podcast downloads vs listens

• A download is just a download of an episode.
• A stream doesn’t exist in podcasting.
• A listen is when we know a human being has pressed the play button.
• A play is the same as a listen.
• Total audience numbers cannot be worked out from downloads.

Full Answer

How does a podcast host know if a podcast has been downloaded?

Your podcast host doesn’t know if it’s an automatic download or a user-initiated download: it just knows it’s a download. No podcast host knows whether a piece of audio has ever been listened-to (a “listen” or a “play”). They can only ever know it’s been downloaded. (Podcast apps do know, but most don’t share that data).

Do podcasts know how many listeners you have?

(Podcast apps do know, but most don’t share that data). And, of course, if an episode has had 2,000 downloads, that doesn’t mean it has 2,000 listeners. Automated downloads mean a podcast may be downloaded, but never listened-to.

What is the difference between listen and stream in podcasting?

A stream doesn’t exist in podcasting. A listen is when we know a human being has pressed the play button. A play is the same as a listen. Total audience numbers cannot be worked out from downloads. In podcasting, no audio ever “streams”: the audio is always downloaded from a podcast host.

Are 31% of automated podcast downloads never listened to?

Since listening was unaffected in Apple Podcasts, and since the loss of automated downloads meant 31% fewer downloads, it’s therefore probably fair to suggest that 31% of automated downloads are never listened-to. We believe the market share for Apple Podcasts is about 40% of all podcast downloads.

Is it better to download or stream a podcast?

So, for you as a podcaster it is better that listeners stream your show and do not download it. On the other hand, allowing your listeners to download your shows makes listening to your podcast more convenient.

Do podcast plays count as downloads?

Generally, the podcasting industry uses the "download" to measure how many people are listening to a given show. Every time someone plays, streams, or downloads the MP3 from the Transistor server, that counts as a download.

What is a good number of downloads for a podcast?

more than 26 downloads, you're in the top 50% of podcasts. more than 72 downloads, you're in the top 25% of podcasts. more than 231 downloads, you're in the top 10% of podcasts. more than 539 downloads, you're in the top 5% of podcasts.

What percentage podcast listeners download?

Podcast consumers listen to most of the shows they download on their smartphones and other mobile devices. 20% of podcast listeners listen to between 51% and 75% of the shows they download.

How many downloads does a podcast get per episode?

According to the latest podcast download numbers, the most successful podcast episode had about 50,000 downloads 30 days post-publishing. Podcast industry statistics show that an episode with 9,000 downloads across multiple streaming platforms earns a place in the top 5% of podcasts.

Can you tell how many listeners a podcast has?

Checking a podcast's social media accounts can tell you something about their listenership figures and how engaged their listeners are. Usually you can go to the podcast's official website (listed in most podcast listening apps) to find links to their social media accounts.

How many listeners do you need to make money on a podcast?

You usually need a larger audience of at least 5K or 10K listeners per month to work with them. One of the largest ad networks is Midroll, another popular network is Authentic, and many of the podcast hosting companies have their own networks as well.

How often do podcasts fail?

Less than 20% of the podcasts that have launched this year will make it to next year. Most podcasts fail. If you've launched a podcast or are thinking about launching one, you don't want to put in all that work just to see your experiment get canned in a few months.

What makes a successful podcast?

Keep the topic simple. A podcast with focus is going to be much easier for potential listeners to understand. You might think a wide appeal will get a wider audience but more often a narrow appeal means there's less likelihood others are doing the same thing. And the listeners you get will be very excited to find you.

How do you measure success of a podcast?

Some podcast owners measure success through downloads and listens. Others are more subjective with assessments like social engagement, relationship building, and reviews. For us, success doesn't just come in the form of listener numbers or another singular metric.

Who is the number 1 podcast in the world?

Top podcastsPodcast Industry RankingTop 20 PodcastsRankPodcastPublisher1The DailyThe New York Times2MorbidWondery20 more rows

How much money can you make on a podcast?

As an estimate, if your podcast has about 10,000 downloads per episode, you can expect to make between $500 – $900 per episode in affiliate sales.

How are podcast downloads calculated?

Here are some of the engagement metrics we can look for:Total Downloads Over Time.Monthly/Daily Downloads.Downloads by Episode.Unique User Downloads/Subscribers.Embedded player views.Podcast Website Traffic.iTunes reviews.Calculated iTunes Subscribers.

Are Apple podcasts downloaded or streamed?

By default, Apple Watch downloads one episode from each of the top 10 shows in Listen Now on your iPhone. To sync specific podcasts, follow these steps: Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Tap My Watch, then tap Podcasts.

What does downloads mean in podcast?

Downloads. Definition "Downloads" is a measure of unique file requests followed by file downloads, with invalid downloads omitted. It includes files downloaded for later use and files listened to as they download/stream.

How much of podcasts are downloaded by Google?

Google is responsible for less than 5% of all podcast downloads, so the numbers will be small. You can also see, above, “how people find your show”. This shows data from Google Search, and may be useful for you to discover what are popular search queries.

How many subscribers does Podcast 1 have?

It will never appear on the Apple Podcast chart, since that is worked out using recent subscriptions. It now has 3,000 subscribers (and almost as many downloads per episode).

How to see podcast analytics?

Apple Podcast Analytics. You can see analytics for your podcasts on Apple (only) by logging into Apple Podcasts Connect. Apple is responsible for about a third of global podcast downloads, and users can opt-out of being tracked, so Apple Podcast Analytics only measures a small proportion of your downloads.

How does Spotify podcast chart work?

How the Spotify Podcast Charts work. Spotify’s Podcast Charts only measure activity on Spotify’s platform. Spotify re-launched their podcast charts in April 2021. According to their blog post: Top Podcasts are “determined by a combination of overall follower counts and the number of recent unique listeners .”.

How does RSS work?

Some platforms work by telling a listener’s phone to check your RSS feed (most notably Apple Podcasts and Podcast Addict), while other platforms work by checking your RSS feed on a central server, and then telling a listener’s phone when they spot a new episode.

What is Podtrac analytics?

Understanding Podtrac analytics. Podtrac is a free service for podcasts. It measures downloads in a consistent way, whatever the podcast host or app used. You can use Podtrac to compare numbers for any podcast: but the numbers for individual shows aren’t made public.

What does the Apple Podcast Chart measure?

Apple’s Podcast Charts only measure activity on Apple Podcasts. According to Apple when we asked in December 2020, the charts: “encompass a mix of new subscriptions, playback activity and completion rate; ratings and reviews aren’t factored into these charts.”.

What is an analytics podcast?

Analytics is a data visualization tool where you can review actionable insights into your podcast’s performance. You can access Analytics from Apple Podcasts Connect. With Analytics, you can better understand how users are listening to your shows and episodes on Apple Podcasts. For example:

Does Apple support podcasts?

Apple doesn’t provide support for third-party podcast analytics, but you may be able to obtain other consumption metrics such as downloads or subscriptions from your hosting provider or from the server where your podcast is hosted. Contact your web server support teams for further details.