What caused the spike in my downloads?

Have you noticed a sudden increase in your podcast downloads? Curious about where those extra listens are coming from? Let’s explore some common reasons for a spike in downloads and how you can determine if those numbers are genuine.

Possible Reasons for Download Spikes

There are many legitimate reasons why your podcast or specific episodes might experience a sudden increase in downloads. Here are a few examples:

• Viral Content: Maybe your episode about ancient Rome went viral due to a trending TikTok video, or your podcast about a classic TV show surged in popularity after news of a series revival.
• Social Media Shares: A listener could have shared a link to your podcast on Reddit or other social media platforms, leading to a flurry of new downloads.

However, not all spikes are organic. Sometimes, a surge in downloads could be due to bots or automated programs. At RSS.com, we have a robust filtering system to screen out unreliable data, but occasionally, suspicious activity can slip through. Here are a few ways to tell if your spike is legitimate:

1. Check What’s Being Downloaded: if all of your episodes are getting downloaded simultaneously, it could simply be new subscribers catching up on your content. For instance, if your show has 100 episodes and three friends download all of them, that’s 300 downloads from just three people! On the other hand, if each episode is getting an unusually high number of downloads, it might be worth investigating further.
   
   
2. Look at the Spike’s Sustainability: a genuine spike usually leads to a lasting increase in your listener base. Check your analytics to see if the higher download numbers continue or if they drop back to normal soon after. Real spikes often result in a gradual decline rather than a sharp drop-off.
   
   
3. Analyze the Download Locations: if you notice a large number of downloads from a specific location, think about whether it makes sense. For example, a sudden surge of downloads from Bowling Green, Kentucky, might make sense if your episode is about local music legends. But if you have no ties to that area, it could be bot traffic or downloads from a data center.
   
   
4. Check the Devices and Platforms: at the bottom of your analytics page, you can see the devices, platforms, and apps used to access your content. A spike from a single platform or client app could indicate that most of the downloads are coming from the same source, which might not be legitimate.

What to Do If You Suspect Inaccurate Data

If you suspect that your download spike is due to illegitimate traffic, take note of the details and reach out to our support team with a ticket. While these artificial spikes are generally insignificant in the long run, we’d like to investigate to help prevent them from happening in the future.