Podcast Glossary

A call-to-action (CTA) is a prompt asking listeners to take a specific action—subscribing, leaving a review, visiting a website, sharing the episode, or supporting the show. Effect...

A cardioid microphone is a type of directional microphone that picks up sound primarily from the front while rejecting noise from the sides and rear. The name comes from its heart-...

A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a distributed network of servers that delivers podcast audio files from locations geographically close to listeners. Rather than all downloads c...

In RSS terminology, the channel element is the container for all metadata about your podcast show itself. Everything listeners see when they view your show listing—before clicking...

Podcast chapters divide episodes into named sections with timestamps, optional artwork, and URLs. Listeners can skip to specific topics, see chapter titles as they listen, and navi...

Clipping occurs when audio signal exceeds the maximum level a digital system can represent (0 dBFS), causing harsh distortion. The waveform's peaks are literally "clipped" off, cre...

Audio compression (dynamic range compression) reduces the volume difference between the loudest and quietest parts of a recording. This makes speech consistently audible without ex...

A condenser microphone (also called a capacitor microphone) uses a lightweight diaphragm suspended near a metal backplate to capture sound. When sound waves hit the diaphragm, the...

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 liste...

CPM (Cost Per Mille) is the standard pricing model for podcast advertising, representing the cost an advertiser pays per 1,000 downloads. The term comes from the Latin "mille" mean...

Cross-promotion is when podcasters promote each other's shows to their audiences—through ad swaps, guest appearances, mutual recommendations, or collaborative episodes. It's one of...