How do you measure the impact of your audio products?

1 Define your goals

Before you start measuring anything, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your audio products. What is the purpose of your audio products? Who are they for? How do they align with your brand and your strategy? Depending on your goals, you may have different indicators of success, such as reach, engagement, conversion, retention, or revenue. For example, if your goal is to grow your audience, you may focus on metrics like downloads, subscribers, or social media shares. If your goal is to generate income, you may focus on metrics like sales, donations, or sponsorships.

2 Choose your metrics

Once you have defined your goals, you need to choose the metrics that best reflect them. Metrics are the quantifiable data that you can collect and analyze to measure your performance. There are many types of metrics you can use for your audio products, such as consumption metrics like play rate, completion rate, average listening time, or listen-through rate; distribution metrics like downloads, streams, impressions, or reach; engagement metrics like ratings, reviews, comments, likes, shares, or referrals; conversion metrics like signing up for a newsletter, buying a product, or joining a community; retention metrics such as churn rate, retention rate, or lifetime value; and revenue metrics such as sales, donations, sponsorships, or ad revenue.

3 Use the right tools

To collect and analyze your metrics, you need to use the right tools for your audio products. For instance, podcast hosting services like Podbean, Buzzsprout, or Anchor offer hosting, distribution, and analytics. Audio streaming services like Spotify, SoundCloud, or Audiomack provide streaming, distribution, and analytics for music or sound effects. Additionally, audio editing software like Audacity, GarageBand, or Adobe Audition offer editing, mixing, and mastering features. Audio measurement software such as Auphonic, Loudness Penalty, or Youlean Loudness Meter offer advanced measurement and analysis features. Finally, web analytics tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or Hotjar give you web traffic and behavior data for your audio products.

4 Compare and benchmark

In order to understand the impact of your audio products, you need to compare and benchmark your metrics against different criteria, such as your own goals and expectations, your competitors and peers, and your audience and market. Are you meeting your objectives and targets? Are you improving or declining over time? What best practices and trends are present in your field? What gaps and opportunities exist for your audio products? How do you match the needs and preferences of your audience and market? What feedback and insights have you received from listeners? Answering these questions will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your audio products, as well as any challenges or opportunities.

5 Experiment and optimize

If you want to make the most of your audio products, experimenting and optimizing your metrics is key. You can test different variables such as title, description, cover art, length, format, content, tone, music, and sound effects to see how they impact your metrics. Additionally, you can use different strategies such as frequency, timing, promotion, distribution, monetization and collaboration to enhance your audio products. Applying techniques like editing, mixing, mastering, loudness, quality and accessibility can also help you improve your audio products. Measuring the impact of your audio products is an ongoing process that requires planning, tracking, analyzing and adjusting. With the right metrics and methods in place, you can gain valuable insights and feedback to create better audio products for your audience and business.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?