Does the Acast embed player pre-load audio on my website?
The Acast embed player does not pre-load the audio for your show on your website. This is according to IABv2 podcast measurement guidelines, which advise against podcast players pre-loading audio files and potentially causing data to be inaccurate.
The Acast embed player will request the audio file from the Acast servers when the user clicks 'play'.
Do plays from my embed player count to my download?
Yes! Plays from your embed player count for your downloads. When your followers listen to your episodes on a website through an embed player, that counts towards your downloads in your Insights.
Can I customize the look of my embed player?
Yes! You can customize the size, color, text, and more of your embed player. Learn more here.
Can I add the embed player to my website?
You sure can! You can add the embed player to your website. Embedding your latest episode on your website is a great way for new listeners to find you through web search.
Can I set the embed player to auto-play on my website?
The Acast embed player does not have the functionality to auto-play on your website as this is against our IAB certification where listens must be 'triggered' by the listener. We want to ensure a great listener experience and trust and transparency with Advertisers who want to spend on ad campaigns on podcasts where they know the listener has a clear intention to play.
What if I want to use my own or another player?
You can use your own embed player. We provide an Audio URL that is located next to the episode-specific embed player. You can use this link on your own player and we can monetize the listens. When using your own player, ensure the following:
both pre-loading and auto-play are disabled to ensure the best user experience as well as accurate reporting of listens. Both methods violate Acast Community Guidelines.
Use ID3v2 tags, so that the headers are located at the start of the podcast (not at the end). This allows players to use the ID3 data ahead of streaming time without downloading the full podcast file
For a full download, ask for the entire file in one go. For a progressive download, ask for the file in slices (byte range). This way a full download can be distinguished from a progressive download
Do not modify the enclosure URL when requesting media, don’t add extra parameters
Do not cache podcast episodes on your servers. Always download the latest episode from the enclosure URL for every app user wanting to listen.
Use the GUID - as opposed to episode URL, title, publication date, etc. - to identify new episodes in the RSS feed that should be automatically downloaded to a user’s device
Employ an “automatic download unsubscribe” behavior (e.g. - stop auto downloads after 5 episodes of non-listens)
Do not automatically download all episodes (e.g. back catalog episodes) by default
If I leave Acast, will the embed player on my website keep working?
When moving a feed away from Acast, a 301 redirect is added to your show, which directs all traffic and listening requests from the Acast feed to your new feed. This is what happens on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and also the Acast embed player.
Because of this, the embed player will no longer be able to access the audio file. Before leaving Acast, please check whether you wish to update the embed player to your new hosting platform.
Does the Acast embed player place any cookies?
No, the Acast embed player does not set any type of cookies.
In order to comply with the decisions rendered by some EU data protection authorities regarding the use of Google Analytics in the GDPR region and transfer of data collected to the United States, we have disabled Google Analytics tracking in the Embed Player for now. We may re-enable it in the future if the regulatory framework allows us.