Facebook users will soon be able to directly stream podcast episodes

Facebook has alerted podcast creators to an upcoming feature that will enable them to directly and automatically share their new podcast episodes on their Facebook Page. Users will be able to stream the content directly on Facebook, according to the company, and newly added episodes will show up in followers' news feeds.

We've known for a while that Facebook plans to add podcast support in its app, but questions had remained. That changes with a newly released email that Facebook sent to podcast creators, alerting them about the opportunity to add their podcasts' RSS feeds to their Pages so that new episodes are automatically made available.

Because the new feature is based on the RSS feed, creators won't need to add links or upload episodes to their Page. Instead, according to the email, the Page will be updated with new episodes when they drop, making the content available on Facebook in addition to any other platforms the podcast creators may use.

Based on the email, creators will need to opt in to this new feature in order to use it; this can be done in the Page's setting menu. The podcast feature will go live on June 22, at which point users will be able to stream the new episodes directly in the Facebook app, according to The Verge.

Though Facebook isn't the first platform you'd think of when it comes to listening to podcasts, the new option does have its appeal. Because these episodes appear on the creator's Facebook Page, listeners will be able to directly comment on the content and with each other, also making it easier for creators to have conversations with their fans.