Listeners are finding podcasts in new ways. ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini have become trusted sources for recommendations. Now you can see exactly where your show appears.
AI is Changing Podcast Discovery
Someone asks ChatGPT “What’s a good true crime podcast?” or tells Perplexity “Find me a business podcast for my commute.” The AI doesn’t just search. It recommends. Those recommendations drive real listeners to real shows.
Until now, this was invisible to podcasters. You could optimize for Apple Podcasts and Spotify search. But you had no idea what AI assistants were saying about your show.
We recently analyzed AI recommendations across 849 podcast topics. The findings were eye-opening. AI assistants disagree 71% of the time. Traditional chart leaders often don’t show up. And podcasts like The Tim Ferriss Show dominate AI recommendations despite ranking #35 on Apple’s Business chart.
That research drove us to build something new. We’re launching two new features: AI Visibility for your podcast and AI Recommendations for the broader landscape.
AI Visibility: Your Podcast’s AI Footprint
Find it: Sidebar → SEO → Organic Visibility → AI Assistants
AI Visibility answers one question: Where do AI assistants recommend my podcast?
What You’ll See
AI Visibility Score (0-100)
This measures your overall discoverability across AI assistants. The score weighs three factors:
- How many topics you appear in
- How many AI providers mention you (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini)
- How consistently you appear (your “inner circle” presence)
Provider Breakdown
See which AI assistants mention your podcast and for which topics. You might find that Claude recommends you for “entrepreneurship podcasts” while ChatGPT suggests you for “startup advice.” That’s useful intel for understanding how different AIs categorize your show.
Topic Cards
Each topic where you appear gets a card showing:
- Your position in the AI leaderboard for that topic
- Your frequency (how consistently you’re recommended)
- Click to see the full leaderboard and your competition
The “Inner Circle” Concept
When 50% or more of AI providers recommend you for a topic, you’re in the “inner circle.” These are your strongholds. Topics where you have real AI visibility, not just occasional mentions.
AI Recommendations: The Competitive Landscape
Find it: Sidebar → Explore → AI Recommendations
AI Visibility focuses on your podcast. AI Recommendations shows the full leaderboard across all podcasts. Think of it as competitive intelligence for the AI recommendation space.
Browse by Topic Type
Topics are organized into five categories:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Genre | True Crime, Business, Comedy, Health & Wellness |
| Audience | Entrepreneurs, Students, Working Professionals, Parents |
| Context | While Driving, While Working Out, Before Sleep |
| Intent | Learn New Skills, Entertainment, Stay Informed |
| Format | Interview Format, Solo Commentary, Narrative Storytelling |
Frequency-Based Rankings
Traditional charts show a single snapshot. AI Recommendations uses frequency instead. This measures how consistently a podcast is recommended over the past 4 weeks.
A podcast with 75% frequency was recommended in three out of four weeks. This matters because AI recommendations vary between queries. Frequency shows who consistently appears, not who got lucky once.
Filter by Provider
Want to see what ChatGPT specifically recommends for “business podcasts”? Filter by provider to understand each AI’s preferences. You might find opportunities where one AI has gaps that another fills.
How to Use These Features
For Positioning Insights
Your AI topic appearances reveal how AI assistants categorize your show. Say you run a marketing podcast but AIs recommend you under “entrepreneurship.” That’s useful positioning intel. You might lean into that perception. Or work to shift it.
For Competitive Analysis
Check the AI Recommendations leaderboard for your target topics. Who dominates? Are they the same podcasts that rank well on Apple and Spotify, or different ones? This can reveal whether AI recommendations favor different content than traditional platform SEO.
For Content Strategy
Topics where you appear inconsistently might benefit from more focused content. If you’re at 25% frequency for “productivity tips,” creating more episodes about productivity could strengthen that signal.
For Tracking Progress
Your AI Visibility Score gives you a single number to track over time. As you build your online presence with more reviews, press mentions, and backlinks, watch whether your AI visibility improves.
What Drives AI Recommendations?
AI assistants learn from the web. Reviews, articles, “best of” lists, Reddit discussions, and countless other sources. You can’t directly control what an AI recommends. But you can influence the signals.
What helps:
- Strong online presence beyond podcast platforms
- Reviews and ratings on Apple Podcasts
- Mentions in newsletters, blogs, and press
- Active community discussion about your show
What doesn’t help:
- Keyword stuffing or over-optimization
- Chasing AI recommendations at the expense of content quality
The best strategy hasn’t changed. Make a great podcast. Optimize your metadata. Build genuine visibility. AI recommendations tend to follow.
Getting Started
Paid subscribers: Both features are available now. Check AI Visibility under SEO → Organic Visibility → AI. Explore the landscape in Explore → AI Recommendations.
Free users: AI Visibility shows a preview with sample data. Upgrade to see your actual AI presence.
The Bottom Line
Podcast discovery is fragmenting. Listeners find shows through platform search, charts, social media, word of mouth, and increasingly through AI assistants.
You’ve always been able to track your platform visibility. Now you can track your AI visibility too.
If ChatGPT is recommending podcasts to millions of users, you should know whether yours is on the list.
Questions about AI Visibility? Ask LUCIA in the chat or reach out to [email protected].