📈The Podcast Data That Matters
Not all data matters for all purposes
We continue on with Data Month by asking the question: what podcast data actually matters? How does one measure success? What are the numbers you should be showing prospective sponsors or partnerships?
In typical Tink fashion, we’re here to give you the nitty gritty . . . and also give you some advice about what data matters in terms of your heart and soul. Yes, even data has an impact on your heart and soul! I’m sorry! We have feelings here at Tink!
If you only have time for one thing:
Track your Day 1 episode listens, your Day 30 episode listens, and your monthly full feed listens.
🦕*Not all data matters for all occasions
To figure out what podcast data actually matters, you have to identify the data’s purpose. Data being shown to sponsors will not resonate the same way with your cast and crew, or with co-marketing partners. Some data will matter for everyone, sure – but first, identify your audience.
Here’s some questions you might not think to ask yourself:
Are they inside or outside of the industry? Sponsors and partners who aren’t actively involved in podcasting have completely different interpretations of data than people who work with that data every day – and sometimes, it’s less about the data than on spin.
What does success look like to them? Sometimes, the best way to figure out what data matters is just to ask, especially for people within the industry.
What data makes you proud? One thing we’ve always known in audio is that passion matters, and it comes through. If something warms your heart and you let that show, it’s always going to matter.
👯For podcast friends
Data for your podcast friends – co-marketing partners (with whom you can and should form real friendships!) – mostly revolves around listens over time. When trading promo swaps, for instance, most trades will try to get the same amount of listens in about the same amount of time. If there’s a big size disparity between the two podcasts, you can play around with how long each feed keeps the promo up, or how many episodes have the promo on them.
Example: Podcast A gets 5000 listens on one episode in the first 30 days. Podcast B gets 5000 listens across their entire feed in 30 days. Podcast A can put the promo on one episode for 30 days, and Podcast B can put the promo on all of their episodes for 30 days.
Data to track:
Average listens for an episode on day 1
Average listens for the entire feed daily
Average listens for an episode in the first 30 days
Average listens for the entire feed monthly
For prospective sponsors (outside the industry)
If you’re looking to acquire sponsors who are not within the podcast industry (e.g. an indie candle company), you should focus on the data that looks exciting and makes you feel excited. Here’s the thing: people who don’t work in podcasting don’t know what an impressive number of listens is. Do not lie about your data. Instead, focus on what data you can display with a sense of enthusiasm.
Data to track:
Listens over the entire feed since the podcast’s start
Awards nominated for and won
Number of reviews and average star rating across Apple, Podchaser, etc.
For prospective sponsors (inside the industry)
If you’re looking to acquire sponsors who are within the podcast industry (e.g. a hosting platform), ask them what data they want. These are folks who are working with data every day. Don’t worry about spin on your numbers – but it would be wise to focus on how to convey your enthusiasm for their product. Don’t use your storytelling chops on the numbers; use it to prepare exactly how you’ll tell your listeners why you love this product and how you use it in your work.
Data to track:
Whatever they want
Not data, but: how much you love the product
For yourself and your team
For about a year, I ran a podcast-specific advice column (want us to host something like this? Please leave a comment – if there’s demand, I will ABSOLUTELY do it again) and just about every month, I’d receive the same question. It went something like this:
When I first started my show, I thought getting to X number of listens would make me feel successful. Now, I’ve hit that number, and I don’t feel successful. Will I feel successful when I hit Y listens? Why isn’t X listens working?
Tying your feelings to quantitative data in a growth-at-all-costs type of economy that infiltrates our brains and hearts every day is folly. You will never feel successful if you tie success to a number. Using data to manage your feelings is a trap.
Instead, find measures of success that are qualitative. Don’t look at numbers of reviews; look at the actual content of the kindest reviews you receive. Screenshot them and put them in a document you can refer back to if you’re feeling unsuccessful or unfulfilled. The things that have made me feel successful in my work are things like shitposts on Tumblr. Your heart does not understand numbers; your heart understands others’ hearts.
✨ More Magic
The CBC is accepting pitches for some of their ongoing podcasts! If you have a story to tell that you think would be a great fit for the illustrious CBC, you can see the podcasts with pitch openings and submit your pitch with this Google form!
We LOVED this edition of Podcast Bestie on podcast cover art and promo assets – and we appreciate the shoutout so much! Are you subscribed yet? Go subscribe!
PODCAST SUBSCRIPTION BOX!!! Curated by our own AMAZING Lauren Passell, this box is a love letter to podcasts. These boxes have podcast merch from some of the best of the best in podcasting, fun surprises like trading cards, and so much love from Tink. Check it out now – we’re so excited it’s here!
🎧 From the Desk of Tink
New this week, I Feel That Way Too is a beautiful, tender, honest exploration of the stickiest, trickiest questions in life: the first two episodes are titled “Am I A Good Daughter?” and “Was I His Love Or Fetish?” What makes this podcast especially vital is that it comes from a queer, Korean perspective, adding new layers of nuance to conversations about individualism versus collectivism in families and how sexualization specifically impacts East Asian women. It’s a podcast anyone can find new meaning in – especially if you’re the kind of person who lies awake at night, asking yourself all the questions you don’t know how to ask anyone else.
Also, can we take a moment to appreciate their cool-as-hell cover art? Gorgeous stunning amazing the colors the textures the fonts mwah mwah mwah 🤌🏻
Later gator! Next week, it’s me back at it again with some more podcast marketing magic. ✨
— Wil 🦇
How interesting! On several occasions, I’ve found myself explaining statistics to people outside the industry and asking them to be a bit more patient and come back to the data 30 days later.