The plan titled "Tracking the Best Metrics for Podcasts" focuses on five key metrics to gauge podcast performance. These include Total Downloads, Listener Retention Rate, Average Episode Rating, Social Media Engagement, and Subscriber Growth Rate. By monitoring these metrics, podcasters can better understand their audience's behavior, improve content quality, and enhance overall podcast visibility.
For instance, knowing the Total Downloads can help podcasters measure their reach, while the Listener Retention Rate indicates how engaging their content is. Similarly, monitoring Social Media Engagement allows podcasters to assess the impact of their promotional efforts and interact with their audience more effectively.
Improvement suggestions are provided for each metric, aiding podcasters in refining their strategies. For example, promoting episodes on social media and collaborating with other podcasters can increase downloads, and asking for listener feedback helps in retaining the audience.
Top 5 metrics for Podcast Performance
1. Total Downloads
The total number of times the podcast episodes have been downloaded.
What good looks like for this metric: 10,000 downloads/month
How to improve this metric:- Promote episodes on social media
- Collaborate with other podcasters
- Optimize episode titles and descriptions
- Encourage listeners to subscribe
- Engage with your audience
2. Listener Retention Rate
The percentage of listeners who listen to episodes from start to finish.
What good looks like for this metric: 60%
How to improve this metric:- Improve audio quality
- Create engaging and relevant content
- Use storytelling techniques
- Release episodes consistently
- Ask for listener feedback
3. Average Episode Rating
The average rating given by listeners on platforms like Apple Podcasts.
What good looks like for this metric: 4.5 stars
How to improve this metric:- Ask listeners to rate your podcast
- Respond to listener reviews
- Ensure high-quality content
- Regularly update podcast cover art
- Interview interesting guests
4. Social Media Engagement
The number of likes, shares, comments, and overall interaction on social media posts related to your podcast.
What good looks like for this metric: 500 engagements/post
How to improve this metric:- Create visually appealing posts
- Use hashtags effectively
- Engage with your audience's comments
- Share behind-the-scenes content
- Host live Q&A sessions
5. Subscriber Growth Rate
The rate at which new listeners subscribe to your podcast over a specific period.
What good looks like for this metric: 10% increase/month
How to improve this metric:- Promote your podcast on different platforms
- Run targeted ads
- Offer exclusive content for subscribers
- Collaborate with influencers
- Create a referral programme
How to track Podcast Performance metrics
It's one thing to have a plan, it's another to stick to it. We hope that the examples above will help you get started with your own strategy, but we also know that it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day effort.
That's why we built Tability: to help you track your progress, keep your team aligned, and make sure you're always moving in the right direction.
Give it a try and see how it can help you bring accountability to your metrics.
