Apple Podcasts Gives In-Depth Listener Info to Creators — for a Fee

Apple Podcast creators will now get to see who their biggest fans are thanks to a new subscription analytics tool.

The analytics system is available on the dashboard for creators, Apple Podcast Connect.

Creators will see how many listeners start a free trial and the percentage of listeners who convert to a paid subscription, as well as paid up subscriptions and estimated earnings. It will also show where listeners are based, and real-time listening data for the preceding 30-day period.

“Now, over one-third of all new subscribers are choosing annual plans — which is great news for creators because it means they’re getting upfront revenue and increased retention,” Apple’s global head of podcasts, Ben Cave told press on Monday according to The Verge.

On the trends tab of the dashboard, creators can visualize data on user behavior including subscriptions and whether they subscribed in the last year, cancellations, renewals, and activation.

Apple’s in-app podcast subscription offerings have come a long way since 2021 when they made their debut. At the time, users complained that the platform was buggy and had a confusing interface that made it hard for independent creators to upload premium content. Apple has simplified the process in January with the new Delegated Delivery feature for creators to publish premium episodes directly from their hosting provider dashboard.

Apple has also expanded the number of providers it supports, including Audiomeans, Captivate, Podbean, Podspace and Transistor.