Apple introduces subscription analytics, Linkfire for Podcasts

Apple has introduced subscription analytics, more Delegated Delivery partners and Linkfire for the audio streaming service and media player application 'Apple Podcasts'. "With subscription analytics in Apple Podcasts Connect, creators can see how listeners engage with their premium subscriptions on Apple Podcasts," the tech giant said in a blogpost on Monday. Once a subscription is selected from the updated Analytics tab, creators can use the Overview tab to see how many listeners started a free trial, the number of paid subscriptions, the percentage of listeners who convert from a free trial to a paid subscription, and the estimated proceeds generated from their subscriptions.

Creators can also see breakdowns of subscriptions by country or region and by subscription status, such as monthly versus annual plans. Also, these modules can be filtered to see the real-time analytics for various time periods, such as the past 30 days or the previous month. Subscription analytics are available worldwide for all creators with at least one active subscription and an Admin, Finance, or Legal role in Apple Podcasts Connect.

The iPhone maker also announced that Linkfire, the marketing platform used by the world's top artists and labels, is expanding into podcasting this fall with a powerful toolkit built for podcasters, featuring an exclusive integration with Apple Podcasts. With a Linkfire account, creators will be able to generate an unlimited number of smart links to landing pages for their podcasts and measure the ways listeners engage with them.

"Creators can also link to their shows on other apps and feature related products, such as social channels, newsletters, merch stores, and live events," the tech giant said. In January, Apple Podcasts launched Delegated Delivery, making it possible for creators to publish subscriber episodes directly from their participating hosting provider dashboard. Now, the company introduced new hosting providers that will support Delegated Delivery by the end of this year: Audiomeans, Captivate, Podbean, Podspace and Transistor.