RSS.com Analytics - Overview

RSS.com provides industry-leading analytics to podcasters. Our analytics services follow state-of-the-art guidelines in the industry to measure podcast metrics.

Our analytics service is based on the data we collect each time we receive a download request for your show. Because we are the hosting platform, when a listener downloads one of your episodes via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music etc... they leave a footprint in our system through a, so called, “log”.

From this listener data we construct our Analytics page, that is composed of 3 tabs to which all plans get access to:

1. Overview (this page) - a comprehensive snapshot of your entire show.
2. Episodes - detailed data at the episode level.
3. Comparison - assess the performance across different episodes.

1. Overview Tab

The Overview tab provides a comprehensive snapshot of your entire show, compiling all your data into one easy-to-read dashboard. This feature allows you to see the big picture at a glance, making it simpler to track your show's performance and identify trends.

Here’s the data that includes:

• 1.1. Downloads: Last 24 hours, Last 30 days, and All time.
• 1.2. Rolling Average Subscribers (RAS).
• 1.3. Downloads timeline.
• 1.4. Apps, podcast directories, and browsers.
• 1.5. Top 5 cities and downloads by country.
• 1.6. Downloads by location.
• 1.7. Download time and week day.
• 1.8 Downloads by devices and platforms.
• 1.9. Data quality.

Let’s break down and understand each section, one by one.

1.1. Downloads: "Last 24 hours", "Last 30 Days", and "All time"

In our metrics the term "download" represents any time a unique user accesses your content. It doesn't matter if a listener saves an episode on their device or streams an episode from an app. Each would count as a "download". Downloads are a rolling metric updated several times throughout the day.

Important: Deleting an episode does not affect the total show downloads. The data includes any episodes that have been removed.

1.2. RAS (Rolling Average Subscribers)

While RSS.com does provide industry-leading analytics to podcasters, it is not currently possible to accurately determine how many followers/subscribers a show has. This is because most podcast players, apps, and directories either do not track followers/subscribers or they don't report those numbers.

However, you can estimate the number of followers/subscribers for your show! RSS.com provides a new first-of-it's-kind metric called "RAS" or "Rolling Average Subscribers" which counts the number of individual listener devices downloading or streaming your show. "RAS" is the downloads average of your last 3 episodes 24 hours after their corresponding release.

If your show is released every Friday at 6:00 am and you get around 100 downloads every Friday morning week after week, then it's safe to assume that you have roughly 100 followers/subscribers (this number may include listeners who accessed the content in the first 24 hours through other means like social media, and aren't an actual "follower/subscriber" of your show).

1.3. Downloads timeline

Use this graph to track your progress and identify trends with your Downloads. Keep in mind that total downloads (shown next to the title label) is also updated when the dropdown menu picker changes.

Important: The date range for all the data displayed below, not just "Downloads timeline", but all the metrics down the fold, can be adjusted using the dropdown menu to the last 7, 14, 30, 90, or 180 days.

1.4. Apps, podcast directories, and browsers

This chart shows the distribution of downloads across apps, podcast directories, and browsers, giving you insight into where your audience is accessing your content.

According to the chart above, your downloads mostly come from Spotify and Google Chrome.

1.5. Top 5 Cities and Downloads by Country.

When analyzing your podcast’s performance, understanding where your audience is located can provide valuable insights. In RSS.com Analytics, you’ll find both city-level and country-level data to help you get a clearer picture of your listener distribution.

At the left, these are the top 5 locations - at the city level - with the highest number of downloads. Click "Show all locations" to see the full list of locations sorted by number of downloads. At the right, there’s the distribution of downloads by country. 

1.6. Downloads by location

An interactive world map of locations with the highest downloads. Knowing where your listeners are tuning in from can greatly enhance your content strategy. With the Downloads by Location feature in RSS.com Analytics, you can see a detailed geographic breakdown of your audience, helping you tailor your episodes to better engage listeners from specific regions.

The heatmap allows you to see the geographic location of the places where your podcast is most popular. Red dots indicate a larger audience by geographic area.

1.7. Downloads time and week day

Timing your releases can significantly impact your podcast's reach and engagement. This heatmap helps you identify peak listening times, showing you when your audience is most active. Use this insight to schedule your episodes for maximum impact.

The below chart shows unique downloads of your podcast by day and time. The darker the color, the higher the number of downloads. Hover over any blue time slot to see the number of downloads. You can use this information to schedule the optimal publishing time for your new episodes and maximize downloads.

All times are local.

1.8 Downloads by devices and platforms

Knowing which devices and platforms your audience uses can help you optimize your content for a better listener experience. This section provides insights into the types of devices and operating systems your audience prefers, enabling you to tailor your podcast for the best performance across different technologies.

These pie charts map the devices and platforms where the podcast has been downloaded (by percentage). Hover over each slice to see the percentage of downloads for each source.

1.9. Data quality

Accurate data is essential for meaningful insights. The data quality filter automatically excludes bots and crawlers, ensuring that your download metrics reflect genuine listener activity. This helps you make more informed decisions based on clean, reliable data.

Important: Bots & Crawlers are excluded from your stats. All the data shown across the entire page has already been cleaned and reflect only genuine downloads.