Success isn’t a scoreboard of downloads, instead it’s a body of work you’re proud of, the skills you grew, and the new listeners who engaged with your podcast. As the year closes, we walk through a meaningful way of measuring your podcast’s success to ensure for an exciting and impactful 2026.
If you have questions for the Podcaster Success team, email us at support@buzzsprout.com.
Have a topic or question we should address on a future episode? Text us or email the Buzzsprout Podcaster Success Team at support@buzzsprout.com
Keep podcasting!
Episode Transcript
Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, brought to you
by the people at Buzzsprout.
I'm your host, Cara Pacetti,and I'm bringing you the best
tips and strategies to keep youpodcasting with confidence.
We are in our final days of2025.
And around this time of year,we hear from a lot of podcasters
(00:23):
wrapping things up and settinggoals for 2026.
And their main question is, wasI successful this year?
Can I call this podcast asuccess?
How do I know and how do Istack up compared to the rest?
And the best way to keeppodcasting in 2026 is to look
back at 2025 and see what allyou have accomplished.
(00:46):
Allow that to build thatconfidence to keep going.
And while download numbers arevery relevant and are definitely
used as one metric of success,I want you to join me in this
episode and think a little bitoutside of the box.
I want to walk through a coupleof different ways of measuring
success that you may not bethinking of.
(01:07):
First, I want to focus on skilldevelopment.
Did you try new things thisyear?
Did you learn any new skills?
Or did you finally launch thatpodcast that you've been
dreaming of?
Think about where you are now.
But what did that look like inJanuary?
Where were you?
And what have you done?
Maybe you interviewed somebodyfor the first time on your
(01:30):
podcast, or maybe you were aguest on somebody else's
podcast.
That is a brand new skill thatwas unlocked for you.
And maybe that episode only gota few downloads.
But the experience and the newskill that you developed in
doing that is going to carry youthrough so many more moments of
(01:51):
growth.
Maybe you used to outsourceyour editing and podcast
promotion, or maybe even writingyour scripts.
And now you've brought that allin-house and you're doing that.
Or maybe you've tried out a newediting software that you've
never used before.
Again, I don't know what yourdownload numbers look like.
But if you've learned new waysof producing your podcast and
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making it a little better thanit was before, that is success.
That is growth, and that shouldbe celebrated.
Maybe you have recognized thatthis podcast is a lot of fun and
you want to keep doing it, butyou're going to need some help
because you are the originaleditor, promoter, writer, and
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host.
So you've decided to give AI atry.
What was once superintimidating has now become your
greatest help.
AI is now a part of yourroutine.
It helps you to produce yourepisodes to get them out on
time, and you are enjoying theprocess instead of feeling the
weight and the stress of it all.
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And that is a step of growthagain, because while it felt
like you may have been stuckbecause it was all on you, now
you have implemented a processthat allows you to keep
podcasting and to continueenjoying podcasting.
Finally, maybe this was yourfirst year launching that
podcast.
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For the last three years,you've been daydreaming.
What would the podcast looklike?
Who would host it?
How would I do that?
But in 2025, you did it.
You launched the podcast.
And for years to come, you willlook back at your podcasting
website and you will seeestablished 2025 because this
was the year that you did it andyou launched your podcast.
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That is a huge success thatshould not be overlooked.
Another measurement of successthat I don't think is talked
about enough is direct listenerinteractions.
I would even argue that this ismore powerful than download
numbers.
Think about it.
If you have 200 downloads, butnone of those listeners are
reaching out to you, that isless impactful than having 20 or
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so listeners who are activelyengaging with you and your
podcast.
And that can really set thetone for you as the podcaster.
When you have direct listenerinteractions, it is so
encouraging and it reminds youthat your voice is being heard
and that you're having animpact.
Maybe your podcast was createdin addition to a business that
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you are already running.
Did sharing about your passionfor your business and for your
customers and why you're doingthe work that you're doing, did
that land you a customer forlife who is appreciative because
they know the story behind whatit is that you're offering?
That's a win.
Another amazing way ofinteracting with your listeners
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is through fan mail.
I want to know did you receiveat least one fan mail this year?
Fan mail can be encouragingbecause listeners will sometimes
reach out just to let you knowthat they love your podcast and
they are asking you, pleasedon't stop, continue releasing
content because I just love yourshow.
Other times, fan mail can be alistener letting you know that
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your episode impacted them in acertain way.
And that, again, is just somotivating because when you
think you're speaking into avoid and then you get a
notification that someone waslistening and what you said
resonated with them, I mean, howmuch more motivation do you
need to keep going?
That is just so exciting.
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Other ways of receiving fanmail is when you, as the
podcaster, are asking a questionand you receive a response.
So for podcasting Q&A, we putout questions.
And when I receive fan mailletting me know that listeners
heard my question and they aresharing what they want to see
answered on a future episode,I'm so encouraged to do that.
Producing content that createsaction is very powerful and
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should feel very successful foryou as the creator.
I want to highlight some fanmail actually that I received
that I was super excited about.
7689 from Florida wrote andsaid, Kara, thanks for your
latest episode on sound bites.
I've been using them afterpublishing my episodes, but
never realized I could use it asa trailer for upcoming
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episodes.
That was so encouraging to mebecause it reminds me that what
I'm sharing in this podcast islanding with the audience that
I'm speaking to.
What I want is for my podcastto help other podcasters and
make their journey enjoyable,make things easier.
And when I received this fanmail, it was just very
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encouraging that we are gettingit right.
And so I appreciate you sendingin that fan mail.
And I just want to encourageour listeners here that if
you've received even one fanmail message, don't run too
quickly past that.
That should feel like successfor you.
The last metric of success thatI really want to drive home
today is your overall enjoyment.
(06:59):
Oftentimes we don't focusenough on enjoyment as a
measurement of success, but thereality is that joy should be in
the process.
So something can and should besuccessful as long as you're
enjoying the process.
Did you enjoy the interviewsyou conducted?
Did you enjoy crafting thatperfect episode?
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Did you enjoy finding fun newways to promote your work and
letting your friends know aboutit?
Are you proud of the contentthat you created?
If you answered yes to any ofthose questions, I would say
that you had a very successfulyear in podcasting.
Regardless of your overalldownloads, if you can answer yes
to any of these and at the endof 2025 you are still enjoying
(07:42):
this, you are doing it right andyou are definitely successful.
Since I mentioned at thebeginning that this is a time of
reflection, I want you to thinkback.
What were your expectationsgoing into podcasting?
And how do you feel lookingback on those now?
Since this is also anopportunity for goal setting,
I'd invite you to set someexpectations for 2026 based on
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what we've talked about intoday's episode.
Maybe your initial goals wereall around metrics, all around
new listeners and downloads andreviews.
And maybe those fell a littleflat.
But after hearing today'sepisode and after looking back
on all of the work that you'veaccomplished, I would invite you
to set some differentexpectations for 2026 and then
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check back in with us and let usknow how things go next year.
If you're hosted here with usat Buzzsprout, we have access to
the analytics that reallyhighlight all that you've done
in 2025 for your podcast.
As our gift to you, in earlyJanuary, we will be releasing
the 2025 Podcast Playback.
This playback will celebrateeverything you've created in
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2025 in a fun way.
For the best playbackexperience, I recommend
downloading our Buzzsproutmobile app and you will see your
playback available in just afew short weeks.
I hope this episode gives youpermission to celebrate your
wins and encourages you tocontinue with your podcast next
year.
Our podcaster success teamloves hearing success stories.
(09:08):
So if you'd like to share yourmilestones with us, you could
reach us by emailing support atbuzzsprout.com.
Like our featured fan mailmessage if you want to share
which podcasting Q&A episode hashelped you, or if there's a
question you'd like us to answeron a future episode, just click
the send us a text link in theshow notes.
Be sure to join us every Mondayto kickstart your week.
(09:29):
Have a very happy new year, andas always, keep podcasting.
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