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In this enlightening episode of CLIPPED, we delve into the numbers that shape the podcast industry. As the world of podcasting continues to evolve, understanding these statistics can help us navigate this ever-changing landscape. 

Whether you're a seasoned podcaster or just starting out, getting to grips with industry data can offer valuable insights. It can influence your content strategy, help you understand your audience better, and give you an edge in this dynamic medium. 

This episode aims to decode the often overwhelming world of podcast statistics and make it accessible and actionable for all podcasters.

Podcast Landscape

The podcast industry is vast, teeming with approximately 3-4 million podcasts. But according to PodcastPage.io, of these millions, only about 44% have more than three episodes, narrowing down to roughly 720,000 podcasts with more than ten episodes. 

Even more striking, only 156,000 of these podcasts release a weekly episode. 

This might seem like a lot until we compare it to YouTube, which boasts between 38 and 114 million active channels. It’s difficult to find the exact number of channels. We pulled these numbers from what seemed like reliable sources online.

Download Data

How do you measure up in the sea of podcasts? Based on data from podcasters who host their shows on Libsyn, this is what we found.

 If your podcast episode has over:

• 145 downloads: You're in the top 50% of podcasts.

• 1,200 downloads: You're in the top 20% of podcasts.

• 3,500 downloads: You're in the top 10% of podcasts.

• 8,100 downloads: You're in the top 5% of podcasts.

• 20,000 downloads: You're in the top 2% of podcasts.

• 34,000 downloads: You've made it to the top 1% of podcasts.

Buzzsprout Data

Alternatively, Buzzsprout provides another perspective on podcast popularity based on downloads in the first seven days:

• Top 1% of podcasts get over 5,075 downloads.

• Top 5% get over 1,109 downloads.

• Top 10% get over 462 downloads.

• Top 25% get over 113 downloads.

• The median podcast (Top 50%) gets 31 downloads.

Measuring Success Beyond Downloads

While download numbers are a significant part of the picture, they aren't the whole story. Consider these additional metrics to measure the success of your podcast:

• Audience Engagement: Look at comments, emails, and social media shares.

• Listener R