109: Don’t Let Your Download Numbers Hold You Back
“I wish my download numbers were higher.” It’s a sentiment we keep hearing over and over from clients at Wild Home Podcasting. And honestly, who doesn’t? But download numbers don’t tell the whole story about whether or not your podcast is successful, and the energy we spend focusing on that one single metric is often better spent elsewhere.
Today, I’m laying out why download numbers are a little bit of a vanity metric especially for small and online business podcasters, why focusing on downloads can distract you from the important work you should do to make your podcast more impactful for your business, and how to maximize the return you get from the downloads you have currently.
Download numbers can be exciting – but they don’t tell you much about how your podcast is or isn’t working for your business.
It’s awesome to see your podcast grow! And you might even have some big numbers in your head that you’re excited about. 10k downloads, 50k downloads, maybe even 500k! But while having big numbers is exciting, you need to ask yourself even more important: What are all those downloads doing (or NOT doing) for your business?
All those downloads don’t mean very much if your podcast isn’t converting for your business. And if you are getting a lot of new business, sales, or leads from your podcast, are you set up to handle the additional workload if your downloads doubled or tripled overnight? Downloads are just one number, and it’s important to understand how that metric affects your business before making it your focal point.
Getting big download numbers, and even the way podcast download numbers are reported, has changed dramatically in the past few years.
When the podcasting industry first started… there just weren’t that many podcasts. If you had a niche podcast, it was easy to get downloads, because there weren’t that many specialized shows to pick from. In addition, the way podcast metrics were calculated varied across platforms and were often inflated.
Since then, podcasting has exploded, and it’s hard to grow without a marketing plan (which you should have for your business anyway)! You’ll need to be consistent in both scheduling and content. And recognize too that podcasting metrics are slowly being streamlined, weeding out bots and similar things that artificially inflate podcast downloads. Instead of focusing on “big numbers”, focus on steady growth over time and building an engaged, connected audience.
Getting too focused on download numbers can distract you from getting the most out of the downloads you currently have.
You might ask, “Okay, but what’s wrong with focusing on growing my download numbers?” Nothing, necessarily! Again, it’s all about context, right? At Wild Home Podcasting, one of our big goals is to help our clients grow their podcasts–but also grow them strategically. What good is 100 new listeners to your business if they aren’t potential clients or customers?
Before you worry about getting bigger download numbers, you need to make sure your content is aligned and makes the most of listeners you already do have. Does your content support your business goals? Do your episodes point back to your business? Are you factoring your podcast into your customer journey? Getting too hung up on download numbers can distract from this important foundational work you need before you get focused on growth.
A good podcast marketing strategy will help you grow over time while also helping convert the listeners you have today.
Okay, on that note, building a strong foundation for your podcast strategy and growing your podcast’s audience aren’t mutually exclusive. The fact is that putting a strong, well-planned content and marketing strategy into place will help you connect with current listeners AND grow at the same time. You’ll be able to engage listeners you already have more deeply, develop your authority in a more cohesive way, and have a strong base to continue growing from.
It’s time to reframe our thoughts around downloads and view it as an opportunity to improve our whole podcast instead of focusing on how many listeners we do or don’t have.
At the end of the day, your download numbers are important, but like we’ve said many times over: context is everything. If your show isn’t growing, take some time to evaluate why that might be? Do you need to rethink your marketing strategy? If you have big episode booms, but the listeners don’t stick around, maybe it’s time to reevaluate your content. If you have a lot of listeners, but crickets when it comes to conversion for your business, it’s time to look at how you’ve actually integrated your podcast into your business. Look at your customer path. Are you even directing listeners back to your business?
Don’t let your numbers get you down. Use them to fuel your growth. Let them point you to weaknesses in your podcast strategy instead of letting them discourage you. And celebrate moments of growth, even if they seem “small” in the moment!
You can do it, friends! Don’t get too caught up in downloads. Instead, evaluate your podcast as a whole, particularly in the way it supports your business. Those are the metrics that really count at the end of the day.
Are you ready to overhaul your podcast strategy, build deeper connections, convert more listeners –and yes– grow your podcast, then sign up for a Podcast Strategy Intensive.
We’ll audit your podcast and your marketing, help you create a new individualized marketing framework based on your podcast content, and give you ideas for how to better support your business via your podcast going forward. We can’t wait to help you out. Click here to learn more.
Links:
94: How a Podcast Strategy Elevates Your Business
96: How to Set Goals for Your Podcast
106: Why You Need to Use Your Podcast to Drive the Rest of your Business Marketing
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The Transcript for Podcast Your Business:
109: Don’t Let Your Download Numbers Hold You Back
[00:00:00] Caroline Hull But it's so interesting to me how I will have the same conversation about down low numbers with somebody who has 100 download numbers per episode and somebody who has 6000 download numbers per episode. The grass is always greener on the other side, right? Like we think that everybody is getting a million downloads per episode, which means a million people are buying from them, which means they're making lots of money in their businesses successful. And that's just not how podcasts work. Are you ready to start a strategic podcast for your business and share your message in a way that feels wildly authentic? This is the place. Welcome to Podcast Your Business, where each week I share the strategy behind having a podcast that helps grow your business. I'm Caroline Hull, podcast manager, strategist and consultant, and I've seen the power of podcasts can have for your business. Let's get started.
[00:01:00] Hello and welcome back to the podcast. I am so excited to be coming to live, as it were. The last couple of months worth of episodes were actually batch recorded because I had hip revision surgery at the end of February. This is in 2023 if you're in the future listening and I had my capsule and my labrum replaced with cadaver tendon, so basically got a new hip without a hip replacement, which I have mixed feelings about. We can talk about that some other time. And so I am finally getting back into the swing of things. I am able to sit in a chair, not for very long. And so today I am back recording some episodes, even though my physical therapist gave me a very stern warning about sitting here in this chair for too long. So these episodes are going to be short and impactful, but I'm just really excited to be sitting down and talking about the thing that I love to talk about the most, which is podcast strategy for your business. So excited to be back. Thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting this podcast and supporting what we do at Wild Home Podcast. And if you want more of the same or would like to give us, you know, maybe a topic you'd love for me to cover, please follow me on Instagram at Wild Home Podcast. That's where I hang out the most. And I would love to meet you over there.
[00:02:24] So today I wanted to talk about something that just keeps popping up for clients and it keeps popping up in strategy sessions, and that is that my daily numbers are not what I want them to be. And the question that I'm going to pose to you, if you are looking at your download numbers and you're saying, you know, these are not where I want them to be, I'm frustrated, why can't I get more listeners? And what I want to ask you is, are your download numbers holding you back? I think a lot of times this number is something that we get so hung up on. And I've talked in a lot of episodes about reframing them and thinking about them in a different way. But at the end of the day, when you look at your download numbers in your RSS feed host and you don't see what you want to see, it can be really, really frustrating. And I totally understand that. And so whenever a client comes to me and we're sitting down in a strategy session and we're talking about download numbers, usually the very first thing I will say to them is a like, why is it so important to you? And B, what is the goal of your podcast? Because those two things are going to determine how we look at those metrics. And let me tell you, I think a lot of times download numbers are very much a vanity metric. I think that we want them to be big because it makes us feel good, right? It makes us feel like all the work and effort that we're putting into our podcast results in those big download numbers.
[00:04:02] But again, going back to like, is this helping you reach the goal for your business? So let me kind of I want to dive into this pretty deep, but I want to give you kind of a frame of reference for where I'm coming at this from, because I think that that is going to be important to this conversation. The perspective of download numbers has significantly changed over the years, and my personal perspective has changed over the years as well because I've been podcasting for over eight years and when we first started it was a lot easier to get downloads right? There were not a ton of podcasts. If you were in any kind of specific niche, you were immediately going to show up and get a lot of downloads. We really like found ourselves at the top of charts very easily, and I definitely think there are some outside things that contributed to this, but I also think a lot of it had to do with that. We were filling a need in a very new media that was needed. Right? And the thing about that is, is, you know, the old adage, if you build it, they will come. I think that that's how podcasting used to be. If you built it, they came right. Like it was so easy to find what you were looking for in the podcast apps. There weren't, like I said, as many podcasts and, and that has definitely changed. And the way that we podcast has changed now, there is very much, you know, there's these huge niches, there's a lot of podcasts in the same niche. There are podcasters who have been doing it since I was doing it right, and they're getting millions of downloads.
[00:05:47] And then there are podcasters who are just now jumping into this pool of established podcasts and getting frustrated when they don't get very many downloads. And so I really want you to think about that is we have this conversation that the world of podcasting is so much bigger, it's so much different than it used to be. And so I do not believe it is. If you build it, they will come anymore. I think you have to put a lot of effort. You have to have a strategy for how you're going to share your podcast. You have to be visible, you have to be on other podcasts. Downloads are not just going to come to you. Now, that being said, I still think there is so much value in how a podcast works for your business and those down low numbers are a huge part of it. And so again, whenever I have a call with a client, usually the first thing we will do is reframe these numbers. So that means going and looking at them, seeing if we've seen growth and change. Nine times out of ten we have. If we haven't, there is usually a reason why. And then the other thing I like to remind people of, so let's say you got 100 downloads on an episode. Let's just start with that number because that feels really attainable, right? Let's say you got 100 downloads on an episode that is 100 people that listened to you talk about the thing that you are passionate about. So let's put this into a different perspective. You have just walked into a room with 100 people and you had their attention and you got to talk to them about the things you wanted to talk about. So again, when I talk about the goals for your business and if your podcast is serving those, then we start asking questions like, What are you doing with those hundred people? What are you telling them to do? What are you sharing? What kinds of things are they getting to know about you? And so now it becomes, how can I maximize the downloads I have? Well, also, yes, having a strategy for growing your podcast.
[00:07:55] Listen, I want to grow my podcast, too. I'm here with you. But I have had to have a strategy. I have had to switch gears on my podcast because I realized it wasn't speaking to the right people. I have had to rebrand my podcast. I have had to really think about what I want out of those download numbers. And let me tell you, just making those shifts has helped me see an increase in downloads consistently each week over the last few months, I would say since the end of last year, but it wasn't easy and it's taken work. But what's amazing about the work that I've done is that it has helped me clarify not only what I want to talk about and what I want to be known for, but it has also helped me clarify the direction that I want my business to go in which to me, that's gold. When that happens, when you start to get that clarity, that's like magical. But if I had like only focused on the little downloads I had and been frustrated and not tried to look at them from the perspective of, okay, great, these are what they are. How can I use this as an opportunity to grow my business, right? If I had come at it from, well, I'm never going to be a successful podcaster, this isn't going to help my business. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere.
[00:09:19] And so really, like, that is what the whole point of this episode is, is because what I am finding more and more, especially as apps are counting downloads differently than they used to. Especially as there are more and more podcasts. There's so many factors that are outside of our control. Because podcasting is still very much the Wild West and it's growing and it's changing every day. And so there are so many things that we cannot control. What we can control is how we approach our podcast and the strategy that we have for it to help our business grow, right? And that's key. And so the thing that I always like to remember for myself especially is, again, what do I want this to do? And for me, that has been booking clients who've listened to my podcast and decided that I'm the person that they want to work with because I've provided connection, I've provided next steps for them and because my content is strategically aligned with what my clients and customers are struggling with. Right? So this episode is a really great example of that because this is something that I keep hearing from people like the download numbers are not where I want them to be. I don't know if it's worth it. Why am I doing this? So here I am creating an episode, meeting my listeners where they're meeting my customers, where they're meeting my clients, where they're at, and making sure that I have a really solid perspective on this pain point that they're all facing.
[00:10:57] Listen, again, I get it. I get it. We want thousands of downloads, if not more. I mean, come on. But it's so interesting to me how I will have the same conversation about download numbers with somebody who has 100 download numbers per episode and somebody who has 6000 download numbers per episode. The grass is always greener on the other side, right? Like we think that everybody is getting a million downloads per episode, which means a million people are buying from them, which means they're making lots of money in their businesses successful. And that's just not how podcasts work. You can have 100 downloads per episode. Have a strategy for how you are getting and converting those listeners. Really understand your customer path, have strategically aligned content, and you can be making more sales than somebody who has 6000 downloads per episode. And that's just the truth of it. Because what people are craving now is connection and trust. I think because the online business world has grown so much, you know, people are a lot more choosy with who they work with. I know that I am I am much more choosy and I'm much more choosy about the type of container that I work with people in. Right. And so for me, like, if I see that somebody I'm even interested in has a podcast, I will go listen to an episode and it will usually inform and help me decide whether or not I want to work with them.
[00:12:25] And so as you're looking at your download numbers, I want you to remember a couple of things. I want you to do a couple of things for yourself. A Like do not let these numbers hold you back. They are literally the number of valuable people who clicked play on your podcast, and instead of looking at it as a negative thing, I want you to look at it as a positive thing and start trying to create connection points with those listeners. Like, how can you talk to them in other places? The other thing I want you to do is to look at those numbers not as a failure or that nobody is listening, but instead I want you to see an opportunity for growth. What can you do today to get more ears and eyes on your podcast? You know, and one of the things that I find which is so fascinating, so I mentioned PR like I think being on other podcasts, having a PR strategy is really important. But a lot of times when people are like, Nobody's listening to my podcast, they are literally hearing about the podcast once and then not talking about it again. I have done episodes on I believe it was episode one two, six and why do you need a marketing framework around your podcast? You should definitely go listen to that because I talk about how you can utilize your podcast content not only in a way to serve your business, but also to like direct people back to the podcast and into the customer path, right? And so like, there are usually some simple solutions to what feels like a really big problem, and they can be solved usually pretty easily.
[00:13:57] And the other thing is, is don't give up. Like, don't let these down on numbers. Tell you if you're going to continue podcasting or not. What I want you to tell you if you are going to continue podcasting or not is am I using my podcast strategically? Is it helping me get new customers? Is it something I enjoy doing? Do I like sharing my message in this format? Those are the things that are going to inform whether or not your podcast is successful. And the last thing on to remind you of is that podcasting is a marathon, not a sprint. Especially kind of going back to what I said about how the podcast world is different. It's definitely not. And I launched today and I have a million downloads. This is like building a strategy, building a community and connection with listeners and not being afraid to come back to the microphone consistently and share the things that are important to you. There's a lot of other things too, that are in there. And you know, if you are one of these people who you're like, I hear myself in this episode. I hear myself getting down about my download numbers. I would highly recommend getting some outside help if you cannot change your perspective before you decide to throw in the towel. Whether that's a podcast audit or strategy intensive, or maybe you even need a refresh. Think about the type of support that can help you take your podcast to the next step. But also remembering that you are going to have to do some tweaks and and do some of the work to help you get there. But that's one of my favorite things to do is to help you get there, right?
[00:15:37] So I just want to say before I sign off, like I really do feel like download numbers can be valuable and I feel like they can definitely help you make informed decisions about your podcasts. But that is not the thing that you need to be focusing on. If you're using your podcast to help grow your business and eventually those numbers, like I said, are going to start to shift and change. And it's so exciting when they start to do because that's when you realize that what you're doing is super aligned and it's forming a connection. It's hitting the mark. People are starting to recognize and notice it. And so that's always a really exciting moment for me as a podcaster, but also me as a podcast strategist to see that happen with our clients podcast. So don't give up. I'm so excited to be back recording episodes and be sure to connect with me on Instagram. We'll be bringing back my free Close Friends trainings this month. So the online workout for that and I will see you next week with a new episode. Thank you for listening to podcast Your business. For more podcasting tips, follow us on Instagram @WildHomePodcast. If you're ready to launch up level or grow your podcast, head to wildhomepodcasting.com to get started today.
