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How To Add Analytic Prefixes To Your Show

Learn how to add Analytic Prefixes to your RSS Feed

An analytics prefix (also called a URL prefix or prepend) is a tag added to your episode URLs in your RSS feed. It lets you track listener behavior, sources, and other metrics through third-party services like Spotify Ad Analytics (SpAA).

In this article, we'll walk you through the steps to add prefixes to your podcast.

Why use analytic prefixes for podcast tracking?

A prefix connects your podcast to third-party analytics services, giving you deeper insights than your hosting platform alone provides. It also lets advertisers track their campaign performance on your show, and depending on the service, can surface more detailed audience demographics to help shape your content strategy.

What providers are supported?

Zencastr supports prefixes from the following providers.

Podscribe

Using the Podscribe Prefix ("pscrb.fm") in your Zencastr RSS feed, enables advertisers to access real-time download tracking. This means that advertisers can better credit your show for its overall performance, providing a more accurate representation of your podcast's impact. See Podscribe's prefix guide for more information.

https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/

Spotify Ad Analytics

Spotify Ad Analytics (formerly Podsights) provides detailed analytics to help you understand the performance of your episodes. By utilizing the “prfx.byspotify.com” prefix, Zencastr ensures compatibility with Podsights and Spotify Ad Analytics.

See Spotify's analytics prefix guide for more information.

https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/

Podtrac

Podtrac specializes in podcast measurement and analytics. Using this prefix enables seamless integration with Podtrac, allowing you to track your podcast's performance and audience engagement. See Podtrac's setup instructions for more information.

https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/

OP3 The Open Podcast Project

The Open Podcast Prefix Project is a free, open-source analytics service dedicated to transparent data and listener privacy. See OP3's website for more information. 

https://op3.dev/e/

PodRoll

PodRoll specializes in expanding podcast audiences by recommending your episodes to listeners based on their preferences. See PodRoll's prefix instructions for more information.

https://pdrl.fm/XXXXXX/

Audacy Creator Lab

Audacy Creator Lab (formerly Podcorn) is tied to Audacy Creator Lab’s advertising marketplace, verifying download numbers for sponsors you work with through their platform. See Audacy Creator Lab's prefix instructions for more information.

https://pdcn.co/e/

💡 Don't see the provider you need? Contact our Support Team via email or chat.

Managing your analytics prefix

Follow the instructions below to add, edit, remove, or combine prefixes.

Note: your show needs to be hosted on Zencastr to add analytics prefixes

  1. Click Episodes from the left navigation menu.

  2. Click the Edit button in the upper-right corner.

  3. In the pop-up that appears, click open Advanced Settings.

  4. In the RSS episode URL prefix field, make your change.

    1. To add a prefix: Enter the prefix URL.

    2. To edit or remove a prefix: Update or delete the existing URL.

    3. To combine multiple prefixes (up to 3): Enter each additional prefix without "https://", placing it directly after the first URL's backslash (/), and keep a backslash (/) at the end of the last prefix. For example: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/prfx.byspotify.com/e/

  5. When you're done, click Save.

Testing the analytics prefix

⚠ An incorrectly formatted prefix can prevent episode audio from playing. Test after making changes to confirm your podcast still plays correctly.

  1. Click Episodes from the left navigation menu.

  2. Click the Share button in the upper-right corner.

  3. Click the RSS icon (yellow).

  4. Your RSS feed will be copied to your computer’s clipboard.

  5. Open a new tab and paste your RSS feed.

  6. Find the enclosure length section, then copy that URL.

  7. Paste the URL into a new tab and press Enter.

  8. If an audio player appears, your prefix is configured correctly. If it doesn't, revisit your prefix and fix the formatting.

FAQs

Is there a limit to the number of prefixes I can add?

You can up to three prefixes at this time.

Can I change my URL prefix later?

Yes, you can edit and change your prefix at any time.

Can I add a VAST redirect tag?

Currently, VAST redirect tags aren’t supported.If you'd like to see this feature, contact our Support Team via email or chat to request it.

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