways for your podcast to support your business.

Platforms will keep changing and your podcast needs to be able to change with them.

Key takeaways

Spotify’s podcast ad skip button might be great news for listeners, but it could create challenges for podcasters and businesses using podcast advertising.

Focus on building a loyal audience and finding different ways for your podcast to support your business, so you’re not relying on one platform or one source of income.

Want your podcast to work harder for your business?

If you’re relying on downloads or advertising and you’re not sure what else your podcast could be doing for your business, I can help.

I work with business owners to launch, manage and grow their podcasts, so their show supports their business without becoming another job on their to-do list.

Explore my Podcast Management Services or book a discovery call and let’s look at how your podcast can keep growing, whatever Spotify decides to change next.

Laura McRae
Podcast Strategist & Podcast Producer