What is Consumption Rate?
Consumption rate (also called listen-through rate or completion rate) measures what percentage of an episode listeners actually play. A 75% consumption rate means the average listener heard 75% of the episode before stopping.
How Consumption Is Measured
Unlike downloads which happen at your server, consumption data comes from playback inside podcast apps:
| Platform | Data Access | Metric Name |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Podcasts | Apple Podcasts Connect | Average Consumption |
| Spotify | Spotify for Podcasters | Average Listen Duration |
| YouTube | YouTube Studio | Average View Duration |
| Other apps | Generally not available | — |
Consumption Patterns
Typical consumption curve:
100% ████████████████████ Start
90% █████████████████ Intro
80% ███████████████ Mid-roll ad
75% █████████████ Mid-episode
70% ████████████ Topic change
65% ██████████ End matter
Benchmarks by Format
| Format | Typical Completion | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Short (15 min) | 80-90% | Easy to finish |
| Standard (30-45 min) | 65-80% | Most podcasts |
| Long (60-90 min) | 50-70% | Depends on content |
| Very long (2+ hr) | 40-60% | Dedicated audience |
Factors Affecting Consumption
| Factor | Impact on Completion |
|---|---|
| Episode length | Shorter = higher completion |
| Content quality | Engaging = higher completion |
| Ad frequency | Too many ads = drop-off |
| Intro length | Long intros = early exit |
| Relevance | Clickbait titles = low completion |
| Audio quality | Poor audio = early exit |
Why It Matters
Downloads tell you who started listening. Consumption rate tells you who actually heard your message—including your sponsor reads.
Why consumption rate matters:
-
Ad delivery proof: A sponsor cares if listeners heard their ad. High completion + mid-roll placement = verified delivery.
-
Content feedback: Low completion reveals content problems downloads can't show.
-
Optimal length finding: Data shows if episodes are too long for your audience.
-
Quality signal: High completion with long episodes = highly engaged audience.
Interpreting consumption data:
| Consumption | Episode Length | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 85%+ | Any | Excellent engagement |
| 70-85% | 30-60 min | Normal, healthy |
| 50-70% | 30-60 min | Room for improvement |
| <50% | 30-60 min | Content or length issue |
| 60% | 2+ hours | Actually good for length |
Consumption vs. downloads:
| Metric | What It Measures | Advertiser Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Downloads | Potential reach | How many might hear ads |
| Consumption | Actual engagement | How many actually heard ads |
The true audience size:
Real audience impact = Downloads × Completion rate × Ad position retention
10,000 downloads with 70% completion to mid-roll = 7,000 ad impressions