Every statistic tells a story — it tells you what your audience is listening to, looking for, and even what they find helpful. But while there are quite a few podcast metrics to pay attention to, not all of them hold the same “weight” in determining whether your podcast is successful or not.

So, instead of trying to track every number and compare every percentage, I’m breaking down the key podcast metrics, including what they mean, when they matter, and how you can use them to improve your podcast.

5 Key Podcast Metrics and What They Mean

Remember, not all podcast metrics are equal, and not every platform likes to use the same terminology. Still, most platforms have and gather the same analytics, even if they look slightly different.

Here are five key podcast metrics you should be aware of as a podcast host:

#1. Downloads

A download is the number of times your episode is downloaded (not listened to) and is probably the most popular metric or the one you’ll hear about most often. Many podcasters love to celebrate hitting milestones in their downloads, like their first 100 downloads — or first 5k!

Downloads are a key indicator of how many people access your content, even if they’re not listening. This is similar to saves on Instagram. It tells us that people want to come back and listen to your podcast later or again because they loved what they heard the first time.

#2. Listeners

Listeners are the number of unique people who listen to your show. This tells you — or rather, gives you a better idea — of your true audience size and listener retention.

There’s also a listen rate, which tells us a lot about how to improve your podcast. If people drop off at a certain point in your episodes, it’s important to note this and use this metric to improve your future episodes. 

If people aren’t listening all the way through, they may miss the next steps for joining your community and even purchasing your offers.

#3. Plays (or Streams)

Whether you call them plays or streams, this metric tells you how many times your episode has been played or streamed. This could be by multiple people or the same person listening to your show multiple times.

Streams are important because they help you see how many people engage with your content rather than just downloading your show.

#4. Subscriber or Follower Count

The number of people who subscribe to or follow your podcast (it really depends on the podcast player) is a great indicator of listener loyalty and long-term interest and retention.

Note: You can’t see your follower or subscriber count on your podcast hosting platform. You will have to look in your podcast player, such as Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, etc., to access this analytic.

#5. Episode Popularity

Essentially, this is data on which episode is performing the best. You can see this information in your podcast host, who typically sorts or searches for the top-performing episodes by week, month, and year.

Knowing what your most popular episodes are can help you find which podcast topics resonate the most with your audience. Remember, you’ll want to make sure every podcast episode has a goal, and some will be to join your community or shop your offers. Others may be for more reach.

Either way, it’s important to have an episode plan that aligns with the overall goal of your business, which is to build a loyal community and grow your business.

Which Metrics Matter The Most?

Yes, these are the five key metrics you can look at to gauge your podcast performance, but they’re not everything, either. No metric — or even five — can determine whether or not your podcast is successful. 

Why? Because the success of your podcast depends on your personal goals. For example, if your goal is to sell, your “successful” metrics will look completely different than someone whose goal is to nurture or educate.

It’s important to set a goal that aligns with your overall business goals and create the right type of content for your podcast episodes.

How to Use Your Podcast Metrics to Improve Your Show and Connect With Your Audience

The whole point of tracking your metrics is gauging how your audience engages with your show — but how do the numbers translate into strategy?

Again, this is unique to your audience, show, and metrics; there’s no one-size-fits-all podcasting strategy based on XYZ metrics. But you can use this insight to guide your next step:

• Use metrics to learn listener preferences like downloads, most popular episodes, listen-through rate, and plays to determine what type of content your audiences find most interesting and let that influence your content.
• Gauge listener retention by looking at podcast metrics like listeners, followers, and downloads over time and influence marketing and engagement strategies in your show.

Ultimately, you’re looking to take your audience’s behavior and adjust your strategy accordingly. If you’re testing a new dynamic ad or call to action, pay closer attention to said episode(s) metrics.

If you need help planning, editing, publishing, and strategizing your podcast, fill out this form, and let’s see how we can help you grow your show!