Podcast Category & Network Benchmark Report

The default initialRunMode: "baseline_only" stores the first portfolio baseline with zero rows and zero charge. Later unchanged runs emit zero rows and zero charge. Use emit_backfill only when you explicitly want current benchmark rows, a category report, and an export delivered.

Podcast networks, agencies, and portfolio teams use this actor to benchmark categories, publishers, and show groups from Apple metadata and public RSS.

Input named watchlists, podcast RSS feeds, public show URLs, category keywords, or Apple search terms.

Get show benchmark rows, network signals, category reports, and portfolio exports.

Store Quickstart

1. Start with the first input example below using dryRun=false.
2. Keep emitUnchanged=false so repeated no-change runs emit zero rows and zero charges.
3. Review billingEventName before scheduling recurring runs.

Run the next report

• Use Apple Podcasts Scraper first when you only need broad Apple Podcasts show metadata.
• Generate source-linked sponsor evidence with Podcast Sponsor Evidence Report Scraper.

Input Examples

{
  "rssFeedUrls": [
    "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
  ],
  "showUrls": [],
  "searchTerms": [
    "business podcast advertising"
  ],
  "targetKeywords": [
    "business",
    "marketing",
    "startup",
    "saas"
  ],
  "maxEpisodesPerFeed": 8,
  "initialRunMode": "emit_backfill",
  "generateReport": true,
  "emitRawRows": false,
  "emitShortlistExport": true,
  "emitUnchanged": false,
  "dryRun": false
}

{
  "rssFeedUrls": [],
  "showUrls": [],
  "searchTerms": [
    "fintech podcast",
    "ecommerce podcast"
  ],
  "targetKeywords": [
    "fintech",
    "payments",
    "commerce"
  ],
  "maxEpisodesPerFeed": 12,
  "emitShortlistExport": true,
  "emitUnchanged": false,
  "dryRun": false
}

{
  "rssFeedUrls": [
    "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
  ],
  "showUrls": [],
  "searchTerms": [],
  "targetKeywords": [
    "founder",
    "growth",
    "analytics"
  ],
  "maxEpisodesPerFeed": 6,
  "emitShortlistExport": false,
  "emitUnchanged": false,
  "dryRun": false
}

Sample Output

{
  "rowType": "podcast_shortlist_export",
  "billingEventName": "podcast-category-benchmark-report",
  "sourceName": "Podcast Media Buyer Shortlist",
  "sourceUrl": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml",
  "showTitle": "Planet Money",
  "matchedKeywords": ["business", "marketing"],
  "mediaBuyerFitScore": 84,
  "recommendedNextStep": "Review source-linked fit evidence before campaign planning.",
  "authorizationBasis": "public RSS and Apple Podcasts search metadata"
}

See docs/sample-output.json for the complete row set.

Output Fields

Every row includes:

• billingEventName for PAY_PER_EVENT charging
• sourceName, sourceUrl, retrievedAt, and sourceMethod
• showTitle, publisher, matchedKeywords, and mediaBuyerFitScore when available
• authorizationBasis
• limitations and prohibitedInterpretations

Pricing

This actor uses PAY_PER_EVENT pricing. You are charged only when candidate, fit evidence, or shortlist export rows are emitted:

• podcast-show-benchmarked: $0.008 per benchmarked show row
• podcast-network-signal: $0.08 per source-linked network signal
• podcast-category-benchmark-report: $2.50 per generated benchmark report row
• podcast-benchmark-export: $2.00 per generated export row

No-change runs must emit zero default dataset rows and zero billable events by default.

maxChargeUsd is an optional positive per-run cap. The actor estimates every output row from the configured PAY_PER_EVENT unit prices before calling pushData; if the estimate exceeds the cap, it fails before charging. 0 preserves the existing no-explicit-cap behavior. Delivery journal entries record pending, charged, failed, and uncertain attempts so a partial retry can deduplicate confirmed charges and refuses to retry an uncertain charge.

Compliance Guardrails

• Use public RSS, public show pages, and public podcast search surfaces.
• Use shortlist rows only for source-linked media planning research and human review.
• Do not imply endorsement by Apple, publishers, or podcast networks.

See Also

• Apple Podcasts Scraper for Apple Podcasts show metadata.
• Apple Podcast Chart Tracker for chart movement workflows.