Are Top Podcasters Fudging Their Numbers?

Every podcaster agrees that getting on top of the charts is good: for discovery, for brand partnerships, for bragging rights. But most are in the dark about the various methodologies behind the charts on platforms such as Apple and Spotify. In general, there’s a consensus that the rankings are not indicative of a show’s success or overall audience. All of this speaks to overall murkiness around metrics in the fast-growing industry and the possibility that they might be manipulated.