With the average US podcast listener tuning in to six podcasts a week, podcasts are among the fastest-growing mediums in the entertainment industry today. But the key to practical podcasting is utilizing the metrics available to you to measure and make changes to your podcasting strategy. So, what are these metrics, and why do they matter?
Arguably the most crucial metric is your subscriber count. Subscriptions are measured by the number of listeners who subscribe to your “really simple syndication” or RSS feed. When a user subscribes to your RSS feed, they will receive a notification anytime you release a new episode or make changes to your site. With listenership at the center of great podcasts, a high subscription rate is a must. While Spotify for Podcasters provides you with metrics specific to Spotify, you can use third-party podcast analytics tools to see your subscription count across other platforms.
Coming in second place for the most critical metric is download count. While subscriptions track listenership, downloads track “downloadership,” if you will. Make no mistake; this is sort of a misnomer because what counts as a download is really just a listen! For this reason, some advertisers look at download count before subscription count.
Last but certainly not least is backlinks. Backlinks are an SEO term that refers to a hyperlink on a web page that redirects the listener to your podcast. Although you may have heard that all press is good press, it’s essential to track where your backlinks are coming from and what they’re saying about your show. Parsing this data can sometimes feel like a full-time job, so don’t be afraid to use a podcast analytics tool to streamline the operation of segmenting the number and type of backlinks associated with your podcast.
These metrics are an excellent start to understanding and utilizing podcast statistics to improve your content, but this is not a comprehensive look at all the available data. If you’re just getting started or looking to step up your podcasting game, you might consider using a podcast analytics tool to access and synthesize data that is incredibly useful. Podcast analytics tools aggregate your stats across all platforms, which provides you with a unique perspective into how your audience reacts to your content. But if one’s things for sure, regardless of how you acquire your metrics, they truly matter!
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