After you have created a new show or moved an existing show to Zencastr, understanding the metrics behind your podcast's performance is essential for refining your content strategy and engaging with your audience effectively. This article is an overview of Zencastr's analytics features.

In this article:

Basic and Advanced Analytics

Viewing Analytics

Filtering Analytics

Downloads

Number of Episodes

Number of Shows

Downloads by OS

Downloads by Mobile OS

Downloads by Browser

Downloads by Source

Downloads by Time of Day

Listener Retention

Downloads Over Time

Downloads by Location

Related Questions

Zencastr legacy free plans, Hobbyist and Creator+, come with Basic Analytics which include the Downloads, Number of Episodes, and Number of Shows charts. All Zencastr paid plans come with Advanced Analytics which includes all charts in Basic plus the rest of the charts that are discussed in this article.

To view your analytics, log into your Zencastr account and from your Dashboard, click the Analytics tab on the left sidebar menu.

Analytics for all shows and episodes within a preselected date range are displayed by default. You can change this by filtering by show, episode, and/or date range to see specific analytics for these criteria.

To filter analytics by show, click within the Filter by Show field. A dropdown list of all active and archived shows displays. Select the name of the show(s) you want to view analytics for. To remove a show from the filter, click the ‘x’ next to the show name.

To filter analytics by episode, click within the Filter by Episode field. The resulting dropdown list displays the 20 most recently updated episodes. Click on the name of the episode(s) you want to view analytics for. Alternatively, search for a specific episode(s) by typing its name or a keyword to display and select it. To remove an episode from the filter, click the ‘x’ next to the episode name.

To filter analytics by a specific date range, click on one of the preset options – today, last 7 days, last 30 days, last half year, last year, or all time. Alternatively, click on the date range and use the calendar to select a custom one. Note that the timezone for the date range is based on your computer’s settings.

The number of downloads within the selected date range.

A download is counted any time an episode’s audio file is requested, a measurement that follows the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) guidelines. This request happens when someone plays or downloads your episode on any podcast directory app or site or via an embedded player.

The number of episodes published within the selected date range.

The number of shows for which episodes were published within the selected date range.

A pie chart that shows the operating system of the devices your audience used to download your content within the selected date range. Hover over the chart to see the specific numbers.

A pie chart that shows the operating system of the mobile devices your audience used to download your content within the selected date range. Hover over the chart to see the specific numbers.

A pie chart that shows the browser of the devices your audience used to download your content within the selected date range. Hover over the chart to see the specific numbers.

A pie chart that shows the podcast app, site, or platform that your audience used to download your content within the selected date range. Hover over the chart to see the specific numbers.

A heatmap table that shows downloads by day of the week and hour of the day within the selected date range. The darker the blue color, the higher the number of downloads that occurred in that time slot. To see the number of downloads, hover over any time slot. Note that the timezone used for this chart is based on your computer’s settings.

This information can help you plan when to release episodes for maximum impact.

A heatmap chart that displays the number of listeners in the most recent ten weeks and the percentage of those listeners who continued to play/download content in the following ten weeks. The darker the blue color, the higher the retention percentage in that week. To see the percent retained, hover any time slot. The number of listeners is updated progressively throughout the week while the percentage retained is calculated at the end of the week in question.

Gray or black spaces indicate either that none of the listeners from the initial week continued to engage in the subsequent weeks or that the retention percentage is not yet available for that week.

For example, in the image below - In the week of January 14-20, there were 25 listeners. In the following week, Week One (January 21-27), 4% of the listeners from that previous week played/downloaded content. In the next week, Week Two (January 28-February 3), none of the listeners from the initial week returned.

Note that if a listener from the initial week plays/downloads podcast content from a different IP address or device in the following weeks, they will not be counted as a returning listener and therefore will not be included in this chart.

A line graph that shows the number of downloads per day or month for the selected time period. Hover over the chart to see the specific numbers.

A world heatmap that illustrates where your downloads originated in the selected date range. The darker the blue color, the higher the number of downloads that occurred in that location. To see the number of downloads, hover over any country. To further explore what region the downloads came from, click a country. To see what cities the downloads came from, click a region. To return to the world map, click the back button.

Note that the download location is determined by the listener’s IP address, which sometimes only includes country data. Therefore, the number of downloads for a country may exceed the sum total of region or city numbers.

Zencastr follows the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) guidelines. The measurements are complex, but in essence, a download is counted when an audio file is streamed or downloaded via a podcast platform, app, or embedded player for at least 60 seconds. Additionally, to ensure accuracy, multiple plays or downloads from the same IP address and device within 24 hours are only counted once.

Unfortunately, analytics cannot be transferred between hosting providers because the industry has not yet developed an agreed-upon way of doing this. We advise exporting analytics from your previous hosting provider before transitioning to Zencastr. Once hosted with us, Zencastr will begin displaying analytics from that point onward. Rest assured, we're here to support you throughout the transition.

If your podcast is hosted with another provider, but connected to Zencastr, your primary source for analytics is your hosting provider. Zencastr can only track plays from the episode players on our site when we are not your hosting provider.