How Are Podcasts Ranked? Ultimate Guides To Podcast Rating System

how are podcasts ranked

We often check the ratings of a podcast to determine if it is worthy or not. The higher the score, the better the show should be. But how are podcasts ranked?

Listeners refer to the ratings to judge a program before clicking on it. Besides, some factors like downloads, reviews, plays, artwork, and podcast data also play equally important roles.

We will discuss the rating system for podcasts in this article. You can also learn some tips to boost your podcast ranking. Let’s check!

Is There A Rating System For Podcasts? 

Yes. Some platforms have established a rating system for their podcasts. Star ranking may be the most popular choice.

Podcast platforms are launching a star rating for programs to enhance podcast accessibility by spotlighting a show’s popularity.

Podcast ratings create a two-way review mechanism between author and listener by allowing listeners to promote their favorite broadcasts.

Listeners can rate a show on a scale of one to five stars, with one being the poorest and five for the greatest.

On the podcast’s program profile, many platforms highlight the average score and the overall number of votes the program has gotten.

How Are Podcasts Ranked? 

Aside from the ratings, we can rank podcasts in different terms. New audiences will have more references to decide what to listen to next.

Downloads

Downloads are, as you might guess, one of the most significant factors that can influence your podcast ranks.

A download implies that someone enjoys your show to save valuable storage memory for your content.

Plays

Plays are another clear indicator that listeners love your show, whether they are available on iTunes or iOS apps.

There’s also some idea about playing the same episode again and again helps. When the same listener replays an episode many times, we call it “re-listening.”

Repeated listens show that the audience liked the episode so much that they wanted to listen to it again.

Subscriptions

Another powerful feature is subscriptions, which proves that the listener is engaged in the program and wants the notifications for the next episode.

Ratings

Because ratings are excellent sources of audience feedback, they are essential for podcast rankings.

Podcasts with a high number of four- to five-star ratings are high-quality. Low ratings reflect poorer content. Podcasts without rating scores are questionable.

Simply asking for more votes is the most straightforward approach to get them. Show your audience how to submit a rating for specific platforms. Explain the processes in detail so that they may easily give you a score.

Reviews

While computers can recognize text, they are unlikely to be able to do so in a way that is consistent enough to rate episodes. As a result, we don’t assume the algorithm gives them much significance.

However, reviews are vital elements for encouraging new audiences to try your program.

During each episode, remember to ask for feedback. Show them how to post a review on the podcast, just like you told them how to leave a rating.

Artwork

Many podcast platforms set pretty high standards when it comes to cover artwork. They don’t want dull, unprofessional graphics on their website and apps. As a result, graphics are also a factor in the algorithm.

Of course, because the artwork is subjective, their algorithm remains limited. However, an algorithm can evaluate quality factors such as clarity, contrast, and text readability.

Podcast data

All of the info you give when you publish your podcast to a platform is available in the podcast data. This kind of data has just a minor impact on your show’s ranking.

However, because they are the only variables you have direct control over, make sure you do it right.

  • Category 

The most critical data element to provide is category when uploading an episode to the platform.

It’s critical to put your show in the correct section. If the platform does not believe you’re relevant in that area, it may lower your ranking.

Furthermore, if your show isn’t in the category they assume, audiences will have difficulty finding it.

  • Explicit

Your show will not appear in the rankings of users with explicit censorship rules if it comes with the mark “explicit.”

As a result, if a parent sets this feature for their child’s account, the child can never access your show.

  • Description 

Podcast platforms, such as iTunes, examine the content in your program’s description and rank it based on the keywords you give.

For example, a program in the Business category that includes the term “entrepreneur” in its description may gain a better ranking than one that does not.

For search purposes, the description is also essential. Shows featuring the keyword are more likely to rank higher in search engine results when someone looks for that term.

  • Language 

Audiences may listen to podcasts in their selected language on most platforms. Your program will not be accessible to the audiences you aim to reach if you choose inappropriate language.

Where To Check The Podcast Rankings? 

There are three straightforward ways to catch up with your show’s rankings:

Apple

Apple appears to be the most common podcasting platform. There are three easy ways to see where your podcast is in the rankings: reviews, ratings, and rankings.

To see where your show ranks on Apple, first figure out what category your show is in, then look for the top playlists in that area.

The programs near the top of that list are likely to have more regular subscribers than the ones at the bottom.

It does not only check reviews and ratings from Apple Podcasts, but it also gets them from Stitcher and Podcast Addict.

Chartable

Chartable is a SaaS platform that combines all of your reviews, rankings, and ratings into one place.

Podkite

Podkite keeps track of all of your reviews and ratings on one site and gives you an update every week.

How To Get Your Podcasts Ranking Higher? 

Hosts earn a lot of benefits from high-ranked podcasts. But how to boost the ranking? Try out these seven tips to achieve your goal:

Optimize search engine

Search engines employ a simple method, relying on text searches and user experiences.

Their algorithms just don’t have as many elements to examine as traditional engines, which may consider things like a page’s text and the contacts linking from and to it.

When it comes to finding podcasts, program and episode titles are crucial. It implies that titles should be as relevant as possible to the keywords people are looking for.

For your program title, you may utilize a keyword search tool like Google Trends or Answer The Public to uncover ideas related to your topic.

Ask for ratings and reviews.

Ratings and reviews are another crucial ranking feature in search algorithms, such as those utilized by iTunes and Apple.

A podcast’s accessibility in directories may increase if the producers boost the quantity and improve the mood of audience reviews.

Asking ratings and reviews from audiences during your episodes is the easiest approach to encourage them. Every episode’s sign-off is an excellent chance to give a callout.

Promote on social media

Podcast enthusiasts are likely to subscribe to their favorite brands on social networking sites.

This penchant shows that establishing a social media community around a program may be a worthwhile effort.

Create high-quality content

Try to optimize your program materials and script. They’ll determine your ability to grab listeners’ attention and effectively deliver your message.

Also, keep your introductions short. Although opinions on the perfect duration of an intro differ, most podcasters appear to aim for roughly 30 seconds.

Build a website

Some listeners who use search engines like Bing or Google to find podcasts prefer to access a separate website rather than a media player.

To receive the most traffic, downloads, plays, and subscriptions from organic search, you need to create a website for your show.

Release regularly

By publishing episodes at predetermined intervals, such as daily, weekly, or monthly, you can include the show into the audience’s daily routines.

Regular episodes stimulate habitual attention, making each new subscriber more beneficial to your show’s progress.

Invite guests 

Inviting guests to join your show may help with both the promotion and the episode’s quality.

The apparent marketing benefit of hosting a guest is that the podcast may get attention from that person’s fanbase.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about podcasts and their rankings. Let’s check!

What is the #1 podcast in the world?

The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular program on Spotify. Since its launch on this streaming service in 2020, it has constantly led Spotify’s charts.

What type of podcasts is trending?

Comedy was the most popular category for podcasting in the United States, according to research in October 2020.

Up to 22% of survey participants were extremely interested in shows that can bring them joy.

Can you see who rated your podcast on Spotify?

No, you can only see the overall ratings for your program.

How do I see my Spotify podcast stats? 

Simply login into Podcasts Connect and choose the Analytics section. Then, with upgrades to the analytics tool, you can interact with your listeners, analyze episode statistics, and learn what’s effective.

This video below shows you in detail how to check your show stats on the Spotify platform. The presenter explains how each feature works for the ranking.

Can you tell how many listeners a podcast has? 

Yes. You can access the Analytics tool of the platform to keep up with the number of listeners, ratings, reviews, and rankings of your show.

Conclusion

Most podcast platforms set a rating system to evaluate the content of the materials. Audiences then can discover new podcasts faster, send reviews and feedback to the producers, and interact with other listeners.

There are multiple ways to boost your show’s ranking. Once it climbs up the chart, more listeners will click to try.

Hopefully, you will find this article helpful. If you need any further information, please leave a comment below. We will get back to you soon!

Thank you for reading!

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