Welcome to our support guide on leveraging prefixes to enhance podcast tracking! In this article, we'll walk you through the steps to add prefixes to your podcast, empowering you to gain valuable insights through platforms like Chartable and Spotify Ad Analytics (SpAA).
In this Article:
What is an Analytics Prefix?
An analytics prefix, also referred to as a URL prefix or prepend, is a customized identifier or tag incorporated into your podcast episode URLs within the RSS feed. The addition of prefixes serves to provide extra information or tracking parameters, playing a vital role in podcast analytics. This allows podcasters to collect specific data regarding listener behavior, sources, and other crucial metrics.
Why Use Analytic Prefixes for Podcast Tracking?
URL prefixes enable granular analytics, offering insights into listener engagement, episode performance, and audience demographics. By utilizing prefixes, podcasters can refine their content strategy based on data-driven decisions. Here are key reasons why it's beneficial:
Integration with Third-Party Analytics Services
Within the podcast industry, various third-party companies, such as Chartable and Spotify offer advanced tracking and analytics capabilities. By incorporating an analytics prefix into your podcast episodes, you unlock the potential to seamlessly integrate with these services. This integration enables you to access a wealth of additional insights and performance metrics beyond what may be available on your hosting platform alone.
Enhanced Campaign Participation for Brands
Brands participating in advertising campaigns often seek real-time data to assess the impact of their promotions. By utilizing analytics prefixes, you provide brands with the ability to track and measure the success of their campaigns with precision. This not only fosters transparency but also makes your podcast more appealing to advertisers looking for comprehensive and up-to-the-minute analytics.
Deeper Demographic Data and Audience Insights
Depending on the platform, some analytic prefixes empower you to gather more extensive demographic data and insights about your audience. By categorizing episodes based on specific parameters, such as location or content type, you can gain a clearer understanding of who your listeners are and what resonates with them. This deeper insight can inform content strategy, helping you tailor your podcast to better meet the preferences of your target audience.
In summary, the addition of an analytics prefix not only expands your podcasting toolkit but also opens doors to collaboration with third-party services, enhances brand relationships, and provides you with invaluable data to refine and optimize your content.
What Prefixes are Supported?
At Zencastr, we understand the importance of flexibility and compatibility with various analytics services to meet the diverse needs of our podcasting community. To empower our users with a wide range of analytics options, Zencastr supports the following prefixes:
Podscribe
Podscribe
By placing the Podscribe Prefix ("pscrb.fm") in your Zencastr RSS feed, this enables advertisers to access real-time download tracking. It allows advertisers to attribute podcast performance beyond promotional efforts and vanity URLs. This means that advertisers can better credit your show for its overall performance, providing a more accurate representation of your podcast's impact. Reference Podscribe’s support article here.
https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/
Spotify, formerly Podsights
Spotify, formerly Podsights
Spotify Ad Analytics provides detailed analytics to help you understand the performance of your episodes. By utilizing the “prfx.byspotify.com” prefix, Zencastr ensures compatibility with Podsights and Spotify Ad Analytics, allowing you to track attribution and measure the impact of your podcast campaigns. Reference Spotify’s support article here.
https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/
Chartable
Chartable
Chartable is renowned for its podcast analytics and attribution services, and Zencastr supports integration with Chartable through the "chtbl.com" prefix. By incorporating this prefix, you can access a wealth of additional insights and analytics to refine your podcasting strategy. Reference Chartable’s support article here.
https://chtbl.com/track/xxxxxx/
Please note that the details on finding your unique Chartable URL are outlined in their support article here.
Podtrac
Podtrac
Podtrac specializes in podcast measurement and analytics, and Zencastr extends support with the "Dts.podtrac.com" prefix. Utilizing this prefix enables seamless integration with Podtrac, allowing you to track your podcast's performance and audience engagement. Reference Podtrac’s support article here.
https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/
OP3 The Open Podcast Project
OP3 The Open Podcast Project
The Open Podcast Prefix Project is a free, open-source analytics service dedicated to transparent data and listener privacy in the podcasting world. Podcasters can add the prefix to their podcast episode URLs to participate and start measuring downloads. To learn more, reference OP3’s website here.
https://op3.dev/e/
PodRoll
PodRoll
Using the PodRoll prefix facilitates seamless integration if you're interested in utilizing their platform, which specializes in expanding podcast audiences by recommending your episodes to listeners based on their preferences. Reference PodRoll’s support article here.
https://pdrl.fm/XXXXXX/
Podcorn
Podcorn
Podcorn is a podcast advertising platform. By integrating their tracking prefix, you can accurately monitor your podcast's performance, optimizing your revenue potential through their advertising tool. Reference Podcorn’s support article here.
https://pdcn.co/e/
These supported prefixes give you the flexibility to choose the analytics services that align with your podcasting goals. Whether you're focused on attribution or in-depth analytics, Zencastr's compatibility with these prefixes ensures that you have the tools needed to optimize your podcasting strategy.
💡 For assistance in adding a provider not whitelisted above, please reach out to Support Team via email or chat.
Before You Start – Requirements to Add Prefixes
Hosted on Zencastr.
On any Zencastr plan.
How to Add an Analytics Prefix
Log in to your Zencastr account.
Click on the Shows tab.
Hover over your Show’s name to locate the context menu (3 vertical dots), and click Edit.
Click on Open Advanced Settings.
In the field RSS Episode URL prefix, add the prefix you would like to add.
Click on Save when done to finalize the changes.
How to Edit or Remove Prefixes
Log in to your Zencastr account.
Click on the Shows tab.
Hover over your Show’s name to locate the context menu (3 vertical dots), and click Edit.
Click on Open Advanced Settings.
In the field RSS Episode URL prefix, remove, swap, or add the prefix.
Click on Save when done to finalize the changes.
How to Add and Combine Multiple Analytics Prefixes
If you're interested in adding multiple prefixes, follow the steps below. Please note that you may only apply a maximum of three at this time.
Log in to your Zencastr account.
Click on the Shows tab.
Hover over your Show’s name to locate the context menu (3 vertical dots), and click Edit.
Click on Open Advanced Settings.
In the field RSS Episode URL prefix, add the prefix you would like to add.
Input additional URL Prefixes in the RSS Episode URL prefix field without including "https://". Place each prefix directly after the first URL backslash (/). Ensure to leave the backslash (/) at the end of the last entered URL Prefix.
Click on Save when done to finalize the changes.
In this example, Podscribe, Chartable, and spAA are applied. Please note that the details on finding your unique Chartable URL are outlined here.
https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/chtbl.com/track/12345/prfx.byspotify.com/e/
How To Test the Analytics Prefix
⚠ Incorrectly added Analytics Prefix URLs may result in the episode audio not playing. Please test to ensure that your podcast delivery is not interrupted.
Log in to your Zencastr account.
Click on the Shows tab.
Hover over your Show’s name to locate the context menu (3 vertical dots), and click Open.
Click on the Share button (Arrow) on the upper right hand.
Click on the RSS icon (in yellow). This will copy your RSS feed for you.
Open a new tab and paste your RSS feed.
Look for the enclosure length section. Highlight and copy the URL.
Paste the URL onto a new tab. Hit Enter/Return.
If you see an audio player, the URL is configured correctly. If the audio player doesn't appear, you need to fix the prefix.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I change my URL prefix later?
Can I change my URL prefix later?
Absolutely! You can edit and change your prefix at any time. Follow the steps outlined in "How to Edit or Remove Prefixes" for guidance.
Is there a limit to the number of prefixes I can add?
Is there a limit to the number of prefixes I can add?
Currently, our maximum is 3. Refer to the steps outlined in "How to Add and Combine Multiple Analytics Prefixes" for guidance.
The prefix I want to add isn't whitelisted. How can I include it?
The prefix I want to add isn't whitelisted. How can I include it?
Contact our Support Team, via email or chat, to discuss the prefix you're looking to add. To review supported prefixes, refer to this list here.
Can I add a VAST redirect tag?
Can I add a VAST redirect tag?
Currently, VAST redirect tags are not supported. If you wish to have this feature, please reach out to our Support Team, via email or chat, to request it.