Source: Podnews - How to understand podcast stats
Understanding your podcasts statistics is essential to evaluating the success of your show, but podcast statistics can be confusing and complex. This article will address frequently asked questions and relevant topics regarding podcast analytics and how to help better understand and interpret your podcasts analytics and data.
The Downloads vs. Streams vs. Plays vs. Listens vs. Audience Numbers Debate
- A download is just a download of an episode - whether it’s been listened-to or not.
- A stream doesn’t really exist in podcasting; but if people use the word, they normally mean a “play” or a “listen”.
- A listen, or a play, is when we know a human being has pressed the play button.
- Total audience numbers cannot be accurately calculated from downloads.
Apple Podcast Analytics
Apple Podcast analytics are accessible by logging into your Apple Podcasts Connect account. Apple is responsible for approximately 40% of all podcast downloads. Apple Podcasts analytics only report on plays, not downloads. Apple Podcasts knows when listeners hit the play button to listen, regardless if it was downloaded or not - as well as how long that user listened for.
Because only a portion of your audience is listening via Apple Podcasts, Apple Podcasts analytics are only representative of a sample of your audience. But it's still a helpful tool to help you further understand how Apple listeners are interacting and engaging with your podcast.
Spotify for Podcasters
Your Spotify podcast analytics are accessible by logging into your Spotify for Podcasters account (for information on how to claim your series via Spotify reference our help center article). Spotify provides industry standard consumption data (like Apple and Google), but also provides demographic data such as age, gender, geo-location, and what music they listen to on Spotify.
Spotify analytics dashboard does not measure downloads but they do measure listens. They classify listens into two categories:
1. Starts, which is every time a listener or viewer streams your show for 0 seconds or more on Spotify.
2. And streams which Spotify defines as every time a listener or viewer streams your show for 60 seconds or more Spotify.
For more detail on how to interpret Spotify’s metrics, see: Podnews - How to understand podcast stats
Comparing statistics from different listening platforms is hard
In conclusion, navigating the landscape of podcast analytics requires a clear understanding of the various terms and metrics and how each listening platform defines them. Recognizing the differences between these metrics is fundamental in comprehending the impact and reach of your podcast. Platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify offer unique insights into listener behavior, with each providing valuable information that can aid in gauging engagement and making informed decisions for your podcast. It is crucial to remember that these analytics represent only segments of your overall audience, reflecting listenership patterns within specific platforms. This article outlines why its difficult to piece together your podcast data as a whole - and even more tricky to compare podcast statistics from different listening platforms due to the variations in data measurement methodologies, audience demographics, and the diverse user behaviors specific to each platform.
Source: Podnews