Why Downloads Aren’t The Best Way to Measure Podcast Success

I hear it all the time - "How do I get more downloads on my podcast?", "How can I make it to the top of the charts?"And I get it - these metrics are the only measures we're automatically provided with when it comes to podcast hosting platforms and the public perception of how successful your podcast is doing. But with nearly three years of podcasting experience, I can tell you that from a business perspective, the download numbers and chart position aren't the crux of having a successful podcast that works for your and your business.Sure, exposure is good - the same way getting a radio interview, "going viral" and having an article written about you can all raise awareness of you and who you are. But we're in the business game - not the podcast sponsorship game, which is prediominantly run on download numbers. We're here to make our podcast work as part of our nuture sequence, of building our authority and enabling people to get to know and trust us, as well as teach them something they didn't know before.Which is exactly why I'm gonna share with you why the podcast download numbers aren't the most important measure when deciding if your podcast is succesful and doing well or not.What You'll Learn In This Episode:- The difference metrics for measuring the success of your podcast (that aren't just the download numbers!)- Understand the customer journey and sequence behind the podcast, and how the podcast fits into nurturing leads and creating a pipeline.- What it really takes to make a "successful" podcast, beyond making it in the Apple Podcast charts.Best Moments:- "The success of your podcast can be looked at objectively... but the charts are not going to tell you the data that only you know, which is how many leads is it bringing in and how many leads are you able to nurture through that process."- "The next time you feel like you're panicking about the downloads on your podcast, take a step back and think, instead of worrying about trying to grow this thing, how can I connect better with the audience?"- "So when it comes to considering the success of your podcast, you can spend each week looking at the numbers, stressing over the numbers and thinking. The numbers are what it is. But my question to you would be, especially if you're a podcast that's already out there, if you are getting a thousand downloads per week, putting you in the top 5% nearly of all podcasts out there, where are those thousand people going?"Want to start a podcast? Download the FREE Podcast Starter Checklist, a 15-point guide created specifically for entrepreneurs, life coaches and course creators.Music by Kadien: Instagram | Spotify | SoundCloud