How to Find Out How Many Listeners a Podcast Has (PR Guide 2025)

Alright, you're deep into your podcast outreach prep. You've found some promising shows, maybe even started organizing them into lists. Now comes the million-dollar question (sometimes literally, if you're thinking sponsorships): How many people actually listen to this thing?

Knowing a podcast's audience size feels crucial, right? You want to pitch your client to shows with decent reach. But trying to find reliable, specific listener counts can feel like chasing ghosts.

Why is it so hard to find this specific podcast statistic? And how can you get a reasonable estimate of a show's listener reach without pulling your hair out? Let's focus specifically on the listener number challenge.

The Big Secret: Why Exact Podcast Listener Numbers Are Hidden

Unlike website traffic or social media followers, podcast listener numbers are notoriously opaque for third parties. Here's the main reason: Decentralization.

People listen to podcasts on dozens of different apps (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, etc.). A podcast host uploads their episode to their hosting provider, which then pushes it out via an RSS feed to all these different apps.

Each app tracks its own listeners/downloads, but there's no single, central place that aggregates all listener data across all platforms accurately and makes it public. The only person who sees the (mostly) complete picture is the podcast publisher themselves, via their hosting platform's analytics and dashboards like Apple Podcasts Connect or Spotify for Podcasters. They can see their stats, but you generally can't.

Common Ways People Try to Guess Audience Size (And Why They're Flawed)

Since direct listener numbers are hidden, people often try to estimate popularity using other public clues. While these hints can be part of a broader evaluation, they are often misleading specifically for determining listener count:

1. Ratings & Reviews (Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, etc.):
   • The Idea: Lots of ratings must mean lots of listeners.
   • The Problem: Nope. A small, passionate fanbase can leave tons of reviews, while a huge but less engaged audience might leave few. Review count doesn't reliably correlate to listener numbers. Plus, reviews are scattered. Rating quality hints at engagement, not size.
2. Chart Rankings (Apple Podcasts, Spotify Charts):
   • The Idea: High chart ranking equals huge audience.
   • The Problem: Charts often reflect new subscriber velocity, not total audience. A new show can spike briefly. Rankings are also platform and region-specific. It's an indicator of buzz, not necessarily consistent reach.
3. Social Media Following:
   • The Idea: Big social following means big podcast audience.
   • The Problem: Weak correlation. Some hosts rock social media but have niche podcasts; others have huge shows but are less active socially. Useful as one signal, but not definitive.
4. Download Numbers (If Shared or via OP3):
   • The Idea: Downloads are the key metric!
   • The Problem: Most hosts don't share download numbers. When they do, "downloads" ≠ "listeners." Auto-downloads inflate numbers, and a download doesn't guarantee a listen. Lifetime downloads are practically useless for gauging current reach.

The Rise of Podcast Statistics Lookup Tools & Databases

Because manual methods are so unreliable, several tools and databases have emerged trying to aggregate data and provide better insights. You'll see names like Rephonic, Listen Notes, Chartable, and Podchaser mentioned – these platforms attempt to collect public signals (charts, reviews, social data, etc.) to estimate a show's popularity or reach. They represent a step up from pure guesswork.

So, How Do PR Pros Get Actionable Listener Estimates?

Given that precise, publicly available listener numbers are basically a myth, how do you make informed decisions about reach for your PR outreach? You rely on specialized tools and educated estimates focused on audience size.

This is exactly why platforms like Podseeker's Podcast Database exist. We aggregate data from multiple sources and use algorithms specifically tuned to provide estimated monthly listener ranges relevant for outreach evaluation.

• How We Estimate Listeners: We analyze signals like verified chart performance, review velocity, category benchmarks, social signals, episode frequency, and more, focusing on indicators correlated with audience size.
• Actionable Listener Ranges: We present this as a range (e.g., 1K-5K listeners/month, 10K-25K listeners/month). This provides a practical benchmark for filtering and targeting shows based on desired reach.
• Validation: We constantly check our estimates against available data points. For instance, when Sam Parr shared data for his "Moneywise" podcast, our estimates aligned nicely. You can see our listener estimates right on the podcast pages within Podseeker, like for Moneywise.
• Filtering by Reach: Within the Podseeker Podcast Search Engine, you can instantly filter your search results specifically by these estimated audience size ranges, alongside 'Active', 'Has Guests', etc., allowing you to build targeted lists that meet your reach objectives.

Listener Numbers are Just ONE Metric!

While listener estimates are vital for gauging potential reach, remember they're just one piece of evaluating a podcast. A truly successful placement depends on factors like audience relevance, host engagement, show activity, and your ability to contact them.

Don't evaluate shows on listener numbers alone! You need to look at the full picture.

➡️ Want to learn about ALL the key metrics PR pros search for? Check out our guide: Podcast Metrics Search: Evaluating Shows Beyond Listener Numbers (PR Guide 2025)

Wrapping It Up: Focus on Estimates for Listener Numbers

Stop chasing exact, publicly available listener counts – they're rarely accurate or accessible for third parties. For effective PR outreach in 2025 focused on audience size:

1. Understand why precise numbers are hard to get.
2. Leverage reliable listener estimates from dedicated podcast databases like Podseeker to filter and target shows by approximate reach.
3. Always consider listener estimates alongside other crucial metrics like relevance, activity, and contact availability (covered in our Podcast Metrics Search guide).

Using a tool like Podseeker gives you efficient access to these estimated listener numbers and the other data points needed for smart outreach decisions.

Now that you know how to assess potential reach, ready to refine your overall search strategy? Check out: 7 Tips And Tricks to Find Niche Podcasts To Be A Guest On.