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00:00:03.919Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, brought to you by the people at Buzzsprout.
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00:00:15.359I'm your host, Cara Pacetti, and I'm bringing you the best tips and strategies to keep you podcasting with confidence.
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00:00:21.920The questions we answer here on Podcasting Q&A are oftentimes sent in using our fan mail link in the show notes.
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00:00:29.199So if there's a question that you'd like to see answered on a future episode, just click send us fan mail in the show notes and send in your question.
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00:00:37.039While a lot of our questions come from listeners like you, we also have questions that actually come in through our BuzzSprout support inbox.
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00:00:40.960So I'm actually a part of the podcaster success team here at Buzzsprout.
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00:00:49.119So that means when you write in to support@buzzsprout.com, sometimes you'll reach me or one of my other teammates and we are answering questions all day long.
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00:00:58.000So while working in support, I've seen a lot of confusion when it comes to the terms we are using in the podcasting industry.
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00:01:06.319Whether it's relating to how podcasting works, editing audio, or even starting a video podcast, there's a lot of questions.
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00:01:16.640And one thing I've learned is that when you have a solid foundation of the common terms or phrases used in the industry, it can really set you up for success.
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00:01:30.000So knowing how to describe something in podcasting or being familiar with key terms that we're all using will ultimately have you feeling less confused and more confident as you launch or work on your podcast.
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00:01:38.640So I'm excited for today's episode because today we are kicking off a mini-series where we will define some of those confusing terms.
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00:01:46.000Over the next three episodes, we're going to break down some of the most common podcasting terms and explain what they actually mean.
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00:01:48.799Today we're starting with general podcasting terms.
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00:01:55.760Then we'll go into audio-specific terms, and finally, we'll wrap up the series with video podcasting terms.
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00:02:02.480So I want to start with some of the vocabulary that you'll run into when you're just creating or publishing a podcast.
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00:02:10.080One of the most important and possibly most misunderstood terms in podcasting is your RSS feed.
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00:02:16.879So RSS actually stands for really simple syndication, and it's actually a blogging term that we still use today.
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00:02:22.800I'm going to use a little analogy here to help us wrap our heads around what an RSS feed is and how it works.
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00:02:28.800So your RSS feed is essentially the house that contains all of your podcast content.
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00:02:33.120And with this RSS feed, you have an RSS feed URL.
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00:02:37.599So the URL that you're using to access this feed of content.
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00:02:41.439We'll think of the URL as your mailing address for your house.
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00:02:55.360The information about your show and about your episodes is all held within the RSS feed, and the feed gives podcast listening apps a way to find and display your content, making it available for your listeners.
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00:03:11.360And although the RSS feed is essentially a website, sometimes it can look like just a large page of code, while others are more stylized and they actually look like a website with all of your artwork and your episodes and maybe a player where you can hear the episode.
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00:03:18.000Another thing I want to point out when you're looking for an RSS feed is that most websites end with a .com or a .org.
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00:03:20.879You can identify an RSS feed URL.
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00:03:28.159It will typically end with a .rss or a .xml at the end of the URL address.
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00:03:35.599So now that we've defined RSS feed, it actually is a great segue into our next term, which is a podcast host.
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00:03:44.639Your podcast host is the service you are using to not only upload and store all of your podcast content, but also manage your RSS feed.
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00:03:48.080For example, BuzzSprout, we are a podcast host.
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00:03:52.319So the main goal of your podcast host is to store your content you're creating.
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00:03:59.520This includes your audio, your artwork, your written content, and also to manage the content on your RSS feed.
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00:04:09.680This means when you make changes to your podcast with your podcast hosts, it gets updated on the RSS feed, allowing the directories to reflect the changes on their end.
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00:04:11.759See how that all ties together?
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00:04:20.720And while there is a way to self-host your podcast and not work with a hosting platform, using a hosting provider really helps to simplify things.
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00:04:24.639There are many podcast hosts available and most do similar things.
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00:04:33.439So our recommendation is just to try a couple of podcast hosts out, see what's offered with each hosting platform, and pick the best fit for you.
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00:04:39.839I do want to make you aware of a little podcasting terminology trap so that you will sound like the expert.
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00:04:48.000When you're speaking to someone about podcasting, your podcast host and your podcast host are two different things.
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00:04:58.160So your podcast host is the platform that helps you distribute your show, and your podcast host is well, you or whoever is sitting behind the microphone talking to your listeners.
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00:05:02.639So as you're talking to other podcasters, make sure you're making that distinction.
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00:05:05.519Next up, listening directories.
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00:05:09.680These are the platforms where people can discover podcasts and listen to them.
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00:05:16.000Think Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other podcast listening platforms.
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00:05:23.279While in the industry, they are known as listening directories, they may also be referred to as podcasting apps.
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00:05:31.279When you host your content using a podcast host, that doesn't automatically mean your podcast is available across all of these directories.
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00:05:39.439There is a submission process for each directory, and that process is either handled by you as the podcaster or by your podcast host.
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00:05:46.240If you're just getting started with launching your podcast, BuzzSprout actually makes it really easy to submit your podcast to the directories.
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00:05:52.079New podcasters can submit their show to 16 audio directories with literally one click.
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00:05:56.959Okay, this one may seem obvious, but I do think it's worth clarifying.
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00:06:00.160What's the difference between a podcast and an episode?
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00:06:06.639Your podcast refers to the overall show, and episodes are the individual pieces of content within that show.
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00:06:10.079For example, podcasting QA is the podcast.
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00:06:16.879This episode about podcasting terminology is an episode of the podcast podcasting QA.
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00:06:19.199Think of it like a TV show.
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00:06:24.399The show is the overall program, and each episode is one installment of that show.
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00:06:34.959This clarification can help you if you find yourself sharing an episode with a friend or if you're troubleshooting while your podcast isn't showing on a particular directory.
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00:06:38.480Okay, this next term is actually a three for one.
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00:06:42.319I want to tackle three words that are often used interchangeably.
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00:06:45.680Those words are follower, listener, and subscriber.
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00:06:50.399A listener is simply someone who listens to your podcast.
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00:06:56.959A follower is someone who has chosen to follow your podcast on a particular listening directory.
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00:07:02.000And a subscriber can mean different things depending on the platform and the context.
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00:07:10.240Historically, podcasting used the word subscriber to describe someone who has subscribed to a podcast feed through a listening directory.
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00:07:15.120Today, many podcast platforms use the term follow instead.
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00:07:18.879And even this term can vary from one podcast app to another.
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00:07:24.399A subscriber on YouTube is essentially the same as a follower in Apple Podcasts.
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00:07:33.519While these words are often used interchangeably, I do want to point out that a subscriber can actually take on a whole new meaning when you're monetizing your podcast.
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00:07:43.120Oftentimes, a subscriber describes a listener who is paying for your podcast through a service like BuzzSprout subscriptions or Apple Podcast subscriptions.
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00:07:45.920This distinction is an important one to note.
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00:07:57.519So if you're trying to determine how many people are subscribed or following your podcast and tuning in consistently to new episodes, I recommend checking out how each platform defines these terms.
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00:08:04.399If you are looking for how many paid subscribers you have, check out the service you're using to offer that premium content.
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00:08:09.600And lucky for you, our last term is actually another three for one.
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00:08:14.079I want to talk about some of the terms you'll probably spend a lot of time looking at.
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00:08:17.920And those are downloads, listens, and plays.
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00:08:24.959These terms sound like they are all measuring the exact same thing, but they don't necessarily mean the same thing.
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00:08:31.839A download generally refers to an episode that's getting downloaded or accessed by a listener's device.
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00:08:38.320In Buzzsprout, a download is registered anytime an episode file is requested for at least 60 seconds.
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00:08:45.120Once that 60 second mark is passed, this will register as a download on the stats page of your Buzzsprout account.
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00:08:52.639A play generally refers to someone pressing play on an episode and beginning to consume the content.
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00:08:58.240Plays may be tracked in the listening directory accounts like Apple Podcasts or Spotify for creators.
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00:09:02.159Typically, there is no duration required to register as a play.
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00:09:05.840It can be tracked when a listener just simply clicks the play button.
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00:09:12.080And a listen can mean a stream of your episode or when an episode is accessed without downloading.
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00:09:16.320A lot of platforms will use listen and download interchangeably.
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00:09:22.399So an important thing to remember is that different platforms may define and measure these terms differently.
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00:09:30.000It's best not to assume that a download on one platform is necessarily identical to a play or a listen on another.
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00:09:37.919When you're looking at your podcast statistics, it's important to understand what the specific metric is actually measuring before comparing numbers.
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00:09:58.399Since we've just scratched the surface on these terms like downloads, listens, and plays, if you want a little bit more of a deep dive into how to understand your podcast analytics and what these terms mean on a deeper level, I'm gonna link a BuzzCast episode in the show notes that's called Understand Podcast Analytics Like a Pro.
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00:10:10.399We bring in Tom Rossi, who's one of our co-founders here at Buzzsprout, and he is very knowledgeable about podcast analytics and really breaks it down and explains these terms in a way that's easy to understand.
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00:10:12.320So I recommend checking that out.
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00:10:18.000And there you have it, a whole lot of podcasting terminology that hopefully feels a little less confusing now.
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00:10:20.080But I know we didn't cover everything.
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00:10:25.759So of course, if there's a podcasting term you've heard and thought, wait, what does that actually mean?
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00:10:30.000Send it our way using the Send Us Fan mail link in the show notes.
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00:10:34.159And remember, this is just part one of our podcasting terminology series.
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00:10:37.919Today we covered some of the general terms you'll encounter as a podcaster.
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00:10:43.840Next week, we're getting a little more technical and talking about audio-specific podcasting terms.
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00:10:50.879So if this episode was helpful, make sure you follow podcasting QA on your favorite listening directory so you don't miss it.
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00:10:53.840Be sure to join us every Monday to kickstart your week.
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00:10:55.360Thank you so much for listening.
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00:10:57.840And as always, keep podcasting.
