The lowdown on podcast downloads
Plus, LGBTQIA+ audio-visual trail goes live in Cardiff and Meta announces generative AI model for audio
Podcasting takes a lot of time, effort and motivation so how can you tell how your show is doing?
The answer is in the data. Podcast data is great. It can tell us what’s working and what isn’t. It can provide the next content idea and ensure episodes are packed full of exactly what your ideal listener wants to hear.
Podcast data is confusing - or is it? Is it the inconsistencies between platforms and data points that are confusing? Each podcast host platform offers different stats, called different things. Then that changes again depending which paid tier you sign up for… and how important is it that you know the geographic location of each listener anyway?
Well the answer to that depends on what podcast success looks like for you. Without knowing your desired outcome, the data won’t make any sense regardless of what platform you are on. Consider each data point, as specific to what you are aiming for and suddenly it doesn’t seem so bamboozling. You’re after a sponsor? Downloads and listens are the stats you need. You’re wondering how to double down on your engaged audience? You want to check where your listeners are finding you (sometimes labelled ‘sources’), then do more of what you are doing over there. You want ideas for future episodes? Check out your top five most listened to episodes and do more of that or repurpose them.
As with most industries, podcasters are generally loathe to give away their stats. That makes it hard to know how well your show is doing and that can make it difficult to maintain motivation.
While the stats can be fun to dig into, it can be all too easy to get lost in them and totally hung up on them. Remember, the most important thing is to create great content that your listeners will love. If they can hear you love it, they’ll love it too.
✂️ Cut The Tape
Podcast analytics can be a valuable tool for understanding how well your show is performing. If you are tracking the right data points for your goals, then you can identify what's working and what's not and make changes to improve your show.
So what should you be looking at to know how your show is doing? Well, that depends on what you want to know…
Downloads - This is the number of times your episodes have been downloaded. This gives you an idea of how many people are interested in your podcast.
Streams - This is the number of times your episodes have been played, whether they were downloaded or streamed online. This gives you an idea of how many people are listening to your podcast.
Listens - This is the number of times your episodes have been listened to for at least 0 seconds. This gives you an idea of how engaged your listeners are.
It's important to note that there is a difference between downloads and streams. A download is when an episode is saved to a device, while a stream is when an episode is played online.
This post is a short version of a blog posted on the Big Tent Media website. Ever wondered how many downloads 50% of podcast get in the first seven days after release? Click here to find out.
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🎧 #Podcasting
Spotify ends deal with Meghan Markle | Endgadget
Afripods amplifies African podcasts | International Journalists Network
London Podcast Festival to return in September | Kings Place
Gen Z listener report shows 13-24 year olds discover podcasts through social media | Edison Research
Mags Creative sign with CAA for TV and film adaptation partnership | Hollywood Reporter
🎶 #SoundDesign
Audio-visual trail celebrates LGBTQIA+ community in Cardiff (Note: I was the audio editor for Heard Storytelling on this project) | For Cardiff
Games making the most of ASMR | MSN
Sound art museum opens in Beijing | Global Times
Pro Sound Effects partner with Oscar-winning sound artist | Cison PR Newswire
Sound garden opens in Minnesota | WXPR
🔮 #AudioFuture
Meta announces generative AI model for audio | Neowin
Research shows three seconds of audio is enough to create clones for scams | International Business Times
Eurovision Sport to use audio AI to expand coverage of European Athletics Team Championships | TVBEurope
Google’s AI used to identify sounds of threatened bird species in Australia | TechAu
🗣 #SocialAudio
Breakout Social Audio app launches at VeeCon | EINNews
Kenyan influencer accused of defamation after comments made in a Twitter Space | Pulselive
African presidential candidate becomes “biggest Twitter Space in Africa” | Nigerian Tribune
Not a podcast this week, but something to delight your ears in the sunshine. I had the pleasure of watching Suzanne Ciani perform this piece at Kings Place in London this week. She was so generous, allowing the audience on stage to see the Buchla 200e and speaking to everyone. I’ll admit the two glasses of water in her workspace made me very nervous!
“Every act of perception is an attempt to impose order, to make sense of a chaotic universe. Storytelling, at one level, is a manifestation of this process.”