202 | Your Podcast Stats Don’t Define Your Worth (Here’s Why Spotify Backed Off)

[00:00:00] Spotify was about to show the world your podcast stats every single play count for every episode. Well, then they backed off. Why? Because numbers can lie and small shows like ours, well, we deserve better.

[00:00:22] Sound matters. Be heard. Welcome to the podcast where you get exclusive behind the scenes tips to make your own show sound truly spectacular. This is Podtastic Audio. What's happening? How are you doing today? Thank you so much for being here. I am Chris and you click on the right show at the right time, the right place, baby.

[00:00:49] This is Podtastic Audio. You know, I designed this show to help you design your amazing podcast. I love podcasting. Hopefully you love podcasting. Let's make something amazing together. Happy podcasting to you. Now, one of the coolest things about podcasting is that as I record this episode right here and I release it and you get a chance to listen to it, I have no idea where you're listening. I don't know what app you're using.

[00:01:17] I have no idea. I have no idea what kind of phone you got. Maybe you're not even using a phone. Maybe you're just listening on the web. I really have no idea. But when it comes to podcast listening apps, there's probably two real big players in the podcast listening space.

[00:01:33] One being Apple as an Apple podcast. Personally, I'm an Apple podcast guy. I'm an Apple guy through and through for the most part. Had one of the original iPhones way back in the day and I got an Apple podcast was available on that device. And I listened back then. But the other big player in the podcast listening space has got to be Spotify. Spotify is massive. I listen to shows on both platforms because if I can't find it on Apple, maybe listen to it on Spotify.

[00:02:02] So those are kind of like the two biggies when it comes to the podcast listening space. And Spotify has been doing lots of different things. They've got the whole video platform going. They got the audio platform going. They got the music thing going. Spotify is trying to be like this platform for consuming audio and video content all in one place.

[00:02:24] I don't think I've ever really watched a video on Spotify. In fact, I don't even listen to music on Spotify. Like I said, I love Apple. I'm an Apple music kind of guy. And a little side note here. Spotify, when it comes to their music, they may have changed this.

[00:02:40] But last I heard that the audio quality of the music on Spotify was slightly less to the music on Apple. Apple does things in this Dolby Atmos with their Apple streaming music. It's really good stuff. It sounds amazing. So I have tinkered a little bit with Spotify music. I kind of compared what things sounded like on Spotify versus what it sounded like on Apple music. And I think I like the way it sounds on Apple music like way, way better.

[00:03:09] But that's a discussion for another day. Today, we're talking about podcasting. But speaking of Spotify, recently, they made a big announcement. They said that they are going to show your podcast stats to the world. Every single episode, every single play count was going to be on display within their app. So anybody who clicked on your show would have access to all of your stats, at least displayed and played within Spotify.

[00:03:38] Now, that number could be very small if most of your audience listened on other apps like Apple, like I do. So here's the big question. Is showing the audience your stats a good thing or a bad thing? So today, we're talking about why your play counts don't define your value and why having them not on display might be the best thing to ever happen to your podcast.

[00:04:06] Okay, so let's break it down. What actually happened at Spotify? What did they intend to do over there? So at first, they said that they were going to show stats of every single podcast that were on there. Show the play counts of every single episode publicly. So that anybody who saw your show on there could see every single play that every single episode had.

[00:04:32] Very similar to the way that YouTube does their YouTube views. If you go on YouTube right now, you can see the views of every single channel and see what their most popular videos are by views. You can see their subscribers by subscriber count by views. And I think the reason that Spotify was doing this is they were kind of mimicking what YouTube does.

[00:04:56] And this seems to be kind of the trend with Spotify is that they're trying to piggyback on what YouTube has been doing. Oh, YouTube's doing that. Let's copy them. Let's do exactly what they're doing, like with the video and things like that. They're trying to copy what YouTube does. But I think the idea here, according to Spotify, was that they were thinking that this would help listeners discover what's popular. You know, that kind of sounds great in theory.

[00:05:25] Well, right, maybe. But that immediately sets off alarms for us indie podcasters. Because suddenly, someone could look at your latest episode and see it only got like 29 plays. Not only is this potentially discouraging, it also doesn't reflect the real value of your show. So, after a bunch of backlash, Spotify walked it back.

[00:05:53] They decided to only show the milestones. So now, you'll see things like 50,000 plays or more. And nothing at all if you're below the 50,000 threshold. Now, I would have to say, without a doubt, that most of us indie podcasters, there are a few exceptions, but most of us indie podcasters get well below that per episode.

[00:06:19] Now, that change might feel small, but it says a lot about how this platform, and honestly, you know, podcasting in general, treats shows that aren't already huge. Okay, so why would some podcasters want their stats to be shown? Well, let's be fair. For some shows, this change actually hurts. If you're hitting big numbers already, having those stats public is like wearing a shiny trophy around your neck.

[00:06:49] It's instant credibility. I mean, right? I mean, you get like 75,000 plays per episode. That'll impress brands. That'll help get you sponsors. That might even get you landed on a major network. Wow. It's also a bragging right. When listeners see your show gets tons of plays, they're more likely to click because, well, people follow the crowds.

[00:07:15] So, yeah, if you're already winning the podcast game, you probably do want your stats visible. But if you're an indie hobby podcaster, which I hope you are, probably not so much. Now, let's talk about the rest of us, the hobbyists, the creators that do this because we love it, not just because it pays our bills, not just because we want to land that big mega sponsor

[00:07:41] so we can move on to the next mega sponsor, where this is fun first and it's business second. So, if you're getting like 35 plays an episode, you probably don't want that broadcast to the world, not because you're embarrassed, but because you know your value isn't in the number. Having these low play counts shown can feel like walking into a party and having your bank account projected on the wall.

[00:08:10] It's just unhelpful. And it skews a perception. Or worse, it might turn off new listeners who would have enjoyed your show, but they just scroll past because it only had 27 plays. You know, that hurts. You know, I can remember back on the Chris Christine show when we first started, maybe a few episodes in, and we barely got it going. And, you know, I was hyped when we finally got like double digits on an episode.

[00:08:36] If those numbers were public back then, I probably would have second guessed every upload, wondering if people were silently judging the show's worth based on the numbers, based on that one stat. But here's the truth. Some of my best emails, DMs, and real listener moments came from episodes with less plays. The impact was real, even if the numbers weren't flashy as they were. And that's something Spotify can't measure.

[00:09:02] When nobody can see your play count, like the way most podcasting platforms do it, the way podcasting usually works. So when nobody can see the plays, we're all standing on the same stage, and it puts the focus back on the content and not on the numbers. You could be a new podcaster right now with absolutely zero following and still land a listener who sticks with you for years. Now that's powerful.

[00:09:31] And when stats are hidden, people listen based on the title, the artwork, the vibe of the show, how you present your show, not just because the episode already has like 100,000 plays on it. This actually gives newer voices a chance to be heard without being filtered through that big podcasting lens. So here's the big question. Should podcast stats be public?

[00:10:00] Well, honestly, I don't think so. At least not by default. If you're building something real, you deserve to grow it at your own pace without being compared to celebrities or Joe Rogan or networks or any kind of viral show like that. Spotify's change proves that creators still have a voice and that not every feature is actually helpful for everyone.

[00:10:28] So no, your stats don't need to be out there because your impact isn't measured in thousands. It's measured by one listener at a time. So if you're out there podcasting for real people, not algorithms, just keep doing it. You matter. Your content matters. Your show matters. And if you ever felt discouraged by the numbers, just remember, they don't tell the full story.

[00:10:57] So what do you think? Should us indie podcasters have our numbers plastered over all the podcast playing apps? Should that information be public or should it stay private like it is? Let me know. Hit me up on social media. You can contact me all through everything on my website, which is podtasticaudio.com. One-stop shop for everything. All my links to everything is right there. If you want to send me a note directly,

[00:11:23] you can still do that right there at podtasticaudio.com. Thank you once again for listening all the way to the very end. I do appreciate you. I appreciate you spending your time. I appreciate podcasting. And I know that podcasting is evolving as we speak, every which way we look. And if you love creating the way I love creating, I love creating podcasts. I don't think that my metrics need to be broadcast

[00:11:49] out for the entire world to make judgment call on my show. And on that note, you go out there and make your amazing podcast with your amazing content, with your amazing audio quality. And until next time, happy podcasting.