Don’t beat yourself up if you need a little extra help figuring out how to rate a podcast …because we’re here for you!
Maybe you’re trying to figure out how to rate a podcast because you’re listening to a show that you love & want to give the host your personal endorsement. Maybe you’ve never even listened to a podcast before, but you have a friend, coworker or family member who recently started their own podcast and asked you to rate, review and subscribe to their show on Apple Podcasts.
Our guide for iPhone users on how to rate a podcast will walk you through how to rate, review and subscribe to a podcast on Apple Podcasts. The following guide includes step-by-step screenshots to make it user-friendly for people of all ages and every level of experience.
Follow our user-friendly guide for iPhone on how to rate a podcast on Apple Podcasts and we’ll get you through the entire process in a few minutes or less!
Step 1: Find and tap the Apple Podcasts app on your iPhone
The Podcasts app comes pre-installed on your iPhone, so you don’t need to download anything. If this is your first time using Apple Podcasts, you may not have even noticed the app before, but it’s there! If you don’t see the app on your main screen, swipe left across your screen to see if the app is hiding on another screen or in a folder.
Step 2: Tap “Search”
Once you open the Apple Podcasts app, look for the magnifying glass symbol with the word “search” underneath it in the lower right corner. Tap “Search”.
Step 3: Type in the name of the podcast
Tap on the search field that has the tiny magnifying glass symbol on it, located in the upper left corner of your screen. When you tap on it, your keyboard will appear. Type in the name of podcast that you want to rate and/or review. (For this example, we are using the name of our in-house podcast, Ossa Lounge.)
Then, tap the blue “Search” button at the bottom right corner of the screen.
4. Tap on the podcast you’re looking for
Look for the cover art of the podcast you want to rate and review. Cover art is like an album cover, but for a podcast. The cover art of the podcast you’re looking for for should appear under “Shows” in the search results. Once you find it, tap on the podcast’s cover art.
How to Rate a Podcast: Troubleshooting Tips
If you don’t see any search results:
- Double check that you typed in the name of the show you’re looking for correctly
- If that isn’t the problem, try searching for the podcast again, but this time, only type in 1-2 keywords from the show’s title. (For example, if the search term “Ossa Lounge” didn’t return any search results, I could try searching for it again by just typing in the keyword “Ossa”; or if I’m searching for the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend and entering the title word-for-word doesn’t return any search results, I could try typing in just “Conan O’Brien”; etc.)
If more than one show appears in your search results:
- Scroll through the search results by swiping left over the podcast cover art thumbnails that appear under the heading “Shows” in your search results until you find the one you’re looking for, then click on it.
- If you’re rating and reviewing a podcast for a friend or family member and you’re still unsure as to whether or not you’ve found the correct show in your search results, ask your friend or family member to send you a photo of their cover art so you know exactly what to look for.
Step 5: Subscribe
When you click on the cover art of the podcast you want to rate & review, it will take you to the podcast’s page. This is what you see on the screen on the left side of the image, above.
Tap the “Subscribe” button. You should see a “Subscribed” notification (like the one in the above image on the right) pop up temporarily on your screen.
6. Listen to an episode
If you want to find out how to rate a podcast because someone you know asked you to rate, review and subscribe to their show on Apple Podcasts but you’ve never actually listened to it, we strongly recommend that you take the time to listen to at least one episode of the podcast before leaving your review.
Rating and reviewing a podcast you’ve never listened to is kind of like writing an Amazon review for a product you’ve never actually used — it’s dishonest, scammy, and it doesn’t help anyone.
If you genuinely want to show your support for someone you know who started their own podcast, the best thing to do is to actually listen to their show. If you have a busy schedule, keep in mind that you don’t have to wait until you have an hour of uninterrupted free time to listen. One of the best things about podcasts is that they are great for multitasking! Why not press “play” on an episode of the podcast while you’re doing the dishes or driving to the store?
Listening to at least one episode of the podcast you’re rating and reviewing is not only important when your friend decides to ask you what you thought about their podcast — it is also important to the Apple Podcasts algorithm. The technology behind Apple Podcasts is designed to be able to track the number of times each episode of a podcast is played. Therefore, if a podcast gets a bunch of ratings and reviews without a realistic number of listens, the Apple Podcasts algorithm may flag the podcast as spam, and you could end up hurting the podcaster you’re actually trying to help.
7. Tap on “Write a Review”
Look at the image above. You can see on the screen in the image on the left that it now says “subscribed”. (P.S.: If you ever want to unsubscribe, you can return to the podcast page and click on the purple circle with the 3 dots on the right side of the screen and tap the “unsubscribe” option.)
Swipe upwards on the screen to scroll down on the page until you get to the Reviews section at the bottom of the page. (You may need to swipe upwards on your screen a few times before you find it!) Click on “Write a Review” (see the screen image on the right in the image above for reference.)
7. Rate the show & write your review
Take a look at the screen on the left in the image above. You will see 5 outlined stars at the top of the page. This is where you can leave the podcast a rating between 1 – 5 stars. To leave a 5-star rating, tap the star on the far right.
When you’re leaving a rating, please keep in mind that ratings are VERY important to podcasters and make a huge difference in listenership. Even a 4-star rating frequently takes away from the show’s overall rating — so if you’re a fan and you want to lend your support, make sure to leave 5 stars!
Next, you’ll give your review a title. Think of it as your review’s headline, or as the short, one-sentence endorsements you see on the back of a book cover or on a movie poster. A great review title is enthusiastic and catches the attention of the potential listeners. For example: “This podcast always puts me in a good mood!”, or “Thought-provoking and educational!”
Next, you can write your review. Avoid the temptation to rush through it. At best, a generic review (e.g., “Great show”, “Five stars”, “Good podcast”, etc.) is unhelpful, but at worst, a generic review can look like spam.
The best podcast reviews are those that speak to the unique standout qualities of the show. What do you like the most about the show? Maybe it’s the host’s interview style, or the topics they cover, or the way that listening to the show puts you in a good mood. Whatever it is, the best way to show your support for any podcast is to leave a review that is personal and thoughtful so it has the power to attract other potential listeners that would be interested in what the show has to offer.
8. Tap “Send”
Tap “Send” in the upper right corner of your screen. You’re all finished! If you know the podcaster you wrote a review for, don’t forget to let them know that you submitted a review! Please note that it may take a few days or more for your review to become visible on Apple Podcasts.
Now that you know how to rate a podcast, the sky’s the limit! Maybe you could even start a podcast of your own… 🙂