3 minute read - Just enough time to check your listener stats, again.

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There’s a quiet revolution happening in the podcasting industry.

It’s all about how we measure success.

For ages, success has been boiled down to one thing:

Download numbers.

Y’know I get a bit obsessive checking our show’s listener count.
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That little buzz when the figures go up.

That sense that something’s, well… happening with your show.

It is brilliant.

But, it’s just a number.

Download and listen numbers* doesn’t tell you if anyone actually stayed, paid attention, or did anything after they listened.

And that does really matter in the world of podcasting.

Because podcasting’s proper strength is connection.

I reckon one properly connected listener will always beat fifty passive ones.

So it’s not just how many people you reach,
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​it’s how it lands with the people who do listen.

And because of that, the way we think about ‘growth’ is shifting.

It’s becoming less about how many people pressed play,
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and more about what happened after they did.

Did They Stay? (Retention and Attention)

One of the first things worth looking at is whether people actually stick around.

This kind of success look like:

• People listening past the intro, not dropping off after 30 seconds
• Listeners finishing episodes (or most of them)

This is where things like listen time and episode completion rates come in.

They give you a much better sense of how much attention your podcast is really holding.
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And attention in podcasting is dead important.

Did it Spark Anything? (Engagement)

Then there’s what happens after they listen.

Stuff like:

• Someone getting in touch to say, “That episode really struck a chord with me”
• A comment or DM sharing a takeaway
• A new person signing up to your newsletter because of your podcast
• Someone mentioning your podcast in a meeting or a conversation
• A listener doing something because of what they heard, like changing their thinking, taking action, getting involved
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None of that shows up in a downloads graph.

But all of it tells you that your podcast is doing something meaningful.

Let's Not Forget

There’s one more important bit here, and it’s easy to miss.

If you’re not inviting engagement, you’re unlikely to see much of it.

People don’t always know what to do next unless you tell them.

So that might look like:

• Asking a question at the end of an episode
• Inviting people to reply to your newsletter
• Pointing them towards a mailing list, a conversation, a next step

You’re not being a Miss Pushy Pants.

It’s how you turn listening into connection.

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So yes, keep an eye on your downloads. They’re not useless. (I won't stop looking!)

But don’t ignore the other bits, like the replies, comments, sign-ups, conversations, the people who stick around.

They’re often the ones that tell you you’re on the right track.

So maybe the better question to ask yourself isn’t,

“How many people pressed play?”

It’s,

“Did the people who pressed play actually stay, and did I give them somewhere to go next?”

That’s the wee shift right there - retention and engagement over vanity metrics.

I’d love to hear from you,​
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​What’s one sign that tells you your podcast is actually working?

Hit reply and tell me, I might even include some in a future mail out!

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​*Quick geeky note on wording: you’ll see ‘downloads’ and ‘listens’ used across podcast dashboards. Different hosts and platforms measure them in slightly different ways, but they’re showing the same thing - a basic indicator that an episode was “accessed”. What none of them really show is attention, engagement, or impact.

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Cool Things For You

Where to spot retention and engagement stats

Did you know that Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Podcasters have some well interesting stats about your podcast? Stats that you might not find on your host.

Things like how long people are listening for, whether they’re finishing episodes, and where they tend to drop off.

It’s worth saying though, these stats are platform-specific.

Apple stats are just for Apple listeners, and Spotify stats are just for Spotify listeners.

That’s why you don’t usually see this level of detail inside your podcast hosting dashboard.

Your host is great for top-line numbers across platforms, but if you want to understand how people are listening (not just that they are) you have to delve a bit deeper into the individual platforms themselves.

Having a nosey at this can help you spot where your episodes might need a bit of tweaking.

For e.g. if...

• Listeners are dropping off a minute or two in, your intro might need a rework
• There’s a dip halfway through, it could be where things go off-topic
• Most people make it right to the end, that’s a good sign you’re holding attention

These stats help you identify specific points where listeners drop off, so you’re not guessing what to change, you’re making small, informed tweaks.

All of this helps you improve retention for the listeners you already have, and gives you a much better chance of attracting more listeners who actually stick around.

Cool Things For You - Pt2

Indie podcaster? Don’t go it alone.

There’s nowt else quite like MIC’s Podcast Club, our monthly meetup for indie podcasters from all over the world.

Whether you’re smashing it, hit a sticky patch, or still finding your feet, Podcast Club is a space to:

• Solve problems
• Ask literally anything (nothing is a silly question)
• Connect with other podcasters
• Feel less alone while you’re doing it

We’re dead proud of this honest, supportive space where brand new, returning and long-time podcasters come to figure it all out… together.

This month is our 84th Podcast Club (wild), and we’re back on 11th February at 6pm UK time, on Zoom.

It’s totally free.

If that sounds like your cup of tea, you can RSVP here:
👉 www.meetup.com/micpod​

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That’s it for this week’s newsletter.

This week was all about looking beyond the listener numbers and paying attention to whether people are staying, engaging, and doing something as a result of listening.

Next Tuesday, I’m shifting the focus fully onto your listener - the most important person involved in your podcast.

I’ll see you then.
Vx