Podcasting Essential: How to Generate an Accurate iTunes Statistic for Your Show

Not so long ago, advertisers didn’t have a foolproof way of quantifying what podcasting can offer in terms of ROI. Back then, there was no clear way of knowing how many people are actually listening and how many of those listeners tune in from start to finish.

Safe to say some advertisers are hesitant to invest since they’re not really sure what’s in it for them—it can prove to be a lucrative investment or it can be the exact opposite.

Before, some podcasters make use of affiliate codes to track the exact number of listeners who act on their “call-to-action” message. Others on the other hand use traffic numbers generated from Libsyn and other hosting providers to entice advertisers.

Fortunately, the release of Apple’s podcast analytics feature has proven to be a total game-changer. This new and kickass tool will allow you to see:

• The number of devices tuned in per episode
• The average listening time per device
• The prevalent listening trends

And that’s just for starters.

Taking into account the fact that podcasting revenues are on the rise (2017 revenue was at $22 million, 85 percent more than the previous year), this new functionality couldn’t come at a much better time.

If you have yet to check to check the new feature, here’s how you can go about it.

Log into the “Podcasts Connect” application

Once logged in, you will not only be able to access your podcasts, you will also get to see the download numbers for each.

Click on the show title to check corresponding data

For added convenience, you have the option to sort data based on a specific range, week, or month. This dashboard is extremely helpful as it allows you to also view the number of hourly listeners that come from new listeners versus current subscribers.

Additionally, the data can give you (and advertisers) a clear insight when it comes to the responsiveness of your community and whether or not listeners are sticking around and tuning in to multiple episodes.

Other relevant data you will have access to include:

• Average time a particular show has been listened to (per device)
• Listening trends by country, subscribed device, or episode
• Countries where your downloads are coming from

One of the most helpful information on the dashboard is the individual show data. It is where you can see the percentage of people who listen to the episode from start to finish. This data will give you a good idea of the number of listeners that are primed to respond to any call-to-action message you will give.

Using the Data

Since the data can help paint a better picture of your podcast, you can use it to persuade more advertisers and sponsors. Of course, convincing them is relatively easier since they’d have a much clearer idea of the benefits they stand to gain.

In addition, the data you get can also help you assess if you need to implement a few changes to ensure any announcements or call-to-action messages are given maximum exposure.

Have you tried using this new feature? How has it helped your podcasting efforts? Sound off in the comments section below!

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