How many downloads is good for a new podcast? Check your number

Your episode has been out for a week, and your stats say 14 downloads. Or 40. This page shows how many downloads is good for a new podcast, using the numbers the podcast host Buzzsprout posts every month. A table lets you check your own number.

How many downloads is good for a new podcast, per episode

Aim for 27 or more downloads in an episode’s first 7 days. That’s the median on Buzzsprout’s stats page for September 2026. The median is the middle number: half of Buzzsprout’s podcasts are above it, and half are below.

Buzzsprout gives the median, not the average downloads per episode. That’s more useful: a few very big shows can pull an average far up, but they barely move the middle.

Check your number

Open your host’s stats and find one episode’s downloads for its first 7 days. Then find its row.

Before: say your episode has 35 downloads in its first 7 days. You can’t tell if that’s good or bad.

After: 35 is above the median of 27, so the episode is in Buzzsprout’s top 50%. The next line, the top 25%, starts at 96. That’s 61 downloads away (96 − 35 = 61).

What that looks like over a month or a year

The next table turns each line into totals for a weekly show: 4 episodes a month, 52 a year. It’s an estimate. It counts only each episode’s first 7 days, so your host’s totals can be higher.

The math for the first row: 27 × 4 = 108, and 27 × 52 = 1,404.

What these numbers are, and what they aren’t

These numbers cover only shows hosted on Buzzsprout, of every age. Buzzsprout’s page doesn’t split new shows from established ones. It listed 111,813 active podcasts in September 2026.

So a show in its first month is measured against shows that may have years of listeners. Landing under 27 early on doesn’t mean your show is failing.

Acast’s article from August 7, 2026 gives slightly different lines, such as a top 25% of 104. It credits Buzzsprout without naming a month, so it’s Buzzsprout’s data from an earlier month, not a second source.

Downloads are not listeners

A download is one episode file sent to a phone, computer or app. A listener is a person. One person who plays an episode on 2 devices can count as 2 downloads.

The IAB Tech Lab’s podcast measurement guidelines set industry rules for counting downloads. They say most podcast apps don’t tell the host whether an episode was played. So a download means the file was sent, not that anyone listened.

As of October 2026, Spotify’s Partner Program counts people and time, not downloads. Two of its 5 requirements are at least 1,000 unique listeners or viewers and at least 2,000 consumption hours in the last 30 days. Our guide to the Spotify Partner Program requirements explains all 5.

So if you’re aiming for a program like this, downloads alone won’t tell you if you qualify.

Is 5,000 podcast downloads good? Per episode vs in total

It depends on what the 5,000 counts. For one episode in its first 7 days, it’s above the top-1% line of 4,586. Across a whole show, it can mean far fewer downloads per episode.

Here’s a made-up example.

Before: your show has 5,000 downloads in total, across 50 episodes. That’s above the top-1% line of 4,586, so you think your show is in the top 1%.

After: you split it per episode: 5,000 ÷ 50 = 100 each, on average. That’s between the top 25% (96) and the top 10% (412), but only if those downloads came in each episode’s first 7 days. If they built up over months, the average 7-day number is lower than 100.

How to compare your show fairly

1. Wait 7 days after an episode comes out.
2. Open your host’s stats and write down that episode’s downloads, not its total weeks later.
3. Keep one list: episode number, release date, day-7 downloads.
4. After 6 to 8 episodes, look at the direction, not the newest number.

Here’s a made-up example of a weekly show’s day-7 numbers.

Before: episode 1 gets 12 downloads. Next to the median of 27, that looks like failure.

After: you look at the list instead.

Episode	Day-7 downloads	Against the median of 27
1	12	15 below
4	22	5 below
8	31	4 above

Over 8 weeks, the number more than doubled (12 × 2 = 24, and 31 is higher). That direction tells you more than any single week. The top 25% is still 65 away (96 − 31 = 65).

What’s in your control

None of these promises a number, but all 3 are yours to change.

• A steady schedule. Release on the same day each week, so listeners know when to expect you.
• Clear titles. Say what the episode is about: “How to price your first freelance job” tells a stranger more than “Episode 4”.
• A request to share. End each episode with one line. For example: “If this helped, send it to one friend who’d like it.”

Common mistakes

• Comparing a week-old episode with a month-old one. The older one has had 3 more weeks to collect downloads. Compare both at 7 days.
• Counting your own test plays. Buzzsprout counts a download whenever the audio file is requested, and your phone requests it too. If you and a co-host checked an episode on 3 devices, that can be 3 of its first 12.
• Reading one week as a trend. A guest who shares, or a holiday, can move one number. Wait for 6 to 8 episodes.

What to do next

• Today, write down the first-7-day downloads for your last 3 episodes. Find each one’s row in the table above.
• If Spotify shows no plays at all, check that your show is listed there: podcast not showing up on Spotify.
• Wondering if there’s still room for a new show? Read is it too late to start a podcast.
• Not launched yet? Start with how to start a podcast with your phone.