May 16, 2019

Anchor is the easiest way to make a podcast, and was built to break down the many barriers in podcasting (and we’re now powering more podcasts than any other platform in the world by doing so!). Breaking down barriers means not only making podcasting super easy, but also pushing the medium forward.


We’ve never thought about podcasting as a one-way street. Your show is a bridge between you and your listeners, and there’s nothing quite like the relationship between a podcaster and their audience. But it’s always been a technical challenge to incorporate this sense of community into your show.


Anchor’s Voice Messages feature exists to solve this problem, enabling listeners to send their favorite podcasters short audio clips that can be easily added into any episode. Before today, your listeners needed to download the Anchor mobile app in order to send you a Voice Message — which was still way too much work.


Today we’re changing that, with an update to Anchor Voice Messages that makes it easy for you to collect messages from anyone, anywhere in the world. Now your listeners can leave Voice Messages right from any browser (even on mobile!), via any podcast app, without having to download the Anchor app.

How it works

Listeners can tap a link in your show notes to send you Voice Messages, no matter what device or browser they’re using, or which app they use to listen (they can also click the button on your podcast’s Anchor profile). This will take them to a window where they can record a message up to one minute long. Once they hit send, they’re done! You’ll be notified every time someone sends you a Voice Message.


You’ll find your incoming Voice Messages in the creation screen on Anchor’s mobile app and web dashboard. From here, you can listen to all the messages your listeners have sent, and immediately add any into your next podcast episode. For any messages that you want to include, you can add them as segments in your Episode Builder and easily place them wherever you want in your episode.


To ensure everyone has a great experience on Anchor, we do not permit anonymously sent Voice Messages — senders will need to sign up or log into an Anchor account in order to send a message, so you can see who it’s coming from.


Tips for using Voice Messages

The best part about getting messages from your listeners is the potential to creatively use their perspective in your podcast. Whether it’s a Q&A session where your listeners can ask you anything (or the other way around!), an impromptu advice column, a collection of audio from all over the world, or anything else your heart desires, we believe getting interactive with your audience opens up countless avenues for creativity. Or, you can use Voice Messages as a tool to gather feedback from your listeners and check in on how they feel about your show!

Some amazing podcasters on Anchor are already using Voice Messages to bring their listeners voices into their shows:


You’re never podcasting alone, and now it’s easier than ever to build a relationship with your audience. We can’t wait to hear what you (and your listeners) create!


Haven’t started your own podcast yet? Check out our
How to Start a Podcast guide for tips and tricks on how to make something awesome with Anchor.
https://blog.anchor.fm/updates/voice-messages
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