The popular metric that just isn’t that valuable.
If you’re looking to launch a branded podcast, you probably expect unique downloads to be the most important metric when it comes to your show’s success.
We’re going to get straight to the point here and say that, while this assumption is very common, it simply isn’t correct.
Don’t get us wrong. Your number of unique downloads (or listens) isn’t a totally invaluable figure…
But it’s really not the benchmark most folks think it is.
When it comes to the KPIs you can use to measure your podcast’s performance, this widely celebrated metric should be back of mind, not top of list.
In this post, we explain why we think this — and offer some far superior metrics to help you gauge your show’s success.
They don’t account for listener drop-off
Yes, we’re always striving to grow the audience of the shows we produce, and downloads are an important part of that.
That said, we’re not just looking for clicks here. We want invested listeners that hang around for most — if not all — of each episode.
A great podcast doesn’t just attract audiences. It actually holds their attention.
When it comes to popular podcast distributors like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, a listen or download indicates only that a user has started an episode or added it to their device.
It doesn’t tell you whether that person devoured your content — or dropped off within the first two minutes of your show.
And, since this is a content marketing tool focused on building lasting consumer-brand relationships, a few seconds of an audience member’s time isn’t anything to brag about.
In fact, it can be an indicator that you’re doing something wrong, not right.
So, where should you look instead? To your listen-through rate, of course.
Also called an LTR, your listen-through rate indicates not whether a listener showed interest in your series, but how much of it they actually consumed.
An exceptional podcast will hold folks’ attention until the final moments of each episode – and you should really be gunning for an LTR upwards of 90%.
Perhaps this sounds impossible?
Good news! It’s not. And we’ve got the stats to back it up.
A series with expert production, great storytelling, and a strong sense of what its audience wants can knock this target right out of the park.
In fact, podcasts produced by JAR are currently seeing an average LTR of about 95%. This is no small feat when looking at episodes up to 30 minutes in length.
They don’t count for engagement
So, here’s what we’ve got so far…
Your number of unique downloads tells you whether folks are interested in listening to your podcast. Your LTR, on the other hand, tells you how long they choose to listen.
While both of these numbers can be helpful, neither paints a complete picture when it comes to your audience’s overall engagement
Great content marketing should build reciprocal relationships.
An exceptional branded podcast doesn’t have a passive audience. It fosters an active community built around shared interests and values.
If you’d like to gauge whether folks are truly engaging with your series, you will want to look to data surrounding social media, audience reviews, and online performance.
These include KPIs like word of mouth, brand sentiment, and even your number of newsletter subscribers.
If you’d like to learn more about these metrics, and how to measure and prioritize them for your series, you’ll want to get your hands on our free guide to podcast ROI.
They put quantity over quality
At the end of the day, when you focus on unique downloads, you’re prioritizing quantity — or worse, perceived quantity — over quality.
It should be pretty clear that with this kind of content marketing, this really isn’t the best approach.
The branded podcast is not a pay-per-click medium, and a download or 30-second listen means next to nothing when it comes to the effectiveness of your show.
You don’t create a branded podcast to attract the widest audience possible — or the bragging rights to match.
You create this kind of content to find the right audience (and community) for your brand.
Yes, several million downloads sound great when it comes to demonstrating ROI to more discerning — or old-fashioned — members of your team, but beware…
This metric can have a smoke-and-mirrors impact that detracts from what you’re meant to be doing.
We have to remember the end goal here. This is, at the end of the day, a strategic, brand-tailored marketing effort.
What we really want is an invested, loyal, brand aware, value aligned, and substantially engaged audience — not the world’s most popular podcast.
This is an opportunity to paint your brand in whatever light you think best suits it, and to leverage more meaningful relationships in an increasingly competitive market.
You are looking for the folks who will feel connected with, and loyal to your brand.
These are the listeners most likely to convert to long-term customers and supporters of your business.
These are connections far more meaningful than the click of a button — and they deserve metrics and measures that reflect that.
Don’t forget to check out our Ultimate Guide to Podcast ROI to learn everything you need to know to accurately gauge the success of your branded podcast.
