Beyond Downloads: How to Measure Success in Health Podcasting

As someone deeply involved in the world of podcasts, I’m in daily contact with fellow podcasters, aspiring podcasters, and the organizations and brands that want to reach people through audio. They all want to know the same thing: what’s the best way to judge whether their podcasts — or their ads — are truly hitting the mark?

Like most people, you’ve probably heard that success is measured by how many downloads an episode gets. Joe Rogan’s millions of listeners set a high bar for what “success” in podcasting looks like — but, thankfully, we’re not all Joe Rogan.

Here’s the thing: counting downloads doesn’t really tell us much about how engaged listeners are, or how valuable the content is to them. There’s a better way to evaluate how well audio-first content reaches its audience.

The Three R’s of Podcasting

I call this framework the Three R’s of Podcasting: Relevance, Relatability, and Resonance.

1. Relevance (or “contextual relevance”): ensuring the content aligns with the immediate interests, needs, or background of the audience.

2. Relatability: creating a personal connection with the audience, especially through shared experiences, emotions, or characteristics.

3. Resonance: making the message meaningful and memorable, encouraging people to share it and act on it.

These attributes may not be as clear-cut as a graph of downloads climbing up and to the right, but they’re far better criteria for evaluating the performance and effectiveness of podcasting, podcast advertising, and podcast sponsorship.

And together, these three factors drive a fourth R: Return on Investment (ROI).

In short, audio-first content contrasts sharply with the volume-driven tactics used in TV, print, and radio. Podcasts offer highly tailored, efficient, and effective engagement with the audiences that matter most.

Questions to ask about your podcast or audio advertising

Use these prompts to evaluate whether your podcast or audio advertising is achieving your objectives.

Relevance

• Is the content aligned with the specific context in which the audience is engaged?

• Is the message appropriate for the situation, environment, or timing in which people experience it?

Relatability

• Does the content create a personal connection with the relevant audience?

• Does it make people feel they can identify with it on a personal level?

• Does it reach them in the places where they spend their time? (Podcasts are great for this — they don’t demand active attention on a screen.)

Resonance

• Is the message meaningful to its target audience?

• Is it memorable — will people share it with others?

• Will it empower them to take action?

As we navigate the evolving landscape of health communication, podcasts offer a unique opportunity to engage deeply and personally — wherever and whenever our audience chooses to listen. Measuring success by relevance, relatability, and resonance helps us serve those audiences better, and understand the true impact of our work in health podcasting.

— Dan Kendall, Founder, Mission Based Media & Health Podcast Library