Tracking Your Success With Podcasting

Publishing a podcast can be a great way to communicate with the world. Whether you’re putting out a weekly or monthly show, you’ll find it allows anyone to have a voice on any number of topics. Once you get started with this option, you’ll want to figure out whether or not you’re making an impact. If you’re just publishing without caring whether or not you’re getting any attention, then you’re going to be in a rare arena. Most people who put out content also want to know if people are listening and to what extent. There are several ways you can track your success with podcasting. It starts with simple elements and grows more complex. With that in mind, consider the following elements that could help you make sense of the numbers.

Google Analytics

One of the most prominent solutions you’ll find today is free to use. Google Analytics will help you make sense of raw data right now. This is a solution that you simply set up with a line of code and that’s it. You may not get raw download information, but you’ll be able to gauge interaction with your page. There are tools within this option that will let you detect where people are clicking, whether or not they are downloading content from your page, and how they’re finding your site.

This is a standard in marketing, and many people use this because it’s free and from Google. You will need to have access to the HTML on the main page for your podcast, but other than that, this is a simple, free, and easy-to-use option. It will give you information that others will charge for, but you’ll need to spend time getting familiar with the back-end of this page.

Analytics Based on Program

Based on the program you’re using to upload your podcast, you may be able to get information about how well your releases are doing. For instance, if you use iTunes, you can get subscriber numbers, download numbers, reviews, and more. If you’re using Podomatic, or other solutions, they have built in analytic elements, as well as places where you can connect with Google if you need to. Depending on the tier that you use to pay for some services, you will need to look at the backend of your account to figure this information out. Not every site, mind you, is going to give you the same benefits, so you’ll need to compare and contrast different solutions.

Achieving Initial Listenership

The starting line of podcasters will come with little to no fanfare. Your initial goal should be to get locked into iTunes. That’s the biggest platform to be on, and it will bring in an initial swell of listeners. If you are consistent, you can keep pushing out content and will get attention from this source. However, you’ll need to invest in advertising to get your listenership up. There are several ways that you can do this, but the best option is to network. Network and ask other podcast hosts to shout yours out, and even offer to be a guest or have them on as a guest. You will need to do a little bit of work to get attention initially, and it could cost you, but it will pay off in the long run.

Stay Consistent

The best way to ensure that you are getting attention with your podcasts is to stay consistent. Set a time frame for your show, and then start publishing on schedule. The most popular shows in the world work on a daily or weekly schedule. The longest running podcasts have millions of listeners, while some newer ones can rival their downloads. Staying consistent, uploading on time, and making sure that you have quality content is the starting point that will help you build and grow an audience.

Aside from the literal upload and marketing of your podcast, you should build pages for your site. Pages like a landing page, social media page, and other standards in SEO will help you get a bit of promotion. As you look at marketing collateral, make sure that you are not neglecting uploading and distributing your podcast through various channels. If there’s a free channel, upload your podcast there, and keep going forward. The best way to grow a listenership today, is to just keep publishing content, as you’ll get found in time.

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