Episode 58

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Published on:

16th Aug 2025

New podcast? Your analytics are lying to you!

Every new podcaster does it. You launch your show, then spend the whole week refreshing your hosting dashboard analytics like it’s going to magically change.

And when those first week podcast download numbers trickle in, they feel… embarrassingly small.

Here’s the truth: those numbers don’t matter. Like, at all.

In this episode, I’ll explain why your launch week stats are useless, the psychology behind why we obsess over them (hello, spotlight effect), and the success metrics that actually fuel real podcast growth.

From listener retention to 30-day rolling averages, I’ll show you what’s worth tracking — and what’s just noise.

If you’ve ever felt crushed by your first week’s downloads, this one’s going to reset how you think about podcast success.

Mentioned in this episode:

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A Podknows Production

Podknows helps brands and creators to build their podcasts into virtual sales and marketing teams which get them results even when they're sleeping. Find out more at https://podknows.co.uk/



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About the Podcast

Podcasting Insights with The Podmaster: growth advice for people and brands
Helping you attain podcasting mastery
Are you a brand or individual who's looking to improve and grow your podcast? You're in the right place. Together, we'll help you attain 'podmastery'.
Podcasting is such a complex medium, with so many factors that can impact your success. It's my goal to cover all these topics with you, and help you maximise the results you're getting from your efforts.
My name is Neal Veglio and I've been in the podcasting game since 2001, when I became the first person in the UK to upload audio of my then radio show online, and generate an audience.
This audience followed me throughout my radio career and engaged with my various other podcasts.
But it wasn't always easy.
And when I took a career break from radio for a few years in 2007, I had to learn how to build audience without the lift of an FM frequency.
I learned a lot from that experience.
I now help other podcasters to achieve their goals through my company Podknows Podcasting.
Each episode, I'll be offering you some insights into what I've done and what I've helped my clients do with our podcasts in the hope we can help YOU increase your podcast's chances of becoming more successful!
And ensuring you can avoid the dreaded 'podfade'!

About your host

Profile picture for Neal Veglio

Neal Veglio

As the UK's longest serving podcaster (having started in 2001 before it was even known as a 'thing') I've seen a lot of changes to the industry. Having launched more than 100 podcasts over the years, I help brands and entrepreneurs to get their marketing messaging out 'in the wild', but in a compelling, not boring way.