benchmark

How do your downloads actually compare?

Enter your average downloads per episode in the first 30 days to see roughly where you land against commonly cited podcast benchmarks. Treat it as a rough guide - and remember that for a B2B show, reaching the right buyers beats a big number.

where you standtop ~50%
downloads / episode150
100 to 499 downloads per episode puts you ahead of roughly half of all podcasts. Solid traction. The next question is whether you are reaching decision-makers.
your show vs rough benchmarks (downloads / episode)
your show150
top ~50%100
top ~20%500
top ~10%2,000
what to do
  • For B2B, listener quality beats raw downloads - 200 of the right buyers is worth more than 5,000 random listeners.
  • Judge the show by who is listening: are they decision-makers in your target accounts? That matters more than the headline number.
  • With this reach, layer in pipeline tracking: tie listeners and guests to deals so you can prove the show drives revenue.
  • Treat these tiers as rough rules of thumb, not exact percentiles - download benchmarks vary widely by source, niche and how downloads are counted.
Want listeners who actually buy? Fame builds B2B podcasts that reach the right decision-makers, not just big download numbers.
Fame runs the whole show - strategy, guest booking, production and promotion.
See what Fame does

Built by Fame - B2B podcasts that drive pipeline.

how to use it

How to use the benchmark checker

  1. Find your average downloads per episode over the first 30 days after release - most hosts report this.
  2. Enter that number into the field.
  3. See which rough tier you land in, from 'just starting' to 'top ~1%'.
  4. Read the B2B guidance: a smaller audience of the right decision-makers often beats a large general one.
worked example

See it with real numbers

For example, you enter 320 average downloads per episode in the first 30 days. That lands you comfortably above the 'just starting' tier and into solid mid-range territory, ahead of a large share of shows but well below the top percentile. For a B2B podcast, though, those 320 downloads matter far more if they include 40 of your ideal decision-makers than if they were 3,000 random listeners. The takeaway: use the tier as a rough gut-check, but judge a B2B show on who is listening, not the headline number.

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<p style="font:14px/1.5 sans-serif;margin:8px 0 0">Free <a href="https://learn.fame.so/calculators/podcast-download-benchmark-checker">download benchmark checker</a> by Fame</p>
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keep reading

Related resources

Download

What counts as a podcast download and why the definition varies.

learn more →

Downloads per episode

The per-episode metric most benchmarks use.

learn more →

Vanity metric

Why a big download number can mislead, and what to track instead.

learn more →

Podcast ROI calculator

Move past downloads and estimate the actual return.

learn more →
questions

Frequently asked questions

How accurate are these benchmarks?

They are rough rules of thumb based on commonly cited podcast averages, not precise percentiles. Download benchmarks vary a lot by source, niche, how downloads are counted, and the measurement window. Use the tiers as a directional gut-check.

Why 30-day downloads per episode?

The first 30 days is a common yardstick because most of an episode's audience arrives soon after release, giving a comparable snapshot across shows.

Are downloads a vanity metric?

They can be. On their own they don't tell you whether the right people are listening or whether the show influences deals. For B2B, track who is listening and tie the podcast to pipeline.

B2B podcasts that drive pipeline

Build a podcast the right buyers actually listen to.

Fame runs B2B podcasts end to end - strategy, guest booking, production and promotion. Done for you.

See what Fame does