B2B content trends shift faster than the LinkedIn algorithm or the seasonal menu at your local coffee shop (clearly, writing this from my local coffee shop, shout to Falls Perk).
As a creator, how do you check your gut against the trends to know which bets to take? Data.
Now, here comes the catch-22. When it comes to podcasts specifically, there’s not a ton of reliable data to help inform your show’s strategy and success. You see numbers but they make no sense.
We hate that for you. So let’s change it.
Our team has analyzed our client’s 2023 podcast data (over 80 shows and 3,000 episodes) to highlight key metrics and guide B2B tech businesses in optimizing their podcasting efforts. Read on for our benchmark statistics and key takeaways we discovered.
Episodes and Publishing Cadence
Whatever you choose, stick to it. Oftentimes, we have people coming to us saying, ‘weekly is the best practice,’ to which my response is, “According to whom?” The truth is, what’s best is being consistent. How you decide your production cadence should be based on what you have the resources to do consistently so, your audience knows what to expect. And then, based on your choice, other considerations come into effect. For example, if you choose to publish monthly, then you may have to build more promotional efforts between release dates.
Releasing a weekly show doesn’t automatically mean your audience will grow. It does mean you have more content to get in front of your audience. Yet, if you’re not currently seeing great engagement with your content from the podcast, my question would be, “Are you using what you already have well?”.
In 2023, Share Your Genius published over 3,000 episodes, with clients averaging 3 episodes monthly. We’ve got shows publishing on weekly and biweekly cadences. Publishing at least 2 episodes monthly helps maintain engagement and attract new listeners.
Our typical recommendation is to start with two episodes per month. This schedule allows you to maximize your content in between release schedules while creating a consistent program for your audience. Once that motion has worked well for your organization and you see consistent engagement and growth, you can always experiment with adding more or moving to a weekly show. In general, it’s better to leave people with wanting more not less – so starting with less is a way to begin.
Takeaway: Aim for 2 episodes per month for steady growth and engagement.
Listener Consumption Trends
We look at consumption as a core performance metric, and it helps us understand whether the content resonates with our audience. For example, If the consumption is low (under 50% for more than 4 episodes in a batch) and yet our downloads are growing (not subscribers) then often that tells us one of two things: (1) we aren’t reaching the right audience (2) we are reaching the right audience, but our content isn’t great.
Our clients want to know how much time their audience is spending with their brands. Getting attention (and keeping it) is at the core of many marketer’s strategies, your podcast’s consumption metrics help us understand how we are doing and continue to help us make editorial decisions on what content is needed.
Simply put, high consumption rates mean your audience finds your content valuable. Our Share Your Genius average show consumption rate sits at 63%. Our top shows have over 75% consumption rates, with the highest at 93%.
Takeaway: At a baseline, keep your consumption rate above 60% to ensure content relevance and engagement. (Want a good goal? Aim for 70% as an indicator of great content.)
Download and Subscriber Growth
Building a loyal subscriber base is crucial. Our typical show grows about 20 subscribers per month with an average subscriber growth rate of 15%, and a monthly download growth rates at 31%. Our top shows average over 5k subscribers, and leading shows boast growth rates up to 222%. This indicates that listeners love the content and are spreading the word.
Downloads don’t always mean someone has listened to your episode all the way through. A download isn’t really marked as a download unless someone has listened to it for more than a certain amount of time (that varies on each platform from 1 second to 60). And what one directory calls a download, another calls it a stream. This is why downloads matter only in your goals and consumption data context. Lots of downloads and a low consumption rate doesn’t mean you have a good show I’d suggest the opposite.
In general, we recommend aiming for 10% growth in downloads each month. This steady increase means your distribution is effective, your audience is engaged, and your reach is consistently growing.
Takeaway: Aim for 10% download growth month-over-month.
Episode Performance
Early performance is critical. Tracking initial results is essential in understanding whether you’re marketing to the right people, getting their attention, and keeping it. Often, when a show launches, its top two best-performing episodes are the trailer and episode one. Where you need to get curious is with the episodes following after. Have you earned attention? Did people subscribe? And how many downloads compared to subscribers do you have? (Think about it like a classic CTR rate.)
Those other episodes give you clues on what topics are resonating and where you might consider creating to serve your audience better. Gaining listener feedback as part of an ongoing effort is something we recommend you build into your strategy. Every season or six months is a good baseline for sending out a survey.
Our top ten percent of best-performing episodes average 718 downloads in the first week of release, with top performers hitting over 4,000 downloads. And our client average sits at 138 downloads in the first 7 days. According to The Podcast Host, the top 25% of podcasts get 115 or more. According to Backlinko, the top 25% of podcasts threshold sits at 93 downloads in the first week, and the average episode gets 141 downloads in the first 30 days.
You track downloads from time to time to uncover who’s eagerly awaiting your content and are those downloads converting into other metrics (i.e. newsletter sign-ups, channel subscribers, etc).
If one of your goals with the podcast is to become a media company, then the amount of downloads in a given time frame matters much more. I’ll write another article on that because it’s a different way of measuring success.
Takeaway: Aim for over 115 downloads in the first week to rank in the top 25% of all podcasts, ensuring early traction and visibility.
The Key Takeaways to Guide Your Strategy
- Episodes per Month: Publish at least 2 monthly episodes to maintain audience interest and engagement. You already know consistency is key for any marketing program.
- Consumption Rate: Target a minimum consumption rate of 60%, with an ideal goal of exceeding 70%. This metric is the gold standard for knowing how well your audience values your content.
- Monthly Download Growth: Aim for a download growth rate above 10% to ensure a healthy expansion of your listener base. Your distribution strategy should back up your show’s execution.
- Subscriber Growth: To build a robust and loyal audience, aim for at least 20 new subscribers each month. Include this in your show’s CTA or mid-roll ad to remind your listeners.
- Top Episode Performance: Achieve over 115 downloads in the first week an episode is released to ensure early traction and visibility. This will rank you in the top 25% of podcasts globally.
Implementing these tips will help you stay relevant, connect with your listeners more deeply, and grow your audience more effectively.
