Podcast Analytics Deep Dive with Shirley Wang

Timestamps

1:31 What are the podcast metrics Shirley pays the most attention to
4:04 Social media metrics and using social media for creator and guest selection
15:12 Shirley’s podcast data collection, cleaning, and wrangling process
17:33 On the importance of staying up to date with industry benchmarks and creating your own benchmarks
20:55 Common mistakes and misconceptions around podcast data
24:55 On the impact of features on download numbers over time
30:47 On turning listeners into newsletter subscribers and using newsletters as an acquisition channel
34:33 Prioritizing the right channels
35:10 Cross-promotions: not such a great channel after all?
35:45 Pod People’s brand building and engagement boosting methodology

Key ideas:

Podcast Metrics Shirley pays the most attention to

• Building awareness and discoverability: downloads, unique listeners, chart rankings, and editorial submissions.
• Monitoring and increasing engagement: consumption rate, engaged listeners, and followers.
• Importance of tracking metrics against industry benchmarks and own show growth across seasons.

Social media metrics and using social media for creator and guest selection

• Social Media offers complimentary analytics for podcasting platforms.
• Importance of engagement rates for creator and guest selection.
• Shirley uses Grin, an influencer management tool, for tracking social media engagement.
• The sweet spot for engagement: creators with 10,000-50,000 followers.
• There’s a high correlation between creator engagement rates and podcast downloads.
• Engagement benchmarks: TikTok (18%), and Instagram (3%).

Pain Points in Podcast Analytics

• Lack of comprehensive analytics for decision-making and strategy.
• Challenges in aggregating and visualizing data for reporting and analysis.
• Difficulty in tracking the impact of specific marketing tactics, such as editorial submissions.

Shirley’s podcast data collection, cleaning, and wrangling process

• She uses various tools and platforms, including Megaphone, Apple, Spotify, and social media.
• No single source of truth but a composite picture from different dashboards.
• She cleans and wrangles the data with Excel formulas.
• Tracks podcast downloads and YouTube listens differently due to platform differences.
• Supplements data with surveys, pixels, and other sources when necessary.
• She doesn’t use visualization solutions like Looker or Tableau but gets reports directly from platforms.

On the importance of staying up to date with industry benchmarks and creating your own benchmarks

• Shirley keeps up with benchmarking reports from sources like Buzzsprout.
• Pod People works with 100+ shows, using aggregate data from different networks, clients, and industries.
• They set realistic benchmarks for different types of shows and seasons.
• They adapt strategies for different show formats (e.g., fiction, docu-style, interview chat shows).
• They use data and knowledge from platforms to inform future strategies.

Common mistakes and misconceptions around podcast data

• Not setting up data capturing infrastructure (e.g., a prefix for historical data).
• Clients are often unaware of platforms’ analytics tools, such as Spotify for podcasters and Apple Podcasts Connect.
• Using vanity metrics (downloads) instead of true engagement metrics, such as the completion rate and follower/listener ratio.
• Downloads can be easily manipulated (e.g., through bots and paid ads).
• The focus should be on audience resonance, community building, and actual traction.

Full show notes available here

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