The coming year could be the year you achieve everything you want with your podcast. And an important step to this achievement is to know exactly what it is you want. You can clearly define your objectives for 2021 by setting SMART goals for your podcasting efforts.
Too often podcasters have overgeneralized, vague expectations for what they want from their podcast. These ill-formed intentions might be written like:
- I want to be an influencer on my topic.
- I want to make money with my show.
- I want to make it big in podcasting.
Yawn! Those are not strong goals. It would be easy to both achieve and fail at any of them. For instance:
- You could be an example of how not to produce a podcast and be an influencer in your topic area.
- What does ‘make it big in podcasting’ even mean?
- You can place a Google Ad on your podcast page and earn .27 of one cent for the entire year and have made money with your show.
Are any of those goals meaningful? No.
You need to set SMART objectives to achieve what you want. SMART goals are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-based
You are primed for success if your intentions for the next year clearly address each of the above facets. Let’s look at how three intentions look written as SMART goals.
- “During 2021 I will receive three pieces of feedback from my podcast listeners that share how they were impacted by the content I create.” (This is a great way to determine if you are an influencer in your topic area.)
- “In the final quarter of 2021 my income from podcast advertising and affiliate sales will be at least equal to my podcast hosting and advertising expenses.”
- “During 2021 my podcast downloads will increase by 33% and I will present at a podcasting event that has more than 100 people in attendance.”
Do you see the difference having SMART goals can make? Creating goals such as this may spur action. Also, you will know exactly when you have accomplished each of these goals. As you know, few things in life feel as good as achieving a goal you have set for yourself.
If you have not done so already, think about creating SMART goals for yourself for 2021. There is still time. Go for it!
If one of your goals is to start a podcast, consider using Blubrry as your podcasting host. If your goal is to increase your podcast’s influence, consider using Blubrry’s Professional Statistics Package to help make your SMART goals more measurable.
Happy New Year!