Podchaser announced their 2019 roadmap and 2018 review. They revealed several things that are coming to Podchaser in 2019, as well as their solutions to the decentralization dilemma.

One of the things Podchaser is doing is allowing for merchandise. You can sync your TeePublic store with your podcast page on Podchaser. Now, when you direct listeners to rate and review on Podchaser, you can ask them to buy a t-shirt, too.

I think this is an interesting idea. Many podcasts have logos that can easily go on t-shirts and tank tops. Podchaser is making it easier for listeners to not only know that the t-shirts exist, but also where to buy one.

In addition, Podchaser will soon allow podcasters to connect their existing donation platform account with their Podchaser podcast page so listeners can contribute to your podcast via Podchaser. This could potentially mean that podcasters who have a Patreon could connect that with their Podchaser page. Podchaser is asking for suggestions about which donations platforms they should support.

Podchaser is also working on solutions for discovery of podcasts:

“Follow” Podcasts, Creators & Lists: By creating an account and utilizing Podchaser’s upcoming “Follow” feature, you’ll be notified when a podcast releases a new episode, a Creator appears on a podcast, or a List is updated.

Smart Recommendations & Feed: Podchaser is launching a custom feed full of recommendations created just for you. It combines your “Follow” data, listening habits, and ratings/reviews.

Featured Snippets: Once a podcast is claimed, Creators can add a featured snippet for a podcast and each episode to give listeners a taste of the content. These snippets will appear in users’ feeds as part of Podchaser’s Smart Recommendations.

Visit the Podchaser website for more information.