Podcast Download Numbers: What’s a Good Gauge for My Podcast?

08/31/20 • 8 min

1 Listener

Podcasting Advice

Summary: Podcast Download Numbers

Podcasting is long form content. Don't compare podcast download numbers with things like YouTube plays, or social media follower counts.
Potential audience sizes are totally dependant on show topics. There's no one single podcast download numbers gauge here.
However, statistically, if you get over 136 downloads for a new episode in the first month of its release, you're doing pretty well.
Read on to find out more...

Download numbers are one of the most obvious metrics for measuring the success of your podcast.

Download stats are immediately accessible to you, from the minute you launch your first episode. Watching the numbers climb can be rewarding. Some might even say addictive.

But after the initial novelty has worn off, it's natural for podcasters to begin asking the question, “are my download numbers good?”.

So, are your podcast download numbers “good”? Let's take a look.

How Many Podcast Downloads Should I Be Getting?

In a world of YouTube views and Twitter followers, we've become accustomed to figures in the hundreds of thousands, and even millions.

It's important to realise though, these numbers are completely irrelevant to podcasting. The time and effort it takes for someone to click ‘Follow' on Twitter, or watch a few seconds of a Youtube video, should never be compared to podcast listening.

Podcast listening is a commitment, and an investment. It's long form content that isn't immediately accessible via shiny sidebars and viral social media clickbait.

So comparing your downloads to someone else's Instagram followers is like comparing the number of rooms in your house, to the number of trees in the Amazon. It's completely irrelevant and utterly pointless.

Does it (as usual) Just Depend?

Of course it does.

Could a podcast about breeding Russian white dwarf hamsters realistically expect to see the same downloads as a podcast about Game of Thrones? Absolutely not.

Does this mean that the podcast with more downloads is the more successful one? Again, absolutely not.

If you ran a podcast about a topic that was only interesting to literally 10 people in the world, and you were getting 7 downloads an episode, statistically, you'd be running the most popular show in history.

It's the size of your potential audience that's the big factor. Here are a couple of things to consider.

Firstly, how many folks out there are interested enough in your topic to actually want to consume content about it?

Secondly, how many of those people are current podcast listeners?

Thinking along these lines will help bring you closer to seeing what those cold hard download stats tell you. They can help you set realistic goals, that don't involve drawing comparisons with viral videos and celebrity social media accounts.

Audience Quality & Engagement

An audience might seem “small” in a numerical sense. But with long-form content like podcasting, it's often shows with smaller, but more niche hyper-targeted shows that are considered the more successful.

I've given this example before. If you ran a podcast about the technology needed to fly people to Mars, and your only listener was Elon Musk, would you consider this a successful show?

Granted, it's a far-fetched example. But it's always more about exactly who is listening, than how many of them there are.

And, it's about the engagement. This isn't something that can be achieved overnight. But, if you're creating good content, over time, you'll begin to hear from your listeners.

This could be because you've asked them a question, or recommended they check something out. It could be purely because you've talked about a subject that resonated with them so much, that they felt compelled to reach out.

Measuring engagement requires a little more digging than simply staring at your download stats dashboard. But often, they can tell you a lot more about the impact your show is having.

If your podcast host provides this data, take a look at the geography of your podcast downloads. Are you suddenly getting a burst of downloads in a particular region or country? Check the news and find out what's happening there.

For more on this, check out our guide to encouraging audience engagement, and 8 ways to measure your podcast engagement.

I Still Want a Gauge

One of the easiest ways to get a snapshot of podcast download ...

Summary: Podcast Download Numbers

Podcasting is long form content. Don't compare podcast download numbers with things like YouTube plays, or social media follower counts.
Potential audience sizes are totally dependant on show topics. There's no one single podcast download numbers gauge here.
However, statistically, if you get over 136 downloads for a new episode in the first month of its release, you're doing pretty well.
Read on to find out more...

Download numbers are one of the most obvious metrics for measuring the success of your podcast.

Download stats are immediately accessible to you, from the minute you launch your first episode. Watching the numbers climb can be rewarding. Some might even say addictive.

But after the initial novelty has worn off, it's natural for podcasters to begin asking the question, “are my download numbers good?”.

So, are your podcast download numbers “good”? Let's take a look.

How Many Podcast Downloads Should I Be Getting?

In a world of YouTube views and Twitter followers, we've become accustomed to figures in the hundreds of thousands, and even millions.

Podcast listening is a commitment, and an investment. It's long form content that isn't immediately accessible via shiny sidebars and viral social media clickbait.

Does it (as usual) Just Depend?

Of course it does.

Could a podcast about breeding Russian white dwarf hamsters realistically expect to see the same downloads as a podcast about Game of Thrones? Absolutely not.

Does this mean that the podcast with more downloads is the more successful one? Again, absolutely not.

It's the size of your potential audience that's the big factor. Here are a couple of things to consider.

Firstly, how many folks out there are interested enough in your topic to actually want to consume content about it?

Secondly, how many of those people are current podcast listeners?

Audience Quality & Engagement

I've given this example before. If you ran a podcast about the technology needed to fly people to Mars, and your only listener was Elon Musk, would you consider this a successful show?

Granted, it's a far-fetched example. But it's always more about exactly who is listening, than how many of them there are.

And, it's about the engagement. This isn't something that can be achieved overnight. But, if you're creating good content, over time, you'll begin to hear from your listeners.

Measuring engagement requires a little more digging than simply staring at your download stats dashboard. But often, they can tell you a lot more about the impact your show is having.

For more on this, check out our guide to encouraging audience engagement, and 8 ways to measure your podcast engagement.

I Still Want a Gauge

One of the easiest ways to get a snapshot of podcast download ...

Previous Episode

What is a Podcast? An Explanation in Plain English

Simply put: a podcast is an audio programme, just like Talk Radio, but you subscribe to it on your smartphone and listen to it whenever you like.

In a little more detail, a podcast is a series of spoken word, audio episodes, all focused on a particular topic or theme, like cycling or startups. You can subscribe to the show with an app on your phone and listen to episodes whenever you like on your headphones, in the car or through speakers.

Read more of our Listener's Guide to Podcasting

What's an Example of a Popular Podcast?

If you're new to this, it can make it a little easier to see how radio stations are turning their shows into podcasts. But, remember, Podcasts have gone way beyond radio – you'll find out more about that in a minute!

First, though, BBC Radio 4 have run a radio show called ‘More or Less: Behind the Stats’, all about interesting economics and number facts. That show is on at the same time every week, and you have to tune in on your radio to listen. But... to make it easier to listen to, the BBC publish every episode as a part of the ‘More or Less Podcast', too. Each podcast episode is a recording of a ‘More or Less’ radio episode, and they’re all organised into one podcast series.

So, if you’re a fan of the radio show, you can subscribe to the More or Less podcast and episodes are delivered to you each week. That means you can listen to them any time, rather than be stuck to the radio at the same time each week.
Podcasts are Far More than Repurposed Radio

The example above might give you a picture of what a podcast is like, but it isn't a full answer to What is a podcast!

The vast vast majority of shows tend to be completely original content, not just repurposing the radio.

Many escape the shackles of traditional radio formats to explore brilliantly original approaches and completely niche subjects. For example:

They can be any length, from a 1 minute news snippet, to a 3 hour in-depth interview.
They can be any frequency, from daily to monthly
They can be any format, from simple solo shows up to mammoth, multi-person audio dramas
They can cover ANY topic, many of which would never make it onto radio

No matter what you’re into, you’ll find a show that suits the topics you love and the time you have.

Are Podcasts Audio or Video?

Most Podcasts today are audio only, even though video podcasts do exist. Podcasting has really grown out of a need for background content. That means something that can entertain you, educate you or inspire you in the background of other boring or rote activities.

For example, one of the most common ways people listen is in the car. You can’t watch video there, of course, so audio content is great. In the same way, podcasts are great for listening at the gym, while you’re mowing the lawn, or on your journey to work. Any moment of wasted time can be a moment for audio!

Of course, that means you need something to listen on, so you might need to get yourself a set of headphones to connect to your smartphone. Otherwise, connect up to your car via Bluetooth, or start listening on Echo or another smart speaker!

Need a recommendation for good headphones? Click here

What do Podcasts Usually Sound Like?

When you listen to a podcast, you'll discover that many of them are quite familiar. You'll have heard similar types of content over the years, from the radio to a TV talk show. On the other hand, you'll also hear podcasts that are completely new and entirely different to the norm, thanks to the freedom that podcasting allows.

Most podcasts will be themed around one particular topic. The host or hosts will talk about that topic on every episode. Sometimes it's really specific, like triathlon racing or dog training, and other times it's more general, like how to lead a happy life.

Next, each episode of that podcast will talk about something specific within that topic – nutrition tips for taking part in a triathlon, or how to stop your dog fighting with other dogs.

Each episode is normally run by one or two regular pres...

Next Episode

Podcast Names: What Should I Call My Podcast?

Podcast names are the worst... At the planning stage, it feels like the most important decision you'll ever make! Getting the right balance of clarity, gravity, humour... it can keep you up at night trying to make the right decision. But, once it's done, it's just a name, and often loses all meaning!

So, if we're going to make good use of that ‘up at night' time, what makes for a “good” podcast name? What factors should you take into consideration? And what are some of the common mistakes made by podcasters when it comes to naming their shows?

These are the things we're going to take a look at in this one-stop-shop guide to podcast names.
First Up: Check for Duplicates (& Take Over?)

Before choosing a name, just make sure there aren't any other shows already using it.

A quick search in your podcast app will let you know what's available and what isn't. Go further too, though, and do a search on Google for + “Podcast”.

You might find a show using the name you had your heart set on, and spot that they stopped putting episodes out back in 2007.

As frustrating as this can be, don't just bash on and decide to use it anyway. At the very least, it'll cause confusion for your listeners and potentially harm your audience growth.

Even using a very similar name to a pre-existing podcast can be a bad call, regardless of whether that show's still active or not.

It might be possible to get in touch with whoever ran this show though and see if they'll actually give it to you, or let you buy it off them. If you're absolutely desperate to use a certain podcast name, then there's no harm in asking.
The 3 Main Options for Naming Your Show

Here are the 3 main schools of thought when it comes to naming a podcast.

Option 1 – Creative Podcast Names

Famous examples – 99% Invisible, The Moth

Creative or “clever” names are often built around a play on words, or an esoteric term from the show's topic or niche.

Many of these names make sense when you look deeply enough into them. But others are just plain abstract, and offer no hint into the show's actual content.

If you already have an audience, a reputation as a good content creator, or a big marketing budget, then this won't necessarily hold you back. If enough people check out your show and enjoy it, then you'll do fine.

But if you're starting completely for scratch then you need to ask yourself what your target audience are searching for online – and if your podcast name is going to show up in these searches.

If you're at this stage, then the next option is the best one for you.

Option 2 – Descriptive Podcast Names

Famous examples – The Property Podcast, Football Weekly

This type of name can be described as “doing exactly what it says on the tin”.

You might think of this as the “boring” option, but as long as your content isn't boring, nobody's going to care.

Descriptive podcast names are immediately identifiable to their target audience. And they're easier to find because they perform better in searches.

However, if you have a really creative or clever name picked out for your show and are desperate to use it, you can always find a way to merge it with a descriptive title, too.

Warning – iTunes / Apple Podcasts

Be careful with overly long podcast names or “keyword stuffing” though, as iTunes/Apple Podcasts have really started to clamp down on this.

In the recent past, you could get away with adding a short subtitle into your podcast name to expand on exactly what the show is about. For example;

Podcast Name | What it's about – or – Podcast Name, Who it's for, and why

But using commas and ‘separators' in your podcast name might now see you rejected by Apple Podcasts when you try to submit there.

This is the unfortunate result of a minority of podcasters filling their podcast name fields with keywords in an attempt to rank for every search term under the sun.

So be as succinct as possible with your podcast name to avoid any issues here. If you can't get into iTunes/Apple Podcasts, you're going to have serious issues growing any sort of audience.

Option 3 – Using Your Actual Name

Famous examples – The Tim Ferris Show, The Joe Rogan Experience

Podcasts that are named after their hosts g...