New target groups
The reason brands jump on the podcast trend is to reach a new audience or to offer something extra to their existing audience. There is something to be said for both. You can indeed reach new audiences: audio is less rushed than video and therefore offers space for in-depth discussions on niche topics.
In addition, the podcast is hypermobile. It gives the listener the option to not waste time: you get to iron. In short, an opportunity to reach your existing fans at a time when you would otherwise miss them.
Measuring is knowing…
But as with any medium you use as a brand, the inevitable question arises: when is it successful? In other words: how do you measure whether your podcast is doing well?
Sure, you can measure the hard numbers. That's switzerland telegram data one indicator. A good one, because you need to have listeners. But niche podcasts are doing well: legal podcasts are popular among corporate lawyers and there is a successful podcast about (expensive) watches.
These types of special interest podcasts will never generate the astronomical listenership numbers of a lifestyle podcast or good old radio… but they do reach a loyal audience that values and trusts the content of the podcast. For such podcasts, 'soft' metering is also a good option. Because what do your listeners think of the podcast and what does it do for your brand?
Hard measurement: the data
Let's start with hard measurement: the numbers, or rather: data. First of all, you measure the absolute number of listeners, the plays (or downloads as some podcast platforms call it). What exactly is a play or a download? That can differ per podcast platform. But most platforms measure according to the Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines of the IAB, the international trade association for digital marketing. And they say: a play counts if at least one minute of your podcast episode has been listened to.
You need to filter on unique downloads based on IP addresses and make sure that so-called bogus requests from bots are filtered out of the statistics. They also say more, but this is the most important. In short, is your podcast played by a unique listener for at least a minute? Then you have a play!
