How to export podcast analytics data

To export podcast analytics data, set a fixed date range in each provider, download the available CSV or JSON file, and save the untouched export with the source and period in its filename. Then build a separate working table for comparison. Do not edit the only copy of the raw file.

A clean export gives you evidence you can audit later. A screenshot cannot be filtered, joined, or checked after a dashboard changes its labels.

What you need before you export podcast analytics data

List every system that holds part of the story. Most shows need at least a host or prefix analytics source, Apple Podcasts Connect, Spotify for Creators, and a system that records the outcome you care about, such as an email platform, membership tool, sponsor report, or CRM.

Write down these choices before opening a dashboard:

• Reporting start and end date.
• Time zone used for the report.
• Shows and episodes included.
• Episode-age window, if you compare releases.
• Metrics required for the final report.
• Person responsible for the archive.

This prevents a common failure: exporting one platform in UTC, another in local time, and a third with an "all time" filter, then treating the rows as comparable.

Use the podcast downloads versus listens guide to settle metric definitions before you build the sheet. A download, play, listener, and hour listened each has a different measurement point.

Step 1: create the export folder and manifest

Create one folder for the reporting period. Inside it, keep a raw folder, a working folder, and a short source manifest.

A practical structure looks like this:

2026-Q3-podcast-report/
  raw/
    host_2026-07-01_2026-09-30.csv
    apple_2026-07-01_2026-09-30.csv
    spotify_2026-07-01_2026-09-30.csv
  working/
    episode-metrics.csv
  sources.csv
  README.md

Your sources.csv should record the provider, account or show, export timestamp, reporting range, time zone, file name, and any filters. If a dashboard does not support a download for the view you need, record that you copied an aggregate or took a screenshot. Do not disguise a manual transcription as a raw export.

Step 2: export from the host or prefix provider

Open the provider's Analytics or Statistics area. Select the show, set the exact start and end dates, switch to the episode-level table, then look for a control labelled Export, Download CSV, or Generate report.

Export the most detailed episode table available. Useful fields include:

• Stable episode ID or GUID.
• Episode title.
• Publication date and time.
• Downloads or unique downloads.
• Geography and app or user-agent breakdowns, if needed.
• Applied filters and measurement standard, if the file exposes them.

Keep the provider's metric label intact in the raw file. If it says "downloads," do not rename it "listeners." The IAB Tech Lab guidelines page explains why podcast delivery metrics come from server logs and require consistent definitions. Our IAB podcast measurement explainer covers what those filters mean in practice.

Some host-specific paths differ. For example, the Castos downloads guide and OmnyStudio downloads guide show where those products place their reporting controls. Verify the current interface in your own account before documenting the click path for your team.

Step 3: capture Apple Podcasts data separately

Sign in to Apple Podcasts Connect, open Analytics, choose the show, and set the date control in the upper-right corner. Copy or export the episode table and any trend view your account makes available. Keep it in an Apple-labelled file.

Apple's Analytics documentation says the dashboard reports followers, listeners, engaged listeners, plays, time listened, and average consumption for activity on Apple Podcasts. It also says downloads may come from your hosting provider or server. That is why Apple rows cannot replace your host export.

Apple defines an engaged listener as someone who listened to or watched at least 20 minutes or 40% of an episode. Preserve that definition in the manifest rather than shortening the column to "engaged," which a later reader could mistake for a click or follow.

If you use Apple's Performance view, record the chosen episode set, release-age window, and baseline. Apple allows median, average, or top episode comparisons, and those settings materially change the result you are saving.

Step 4: capture Spotify and other platform views

Open Spotify for Creators, select the show, apply the same reporting dates, and download the available show or episode data. If a view cannot be exported, copy only the fields needed for the report and mark the method as manual in the manifest.

Repeat that process for YouTube or any other platform that matters to the show. Keep every source in its own raw file. A Spotify play and an Apple play occur inside different systems, while a host download may include delivery to both. Adding them can double-count the same person's activity without giving you a valid audience total.

The safest naming convention includes source, show, start date, end date, and export date:

spotify_show-name_2026-07-01_2026-09-30_exported-2026-10-02.csv

Dates in YYYY-MM-DD order sort correctly in a folder and avoid ambiguity between day-first and month-first formats.

Step 5: preserve raw files before cleaning

Set the raw folder to read-only or store a checksum if your archive process supports it. At minimum, never overwrite those files with cleaned versions.

Spreadsheet programs often change data while opening and saving it. They may remove leading zeroes, interpret IDs as numbers, or convert timestamps to the computer's local zone. Import the raw file into a new workbook or script, and treat identifiers as text.

CSV stores a flat table and cannot preserve nested objects without flattening them. JSON can preserve arrays and objects, and RFC 8259 defines JSON as a text-based, language-independent interchange format for structured data. If your provider offers both formats, archive both and use the one that fits the next step.

Step 6: standardize a working table

Create a new table with one row per episode per source per reporting window. This "long" shape prevents columns from multiplying every time you add a provider.

Use fields like these:

Join sources with a stable episode ID when they share one. If they do not, use normalized title plus publication date and review every ambiguous match. Two episodes can have similar titles, and a corrected release may keep the title while changing its feed identifier.

Keep a second data dictionary that maps each standardized field to the provider's original column. This gives you a trail back to the raw file when a sponsor or teammate challenges a figure.

Step 7: check the export before sharing

Run these checks on the working file:

1. Count raw rows and imported rows for each source.
2. Confirm the earliest and latest dates match the intended period.
3. Search for duplicate source and episode ID pairs.
4. Confirm blank values did not become zeroes.
5. Compare a few episode values against the dashboard.
6. Check that totals use only one metric definition at a time.
7. Remove secrets, email addresses, CRM notes, or listener-level records that do not belong in the report.

Then open the final file on a second device or in a different spreadsheet program. If characters, dates, and columns still render correctly, the file is ready to hand off.

Step 8: document the repeatable path

Put the click path, filter settings, file naming rule, and owner in README.md. Keep the instructions tied to labels you can see, and add the date you verified them. Dashboard menus change, so a dated note is more trustworthy than an undated claim that a button "always" sits in one place.

Schedule the next export before closing the task. A regular archive protects your reporting history when a provider changes retention windows, product access, or metric names.

Once the files are clean, read the analytics in the right order: delivery first, then discovery, consumption, and outcome. If you want cross-app data accumulating in one analytics layer, start tracking your show with Podder.