As the podcasting landscape continues to evolve with the integration of video content, new analytics and tracking services are offering insight for creators aiming to understand and expand their audiences across multiple platforms.
Several new services aim to provide podcasters with more precise tools to measure audience engagement and performance across diverse platforms.
Edison Download Metrics
Edison Research, renowned for its podcast audience measurement through Edison Podcast Metrics, has collaborated with SoundStack to introduce Edison Download Metrics.
This service offers publishers IAB v2.2-compliant download data, ensuring standardized and accurate measurement. Designed to cater to both large networks and independent podcasters, it provides detailed insights into audience demographics and weekly reach estimates, even for smaller or limited-run shows. By integrating survey data with download metrics, this service enhances visibility for podcasts among advertisers and streamlines ad workflows.
Podstock
Addressing the challenges of platform fragmentation, Podstock emerges as a comprehensive solution for multi-platform podcasting.
It centralizes analytics and streamlines operations, enabling podcasters to manage and monetize content across various distribution channels, including YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, and Instagram. By aggregating data from both audio and video platforms, Podstock offers a unified view of consumption trends and audience insights, facilitating efficient decision-making and growth strategies for podcast businesses.
mowPod Charts
With the discontinuation of certain chart-tracking tools, mowPod has launched mowPod Charts, a free service that provides real-time and historical rankings on Apple Podcasts.
Features include search functionality, favorites, list creation, daily email notifications, and visual integration of episode release schedules. Future enhancements are planned, such as Spotify chart tracking and trend analysis, positioning mowPod Charts as a valuable resource for podcasters and marketers seeking deeper performance insights.
Integration of Video Platforms
The rise of video platforms has significantly influenced podcast audience metrics. YouTube, for instance, has become a dominant platform for podcast consumption, with over 1 billion people watching podcasts monthly.
This shift necessitates podcasters to produce video content to effectively engage audiences on such platforms. However, challenges include the need for video production and adapting to platform-specific metrics and advertising systems.
Spotify has also expanded into video podcasts, introducing a revenue-sharing program for creators. Starting January 2025, Spotify compensates video creators based on engagement from paid subscribers in select countries.
This initiative positions Spotify as a direct competitor to YouTube, offering podcasters additional monetization avenues and necessitating adaptation to new metrics and content formats.
Evolving Metrics for Podcasting
The integration of video content has led to the development of new metrics to assess podcast performance. Traditional audio metrics like downloads and listens are now complemented by video-specific metrics such as views, watch time, and engagement rates.
For example, video podcasts have shown engagement rates 50% higher than traditional audio-only formats, indicating a shift in content consumption preferences.
Podcasters are increasingly utilizing advanced analytics tools to track these diverse metrics. Platforms like Apple Podcasts Analytics provide detailed listener data, including average listen time and completion rates, while multiple services offer AI-driven insights for video podcasts, enabling efficient content navigation and engagement tracking.
