With our new Unified Podcast Analytics, we are killing two birds with one stone: We are standardizing data collection ...
With our new Unified Podcast Analytics, we are killing two birds with one stone: We are standardizing data collection and introducing new functions for podcast producers at the same time.
Hello everyone!
In this blog we explain to you:
Podcast analytics are broken. Strictly speaking, they have never worked properly - which is mainly for technical reasons: Access to podcast episodes is measured by a web server that delivers the corresponding files. But a web server knows nothing about podcasts or listeners. It can only answer blunt requests with data. Quite simple. The server doesn’t care whether it returns a picture, an HTML document, a podcast episode or just fragments of these files. But at least it remembers when, how often and who asked for which data!
Now it can happen that Podcatcher request files several times before downloading a podcast episode completely. Or that directories like Apple Podcast access podcast files just to see if they’re still there. Or that a listener downloads a file but listens to it ten times in a row. Such things falsify the statistics, which is why we could only rely on the collected numbers to a limited extent. Comparable numbers of two podcasts with different hosters? Impossible!
To date, we have taken the data from the web server and analysed and interpreted it with common sense. Thus, we were able to derive downloads or streaming processes and draw some cautious conclusions about the consumer behaviour of podcast listeners, which was, however, only comparable to figures that were generated in exactly the same way. To solve this problem, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) published guidelines for the uniform collection and presentation of podcast statistics with its Podcast Measurement Guidelines almost two years ago. In fact, we have been largely compatible with the IAB guidelines since our founding in 2013 with the figures we collect and evaluate at Podigee - and now it’s time for us to take the next step!
With our new Unified Podcast Analytics, we are killing two birds with one stone: We are standardizing data collection and introducing new functions for podcast producers at the same time.
Our future is called “Unified Podcast Analytics”, which not only makes us fully compatible with the IAB guidelines, but also goes much further in some areas - with technical specifications that, in our opinion, have not been described concretely enough by the IAB. We don’t want to remain alone with our approach: We offer developers, platforms and other hosters the unique opportunity to redesign podcast statistics in a consistent way, with the ultimate goal of providing hosters, marketers and producers with a single currency for podcast reach.
So from today, the numbers on your Podigee dashboards will be even more meaningful and accurate. But that’s not all: We’re also introducing some new features such as the ability to compare episodes of a podcast with each other or download statistics data in CSV table format.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll gradually unlock more ingenious features - including unique listeners and feed subscribers, more accurate tracking for the web player, and much more.
Whether for marketing purposes or out of curiosity, we know how important podcast statistics are to you - and we also know that intervention in your download numbers is extremely sensitive. Nevertheless and precisely for this reason, we are convinced that it is high time to focus on new and future-proof analytics. With more accurate, more meaningful data. With a single currency for podcasters and marketers. With much greater transparency and sustainability.
In concrete terms this means for you: Probably the number of hits on your podcast will decrease a bit. No need to panic! That doesn’t mean that your listeners suddenly run away - but rather that you now know much better who is listening to your podcast and how.
To give you a good sense for what’s going on behind the scenes, there will be a three-month transition period after the introduction, during which you will have access to both the old and the new statistics section. We ask for your understanding that we will not be able to continue the statistics section after these three months for economic reasons - not even in exceptional cases.
Starting from Today, you will find a link in your statistics dashboard that will take you directly to the overhauled statistics section. This will be the default setting from now on - but you can switch back at any time during the transition period.
If you have any questions about the changes, our team will be happy to help you at any time - you will find all contact information under:
https://www.podigee.com/en/contact-us/
Welcome to the future!
Podigee is the best all-in-one podcast package on the market. We offer you everything you need to successfully distribute your podcast on all podcast platforms. Plus, you get fantastic customer service and the best podcast analytics in the industry. Try Podigee 14 days for free: https://www.podigee.com/en/plans/
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