Episode 529 - Better Listener Data Beyond Your Podcast Hosting Site - Spotify For Creators
Spotify for Creators gives podcasters access to powerful first-party listener data and audience engagement tools that hosting platforms like Buzzsprout, Captivate, Libsyn, and Blubrry cannot provide. This guide highlights what you can see inside Spotify for Creators, what your hosting platform shows instead, and how to use both effectively.1. Audience DemographicsWhat Spotify for Creators Shows You (First-Party Data)
Spotify offers listener-level behavior insights based on how users actually consume your episodes inside the app.
Age groups
Gender breakdown
Countries & cities
Device types
(Hosting platforms cannot access demographic data.)
2. Listener Behavior & Engagement
Spotify tracks what listeners do, not just whether an episode was downloaded:
Starts: When a listener presses play
Streams: Listened for 60+ seconds
Unique listeners
Followers (Spotify-only)
Completion rate per episode
Retention graph showing second-by-second drop-offs
Episode comparison tools
These metrics reveal how deeply listeners engage with your content.
3. Interactive Audience Tools
Spotify is the only platform where podcasters can engage directly inside the listening app:
Episode comments
Q&A features
Polls
You can approve, hide, reply, or pin comments directly in the dashboard.
4. Spotify-Specific Performance Insights
Top episodes on Spotify
Listener trends across days, weeks, months
Episode growth over time
Traffic sources: Search, Browse, Your Audience, External
Follower growth
What Your Hosting Platform Shows Instead
Your hosting platform measures downloads and distribution, not listener behavior.
Hosting dashboards typically show:
Total downloads across all platforms
Unique downloads
Geolocation data (IP-based)
Listening apps used (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, etc.)
Episode performance across all platforms
Download trends over time
Hosts cannot show retention graphs, listener demographics, Spotify follower counts, or Spotify engagement tools.
Use Both Together for a Complete PictureSpotify for Creators = HOW listeners engage
Behavior, drop-off points, demographics, and in-app interactions.
Total downloads, all-platform performance, distribution metrics.
Together, they provide full insight into your show’s health.
Your Hosting Platform = HOW MANY listeners you reachKey Metrics Podcasters Should MonitorFrom Spotify for Creators:
Retention graph
Completion rate
New followers
Streams vs. listeners
Comments, polls, and Q&A activity
From Your Host:
Total downloads
Where people listen (apps)
Geographic location
All-platform episode performance
Where to Manage Listener Interactions
In Spotify for Creators:
Episodes → Select Episode → Interactions
From here you can:
Reply to comments
Approve or hide messages
Pin comments
Add or edit Q&A and polls