{"id":14076,"date":"2025-02-25T17:27:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T17:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rss.com\/blog\/?p=14076"},"modified":"2025-02-25T17:28:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T17:28:02","slug":"how-to-rank-on-apple-podcasts-charts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rss.com\/blog\/how-to-rank-on-apple-podcasts-charts\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Rank Your Podcast on Apple Podcasts Charts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Achieving a place high up on the coveted Apple Podcasts Charts is something every aspiring podcaster wants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ranking on Apple Podcasts Charts<\/a> doesn\u2019t need to feel impossible – Apple’s ranking factors are based on real, measurable metrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s dive into what those metrics are and review best practices to boost your own rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What Are Apple Podcasts Charts?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apple Podcasts Charts, aka iTunes charts, are used by listeners to explore the most popular podcasts and episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are charts by category<\/a> (what Apple calls \u201cmarket\u201d) that showcase the top 200 results within each of those categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earning a spot on these charts can propel your show into the spotlight which could significantly raise your download and subscriber numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"apple<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Apple Podcast Charts Ranking Factors<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Number of Subscribers & Growth Rate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to a recent study<\/a> that analyzed hundreds of shows, the #1 ranking factor is the number of new subscribers and subscriber growth rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple specifically looks at the number of new subscribers your show has gained in the past seven days<\/b>, with a weighted average for the last 24, 48, and 72 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When people follow or subscribe to your podcast, they\u2019re telling Apple’s ranking algorithm that your show is engaging and worth recommending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Number of Listens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Listens are calculated based on the number of times people have played your episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Podcasts that rank at the top of the charts usually have the most listens, and it trickles down from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listens are one of the most heavily weighted ranking factors as they’re a strong indicator of how popular a show is.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Completion Rate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Apple also looks at completion rate, or the percentage of people that tuned in and listened to an episode. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When people don\u2019t stick around, it’s a signal that the episode failed to meet expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your goal is for listeners to stick around for as much, if not all of your episode as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Downloads<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As with listens, podcasts with high numbers of downloads tell Apple’s ranking algorithm that people are enjoying your episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since downloading an episode takes up device space, most users aren\u2019t going to download every podcast episode they see -it\u2019s saved only for the podcasts that users enjoy enough to subscribe to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>\ud83d\udcc8 Best Practices for Optimal Podcast Visibility<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Optimize Your Episode Titles & Notes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One common misconception is that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) doesn\u2019t matter for an audio-first medium like podcasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your show’s episodes can surface in search results on your own website (if you publish your episodes), on Apple Podcasts and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optimize your episodes in a way that aligns with how people are searching for similar topics can increase your podcast’s visibility in Google Search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use a keyword tool like Google Keyword Planner<\/a> to find the popular keywords and phrases people are searching for, and then use that data to optimize your episode title and side notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good example of an optimized title and episode notes is Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"example
Google’s Keyword Planner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Her description for her episode \u201cHow to Define Success on Your Own Terms” explains exactly what her episode is about, and has a catchy headline that people are searching for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"amy<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Because Amy has optimized her show, she is ranking on the first page of Google Search results for the phrase \u201cHow to Define Success on Your Terms.\u201d This is just one example of why optimizing your episodes for SEO<\/a> can increase your podcast’s visibility and help people discover your show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. Use Quality Artwork<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you scroll through the Apple Podcasts charts \u2013 nearly every single podcast within the top 200 has high-quality cover art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even simple art can be high-quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes your artwork high quality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, it\u2019s not pixelated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best resolution for podcast artwork is between 1400 and 3000 pixels square, with 72 dpi (dots per inch).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that all podcast thumbnails need to follow a 1:1 ratio – i.e. artwork should be square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good example of quality artwork is from the podcast Internal Affairs by NBC News.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"cover<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The image is colorful, features eye-catching imagery, and makes it clear what the show is about. You know just from seeing the bullet, badge, title, and crime scene evidence number that you\u2019re going to be listening to a show about police officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We explain how you can you make amazing podcast cover art <\/a>in greater detail in this post<\/a>, but for now here are the basic tools you will want to consider using:<\/p>\n\n\n\n