The New Spotify ‘Gold Play Button,’ and Spotify Partner Program
Spotify recently launched two huge creator initiatives, which work in a very similar way to YouTube’s creator programs:
- The Creator Milestone Awards: This is Spotify’s version of YouTube’s ‘Play Buttons.’ The Milestone awards are physical plaques for podcasters who hit 50M, 100M, and 1B streams. This marks the first time that Spotify will be publicly sharing podcast stream counts.
- The Spotify Partner Program: This is Spotify’s version of ‘Adsense,’ which allows creators who meet minimum streaming requirements (2,000 streams and 10,000 hours listened in 30 days) to earn payouts based on Premium user listens and a revenue share from ads on the free tier.
What It Means for You
For creators who are already doing podcasts, or thinking of starting, this is a sign to take the leap.
YouTube’s play button awards and Adsense program have historically been the most lucrative for serious creators, but Spotify is now shifting the conversation.
Spotify's milestone plaques also signal a shift in transparency. While YouTube creators have long used Play Button milestones as social proof, podcasting has lacked clear public metrics, until now.
Spotify is quietly positioning itself as a YouTube competitor as they both compete neck and neck to be the #1 platform that people turn to for podcasts.
Spotify is currently the only major platform focused on long-form video and audio content that can build deep connections with audiences.
With more monetization tools coming, Spotify is not a platform to ignore if you’re serious about investing in your brand long-term.
The Ideal Content Funnel (Backed by Data)
A fascinating insight from the 2025 Social Media Study by Metricool reveals the ideal content funnel for creators who want to maximize reach, engagement, and conversions. It reminds us that not all platforms serve the same purpose.
- Top of Funnel (Visibility): YouTube dominates with 26.29 impressions per follower, making it the best place to gain awareness.
- Middle of Funnel (Engagement): LinkedIn (14.78%) and Facebook (7.07%) lead in audience interaction.
- Bottom of Funnel (Conversions): Facebook, LinkedIn, and X generate the highest clicks per post, proving their effectiveness for turning viewers into buyers.
What This Means for Your Business
If you’re treating all platforms the same, you’re leaving money on the table. Instead, follow this strategy:
- Gain awareness with YouTube: Optimize for discoverability through consistent evergreen content.
- Engage your audience: Post thought-leadership content, case studies, and polls to build relationships on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.
- Convert on high-click platforms. Drive conversions and signups through platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn with direct CTAs.
Once you’ve established a customer journey, you can begin to automate parts of your funnel for around the clock conversions.
OpenAI’s new Deep Research: A Huge Leap for Creativity
OpenAI just launched Deep Research, a new ChatGPT feature that performs extensive web research on complex topics, and delivers detailed reports with citations.
It is currently available to Pro subscribers ($200/month), with plans to eventually be available to Plus and Team users within the next few weeks.
What It Means for You
This represents a massive shift in productivity. Right now, creators spend hours researching, fact-checking, and compiling information before even starting a script or video.
But with Deep Research, that workload can be condensed to under 30 minutes.
Deep research capabilities will fundamentally level the playing field once again. Anyone will be able to access vast amounts of information, but what sets you apart is your ability to execute.
The age of information is quickly being replaced by the age of implementation. Creators with true expertise in their fields, masterful storytelling skills, and unique personalities will quickly rise to the top.
- YouTube introduces its new Community Spaces and renames the old Community Tab as “Posts.”
- Instagram updates creators’ profile pages, putting highlights in a tab and allowing creators to rearrange their grid posts.
- Google launches a “.channel” domain for creators to set up consistent branding across their platforms and digital stores.
- TikTok’s parent company introduces OmniHuman-1, an AI that can generate stunningly realistic deepfake videos from a single reference image and audio input.
- Apple releases Invites, an AI-powered event planning app that integrates with Apple Intelligence and multiple Apple Services to plan and manage events.