September 17, 2024 • 7 mins
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!
Mentioned in today's episode
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Recommended resources:
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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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jaayne:
Ever get that feeling when you open up a spreadsheet and it's just rows and (00:01):
undefined
Jaayne: rows of numbers staring back at you? (00:04):
undefined
Jaayne: Yeah, podcast data can feel a bit like that sometimes. (00:06):
undefined
Jamie: It can be overwhelming. (00:10):
undefined
Jaayne: Totally. And with Chartable recently changing its Apple podcast integration, (00:11):
undefined
Jaayne: it feels like a good time for a deep dive. (00:16):
undefined
Jamie: Lots of podcasters are talking about what metrics really matter. (00:18):
undefined
Jaayne: It's like everyone's questioning their entire analytics dashboard. (00:21):
undefined
Jaayne: So that's what we're diving into today. We've got two articles that tackle this whole data dilemma. (00:25):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah, they come at it from totally different angles. (00:29):
undefined
Jaayne: The first one digs into how important it is to really understand your audience, (00:31):
undefined
Jaayne: like really, really understand them and all their little listening habits. (00:37):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah, and not just why they listen to your podcast, but like what else is in their podcast app. (00:41):
undefined
Jaayne: What makes them tick, right? And this article is saying that is the intel that's (00:47):
undefined
Jaayne: going to help your show grow. (00:51):
undefined
Jamie: And not just grow, potentially bring in some money too. (00:52):
undefined
Jaayne: Oh, interesting. (00:56):
undefined
Jamie: Because if you can prove to sponsors that you get your audience, (00:57):
undefined
Jaayne: You know what they want. (01:00):
undefined
Jamie: Exactly. Then you're not just selling downloads anymore. You're selling influence. (01:02):
undefined
Jaayne: OK, yeah, I see what you're saying. But then we've got the other side of the (01:06):
undefined
Jaayne: coin, which is basically saying, hold your horses. Let's not go building a data empire here. (01:09):
undefined
Jamie: Right. This article is giving us the case for why all those detailed analytics could be overkill. (01:14):
undefined
Jaayne: Especially if you're just starting out or if you're doing this whole podcasting (01:20):
undefined
Jaayne: thing for the love of it, not for the sponsorships. (01:24):
undefined
Jamie: They're saying that agonizing over all that data just sucks up all your time. (01:26):
undefined
Jamie: Time that could be better spent, you know, actually making good content. (01:31):
undefined
Jaayne: Yeah, and actually enjoying the process, right? Because nobody wants to need (01:34):
undefined
Jaayne: a degree in data science just to share their passion with the world. (01:38):
undefined
Jaayne: So where do we go from here? (01:41):
undefined
Jamie: Well, how do you figure out where you land in all of this? Let's unpack why (01:43):
undefined
Jamie: each of these approaches make sense. (01:47):
undefined
Jamie: Then we can give you the tools to decide what level of tracking makes sense (01:49):
undefined
Jamie: for your podcasting goals. (01:53):
undefined
Jaayne: That sounds good to me. Let's do this. Okay, so let's say you're on board with (01:54):
undefined
Jaayne: this whole data savvy podcaster thing. (01:58):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah, you're ready to get granular. (02:01):
undefined
Jaayne: Totally. Totally. (02:02):
undefined
Jaayne: What are the arguments for getting into all that data? (02:03):
undefined
Jamie: So this first article uses this phrase, listener consumption and drop off. (02:07):
undefined
Jamie: And it's interesting. Imagine like actually being able to see where people stop (02:11):
undefined
Jamie: listening to your episodes. (02:16):
undefined
Jaayne: Oh, that's super useful, though. Yeah. (02:18):
undefined
Jamie: Imagine seeing if there was a certain point where people consistently lose interest. (02:20):
undefined
Jaayne: That's actionable right there. (02:25):
undefined
Jamie: Right. And it's not just about seeing what's not working. You can see what is (02:26):
undefined
Jamie: working, too. Like maybe there's a spike in engagement every time you include (02:29):
undefined
Jamie: a certain segment. So good. (02:33):
undefined
Jamie: It's about understanding what your audience likes and giving them more of it. (02:35):
undefined
Jaayne: Like finding little hidden clues. This reminds me, the article also talked about (02:38):
undefined
Jaayne: attracting sponsors and how knowing all this granular data about your audience. (02:42):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah, how that plays into it. Totally. Because think about it. (02:46):
undefined
Jamie: The more data you have, the clearer the picture of your audience. (02:49):
undefined
Jamie: Yes. So you're basically handing (02:52):
undefined
Jamie: potential sponsors this detailed map of everything about your listeners. (02:54):
undefined
Jamie: Imagine being able to say, hey, 60% of my listeners listen to podcasts on their (03:00):
undefined
Jamie: commute and 75% of them have told us they're interested in sustainability. (03:05):
undefined
Jaayne: You're not just selling them an audience. You're selling them a market at that (03:10):
undefined
Jaayne: point. I can see why sponsors would be into that. (03:13):
undefined
Jaayne: But how do we even get our hands on all this data? We've got to bring it back (03:15):
undefined
Jaayne: down to earth for a second. (03:18):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah, for sure. Sure. So you have to familiarize yourself with a few different platforms. (03:20):
undefined
Jaayne: Like what? (03:24):
undefined
Jamie: Apple Podcasts Connect is a big one. (03:25):
undefined
Jaayne: Okay. And that tells you? (03:28):
undefined
Jamie: That gives you insights from people listening on Apple Podcasts. (03:29):
undefined
Jamie: Spotify for podcasters does the same thing, but for Spotify listeners. (03:32):
undefined
Jamie: And then there are other tools like PodTrack. (03:36):
undefined
Jaayne: Wait, rewind. What's PodTrack? (03:39):
undefined
Jamie: Good question. It's basically like billboard charts, but for podcasts. (03:41):
undefined
Jamie: So PodTrack looks at download numbers and ranks podcasts. (03:45):
undefined
Jaayne: So you can see if you're like top of the charts. (03:49):
undefined
Jamie: Exactly. Or maybe you just want to see how you rank against some of your competitors. (03:51):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah. So, yeah, different tools for different goals. (03:55):
undefined
Jaayne: This level of data is probably for people who are serious about growing their podcasts, right? (03:57):
undefined
Jamie: For sure. Or if you want to get into monetization. (04:02):
undefined
Jaayne: Makes sense. But what if someone's happy with their smaller, more niche audience? (04:05):
undefined
Jamie: Right. What about the people doing this just because they love it? Let's get into that. (04:09):
undefined
Jaayne: OK, so we've heard from the data will set you free camp. But what about the (04:13):
undefined
Jaayne: joys of keeping things simple? (04:18):
undefined
Jaayne: Is it really enough to just glance at your download numbers every so often? (04:21):
undefined
Jamie: You know, for some people, yeah. Not everyone's trying to be number one on the charts. Probably. (04:25):
undefined
Jamie: You might be making your podcast as a creative outlet or to connect with people. (04:29):
undefined
Jaayne: Yeah. Like it's more about the quality of your listeners than the quantity. (04:34):
undefined
Jamie: Exactly. And in that case, your hosting platform probably gives you all the (04:38):
undefined
Jamie: data you need. Just the basics exactly things like how many downloads you're (04:43):
undefined
Jamie: getting or how that changes over time and that can (04:47):
undefined
Jaayne: Feel like enough. (04:49):
undefined
Jamie: It can and this other article we have for you is (04:50):
undefined
Jamie: It really emphasizes how important it is to protect your time. (04:54):
undefined
Jaayne: Ooh, that's a good point. Especially if you're busy. Right. (04:57):
undefined
Jamie: They actually say you have very finite time on your hands. And they're right. (05:01):
undefined
Jamie: Because as fun as data can be, it does take time to make sense of it all. (05:05):
undefined
Jamie: And you could be using that time to make more episodes instead. (05:09):
undefined
Jaayne: Or just like live your life. (05:13):
undefined
Jamie: Exactly. So it's about finding that balance where data is working for you, (05:14):
undefined
Jamie: not the other way around. And honestly, even if you are keeping it simple. (05:18):
undefined
Jaayne: You can still learn a lot, right? (05:22):
undefined
Jamie: For sure. Sure. Like, are your download numbers going up over time? (05:23):
undefined
Jaayne: Or like, what types of episodes are people really vibing with? (05:26):
undefined
Jamie: Right, exactly. You can get a lot of clues just from looking at those basic trends. (05:29):
undefined
Jaayne: I love that. This has been such a helpful conversation. But I'm curious, (05:33):
undefined
Jaayne: how should our listener actually find that data balance for themselves? Where do we even start? (05:37):
undefined
Jamie: I always think it starts with your goals. (05:43):
undefined
Jaayne: Yeah. (05:45):
undefined
Jamie: What are you hoping to do with this podcast? (05:45):
undefined
Jaayne: Because if it's just a hobby. (05:47):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah. Or like a fun side project. (05:49):
undefined
Jaayne: You probably don't need a whole analytics team. (05:51):
undefined
Jamie: Exactly. So if you're just starting out, I'd say focus on the basics. (05:53):
undefined
Jamie: See what your hosting platform tells you about downloads and listeners. (05:58):
undefined
Jamie: And then if your goals change, you can get fancier later on, (06:02):
undefined
Jaayne: You know. But if you want the sponsorships and the big numbers. (06:05):
undefined
Jamie: You've got to go deep. You've got to understand your audience, (06:08):
undefined
Jamie: their demographics, all of it. (06:10):
undefined
Jaayne: It's all about having the data that's going to help you make decisions. Right. (06:12):
undefined
Jamie: You're using data to make your podcast the best it can be. (06:16):
undefined
Jamie: And remember, data can be really helpful. But at the end of the day, (06:20):
undefined
Jamie: the most important thing is your connection with your listeners. (06:24):
undefined
Jaayne: That's such a good point to end on. Don't get so lost in the numbers that you (06:27):
undefined
Jaayne: forget about the humans behind them. (06:31):
undefined
Jamie: Couldn't have said it better myself. (06:32):
undefined
Jaayne: Use those insights to make amazing content and connect with the people listening (06:34):
undefined
Jaayne: on the other side of the microphone. (06:38):
undefined
Jaayne: That's what it's all about. And on that note, my friends, we've reached the (06:39):
undefined
Jaayne: end of another deep dive. (06:43):
undefined
Jaayne: Until next time, happy podcasting. (06:45):
undefined
Music: Music (06:47):
undefined
undefined
Jaayne: rows of numbers staring back at you? (00:04):
undefined
Jaayne: Yeah, podcast data can feel a bit like that sometimes. (00:06):
undefined
Jamie: It can be overwhelming. (00:10):
undefined
Jaayne: Totally. And with Chartable recently changing its Apple podcast integration, (00:11):
undefined
Jaayne: it feels like a good time for a deep dive. (00:16):
undefined
Jamie: Lots of podcasters are talking about what metrics really matter. (00:18):
undefined
Jaayne: It's like everyone's questioning their entire analytics dashboard. (00:21):
undefined
Jaayne: So that's what we're diving into today. We've got two articles that tackle this whole data dilemma. (00:25):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah, they come at it from totally different angles. (00:29):
undefined
Jaayne: The first one digs into how important it is to really understand your audience, (00:31):
undefined
Jaayne: like really, really understand them and all their little listening habits. (00:37):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah, and not just why they listen to your podcast, but like what else is in their podcast app. (00:41):
undefined
Jaayne: What makes them tick, right? And this article is saying that is the intel that's (00:47):
undefined
Jaayne: going to help your show grow. (00:51):
undefined
Jamie: And not just grow, potentially bring in some money too. (00:52):
undefined
Jaayne: Oh, interesting. (00:56):
undefined
Jamie: Because if you can prove to sponsors that you get your audience, (00:57):
undefined
Jaayne: You know what they want. (01:00):
undefined
Jamie: Exactly. Then you're not just selling downloads anymore. You're selling influence. (01:02):
undefined
Jaayne: OK, yeah, I see what you're saying. But then we've got the other side of the (01:06):
undefined
Jaayne: coin, which is basically saying, hold your horses. Let's not go building a data empire here. (01:09):
undefined
Jamie: Right. This article is giving us the case for why all those detailed analytics could be overkill. (01:14):
undefined
Jaayne: Especially if you're just starting out or if you're doing this whole podcasting (01:20):
undefined
Jaayne: thing for the love of it, not for the sponsorships. (01:24):
undefined
Jamie: They're saying that agonizing over all that data just sucks up all your time. (01:26):
undefined
Jamie: Time that could be better spent, you know, actually making good content. (01:31):
undefined
Jaayne: Yeah, and actually enjoying the process, right? Because nobody wants to need (01:34):
undefined
Jaayne: a degree in data science just to share their passion with the world. (01:38):
undefined
Jaayne: So where do we go from here? (01:41):
undefined
Jamie: Well, how do you figure out where you land in all of this? Let's unpack why (01:43):
undefined
Jamie: each of these approaches make sense. (01:47):
undefined
Jamie: Then we can give you the tools to decide what level of tracking makes sense (01:49):
undefined
Jamie: for your podcasting goals. (01:53):
undefined
Jaayne: That sounds good to me. Let's do this. Okay, so let's say you're on board with (01:54):
undefined
Jaayne: this whole data savvy podcaster thing. (01:58):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah, you're ready to get granular. (02:01):
undefined
Jaayne: Totally. Totally. (02:02):
undefined
Jaayne: What are the arguments for getting into all that data? (02:03):
undefined
Jamie: So this first article uses this phrase, listener consumption and drop off. (02:07):
undefined
Jamie: And it's interesting. Imagine like actually being able to see where people stop (02:11):
undefined
Jamie: listening to your episodes. (02:16):
undefined
Jaayne: Oh, that's super useful, though. Yeah. (02:18):
undefined
Jamie: Imagine seeing if there was a certain point where people consistently lose interest. (02:20):
undefined
Jaayne: That's actionable right there. (02:25):
undefined
Jamie: Right. And it's not just about seeing what's not working. You can see what is (02:26):
undefined
Jamie: working, too. Like maybe there's a spike in engagement every time you include (02:29):
undefined
Jamie: a certain segment. So good. (02:33):
undefined
Jamie: It's about understanding what your audience likes and giving them more of it. (02:35):
undefined
Jaayne: Like finding little hidden clues. This reminds me, the article also talked about (02:38):
undefined
Jaayne: attracting sponsors and how knowing all this granular data about your audience. (02:42):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah, how that plays into it. Totally. Because think about it. (02:46):
undefined
Jamie: The more data you have, the clearer the picture of your audience. (02:49):
undefined
Jamie: Yes. So you're basically handing (02:52):
undefined
Jamie: potential sponsors this detailed map of everything about your listeners. (02:54):
undefined
Jamie: Imagine being able to say, hey, 60% of my listeners listen to podcasts on their (03:00):
undefined
Jamie: commute and 75% of them have told us they're interested in sustainability. (03:05):
undefined
Jaayne: You're not just selling them an audience. You're selling them a market at that (03:10):
undefined
Jaayne: point. I can see why sponsors would be into that. (03:13):
undefined
Jaayne: But how do we even get our hands on all this data? We've got to bring it back (03:15):
undefined
Jaayne: down to earth for a second. (03:18):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah, for sure. Sure. So you have to familiarize yourself with a few different platforms. (03:20):
undefined
Jaayne: Like what? (03:24):
undefined
Jamie: Apple Podcasts Connect is a big one. (03:25):
undefined
Jaayne: Okay. And that tells you? (03:28):
undefined
Jamie: That gives you insights from people listening on Apple Podcasts. (03:29):
undefined
Jamie: Spotify for podcasters does the same thing, but for Spotify listeners. (03:32):
undefined
Jamie: And then there are other tools like PodTrack. (03:36):
undefined
Jaayne: Wait, rewind. What's PodTrack? (03:39):
undefined
Jamie: Good question. It's basically like billboard charts, but for podcasts. (03:41):
undefined
Jamie: So PodTrack looks at download numbers and ranks podcasts. (03:45):
undefined
Jaayne: So you can see if you're like top of the charts. (03:49):
undefined
Jamie: Exactly. Or maybe you just want to see how you rank against some of your competitors. (03:51):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah. So, yeah, different tools for different goals. (03:55):
undefined
Jaayne: This level of data is probably for people who are serious about growing their podcasts, right? (03:57):
undefined
Jamie: For sure. Or if you want to get into monetization. (04:02):
undefined
Jaayne: Makes sense. But what if someone's happy with their smaller, more niche audience? (04:05):
undefined
Jamie: Right. What about the people doing this just because they love it? Let's get into that. (04:09):
undefined
Jaayne: OK, so we've heard from the data will set you free camp. But what about the (04:13):
undefined
Jaayne: joys of keeping things simple? (04:18):
undefined
Jaayne: Is it really enough to just glance at your download numbers every so often? (04:21):
undefined
Jamie: You know, for some people, yeah. Not everyone's trying to be number one on the charts. Probably. (04:25):
undefined
Jamie: You might be making your podcast as a creative outlet or to connect with people. (04:29):
undefined
Jaayne: Yeah. Like it's more about the quality of your listeners than the quantity. (04:34):
undefined
Jamie: Exactly. And in that case, your hosting platform probably gives you all the (04:38):
undefined
Jamie: data you need. Just the basics exactly things like how many downloads you're (04:43):
undefined
Jamie: getting or how that changes over time and that can (04:47):
undefined
Jaayne: Feel like enough. (04:49):
undefined
Jamie: It can and this other article we have for you is (04:50):
undefined
Jamie: It really emphasizes how important it is to protect your time. (04:54):
undefined
Jaayne: Ooh, that's a good point. Especially if you're busy. Right. (04:57):
undefined
Jamie: They actually say you have very finite time on your hands. And they're right. (05:01):
undefined
Jamie: Because as fun as data can be, it does take time to make sense of it all. (05:05):
undefined
Jamie: And you could be using that time to make more episodes instead. (05:09):
undefined
Jaayne: Or just like live your life. (05:13):
undefined
Jamie: Exactly. So it's about finding that balance where data is working for you, (05:14):
undefined
Jamie: not the other way around. And honestly, even if you are keeping it simple. (05:18):
undefined
Jaayne: You can still learn a lot, right? (05:22):
undefined
Jamie: For sure. Sure. Like, are your download numbers going up over time? (05:23):
undefined
Jaayne: Or like, what types of episodes are people really vibing with? (05:26):
undefined
Jamie: Right, exactly. You can get a lot of clues just from looking at those basic trends. (05:29):
undefined
Jaayne: I love that. This has been such a helpful conversation. But I'm curious, (05:33):
undefined
Jaayne: how should our listener actually find that data balance for themselves? Where do we even start? (05:37):
undefined
Jamie: I always think it starts with your goals. (05:43):
undefined
Jaayne: Yeah. (05:45):
undefined
Jamie: What are you hoping to do with this podcast? (05:45):
undefined
Jaayne: Because if it's just a hobby. (05:47):
undefined
Jamie: Yeah. Or like a fun side project. (05:49):
undefined
Jaayne: You probably don't need a whole analytics team. (05:51):
undefined
Jamie: Exactly. So if you're just starting out, I'd say focus on the basics. (05:53):
undefined
Jamie: See what your hosting platform tells you about downloads and listeners. (05:58):
undefined
Jamie: And then if your goals change, you can get fancier later on, (06:02):
undefined
Jaayne: You know. But if you want the sponsorships and the big numbers. (06:05):
undefined
Jamie: You've got to go deep. You've got to understand your audience, (06:08):
undefined
Jamie: their demographics, all of it. (06:10):
undefined
Jaayne: It's all about having the data that's going to help you make decisions. Right. (06:12):
undefined
Jamie: You're using data to make your podcast the best it can be. (06:16):
undefined
Jamie: And remember, data can be really helpful. But at the end of the day, (06:20):
undefined
Jamie: the most important thing is your connection with your listeners. (06:24):
undefined
Jaayne: That's such a good point to end on. Don't get so lost in the numbers that you (06:27):
undefined
Jaayne: forget about the humans behind them. (06:31):
undefined
Jamie: Couldn't have said it better myself. (06:32):
undefined
Jaayne: Use those insights to make amazing content and connect with the people listening (06:34):
undefined
Jaayne: on the other side of the microphone. (06:38):
undefined
Jaayne: That's what it's all about. And on that note, my friends, we've reached the (06:39):
undefined
Jaayne: end of another deep dive. (06:43):
undefined
Jaayne: Until next time, happy podcasting. (06:45):
undefined
Music: Music (06:47):
undefined
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