What data sources should inform a podcast SEO target audience?

What to take away

Which sources count as evidence

Start by separating sources that measure people from sources that describe them. RAJAR measures listening; ONS describes the population; Spotify, Apple and YouTube analytics report activity on their services; search tools indicate query interest. IAB UK explains what advertisers are buying. Each answers a different question, and mixing them produces a target audience nobody can defend.

A source earns its place only if you can identify its method and collection period. RAJAR publishes survey quarters, ONS publishes release dates, and analytics and search tools have their own reporting periods. For any audience claim, keep the relevant source and date.

For a show aimed at one English region, pull the RAJAR listening mapping page for the latest survey quarter and note how listening concentrates. If your target audience is "commuters in Greater Manchester", the mapping tells you whether that slice is large enough to carry the content plan.

For national claims, use the ONS release "Population estimates for England and Wales" and cite its release date. A figure without a date is an opinion; one with a date is evidence you can repeat next quarter.

Where to get podcast SEO and audience data

For search demand, use Google Search Console to review queries bringing people to your site, Google Trends to explore interest over time and by location, and Google Ads Keyword Planner for keyword research. These indicate search behaviour; they do not measure how many people listen to a podcast.

For show activity, use Spotify for Podcasters analytics, Apple Podcasts Connect analytics and YouTube Studio Analytics. Each covers activity on its own service, not your entire audience, so treat the figures as separate signals rather than directly interchangeable totals.

For wider UK context, find Ofcom’s Media Nations and Online Nation reports on the Ofcom website. Edison Research’s Infinite Dial is useful as US market context, not as a UK audience estimate. Triton Digital and Podtrac offer podcast measurement; check each provider’s UK coverage and methodology before using its figures.

Keep the source’s geography and coverage in view: RAJAR listening data, ONS population estimates, search tools and platform analytics answer different questions. IAB UK event recordings can help with buyer language, but use a published report with a stated metric and method if you need market data.

Build the audience in four steps

Step one is the hardest, because it forces a choice. Write the sentence in plain words, then delete any phrase you cannot measure. Everything left over belongs in a wish list, not a targeting document.

Worked example: a show for Leeds. Step one writes the audience as "Leeds commuters aged 25 to 44 who already listen to two or more business podcasts a week". Step two checks RAJAR listening mapping for local listening context, ONS mid-year estimates for population context, and Google Search Console or Google Trends for relevant search interest. The IAB UK On Demand library can help with buyer language, but it does not size that audience. This is a source plan, not a measured estimate: these sources do not by themselves establish that exact combined audience.

Step three checks audience claims against the 2008 Regulations. If you collect or use personal data, also check the UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), and consult Information Commissioner's Office guidance. Step four records the date each figure was collected.

The Podcast SEO: audience research guide for England covers keyword themes for episode titles.

Step three is the one most teams skip. Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, a misleading statement about audience size can count as an unfair commercial practice. Keep the source next to the number, and check the applicable data-protection and electronic-communications requirements when handling audience data.

Comparing source types

A team selling sponsorship at £400 a month, for example, needs row one to justify the price and row four to justify the wording.

Where industry insight fits

Advertiser language rarely matches listener language. Buyers talk about share of ear, light listeners and the 25 to 44 ABC1 bracket. Listeners talk about the show they put on while walking the dog.

Recorded sessions from IAB UK events on demand can show how buyers describe audio audiences, which helps you write a media pack that answers their questions rather than yours. Treat the sessions as qualitative industry insight, not an audience dataset or a way to size a target market.

If a speaker quotes a number, trace it to the original release before you repeat it.

Once segments are stable, turn them into profiles you can write for. The Podcast SEO buyer personas: data and sources article lists which fields to keep.

Keeping data current

Set a quarterly review, because listening habits move and population estimates are revised.

At each review, check four things: the collection date, the geography, the sample base, and whether the claim still matches what the source says. Drop anything you cannot re-verify.

Geography is the trap. A national reach figure cannot support a claim about one city, because listening varies by area and the smaller number is the honest one.

Store the raw source alongside the summary, so a sponsor's question about a number takes seconds to answer.

Common questions

Is RAJAR enough on its own?

No. RAJAR measures listening, not the wider population your show might reach through search or social clips. Pair it with ONS figures so your target audience reflects both audio habits and the people behind them.

How often should audience data be refreshed?

Quarterly suits most shows. Refresh sooner if you change format, launch a new series, or enter a new English region, because the original sizing assumptions no longer hold.

Can I publish audience figures in a media pack?

Yes, provided each figure is accurate, dated and sourced. Misleading audience claims can breach the 2008 Regulations, so keep the citation visible next to the number.