Breaking Down Podcast Statistics And What They Mean, With Guest Daniel J. Lewis

The Q'd Up Podcast on Podcasting

Podcast statistics can help determine what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong, as well as offer a myriad of other helpful insights. But it can be difficult to find them and even harder to find ones that are accurate. That’s where our guest, Daniel J. Lewis of Podcast Industry Insights, comes in.

Daniel has been compiling and analyzing Apple Podcasts to determine things like how many podcasts currently exist, how many are new, what categories are the favorites, and how many podcasts are inactive. With his insight, both in the industry itself and through his podcast statistics, Daniel is able to offer a better and more factual look at the industry as a whole.

Show highlights:

Introduction

Why did Daniel start breaking down podcast statistics? (3:00)

Daniel explains how and why he started to collect podcast statistics and how he believes he has the most accurate numbers in the business.

How the podcast business ended 2020 (5:33)

Whether it’s from the pandemic or just an industry boom, podcasting exploded in 2020. Daniel predicts Apple Podcasts will pass the 2 million podcasts mark early in 2021.

The addition and removal of podcasts from Apple Podcasts (9:17)

Daniel discusses what he’s noticed about Apple Podcasts adding and removing podcasts. From what Apple Podcasts does on the weekends to why shows typically get removed from the service. Daniel also talks about what he’s noticed about Apple’s holiday schedules and any delays in getting shows and podcasts added into the store.

90-day activity vs. 90-day inactivity and podflashing (18:37)

Instead of just breaking down feeds into active and inactive, Daniel is shaping his metrics around any type of activity over 90 days to better understand the podcasts that are actually still active and those that have podfaded or outright ended.

Overcoming the clutter of ended podcasts (24:52)

A significant number of podcasts have just one episode as people launch a new show but never continue. Jay asks Daniel about how the industry might be able to police that in the future.

The biggest milestone for podcasters (29:06)

Daniel’s podcast statistics show that getting to 10 episodes and releasing episodes within seven days of each other is a massive milestone. It’s the point where 90-day inactivity drops dramatically as podcasters are clearly more invested in their shows. Daniel also talks about some of the things he believes happens once someone gets to 10 episodes.

Top podcast category in 2020 (35:31)

Daniel dives into his podcast statistics to point out the hottest categories over 2020 for new podcasts, including some categories that might surprise you.

Predicting where podcasting is headed in 2021 (38:57)

Daniel uses his experience and insight to predict what he believes will happen in the podcasting industry in 2021.

What other services Daniel is looking to offer (41:30)

Daniel breaks down some of the other things he wants to do on his website, including tracking other podcasts applications like Spotify, Google Podcasts, and others.

Links:

Q’d Up

Pod Vader - Twitter

Pod Vader - Email

Pod Vader - Linked In

John - Email

John - Linked In

Podcast Industry Insights

Daniel J. Lewis - Website

Daniel J. Lewis - Twitter