Why Stitcher Is Awesome For My Podcast

In a previous post I shared my Top 10 most downloaded podcast episodes of all time.

Stats can tell you a lot about your regular subscribers and when fans of an interviewed guest storm the podcast for new content. But the biggest surprise came when my RSS feed broke. It showed why Stitcher is awesome for my podcast.

First, we need to assess why the following shows were my Top 10 downloaded episodes of all time:

Why are only new shows in the Top 10?

It should be noted that older favorites like Episode 18 – Jen McDonough’s Real Life Case Story (released in May 2011) and Episode 50 – Who Cares What Dave Ramsey Says (February 2012) are still being downloaded today. They very well could have more total listens but Stitcher’s stats reporting was different prior to June 2013.

It used to be that Stitcher would download the MP3, re-encode it for streaming and make it possible for thousands of people to listen on their mobile devices. This entire activity only counted as 1 download and you had to do some math to figure out Stitcher Stats.

Since June 2013, Stitcher began “pinging” stats each time someone listened to an episode. This allows us to have more accurate reports for how many times a show was downloaded or listened to – regardless of device or method. I am so happy they did!

What a broken feed taught me

A limitation within Feedburner caused my feed (channel) to break. New shows no longer showed up in iTunes.

I rushed to fix the problem, which failed for the first two days. I took actions to leave Feedburner by submitting a new feed that was built on my own website. The new feed was rushed to Windows and Stitcher, who promptly changed it for their customers but iTunes couldn’t see it!

I called Dave Jackson at the SchoolOfPodcasting.com a week later to help diagnose the problem. Meanwhile, I could see downloads coming from Stitcher. Remember, Stitcher is a free program that streams the show like a radio show rather than downloading it to a device and taking up storage space.

Here is how awesome Stitcher is for my podcast:

• I get about 1,500 total downloads from all services within the first 7 days
• Most episodes are downloaded 750 times within the first 24 hours
• 273 people listened to my newest episode via Stitcher in the first day

In other words: 18% of all my listeners use Stitcher to tune-in to my show the first day! That’s a dedicated subscriber that wants to hear my latest episode right away!

Why Stitcher Is Awesome For My Podcast

iTunes is still the big daddy for podcasting but Stitcher is a different animal. I believe their streaming technology offers a new way for people to consume podcasts and will replace talk radio for people who listen to morning radio shows.

More and more people are discovering their awesome service and discovering “this new thing called podcasting” (that was sarcasm). As smartphone usage grows and people are discovering podcasts my message (podcast) will find a new and growing audience over time.

And, as my experience has shown, people who listen to the MoneyPlan SOS Podcast are dedicated listeners ready to learn how to pay attention, not interest.