You’ve done it. Your B2B podcast is live, your episodes are out in the world, and your voice is now part of the industry conversation. But here’s the reality check: just launching your podcast isn’t enough.
The real work begins now—figuring out if your podcast is actually hitting the mark. Is it resonating with your target audience? Is it driving meaningful engagement? Most importantly, is it delivering real value to your business?
Without solid metrics, you’re just guessing. And in today’s data-driven world, guessing won’t cut it.
In this blog post, we’re going beyond the basics. We’re diving into the real metrics that matter—the ones that go beyond simple download numbers and give you a crystal-clear picture of your podcast’s impact. We’ll walk you through 9 crucial KPIs that will measure your B2B podcast success, along with 3 powerful strategies to ensure it’s making a lasting impression.
Ready to take the guesswork out of podcasting? Let’s jump in.
9 Key Performance Indicators To Measure B2B Podcast Success
Copy the actionable insights to your notes, review them at the end, and apply them to boost your podcast’s success.
1. Listener Growth Rate
Use this metric to see if your content resonates with your audience over time. But the rate at which your audience grows can tell you more than just popularity.
It can show you how well your podcast adapts to changing listener needs. If your growth rate is steady or increasing, it means your podcast episodes serve your audience well, and your content stays relevant.
In contrast, if your listener growth stalls, it might be time to revisit your topics or format.
How To Measure
Set a listener growth rate goal, but remember this will depend on your business podcast’s topic or focus. For example, if your podcast is in the automotive niche like selling car accessories, you can set a goal to grow your listeners by 10% over the next 6 months.
Why 10% only? This niche is smaller and may take time to build a steady audience.
Meanwhile, if your podcast is in the health and wellness space, which is a booming industry for entrepreneurs, you can aim for a more ambitious goal, like increasing your listeners by 20% in 4 months. With such a high-interest topic, your content has a higher chance of attracting a larger audience quickly.
Then, start measuring. Track your listener count regularly. You can use your podcast hosting platform’s analytics to see the changes over time. Focus heavily on week-over-week or month-over-month trends to spot patterns.
If you're managing a B2B podcast and looking for expert support, working with a full-service podcast agency like Fame can be beneficial. We specialise in monitoring listener growth and offering strategic business advice that aligns with your podcast's goals.
Our focus is on ensuring each episode resonates with your audience, helping you steadily grow a loyal and engaged listener base within the business community.
2. Social Media Shares
This offers a unique perspective on how your audience interacts with your business podcast outside the listening platform. If you have high engagement, it means your monthly or weekly podcasts are heard and spark conversations.
Use this to see if your audience feels compelled to share your valuable insights. With this, you can gauge whether your podcast is becoming a must-listen in the business world.
How To Measure
At Fame, we use a simple point system:
- Likes = 1 point
- Comments = 2 points
- Shares = 5 points
So let’s say you post something about your latest business training episode and it gets:
- 50 likes
- 12 comments
- 8 shares
The calculation would be: (50*1) + (12*2) + (8*5) = 114
We would then repeat this calculation across all social posts related to the podcast during the week, including any extra promotions, and add the scores for a total social engagement score.
But if you want to do it on your own and see the overall engagement on your podcast’s social media accounts, use Sprout Social. It can help you track your engagement metrics over time on different platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
You can also view the engagement rate breakdown per platform:
To dig deeper, you can use Sprout Social’s Post Performance reports:
With this, you can see patterns as to which episodes drive the most interaction. For instance, if you notice that episodes featuring guest interviews consistently receive higher engagement scores, use this information to refine your content marketing strategy.
Focus more on promoting guest interviews or incorporating elements from those episodes into other content. This way, you can help make your business podcast reach a broader audience.
These can be tedious and repetitive tasks, so you can hire a marketing assistant to help you carry the load. They can monitor your engagement rates across all platforms and give you insights based on the results.
3. Podcast Ranking
Podcast ranking reflects how your content stands out in a crowded market. If your podcast ranks high, your target audience finds what you have to say useful. Perhaps your practical advice helps them with their entrepreneurial journey.
In addition, a high-ranking podcast can attract industry experts or leading thinkers in your niche to be guests. This opens doors to better sponsorship opportunities for your brand too.
How To Measure
Check where your daily or weekly podcast stands on popular platforms like Apple Podcasts or Spotify. They rank podcasts based on factors like subscriber growth, listener engagement, and reviews.
To do this, simply log in and search your category if you are using Apple. On Spotify, search “Podcasts” and click “Podcasts” under Genre. If you are in the US, just use the Podcast chart and find your category.
But what if you are on both platforms and do not want to go back and forth? Use tools like Chartable.
It gives you an overview of your podcast’s performance across various platforms and categories. You can also use it to see your ranking in different regions.
You can use your ranking KPI to see which topics give you a boost in the charts. This can help you refine your strategy so you can have a higher or more consistent rank and be one of the best business podcasts today.
4. Ad Revenue
Ad revenue comes when you monetise your podcast. It gives you a clear sign that your podcast is valuable enough for advertisers to invest in. But more importantly, it can help you shape your business strategy.
The more you earn, the more you can reinvest into improving your podcast, whether it is through better production, guest speakers, or marketing.
How To Measure
First, know the different ad types:
- Pre-roll: They play at the very beginning of your podcast episode before the main content starts. These ads often have higher engagement rates since they are the first thing that listeners hear.
- Mid-roll: They are placed in the middle of your podcast. You can consider them as prime placements because the audience is already hooked on the episode when they hear the ads.
- Post-roll: They play at the episode’s ending. They reach listeners who stick around until the end, which can be your most loyal and dedicated audience.
Then, to get these ads running and give you an ad revenue to measure, you can talk to us at Fame. We can strategise on how to monetise your podcast and talk about the best platform to track your impressions and revenue for each ad type like this:
5. Podcast Website Traffic
When listeners visit your site, they are not just tuning in—they are actively engaging with your brand. It shows that you deliver valuable lessons they want to explore further.
Additionally, use this metric to see how effective your marketing efforts are, from social media to email campaigns. With this, you can measure whether you are fast becoming one of the most popular business podcasts in your niche.
How To Measure
Use tools like Ahrefs. If you do not have an account yet, simply follow Ahrefs’ step-by-step guide on how to add your website to their platform.
Once you have that all set up, simply go to “Site Explorer” to get to this dashboard and see your website traffic:
With Ahrefs, you can monitor your website’s organic search traffic, check which keywords bring in visitors, and see how your site ranks against others.
If you want a free tool, you can use Google Analytics (GA4). But it can be a little too technical and complicated to set up and navigate. So, it is best to watch Google’s GA4 tutorial series, which can also benefit your overall SEO strategy.
6. Listener Engagement (Comments & Questions)
When your listeners actively engage, it means your podcast is sparking insightful conversations and making a real impact. Additionally, you can use their engagement to get feedback and ideas to further make you the go-to podcast that helps businesses grow.
How To Measure
Track comments and questions across your social media platforms. To do this, use Sprout Social again. It tracks all your mentions on various platforms, and it centralises all this data to make it easy for you to monitor, like this:
More importantly, you can already respond when you are logged in to your Sprout Social account. You do not have to keep going back and forth across your social media accounts. With this, you can turn passive engagement into active conversations quickly,
Another way to measure listener engagement is to host live shows or Q&A sessions. These formats encourage real-time interaction and give you immediate feedback on your content’s impact.
For example, if you host a live session and see a flood of questions and comments from budding entrepreneurs, it is a clear sign that your audience is highly engaged. Then, count the number of questions and comments every time you do live shows and compare them.
With this, you can understand how well your podcast fosters a community and keeps your audience returning for more.
7. Email Subscriber Growth From Your Podcast
If they sign up for your email list, they trust your content and want to stay connected. You can use this to build a loyal audience for your overall brand, not just your podcast.
How To Measure
Use unique URLs or landing pages mentioned only in your podcast episodes. This lets you directly track how many new subscribers come from your podcast.
For example, you can say, “Sign up at newbusinessideas.com/podcast for our newsletter,” and then measure how many sign-ups that specific page generates.
To monitor these unique links, use Mailchimp’s landing page tracker to see the conversions based on your page’s sign-up form. Then, it adds the data to your campaign reports to show the exact number of visitors that subscribed.
8. Overall Downloads
More than the number of people who tune into your podcast, the overall download metric lets you spot trends and identify what topics your audience likes the most.
For instance, a spike in downloads after a specific episode indicates that your deep dive into business breakdowns really hit home with listeners.
How To Measure
This is one of the easiest metrics to measure since your podcast platform most probably has this already on your dashboard. For instance, if you use Fame Host to distribute your podcast across Spotify, Apple, Google, and Overcast, you can see this in your reports:
9. Skill Level
You might be wondering, what is skill level doing here?
Here’s the thing, your skill level as a podcaster is the secret sauce that ties everything together. Besides good business ideas, successful entrepreneurs also need to know how to communicate them effectively.
The better you get at podcasting, the more your audience grows, and that is a key measure of your podcast’s success.
How To Measure
First, assess your communication skills. Are you engaging and easy to understand?
To do this, you can look at the listener's feedback. You can also ask your staff for their honest opinions. If you want, enrol in a public speaking course to test your communication abilities and get feedback from actual experts.
Next, check your technical skills. Listen to your episodes—how does the sound quality compare to popular podcasts?
If you notice areas like audio clarity or editing that could improve, take note. There are podcast training courses like LinkedIn’s Producing Podcast to help you improve your digital or production skills.
Lastly, evaluate your content creation skills. Ask yourself: are your episodes consistently interesting and relevant?
To measure this, track which episodes keep listeners hooked. So set a clear standard and use it as a benchmark to identify underperforming episodes.. For example, if 65 out of 100 episodes have fewer than 500 listeners, your content may not be resonating.
Next, analyse episodes that exceed the listener threshold—those with over 500 listeners. Look at what makes them successful, whether it is the topic, the guest, or the presentation. Identify these elements to help you replicate success in future episodes.
4 Strategies To Improve Your Business Podcast
Not happy with your KPI results? Capture these strategies, put them into action, and track the changes they make to your podcast.
A. Set Clear Goals
Use your clear goals as a roadmap for your podcast. Successful businesses leverage this to focus on what matters, whether it is:
- Driving sales
- Growing your audience
- Increasing engagement
In addition, clear goals make it easier to measure your KPIs and see if the results are good or not. For example, if your goal is to grow email subscribers by 15% in 2 months through your podcast, track weekly sign-ups. If you are falling short, it is a clear sign to tweak your strategy, like improving your call-to-action or content.
What To Do
Use the SMART Framework to set clear goals:
Here’s an example: Instead of saying, “I want more listeners,” set a goal like, “Increase listeners by 20% in the next three months by focusing on stock investing content.”
This goal is specific, measurable, and relevant to your podcast’s niche, making it easier to track progress.
If you have many KPIs, this can be a tedious process, so try to get a business or marketing intern to help you out. They are often skilled in research and data analysis. Let them dig into your podcast metrics to identify trends and patterns to help you set realistic goals. Plus, their tech-savvy nature lets them efficiently use analytics platforms to monitor progress.
B. Be Consistent With Releases
Consistency gives your audience something to look forward to and ensures they will not have to guess when your next episode will drop.
Plus, whether you are running a daily podcast or a weekly podcast featuring expert interviews, sticking to a schedule can boost your KPIs like listener retention and download rates.
Regular releases also show you are reliable, which is crucial in your podcast’s early stages. It helps you maintain a steady growth trajectory while balancing your professional life too.
What To Do
Create a content calendar to get ahead. For example, if you have a weekly podcast featuring venture capital tactics, use the calendar to plan relevant topics a month in advance. This way, you can batch-record episodes and avoid last-minute stress.
If you opt for Google Calendar, use its reminders feature for recording, editing, and publishing. This keeps you on track and helps maintain a healthy work-life balance. Plus, this is an easy way to keep everyone on the same page.
C. Repurpose Content
Maximise the value of what you already created. This is what makes a content marketing strategy critical, as it lets you see opportunities to strategically repurpose your existing material into new formats that reach a different audience.
Plus, it can save you time and make sure your podcast can continue to offer valuable content without always starting from scratch.
What To Do
Turn a blog post into a podcast topic. For example, let’s say you have a blog post about scaling a small business. You can repurpose it into a business growth podcast episode where you can discuss key points in a conversational style. Also, you can talk about your own experiences or anecdotes.
Another way is if you hosted a webinar, you can use the recording as a podcast episode. Edit it down to focus on the most valuable content and make it more podcast-friendly.
Additionally, if you have ebooks or a whitepaper, break down their sections into multiple podcast episodes. Use this as a chance to dive deep into each topic and provide listeners with detailed, easily digestible content over several episodes.
You can also use this to increase your social media engagement KPI. Pull out short, impactful quotes or clips from your podcast and share them on social media to drive more traffic to the full episode. You can prepare social media reports to track performance and optimize future content.
D. Prepare Relevant Questions For Guests
Do not wing it. When you ask thoughtful, well-researched questions, your guests can provide more insightful and actionable advice. This can help you keep listeners hooked and give you better KPIs.
You can also use this strategy to build a network with successful business leaders. If they know that you actually take the time to do your homework, more can be willing to sit down and talk to you.
What To Do
Research your guest’s background. So, look at the online presence on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. You should also check out their websites and read or listen to any of their previous interviews.
Then, understand the main topic, which would most likely be based on your guest’s expertise. For example, if they are experts in eCommerce, read articles about topics that fall under that, like high-profit products, chargeback risks, and dropshipping platforms.
You can also find other podcasts that cover the same topics and see how they have been discussed and what questions have already been answered. This way, you can add a fresh spin on topics with your guests.
But you also have to think about what your audience wants to hear. Maybe they want to hear new business ideas instead of SEO or the stock market. To know your audience’s pulse, ask them on social media.
Lastly, prepare open-ended questions. So instead of asking, “Do you think eCommerce stores face challenges with abandoned carts?” try, “What strategies have you found most effective to reduce cart abandonment for eCommerce stores?”
Conclusion
By focusing on these KPIs and implementing the strategies outlined, you can ensure your podcast not only meets its goals but exceeds them. Remember, the journey doesn't end with the launch; it's about constantly evolving and delivering content that your audience values.
At Fame, we don’t just believe in podcasting—we live and breathe it. We’ve seen firsthand how a well-measured and strategically optimised podcast can transform a brand’s reach and impact. But here’s the bottom line:
- If you’re not measuring the right metrics, you’re flying blind.
- Data without analysis is just noise—use it to drive strategic decisions.
- Consistent measurement and optimisation are the keys to long-term podcast success.
By implementing the strategies we’ve laid out—backed by exclusive insights from our own experiences—you can take your B2B podcast from good to game-changing. Ready to make your podcast a driving force in your marketing arsenal? Let’s talk. Fame is here to help you measure, optimise, and dominate your niche. Get a proposal now.
