Getting in-depth and useful analytics on the success of podcast advertising has traditionally been a difficult task. This is for two reasons. Podcast advertisements aren’t like click through ads on Google or Facebook, so marketers can’t measure precisely how many people buy a product or peruse a website per podcast listen. Neither could marketers know just how many people listened to podcasts until recently. But things are looking up in the world of podcast data analytics. Here are a few ways to calculate online reach. Click here for more information on podcast data analytics.

Measure the Number of Unique Downloads

Because most podcasts are downloaded rather than streamed, tracking unique downloads is the best way to measure the number of listeners for any given episode? To qualify as a unique download, a podcast episode has to be progressively downloaded during a 24-hour period from a specific ip address and a specific user name. Measuring unique downloads allows advertisers to weed out people who started the episode but quickly turned it off. It also weeds out people who might have listened to the podcast multiple times.

Gauge Audience Engagement

Sometimes the size of the audience is less important than the commitment of the audience. Podcasts often establish strong feelings of connection between a niche audience and the show. If these audiences are within an advertising campaign’s target market, then this podcast might be a better choice than a podcast that reaches a wider, less engaged audience. A good way to gauge audience engagement is through tweets, emails, and general audience interaction. Measuring the interactions between hosts and listeners can give a good barometer for the trust and excitement a podcast can rouse for a product.

Get Exclusive Backtracks Podcast Data Analytics

Here at Backtracks, we have produced an open-sourced podcast data analytics program that will help advertisers measure not only the number of unique downloads that resulted in being played. Our analytics packages give marketers access to information no matter the media player or feed type that a company uses to distribute their podcast. With all the most important podcast data analytics in the same easy-to-use place, Backtracks analytics allows advertisers to search for the precise data points they need without toggling between different programs.

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