Though the two are often conflated, your podcast downloads and podcast listens are not the same. Downloads show the number of people who have requested your feed, i.e. downloaded your episode, but not necessarily the number of people who have actually listened. You can find these figures on most podcast hosting platforms.
Successful podcasts are greatly dependent on how many podcast downloads it receives. Your number of downloads serve as a benchmark for determining the success of your podcast. Keeping track of your podcast downloads can help you comprehend how well-received your podcast is as a whole, as well as how each episode compares to your other podcast episodes.
You can use these figures as a key performance indicator (KPI) to increase your podcast's success and to plan the future direction of your podcast show. This will help you expand your audience, gain more popularity, and determine which episodes get more downloads. The information obtained will provide you with insights into creating the ideal podcast for your listeners, including their favourite type of episodes, the topics they are most interested in and their preferred episode length. You can also use your podcast download numbers to see which podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify, your audience are using most to listen to your show.
If you are looking for income opportunities and advertising partnerships, these opportunities can come into fruition if you can demonstrate your podcast download metrics and podcast listens to potential brand partners. Podcast advertisers generally use the CPM (or cost per mille model), which means the more episode downloads you get, the more money you can potentially earn from your show.
If you want to learn more about how to get podcast sponsors, check out our blog post here.
When it comes to getting more downloads per episode, it is important to focus on these 4 key areas:
Nailing each of these areas will see your podcast grow and your number of podcast downloads soar.
It is always important to start with the basics - produce a high-quality, value-driven podcast if you want a dedicated audience and a show that will grow over time.
As well as high-quality content, your audio and production quality needs to be excellent too. If your audio quality is subpar and your content is not valuable, listeners will lose interest in your show, and your podcast downloads will not increase.
Therefore, it is crucial to maintain high standards in both areas. This will both help keep your existing listeners engaged, dedicated and listening to each new episode, while also gaining new listeners to your podcast.
The wider the range of podcast directories where your podcast show is available, the more opportunities your audience will have to listen to it. Different people have different preferences when it comes to podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify. If your show isn't available on their preferred app, you'll be limiting the number of podcast listens and podcast downloads you get.
If you're uncertain which podcast listening apps you'd like your show to appear on, take a look at our article on the Top 15 Podcast Directories. It'll give you an idea of the best options available.
It is important to prioritise Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for your podcast. This can significantly boost the visibility and discoverability of your show, as it increases the likelihood of your podcast appearing on search engine results pages. By doing so, your podcast can reach a wider audience, which can lead to an increase in listener numbers and downloads for your episodes.
Find out more on how to rank your podcast on search engines here.
It is evident that a website (or a page dedicated to your podcast on an existing site) is essential for podcast discovery and growth. Not only is it extremely useful for SEO, your podcast website expands your audience by appealing to different types of content consumers. It allows you to provide additional information, such as transcripts and links to resources, which can help to earn dedicated followers. The more followers you have that value your content, the more your podcast download numbers will grow.
Crafting engaging show notes is an effective way to attract both new and existing listeners to your podcast episodes. By writing compelling episode descriptions, you can provide your listeners with an insight into the content of the episode and why they should listen to it. Sharing these show notes through different mediums such as social media and mailing lists can increase the reach of your latest episode release, thereby boosting your podcast download numbers.
Read our blog post here on how to write better show notes for your podcast.
To increase the visibility of your podcast among both new and existing listeners, you can improve its discoverability by uploading it to the appropriate category. This involves considering your niche, the subjects you cover, and your desired target audience, and then ensuring that your podcast is listed in the correct category. This approach will allow you to avoid restricting your growth potential and to maximise your monthly podcast listeners and the number of downloads you receive.
If you want to boost your podcast's exposure, one effective approach is to inform your existing listeners in your current episode about the release of your upcoming podcast episodes. This creates a buzz and anticipation that will motivate more people to tune in when the new content is available. As a result, your podcast's episode downloads will increase, making this a simple yet effective strategy for marketing your show and getting more podcast listens.
It's crucial to keep your audience informed about the latest episode releases. One effective method to do this to increase how many downloads your podcast gets is to utilise social media. Your social media can be used to generate buzz and anticipation by sharing notable quotes, guest bios, sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes content. This strategy not only promotes your podcast to your current followers, but it also has the potential to attract new listeners through various algorithms on the platforms.
Check out our 10 Best Podcast Promotion and Marketing Strategies.
Creating a mailing list for your podcast can be an effective way to reach out to audience. The more listeners you have subscribed to a newsletter will ensure that they can stay up-to-date on any new episode releases or updates to your show. It also helps to build a rapport with your audience by giving them an alternative and additional communication by which you can engage with them between episode releases. This can help grow your dedicated audience and boost podcast download numbers.
Inviting guests such as experts, popular personalities, and other content creators to your podcast can be a fantastic opportunity to expand your reach. By doing this, you can gain access to their followers and attract a new audience that may not have heard your podcast before.
In addition, diversifying your content not only provides your current listeners with a fresh experience but also a chance to learn something new. This, in turn, increases the value of your podcast and leads to more dedicated listeners and higher download traffic.
Overall, inviting guests is an excellent way to promote your podcast, retain your current audience, and attract new listeners, ultimately contributing to the success of your podcast and your podcast download numbers.
Have a look at our article about how to find great podcast guests!
To increase your podcast audience, it's important to urge your listeners to subscribe to your podcast. This is a crucial call-to-action that can attract more followers to your podcast. It's been observed that the number of podcast subscribers is directly related to how many downloads your podcast episodes get. Be sure to remind your audience to subscribe to your podcast in every episode and in every set of show notes you release.
For more information on how to craft efficient call-to-action's in your podcast, check out our post here: How to Create Effective Call-to-Action’s in your podcast.
Seeking out reviews and ratings from your listeners is beneficial in a variety of ways. These can help to boost your SEO, improve discoverability, and enhance your credibility. If potential new listeners understand that your podcast has already provided content that is both valuable and enjoyable to others, then this can only help to expand your audience numbers and, in turn, increase your podcast downloads.
Adhering to a predictable publishing timeline will help your viewers know when to expect new content from you. Establishing a consistent frequency of podcast episode releases will help you keep more subscribers, thus avoiding the potential for them to become disinterested.
When your audience knows when to expect your episodes to be released, they won’t miss tuning in to the episode and will download the podcast episodes.
If you want to improve your podcast's visibility, make it more inclusive, and generate reusable content, consider sharing transcriptions of your episodes.
Creating transcripts for all your episodes will enable you to reach a wider audience, regardless of their content consumption preferences.
Creating a blog post that is based on your podcast episode is a key tactic to increase your podcast's popularity. Blog posts provide advantages for SEO and accessibility, all of which ultimately lead to a rise in your podcast's download figures.
One can boost their podcast episode downloads by using autoplay. This is much like the setup seen on YouTube. Most podcast providers have this option, so when one episode ends, the next one plays and will automatically download without any extra input from the listener.
We strongly support taking advantage of video podcasts as a way to expand your reach and entice various types of podcast fans. Video podcasts are a hugely popular way that podcast listeners choose to consume their podcast content. Getting involved in video podcasts will increase your audience numbers which in turn will increase your podcast downloads.
If you are curious about starting a video podcast, our guide can help you out.
If your audience is searching for the latest trends online, why not have your podcast appear on search engine results pages? Keeping informed of the latest topics and trends that are popular and producing podcast episodes related to these will aid in gaining more listeners, helping your podcast to expand and boosting your downloads.
If you are in need of assistance, you can always search for a certified expert or a podcast production agency to take care of the whole process for you.
