Change Your Ask: (Subscribe vs Like and Review)

Before you close your podcast episode do you usually ask listeners for a rating or review? If you’re nodding your head, “yes,” I want you to do this instead: Ask listeners to subscribe and share your podcast.

Here’s why…

Truth Bomb: Ratings and reviews don’t push you higher on the podcast charts.

This fact is known among creators and services providers in the podcast industry. However, at some point over the years podcast marketing courses pushed the idea that asking listeners for ratings and reviews will make your show more visible and help you climb the podcast charts.

Don’t fret, ratings and reviews do serve a purpose…more on that in a moment.

Behind the Curtain

Apple and other platforms never made it known what actually puts a podcast on a Top Show chart. It’s been a guessing game for some time. So, it’s not a stretch for people to share and believe the myths that have been circulating for so long about ratings and reviews.

Alas, the curtain has been pulled back–at least, a teeny bit. Recently, Apple released information about which criteria affect their Top Podcast Charts and confirmed what many suspected: ratings and reviews are not factored into the algorithm that determines the rankings for Top Shows and Episodes. From their recent article, they explain what does factor into the rankings:

While the exact algorithm cannot be shared to protect their integrity, the charts measure a mix of the following:

Listening: When listeners are engaging with episodes, it’s an indicator of content popularity.

Follows: When listeners follow a show to receive new episodes, it’s an indicator of their intent to listen.

Completion Rate: When listeners complete episodes, it’s an indicator of content quality.

Source: https://podcasters.apple.com/support/3146-apple-podcasts-charts

So, what does this mean for you, the podcaster?

Should you stop asking for ratings and reviews? Not exactly.

While more reviews may not translate into climbing the top charts, when users can read reviews about your show, it may help them determine if your show is one worth subscribing to…or not. So, you see, ratings and review still have their value.

If climbing the charts is what you are after (and that’s a conversation for another time) ask your listeners to Follow (or Subscribe), as well as, Share your podcast.

Lastly, always strive to deliver high-quality and easy digestible content so they listen and stick around until the end of each episode!