Downloads are a lie: Focus on the podcast metrics that actually matter

Marketers are obsessed with numbers. But when it comes to podcasts, are you obsessed with the right ones?

Dan Misener has spent his career helping brands make podcasts that audiences actually want, and today, he’s got some advice for your branded podcast, whether it’s well established or still a twinkle in your eye.

Meet the Master

Dan Misener

Co-founder, Bumper

Lesson 1: Your podcast isn’t dying, but your metrics might be.

It’s been a while since I worked on any podcasts, but at the time, we were almost always looking at download numbers. Was it enough to justify doing the podcast? Was it enough to get sponsorships?

Times have changed, says Misener.

“Downloads are a byproduct of some kinds of podcast consumption,” but that kind of podcast consumption just isn’t as common anymore, he says. (It’s true — I’ve watched more than a few episodes of Good Hang on YouTube.) “So much more podcast consumption is happening on platforms where downloads just aren't a thing.”

“If you only pay attention to the download figure,” Misener tells me, “you might trick yourself into thinking [that] your audience is declining, when in fact, your audience may be growing — just growing on platforms where downloads aren't a thing.”

If you worked in podcasts in late 2023 and into 2024, you might recall a certain iOS update that changed the way automatic downloads worked in Apple Podcasts. Some podcast networks reported plunges of 50% or more in download numbers.

But just because your downloads were cut in half doesn’t mean your audience was, too.

So what metrics should we be looking at? Check today’s Lingering Questions for the details.

Lesson 2: The best branded podcasts feel like gifts.

“Do you watch Bridgerton?” Misener asks me. I don’t — turns out I like my romance on the ice — but his point isn’t exactly about TV.

“I think of Netflix as a brand. I think of Shondaland as a brand. I think of Bridgerton as a brand,” Misener explains. And Bridgerton, of course, has an official companion podcast.

“If I want to understand the details behind the streaming series that I know and love, I can get that straight from Netflix and Shondaland in a way that fan casts can't offer it to me.”

Your brand may not boast the likes of Jonathan Bailey or Nicola Coughlan, but there’s still something you can offer that no other brand can — and that’s the gift you should be offering your listeners. (Note to Crave Canada: Please gift us with an official podcast for season two of Heated Rivalry.)

Lesson 3: Audiences vote with their play buttons.

“For every person who bothers to type words into a box, there‘s someone else who didn’t, who just left and didn‘t say anything, who abandoned an episode midway through and didn’t leave a note on their way out,” Misener says.

But disappearing quietly isn’t the only thing audiences do.

“There are also people who made it all the way through to the end and then recommended the show to a friend or put it in a playlist to save later so they could listen for a second time.”

“Audiences vote with their play buttons,” Misener says. And when producers and podcasters pay attention to what the audience is telling them, they can make better shows that better meet the needs of those audiences.

The secret to making a better podcast isn’t being data-driven — it’s being data-informed.

Lingering Questions

This Week’s Question

“As podcasting evolves, discovery still feels like one of the biggest challenges. But the game has definitely changed with more podcasters using short-form clips, video, and cross-platform repurposing to get found. So I'm curious, what do you think is the most underutilized strategy right now for helping podcasters actually break through, especially in such a saturated space?” —Imelda Burgan, Content strategist, MrBeast

This Week’s Answer

Misener says: “The most underutilized strategy? A truly data-informed approach to growth. Surprisingly few podcasters have this, and they often leave actionable insights on the table.

For example, each of the big three podcast apps (YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts) offer creators a wealth of performance data, all based on real audience behavior. This data is shockingly underused.

How many impressions did my last episode get on Spotify, and how many of those impressions turned into a play? Spotify for Creators reports on this, and can help creators dial in their episode titles and artwork.

How many people who started an episode were still there after 30 seconds? Apple Podcasts Connect reports on audience retention and churn, and can help podcasters understand what resonates best.

How many of my listeners last month were brand new vs. returning? The Bumper Dashboard knows, and can help diagnose growth challenges.

The most successful podcasters I know use all the data available to inform their editorial and marketing decisions, and they pay close attention when audiences vote with their play buttons.”

Next Week’s Lingering Question

Misener asks: “Podcasts and email share a wonderful privilege: they arrive in places I check habitually. My email app and podcast app are two of the first things I look at every day. I‘m choosy about what I allow to appear in each. I’m also fickle, and ruthlessly cull my inbox and podcast queue.

Once someone has allowed a newsletter into their inbox, what are the most effective ways to continue to earn a place in that privileged spot?”