The first question I get asked by almost every single podcaster is always the same.
I’ll be asking about them, their show, and the goals around it when they’ll blurt out the number of downloads their show gets — often out of nowhere — and ask the question all podcasters desperately want to know.
“Is that good?”
Despite living and breathing podcasting and working one on one with dozens of top podcasters in the Health and Wellness niche, I never quite know how to respond to this question.
Twenty thousand downloads a month is a number many indie podcasters can barely dream of achieving, and yet for some of our clients, that number would suggest something was off with their content or promotion that month.
Likewise, a thousand downloads a month to some podcasters might not justify the time, effort, and expense of producing the show, and yet I’ve seen podcasters who create very lucrative shows by creating the right content for the right thousand people.
There are no absolute “good” download numbers.
Good or bad stats can only be measured relatively, to the past performance of your own show, or perhaps against others in your niche, although comparisons can get murky unless you have some kind of insider knowledge of the inner workings of those shows.
This means that before assessing whether your own download stats are “good” or “bad” you need to establish baselines.
The longer the timeframe and the more data you have the better, but you can choose to set your baselines at the single episode, weekly, monthly or even annual level against which to compare.
Only once you’ve set the baseline performance of your show can you start to make judgments that have any real weight about whether your download numbers are good or bad in subsequent measurement periods.
But “good” or “bad” alone isn’t really worth knowing, is it?
Your first question when comparing measurement periods should always be “why?”
Whether your downloads are up or down, do everything you can to get to the bottom of the change.
If your numbers are up, by finding the potential cause you can do more of whatever it was and hopefully continue to grow your downloads.
If numbers are down, you can avoid topics or marketing strategies that clearly were having an adverse effect on engaging your audience.
Remember that podcasting and marketing as a whole is done best when following an approach that resembles the scientific method.
You gather your baseline data, make a prediction about the effect of tweaking one single variable in your process, carry out the experiment, and measure the result, and then assess your findings.
By continually taking this approach, you’ll be able to systematically work through the various inputs you have at your disposal and find what works best when it comes to creating a show that resonates with the people you’re seeking to serve.
But to start, you need that baseline.
Every Sunday I send out an exclusive article on how to use podcasting to build an audience and grow your business.
No opt-in, no checklist no bribe. But hopefully a new perspective, encouragement, and maybe even some occasional wisdom. It’s something I’m proud to create and I’d be honoured to share it with you.
Jeremy travels full-time, loves long-distance cycle touring, and will always look back on the day he finally saved up enough money to buy the Millennium Falcon Lego set as one of his proudest achievements. He believes that the way to grow sustainable businesses is by leading with heart, vulnerability, and helping your people be and become their best selves.
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