All aspects of business and life are impacted by goals, which provide direction, motivation, focus, and importance. Setting goals gives you an indication of what you want to accomplish. SMART goals help you set goals.
It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.
A SMART plan combines all of these criteria to focus your efforts and increase your chances of achieving your goal.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to make a SMART goal to grow your podcast. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Specific
Before you get started with a podcast, you’ll need to figure out what your goals are. First, make a list of what inspires you and define what you want.
Be specific about your goals. Be clear about what you want. Instead of saying unclear goals, set specific ones.
I want to have many listeners. – I want to reach 10,000 listeners in the next six months.
I want to earn money in podcasting. – I want to make $500 per month from my podcast.
See the difference between vague and specific goals?
Here are other specific goals for your podcast.
- I want to be the #1 podcast in my niche.
- I want to be an expert/authority in my niche.
- I want to have international listeners.
- I want to drive 50% more traffic to my website from my podcast.
Knowing how to achieve your goals begins with being specific. To achieve your podcasting goals, you have to be exact. When you’re not, you may not be on the right path.
Determine Your Success
To establish a SMART podcast goal, define how you can measure success. It is important to remember who your podcast is for and why you are doing it before determining the success of your podcast.
Keeping track of your downloads is helpful. It is a crucial part of the process. Most podcasters see downloads as the success indicator. But it is not the most important.
Put the listener’s engagement first. Make your podcast an engaging and exciting show for your listeners. A good metric for success is when people quote your podcast and share it.
Measurable
You need to determine how you will measure success in this step. There are many other criteria to consider besides downloads.
Depending on your objectives, you may want to engage viewers through episode engagement, generate leads, or attract talent. Be sure the metrics you’re tracking are in line with your goals.
What are your plans for measuring your success in achieving your goals? For example, how will you know if 10,000 people have listened to your podcast?
Analytic features are included in most podcast hosts. These help you track your progress towards your goals.
Do not focus on the monthly downloads. The monthly download number is entirely meaningless since People can manipulate it. This metric doesn’t determine your reach.
If you set financial goals, how will you know when you’ve reached them? Do you track your podcast income?
Identify how you’ll measure your success and how you’ll know when you’re successful.
Metric for Success
To give you an idea of how to look for success metrics, here’s a list you could follow.
Creating brand awareness
Social media mentions
Mentions from other content creators
Podcast merchandise purchases
Audience Engagement
Comments and discussions
Podcast rating
Clipped audio from your podcast
Audience responses to engagements (quizzes, questions, etc.)
Sponsor ad clicks
Promo codes used
Audience Growth
Subscribers
Podcast or episode shares
Shared content outside of podcast platform (posts, transcripts, videos, etc.)
Achievable and Attainable
SMART goals should be achievable. Your next step will be to figure out ways to achieve your goals and to work towards them.
Your goals should be challenging to keep you on your toes but achievable. Ask yourself these questions.
- Is my goal within my reach? Do I have the resources and capabilities to achieve it? If not, what would I need?
- Can others do it successfully?
Don’t set outrageous and over-the-top goals like “I want to be the first person to record a podcast in space.” It’s a great goal, but not achievable.
Check your specific goals and see if they’re attainable. For example, you might say, “I want to interview a high-profile person like Elon Musk.” Now, that seems possible.
Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to ride in Elon Musk’s spaceship if you manage to interview him.
Realistic
If the goal is realistic, it can be achieved within the time and resources available. Therefore, for your SMART goal to be realistic, you must think that you can achieve it.
Again, ask yourself questions like:
- Am I willing to commit to the goal?
- Given my time and resources constraints, is the goal attainable?
- Can I achieve this goal?
Focus on what’s most important about your achievable goal, and then make it realistic. After that, determine what steps you must take to accomplish the goal.
Strategy is the key to achieving a goal. Therefore, you need to take action once you’ve identified your podcasting goals.
Smaller goals are more attainable when large goals are broken down. It is easier when you break a significant goal bit by bit and set milestones.
For example, to grow your audience by 1,000 new listeners, calculate how many new subscribers you’ll need per episode based on your release schedule.
Relevant
Are there any goals that are aligned with what you’re doing? Are your goals, your personality, and your content compatible?
Let’s say you’re in the beauty business, but your content is all about the latest Hollywood gossip. You’re not creating any brand awareness and authority with that content. Instead, give your listeners tips on how to achieve that Hollywood look.
Goals need to be connected to what you do, or you may need to change what you do to reach your goals.
Time-Bound: Set a Deadline
It is crucial to have a specific and realistic deadline.
You need to create a podcast calendar at this point. Start thinking about your timeline. Ask yourself:
- The launch date of your podcast
- How many episodes will you need to produce
- How many episodes do you want in a season
- Who are the guests you want to interview
Announcing your new podcast and then waiting for a month to release it isn’t a good idea.
You might also want to consider other marketing collateral you can use to launch your podcast. It could include posts on social media, blogs, press releases, and videos. Will all these elements fall into place in time?
It’s essential to remember that you need to re-evaluate your goal if you cannot meet that deadline. It doesn’t have to be personal; find a new strategy to achieve your goals.
Track Your Goal
Don’t lose sight of your goals. You’ve worked hard to put them in place, so keep up the excellent work, and don’t forget to enjoy the results. Measure progress and reassess goals at regular intervals (monthly or quarterly).
Don’t forget to celebrate your accomplishments after you’ve achieved them. Then, you could do something like a 100,000-subscriber special episode.
Starting a podcast is not just about podcasting management tools, recording, and good audio. You need goals and plans to know where you are heading.
