Lesson #4
How to influence the rankings?
A climb in the rankings is never a fluke. It reveals what truly attracts listeners—what drives them to click or listen more than usual. Therefore, the goal isn't just to celebrate your progress, but to analyze it so you can intentionally impact the charts. That is exactly what we will cover in this final lesson of the guide.
January 19, 2026 • About 11 min. read
A climb in the rankings is never a fluke. It reveals what truly attracts listeners—what drives them to click or listen more than usual. Therefore, the goal isn’t just to celebrate your progress, but to analyze it so you can intentionally impact the charts. That is exactly what we will cover in this final lesson of the guide.
When a podcast climbs the rankings, it is almost always a sign that something in your strategy or your content has sparked more interest than usual.A rise in the rankings indicates traction: more people are discovering your show, and more people are clicking, listening, or subscribing. In other words, your podcast is gaining momentum.
This type of progression often occurs following:
- A strong editorial choice: A highly searched topic, a more effective title, a high-profile guest, a well-crafted teaser, or a particularly compelling episode.
- Highly effective external communication: Such as a viral social media post, a newsletter feature, a media mention, or word-of-mouth that starts to spread.
A consistent publishing schedule: Because regularity always ends up creating traction over time.
In this Lesson #4 of the “Podcast Rankings” guide, we will look at:
- How to read and interpret a rise, stability, or drop in the rankings.
- The differences in interpretation between Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
- The events that typically trigger changes in position.
- How to link your chart movements to concrete actions to improve your visibility.
The goal is simple: transform your rankings into useful insights to grow your show.
Let’s get started! 🚀
Track your rankings at a glance with Ausha Charts In-App
See exactly where your show and your competitors rank on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with filters by show, country, category, and subcategory.
How to Interpret Your Movements in the Rankings
Understanding your movements in the rankings is essential for turning raw data into strategic decisions. A rise, stability, or a drop each tell a different story, providing valuable signals about your podcast’s current momentum.
When your podcast rises in the rankings
A climb indicates that your show is generating more interest than usual. The nature of this traction depends on the platform, as we explored in Lesson #2:
- On Apple Podcasts: A rise is almost always linked to a recent influx of new subscriptions, amplified by sustained listening activity. Apple rewards immediate momentum.
- On Spotify: A climb primarily reflects an increase in unique daily listeners within a 24-hour window. Spotify values actual listening volume over a very short period.
In both cases, a rise means something in your content or strategy is “clicking”—whether it’s a high-profile guest, a particularly compelling episode, a trending topic, effective communication, a well-targeted collaboration, or simply improved consistency. It is never a coincidence.
When your podcast stays stable in the rankings
Stability might seem neutral, but it is often very instructive.
It can mean:
- Your podcast is holding its ground in a highly competitive environment (which is a very good thing!).
- Your audience is consistent and engaged.
- Your marketing actions are maintaining a steady level of traction.
- Alternatively, it could mean your show is growing, but at the same pace as the podcasts around you.
Stability is especially positive if you are in a strategic zone : Top 10, Top 20, Top 50, or on a category podium. In these tiers, “maintaining your rank” means your podcast is successfully holding its own against fierce competition, which already requires significant daily traction.
On the other hand, long-term stability far from the top positions tells a different story: your podcast has hit a plateau. This is a very common scenario: your audience remains steady and your episodes perform decently, but your momentum has stalled.
This type of plateau is a valuable signal. It indicates it’s time to “restart the engine” by: testing new topics, strengthening your PSO (keywords, categories, and optimized titles), reworking your hooks, intensifying your communication and promotion efforts.
In short, stability is a gentle wake-up call. Your podcast is functioning well, but it won’t evolve further without additional action on your part. This is a key moment to adjust your strategy and kickstart a new growth cycle.
Track your rankings at a glance with Ausha Charts
See exactly where your show and your competitors rank on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with filters by show, country, category, and subcategory.
When Your Podcast Drops in the Rankings
A drop isn’t necessarily a negative signal. It should be interpreted with nuance:
- A decline might simply mean that another podcast has experienced a very rapid rise, pushing you down the list (leaving you behind).
- It may reflect a temporary dip in activity: no new episode published, less promotion, or the end of a season.
- On Apple Podcasts, it can indicate a slowdown in new subscriptions.
- On Spotify, it often reflects a decrease in unique listeners over that period.
What matters isn’t the drop itself, but its magnitude, its duration, and above all, what it reveals.
A sharp drop sometimes points to a less popular topic, a less effective title, an unfavorable context (such as school holidays or major competing events), or simply a natural lull in your publishing schedule.
A prolonged decline, however, is a clear signal: it’s time to “restart the engine,” ramp up your actions, or rethink certain editorial aspects.
Track your rankings at a glance with Ausha Charts In-App
See exactly where your show and your competitors rank on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with filters by show, country, category, and subcategory.
The Importance of Category Selection
Choosing your category is far from a minor detail. It is one of the key parameters that can significantly influence how your podcast moves through the rankings. This is because your positions don’t just depend on your performance—they depend on the competitive landscape in which you are ranked.
Competition Levels Change How You Read the Charts
Not all categories are created equal. Some are highly saturated, featuring world-famous shows that have been established for years (e.g., Comedy, News, or Society & Culture). Others are more niche, containing fewer podcasts, which makes it much easier to stand out.
As a result, two podcasts generating the exact same level of traction can have completely different trajectories depending on their category:
- In a competitive category: You will need a massive volume of listens or subscriptions just to move up a few spots.
- In a niche category: A single strong episode might be enough to propel you quickly into the Top lists.
If you are ranked in a highly competitive category, stability or even slight progress is an excellent sign—it means you are successfully holding your own in a fierce environment. Conversely, rapid progress in a quieter category might mean you’ve found the right niche, but you may eventually need to expand your efforts to sustain growth in broader categories.
In other words, the category acts as a filter: it influences your positions and dictates how you should interpret your movements.
Choosing a Sub-Category Is Often More Strategic
When you select a sub-category (e.g., “Marketing” instead of the broad “Business” category), your podcast is automatically indexed in both the sub-category AND the main category. This mechanically increases your chances of being visible. It is also the best way to be benchmarked against podcasts that actually cover the same topics as you.
Changing Your Category: An Underestimated Lever
If you find that your podcast is plateauing despite good episode performance, or that your theme sits between two different editorial worlds, changing your category (or choosing a more relevant secondary category where possible) can be a smart move.
This change can:
- Rebalance your competitive environment.
- Increase your chances of appearing in a visible Top list.
- Provide a more accurate reading of your podcast’s true momentum.
One final note: While categories influence your rankings, they do not replace other discoverability levers. Many listeners find podcasts through recommendations, search (PSO), or external content—not just by browsing categories. Think of the category as an indirect but strategic visibility lever that defines your exposure within your specific editorial universe.
Track your rankings at a glance with Ausha Charts
See exactly where your show and your competitors rank on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with filters by show, country, category, and subcategory.
Why the Same Movement Means Different Things on Apple vs. Spotify
A rank variation doesn’t carry the same weight on Apple Podcasts as it does on Spotify. Because the two platforms measure different metrics (as we saw in Lesson #2: Understanding Podcast Rankings), a climb on one requires a different strategic interpretation than a climb on the other.
Here is how to interpret each movement strategically.
When your podcast rises on Apple Podcasts
A climb on Apple is almost always linked to a surge in new followers (subscriptions) over a short period.
What this means concretely:
- Your podcast has successfully attracted a wave of new listeners.
- Your specific episode or guest triggered a high volume of searches within the app.
- Your marketing efforts successfully convinced people to follow the show, not just listen to a single episode.
➡️ On Apple, a rise in the rankings indicates that you have successfully expanded your audience base.
The logical next step: Capitalize on whatever triggered this momentum. Reproduce the format or the editorial angle that worked, amplify your communication, seek out similar collaborations, or release a follow-up episode quickly to ride the wave.
This is also the perfect time to double down on acquisition by leaning into external visibility, cross-promotions, or social media pushes.
In other words: extend the traction to turn a one-time spike into a long-term trend.
When your podcast rises on Spotify
A progression on Spotify primarily reflects an increase in unique listeners and listening volume within a 24-hour window.
What this means:
- Your episode is circulating well.
- It is being listened to in its entirety (or for a significant duration).
Your show is attracting a higher number of unique listeners, even if they haven’t all hit the “Follow” button yet.
➡️ On Spotify, a rise indicates that your episodes are generating a higher-than-normal listening volume over a short period.
To capitalize on this growth, the goal is once again to amplify what is already working: Promote the high-performing episode even more aggressively, extend the conversation on your social media channels or in your newsletter, test similar topics to the one currently generating traction.
This is also the perfect time to refine your titles and hooks, as Spotify’s algorithm is highly sensitive to click-through rates and the first minute of listening. By leaning into this immediate interest, you can turn a temporary spike into sustainable momentum.
Two Platforms, Two Different Interpretations
As we’ve seen, two identical movements in the rankings can reflect very different realities:
- +20 spots on Apple = Your topic, title, guest, or promotion is creating a spike in interest.
- +20 spots on Spotify = Your episodes are being actively listened to, often for longer periods and by a broader audience.
These two platforms measure complementary dynamics:
👉 Apple shows you what attracts. 👉 Spotify shows you what retains.
It is this specific difference in interpretation that allows you to understand the root cause behind every rise, plateau, or drop in your rankings.
Track your rankings at a glance with Ausha Charts In-App
See exactly where your show and your competitors rank on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with filters by show, country, category, and subcategory.
👏 Congratulations!
You have officially completed Lesson #4 and reached the end of this comprehensive guide to podcast rankings.
Here are the key takeaways from this final lesson:
- A rise is never a coincidence. It reveals that a specific episode, guest, topic, or marketing action is generating more interest than usual. On Apple, this primarily indicates a surge in new followers; on Spotify, it points to an increase in unique listeners.
- Stability is only positive in strategic zones. Maintaining a spot in a Top 10, Top 20, or Top 50 is a sign of solid traction. However, long-term stability far from the top often signals a plateau that needs to be broken.
- A drop isn’t always negative. It might simply reflect a faster rise by another podcast or a natural lull in your publishing rhythm. Only a prolonged, consistent decline should be a cause for concern.
- Apple and Spotify tell different stories. Apple primarily measures acquisition (what attracts), while Spotify measures actual listening volume (what retains). Always interpret your movements based on the specific platform.
- Every variation provides actionable insight. Whether it’s a trending topic, an effective title, a resonant episode, or a high-converting promotion—these signals should guide your future editorial choices, collaborations, and PSO strategy.
Congratulations on finishing the guide! You now have all the tools and insights needed to use rankings as a powerful strategic lever for your Podcast Marketing.
Ready to take your visibility even further? Would you like me to translate the first lesson of our next guide on Podcast Search Optimization (PSO) to help you master the art of being found in search results?
Suivez vos positions en 1 clin d’oeil avec Ausha Charts
Voyez exactement où se classent votre émission et vos concurrents sur Apple Podcasts et Spotify, avec des filtres par émission, pays, catégorie et sous-catégorie.
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