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As to your Qs.

  • What is podcasting?
    Think of podcasting as your own radio show where you can talk about whatever you want, when you want available to anyone with internet access.
  • What is the difference between a "listen" and a "unique listen"?"
    A "listen" is an individual download of an episode that has been filtered to establish that -- among other things -- enough of the episode was downloaded to constitute a real person listening. This term may be used interchangeably with “download”. A "unique listen" is a listen that has occurred to a specific podcast episode from an identified individual through a single (UTC-based) day. For example, if the individual has performed a listen the same podcast on the same UTC-based day twice, that will result in two listens and one unique listen. If the same person listens to the same episode the following day again, it will count as 3 listens and 2 unique listens.
  • What is an RSS feed?
    A podcast RSS feed allows users to subscribe to a podcast in order to listen to it without visiting the exact website where it is located. A podcast RSS feed also updates subscribers when new episodes are uploaded, so subscribers never have to go searching for the new episodes.
  • How much time do people spend listening to podcasts?
    In Australia the average podcast consumer listens to 6 podcasts a week, roughly 4 hours and 18 minutes. *The Infinite Dial 2019 Australia
  • Where do most people listen to podcasts?
    In Australia the home is the most popular place to listen, with 59% of listeners tuning in there. 36% listen while travelling, 28% listen at work and 21% while working out or at the gym. *Australian Podcasting Study, PodcastOne
  • What are the most popular podcast content genres?
    True crime, music, news and current affairs, comedy and sport.
  • Where do most people go to listen to podcasts?
    Apple Podcasts is still the dominant app for listening, though its share has declined from 80% + to 63% in the past few years. The remainder come from other iOS and Android apps such as Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast and Pocket Casts.
  • What’s the split of podcast consumption by device?
    During an average 4 week period, 68% of Australian podcasts are downloaded on a mobile device, 21% happen on a desktop and 11% happen on a tablet. Of note: the rise of smart speakers sees more consumption through these devices.
  • What’s a CPM?
    CPM is a common method for pricing web ads even outside of podcasts. CPM stands for Cost Per Mille, or cost per thousand impressions.
  • How are podcasts measured?
    Podcast impressions are measured by downloads: how many times an episode that contains an ad is downloaded. An ad in an episode that is downloaded 100,000 times can be considered to have 100,000 impressions.
  • How do I measure ROI when it comes to podcasts?
    Measurement depends on the type of advertiser and campaign objectives. Some of the more common tracking methods are outlined below:
  • Offer Codes (Direct Response)
    Offer codes are tied to a discount or bonus. Unique offer codes are used for podcasts so that responses are easily attributed: simply count the times the offer code was used!
  • Custom URLs (Direct Response)
    Custom URLs are primarily easy to track. Only share a custom URL on a podcast and traffic to that URL can be attributed to the podcast ad. They can also be used to trigger a discount or offer.
  • Check-Out Survey (Direct Response)
    Check-out surveys are great when advertisers don’t have special offers. Accuracy can be improved by proactively asking listeners to fill out the survey.
  • Social Mentions (Branding & Tune-In)
    Conversations through social media can be a strong indicator of a branding campaign’s success. Look for increased online conversations around topics your brand is championing, as well as branded hashtags and tagging during the period of the campaign. Also allow for a period after the campaign as listeners might not hear the podcast when it’s immediately released.
  • ​Web Traffic (Branding & Tune-In)
    Website traffic is another good indicator of listeners who are engaged with a brand. Even if a brand has set up a custom landing page, advertisers should look at overall site traffic during a campaign period, plus a few weeks. Some listeners may only remember a company’s main URL or use a search engine to find a site, which are not directly trackable.
  • What are the different types of podcast ads and sponsorship?
    Podcasts include audio ads, recorded as either a live host endorsement or pre-recorded clip that can be inserted at the beginning (pre-roll), middle (mid-roll) and end (end-roll) of the show.
  • What are the IAB guidelines for podcast measurement?
    The most up-to-date version of the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines can be found here.

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