Episode 38: 5 Podcast Metrics You Need & Understand To Track To Grow Your Business
The Podcast Metrics I Love to Track (Beyond Downloads)
Listen on Apple Podcast | Listen on Spotify | Watch on YouTube
If you’re only tracking podcast downloads, you’re missing the bigger picture. Downloads might look exciting when the numbers climb—but they don’t actually tell you if your audience is engaged, growing, or converting into customers.
In this episode of Podcast Growth Tools, I’m breaking down the exact metrics I track for myself and my clients, why they matter, and how to use them to make smarter business decisions. These are the numbers that reveal whether your podcast is just creating content—or actually moving the needle for your email list, your offers, and your revenue.
I’ll walk you through both the core metrics every podcaster should track, plus some advanced metrics for when you’re ready to layer in funnels and revenue tracking.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Why downloads aren’t the whole story—and what to track instead
How to measure podcast followers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
The importance of “engaged listeners” and what this Apple-only metric tells you
Why you should track downloads in context, including your back catalog
How to monitor the health of your email list alongside your podcast growth
Advanced metrics: how to track subscribers and revenue from podcast-centric funnels
How to spot trends and patterns to improve content strategy over time
Timestamps:
01:15 - Importance of tracking followers
03:30 - Understanding "plays" metric
05:00 - Value of "engaged listeners"
07:20 - Contextual role of downloads
09:45 - Tracking email list health
12:00 - Advanced metrics and funnels
14:30 - Focus on meaningful metrics
Why Downloads Don’t Tell the Full Story
I get it—downloads are easy to look at, and they feel good when they’re climbing. But downloads alone won’t tell you:
Who’s sticking around past the first few minutes
Whether you’re consistently attracting new listeners
If your podcast is moving listeners closer to becoming customers
That’s why I recommend a more holistic approach—tracking metrics that connect back to your business and long-term goals, not just vanity numbers .
The Core Metrics I Always Track
Followers (Apple Podcasts and Spotify)
Follows show a deeper level of commitment than one-time plays. When you track your follower growth, you’ll see if you’re consistently attracting new listeners. If followers plateau, it could point to gaps in SEO, discoverability, or content resonance.Engaged Listeners (Apple Podcasts)
This underutilized metric shows how many people are listening to a significant chunk of your episode. It’s one of the best ways to measure whether your content is truly holding attention.Downloads in Context
While downloads alone aren’t enough, I do track weekly totals across both new and back catalog episodes. This helps identify trends, spot when older content is still pulling traffic, and flag potential issues if numbers suddenly drop.Email List Health
Your podcast should grow more than just an audience—it should grow your email list. I track:Total subscribers
Active subscribers (engaging in the last 90 days)
New subscribers and unsubscribes weekly
This ensures my podcast is fueling a list that’s alive and ready for offers.
Advanced Metrics for Podcasters Ready to Scale
Once you’ve nailed the basics, you can take metrics deeper by building podcast-first funnels. Examples include:
Quizzes that deliver personalized podcast playlists
Freebie bundles promoted with dynamic ads
Podcast-centric opt-ins that tie episodes to list growth
From there, you can track how many subscribers (and eventually how much revenue) those funnels generate. While not always perfect, this gives you visibility into how your show is directly impacting your bottom line .
Finding Trends and Patterns
The real value in metrics isn’t just collecting them—it’s interpreting them. For example:
If how-to episodes consistently outperform guest interviews, that’s a signal for content planning.
If certain words in titles spike engagement, lean into those topics.
If followers stall, it’s time to revisit discoverability and promotion strategies.
Data should guide you toward doubling down on what works—and eliminating what doesn’t.
If You’re Asking the Following Questions, You’re in the Right Place
What podcast metrics matter most for growth?
How do I know if my podcast is actually working?
How do I use podcast metrics to improve content strategy?
What are advanced ways to track conversions from my podcast?
How do I tie my podcast growth to email list growth and revenue?
Final Thoughts
Downloads are not the full story. If you want your podcast to be a real growth engine for your business, start tracking metrics that align with your goals: followers, engaged listeners, contextual downloads, and email list health. Then, as you grow, layer in podcast-first funnels to track list growth and revenue.
When you stop obsessing over vanity metrics and start focusing on numbers that actually tie back to your business, podcasting becomes more than content—it becomes strategy.
Your Next Steps
Join my weekly newsletter for tips on podcast growth, email marketing, monetization strategies, and behind-the-scenes support for growing your audience and business.
Resources & Links
Free Metric Tracking Guide: podcastmarketinghub.com/metrics
Subscribe to the Podcast Marketing Hub Newsletter: podcastmarketinghub.com/subscribe
Related Episode: Episode 11 – My Full Project Management System for Podcasting
Let’s Connect!
Share your favorite trend from this episode or ask questions by DMing me on Instagram at @thepodcastmarketinghub.
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