Shownotes
When it comes to data for your podcast, podcasters are spoiled for choice. From their hosting company to Podcasts Connect, Spotify for Podcasters, Chartable, Podtrac, and more, there's never been a better time to be able to access data.
But how do you make sense of it all, and do you really need access to every platform?
In this episode, we delve into the intriguing world of podcast analytics, especially following Chartable's recent changes to its Apple Podcast integration. Podcast metrics can often feel daunting, leaving many of us gazing at a sea of numbers with little understanding of their implications.
Today, we’ll explore how podcasters can effectively navigate through their analytics dashboards and pinpoint what metrics truly matter. Let's dive in!
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Be a Better Podcaster is a tips and growth podcast brought to you by Jamie and Jaayne. These are AI hosts - their voices are auto-generated, reading content created by Danny Brown, host of One Minute Podcast Tips and 5 Random Questions.
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Transcripts
Jaayne: Ever get that feeling when you open up a spreadsheet and it's just rows and
Speaker:Jaayne: rows of numbers staring back at you?
Speaker:Jaayne: Yeah, podcast data can feel a bit like that sometimes.
Speaker:Jamie: It can be overwhelming.
Speaker:Jaayne: Totally. And with Chartable recently changing its Apple podcast integration,
Speaker:Jaayne: it feels like a good time for a deep dive.
Speaker:Jamie: Lots of podcasters are talking about what metrics really matter.
Speaker:Jaayne: It's like everyone's questioning their entire analytics dashboard.
Speaker:Jaayne: So that's what we're diving into today. We've got two articles that tackle this whole data dilemma.
Speaker:Jamie: Yeah, they come at it from totally different angles.
Speaker:Jaayne: The first one digs into how important it is to really understand your audience,
Speaker:Jaayne: like really, really understand them and all their little listening habits.
Speaker:Jamie: Yeah, and not just why they listen to your podcast, but like what else is in their podcast app.
Speaker:Jaayne: What makes them tick, right? And this article is saying that is the intel that's
Speaker:Jaayne: going to help your show grow.
Speaker:Jamie: And not just grow, potentially bring in some money too.
Speaker:Jaayne: Oh, interesting.
Speaker:Jamie: Because if you can prove to sponsors that you get your audience,
Speaker:Jaayne: You know what they want.
Speaker:Jamie: Exactly. Then you're not just selling downloads anymore. You're selling influence.
Speaker:Jaayne: OK, yeah, I see what you're saying. But then we've got the other side of the
Speaker:Jaayne: coin, which is basically saying, hold your horses. Let's not go building a data empire here.
Speaker:Jamie: Right. This article is giving us the case for why all those detailed analytics could be overkill.
Speaker:Jaayne: Especially if you're just starting out or if you're doing this whole podcasting
Speaker:Jaayne: thing for the love of it, not for the sponsorships.
Speaker:Jamie: They're saying that agonizing over all that data just sucks up all your time.
Speaker:Jamie: Time that could be better spent, you know, actually making good content.
Speaker:Jaayne: Yeah, and actually enjoying the process, right? Because nobody wants to need
Speaker:Jaayne: a degree in data science just to share their passion with the world.
Speaker:Jaayne: So where do we go from here?
Speaker:Jamie: Well, how do you figure out where you land in all of this? Let's unpack why
Speaker:Jamie: each of these approaches make sense.
Speaker:Jamie: Then we can give you the tools to decide what level of tracking makes sense
Speaker:Jamie: for your podcasting goals.
Speaker:Jaayne: That sounds good to me. Let's do this. Okay, so let's say you're on board with
Speaker:Jaayne: this whole data savvy podcaster thing.
Speaker:Jamie: Yeah, you're ready to get granular.
Speaker:Jaayne: Totally. Totally.
Speaker:Jaayne: What are the arguments for getting into all that data?
Speaker:Jamie: So this first article uses this phrase, listener consumption and drop off.
Speaker:Jamie: And it's interesting. Imagine like actually being able to see where people stop
Speaker:Jamie: listening to your episodes.
Speaker:Jaayne: Oh, that's super useful, though. Yeah.
Speaker:Jamie: Imagine seeing if there was a certain point where people consistently lose interest.
Speaker:Jaayne: That's actionable right there.
Speaker:Jamie: Right. And it's not just about seeing what's not working. You can see what is
Speaker:Jamie: working, too. Like maybe there's a spike in engagement every time you include
Speaker:Jamie: a certain segment. So good.
Speaker:Jamie: It's about understanding what your audience likes and giving them more of it.
Speaker:Jaayne: Like finding little hidden clues. This reminds me, the article also talked about
Speaker:Jaayne: attracting sponsors and how knowing all this granular data about your audience.
Speaker:Jamie: Yeah, how that plays into it. Totally. Because think about it.
Speaker:Jamie: The more data you have, the clearer the picture of your audience.
Speaker:Jamie: Yes. So you're basically handing
Speaker:Jamie: potential sponsors this detailed map of everything about your listeners.
Speaker:Jamie: Imagine being able to say, hey, 60% of my listeners listen to podcasts on their
Speaker:Jamie: commute and 75% of them have told us they're interested in sustainability.
Speaker:Jaayne: You're not just selling them an audience. You're selling them a market at that
Speaker:Jaayne: point. I can see why sponsors would be into that.
Speaker:Jaayne: But how do we even get our hands on all this data? We've got to bring it back
Speaker:Jaayne: down to earth for a second.
Speaker:Jamie: Yeah, for sure. Sure. So you have to familiarize yourself with a few different platforms.
Speaker:Jaayne: Like what?
Speaker:Jamie: Apple Podcasts Connect is a big one.
Speaker:Jaayne: Okay. And that tells you?
Speaker:Jamie: That gives you insights from people listening on Apple Podcasts.
Speaker:Jamie: Spotify for podcasters does the same thing, but for Spotify listeners.
Speaker:Jamie: And then there are other tools like PodTrack.
Speaker:Jaayne: Wait, rewind. What's PodTrack?
Speaker:Jamie: Good question. It's basically like billboard charts, but for podcasts.
Speaker:Jamie: So PodTrack looks at download numbers and ranks podcasts.
Speaker:Jaayne: So you can see if you're like top of the charts.
Speaker:Jamie: Exactly. Or maybe you just want to see how you rank against some of your competitors.
Speaker:Jamie: Yeah. So, yeah, different tools for different goals.
Speaker:Jaayne: This level of data is probably for people who are serious about growing their podcasts, right?
Speaker:Jamie: For sure. Or if you want to get into monetization.
Speaker:Jaayne: Makes sense. But what if someone's happy with their smaller, more niche audience?
Speaker:Jamie: Right. What about the people doing this just because they love it? Let's get into that.
Speaker:Jaayne: OK, so we've heard from the data will set you free camp. But what about the
Speaker:Jaayne: joys of keeping things simple?
Speaker:Jaayne: Is it really enough to just glance at your download numbers every so often?
Speaker:Jamie: You know, for some people, yeah. Not everyone's trying to be number one on the charts. Probably.
Speaker:Jamie: You might be making your podcast as a creative outlet or to connect with people.
Speaker:Jaayne: Yeah. Like it's more about the quality of your listeners than the quantity.
Speaker:Jamie: Exactly. And in that case, your hosting platform probably gives you all the
Speaker:Jamie: data you need. Just the basics exactly things like how many downloads you're
Speaker:Jamie: getting or how that changes over time and that can
Speaker:Jaayne: Feel like enough.
Speaker:Jamie: It can and this other article we have for you is
Speaker:Jamie: It really emphasizes how important it is to protect your time.
Speaker:Jaayne: Ooh, that's a good point. Especially if you're busy. Right.
Speaker:Jamie: They actually say you have very finite time on your hands. And they're right.
Speaker:Jamie: Because as fun as data can be, it does take time to make sense of it all.
Speaker:Jamie: And you could be using that time to make more episodes instead.
Speaker:Jaayne: Or just like live your life.
Speaker:Jamie: Exactly. So it's about finding that balance where data is working for you,
Speaker:Jamie: not the other way around. And honestly, even if you are keeping it simple.
Speaker:Jaayne: You can still learn a lot, right?
Speaker:Jamie: For sure. Sure. Like, are your download numbers going up over time?
Speaker:Jaayne: Or like, what types of episodes are people really vibing with?
Speaker:Jamie: Right, exactly. You can get a lot of clues just from looking at those basic trends.
Speaker:Jaayne: I love that. This has been such a helpful conversation. But I'm curious,
Speaker:Jaayne: how should our listener actually find that data balance for themselves? Where do we even start?
Speaker:Jamie: I always think it starts with your goals.
Speaker:Jaayne: Yeah.
Speaker:Jamie: What are you hoping to do with this podcast?
Speaker:Jaayne: Because if it's just a hobby.
Speaker:Jamie: Yeah. Or like a fun side project.
Speaker:Jaayne: You probably don't need a whole analytics team.
Speaker:Jamie: Exactly. So if you're just starting out, I'd say focus on the basics.
Speaker:Jamie: See what your hosting platform tells you about downloads and listeners.
Speaker:Jamie: And then if your goals change, you can get fancier later on,
Speaker:Jaayne: You know. But if you want the sponsorships and the big numbers.
Speaker:Jamie: You've got to go deep. You've got to understand your audience,
Speaker:Jamie: their demographics, all of it.
Speaker:Jaayne: It's all about having the data that's going to help you make decisions. Right.
Speaker:Jamie: You're using data to make your podcast the best it can be.
Speaker:Jamie: And remember, data can be really helpful. But at the end of the day,
Speaker:Jamie: the most important thing is your connection with your listeners.
Speaker:Jaayne: That's such a good point to end on. Don't get so lost in the numbers that you
Speaker:Jaayne: forget about the humans behind them.
Speaker:Jamie: Couldn't have said it better myself.
Speaker:Jaayne: Use those insights to make amazing content and connect with the people listening
Speaker:Jaayne: on the other side of the microphone.
Speaker:Jaayne: That's what it's all about. And on that note, my friends, we've reached the
Speaker:Jaayne: end of another deep dive.
Speaker:Jaayne: Until next time, happy podcasting.
Speaker:Music: Music
