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Podcast Terms Explained: General Podcasting Basics
•Buzzsprout
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General confusion about how podcasting works is one of the fastest ways to lose confidence when you’re trying to launch, fix a distribution issue, or make sense of your stats. Today we're kicking off a three-part podcasting terminology mini-series by translating the general terms every podcaster runs into early on, with simple definitions you can actually use when you talk to other creators or contact support.
If there's something you don't quite understand and we didn't mention it on this episode, reach out to the Podcaster Success team by emailing support@buzzsprout.com.
Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, brought to you by the people at Buzzsprout. I'm your host, Cara Pacetti, and I'm bringing you the best tips and strategies to keep you podcasting with confidence. The questions we answer here on Podcasting Q&A are oftentimes sent in using our fan mail link in the show notes. So 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. While a lot of our questions come from listeners like you, we also have questions that actually come in through our BuzzSprout support inbox. So I'm actually a part of the podcaster success team here at Buzzsprout. So 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. So while working in support, I've seen a lot of confusion when it comes to the terms we are using in the podcasting industry. Whether it's relating to how podcasting works, editing audio, or even starting a video podcast, there's a lot of questions. And 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. So 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.
So 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. Over the next three episodes, we're going to break down some of the most common podcasting terms and explain what they actually mean. Today we're starting with general podcasting terms. Then we'll go into audio-specific terms, and finally, we'll wrap up the series with video podcasting terms. So I want to start with some of the vocabulary that you'll run into when you're just creating or publishing a podcast. One of the most important and possibly most misunderstood terms in podcasting is your RSS feed. So RSS actually stands for really simple syndication, and it's actually a blogging term that we still use today. I'm going to use a little analogy here to help us wrap our heads around what an RSS feed is and how it works. So your RSS feed is essentially the house that contains all of your podcast content. And with this RSS feed, you have an RSS feed URL. So the URL that you're using to access this feed of content. We'll think of the URL as your mailing address for your house. The 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. And 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. Another 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. You can identify an RSS feed URL. It will typically end with a .rss or a .xml at the end of the URL address. So now that we've defined RSS feed, it actually is a great segue into our next term, which is a podcast
host. Your 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. For example, BuzzSprout, we are a podcast host. So the main goal of your podcast host is to store your content you're creating. This includes your audio, your artwork, your written content, and also to manage the content on your RSS feed. This 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. See how that all ties together? And 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. There are many podcast hosts available and most do similar things. So 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. I do want to make you aware of a little podcasting terminology trap so that you will sound like the expert. When you're speaking to someone about podcasting, your podcast host and your podcast host are two different things. So 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. So as you're talking to other podcasters, make sure you're making that distinction.
Next up, listening directories. These are the platforms where people can discover podcasts and listen to them. Think Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other podcast listening platforms. While in the industry, they are known as listening directories, they may also be referred to as podcasting apps. When you host your content using a podcast host, that doesn't automatically mean your podcast is available across all of these directories. There is a submission process for each directory, and that process is either handled by you as the podcaster or by your podcast host. If you're just getting started with launching your podcast, BuzzSprout actually makes it really easy to submit your podcast to the directories. New podcasters can submit their show to 16 audio directories with literally one click.
Okay, this one may seem obvious, but I do think it's worth clarifying. What's the difference between a podcast and an episode? Your podcast refers to the overall show, and episodes are the individual pieces of content within that show. For example, podcasting QA is the podcast. This episode about podcasting terminology is an episode of the podcast podcasting QA. Think of it like a TV show. The show is the overall program, and each episode is one installment of that show. This 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.
Okay, this next term is actually a three for one. I want to tackle three words that are often used interchangeably. Those words are follower, listener, and subscriber. A listener is simply someone who listens to your podcast. A follower is someone who has chosen to follow your podcast on a particular listening directory. And a subscriber can mean different things depending on the platform and the context. Historically, podcasting used the word subscriber to describe someone who has subscribed to a podcast feed through a listening directory. Today, many podcast platforms use the term follow instead. And even this term can vary from one podcast app to another. A subscriber on YouTube is essentially the same as a follower in Apple Podcasts. While 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. Oftentimes, a subscriber describes a listener who is paying for your podcast through a service like BuzzSprout subscriptions or Apple Podcast subscriptions. This distinction is an important one to note. So 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. If you are looking for how many paid subscribers you have, check out the service you're using to offer that premium content. And lucky
for you, our last term is actually another three for one. I want to talk about some of the terms you'll probably spend a lot of time looking at. And those are downloads, listens, and plays. These terms sound like they are all measuring the exact same thing, but they don't necessarily mean the same thing. A download generally refers to an episode that's getting downloaded or accessed by a listener's device. In Buzzsprout, a download is registered anytime an episode file is requested for at least 60 seconds. Once that 60 second mark is passed, this will register as a download on the stats page of your Buzzsprout account. A play generally refers to someone pressing play on an episode and beginning to consume the content. Plays may be tracked in the listening directory accounts like Apple Podcasts or Spotify for creators. Typically, there is no duration required to register as a play. It can be tracked when a listener just simply clicks the play button. And a listen can mean a stream of your episode or when an episode is accessed without downloading. A lot of platforms will use listen and download interchangeably. So an important thing to remember is that different platforms may define and measure these terms differently. It's best not to assume that a download on one platform is necessarily identical to a play or a listen on another. When you're looking at your podcast statistics, it's important to understand what the specific metric is actually measuring before comparing numbers. Since 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. We 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. So I recommend checking that out. And there you have it, a whole lot of podcasting terminology that hopefully feels a little less confusing now. But I know we didn't cover everything. So of course, if there's a podcasting term you've heard and thought, wait, what does that actually mean? Send it our way using the Send Us Fan mail link in the show notes. And remember, this is just part one of our podcasting terminology series. Today we covered some of the general terms you'll encounter as a podcaster. Next week, we're getting a little more technical and talking about audio-specific podcasting terms. So if this episode was helpful, make sure you follow podcasting QA on your favorite listening directory so you don't miss it. Be sure to join us every Monday to kickstart your week. Thank you so much for listening. And as always, keep podcasting.
