Choosing the right name for your podcast is an important part of capturing an audience’s attention. Along with your podcast artwork, a great title should be memorable, unique, and reflective of your content. A poorly chosen podcast title could have your show blending into the crowd, or worse, being mistaken for a different podcast completely.
Think of your podcast’s name like the storefront of a business: it should have a clear meaning, while also drawing people into what you’re offering. If the name of your podcast is too generic or confusing, you can confuse potential listeners (as well as search engines), which would make discovery harder than it needs to be.
So let’s break down how to choose a podcast name that works. We’ll look at the basics of branding, go through some practical naming tips, and give some considerations for SEO. For a deeper dive into the larger strategy of podcast SEO for keywords, show notes, and descriptions, check out our full guide.
Why Your Podcast Name Matters
Throughout history, names have carried important meanings. Aside from the useful ability to differentiate between different people, places, and objects, names also shape identity and foster connection. This applies to podcasts too!
As you brainstorm ideas for the name of your podcast, think about the first impression you want a potential listener to have once they hear it. You’ll want a name which captures their attention and lets them know this podcast speaks to something which interests them.
If your podcast is part of your business, then you want listeners to associate the name of the podcast with your brand. Two things are important here: recognition and trust. The right name establishes your podcast’s purpose and shows listeners that you’ve carefully thought about its identity. And beyond audience perception, the right name plays a big role in how platforms categorize and recommend your podcast to new listeners.
Now that you see why the right podcast name is important, let’s look at some ways to come up with a great name.
Creative Strategies for Naming Your Show
Clarity vs. Cleverness
There are millions of podcasts available, so the task of coming up with a great name can be daunting! Do you want a name that’s direct and straightforward, or one that’s more playful and fun?
Let’s look at two different podcasts: Startup and 99% Invisible. Startup tells listeners exactly what they’ll get – information about a startup. This is a practical approach, but the end result is a bit vague. Is the podcast about building a startup? Are startup founders being interviewed? Is the podcast even about business? Then there’s 99% Invisible. The name doesn’t directly tell listeners what the podcast is about, but it’s memorable. Maybe even a bit mysterious. You might ask “if something is 99% invisible, what’s the 1% that is visible”? There’s intrigue there to make listeners want to learn more.
From these examples, you can see that clarity vs. cleverness is important, and the trick to a good podcast name is balancing these two qualities. Leaning too far into either direction means you could confuse people on what your podcast is about.
Testing and Feedback
Now that you’ve come up with a shortlist of names for your podcast, the next step is to test them out and get feedback. After all, your podcast name might make sense to you, but does it resonate with others?
A good strategy here is to run your shortlist by friends and colleagues to see what their thoughts are. Do they find any of the names interesting or memorable? They may ask you what came to mind first when you thought of the names. You’ll gain some valuable information about how your podcast name would be perceived, which you can use to edit your shortlist down to a few solid names.
Once you have your vetted list of podcast names, it’s time for the next step: SEO and discoverability.
SEO and Discoverability for Podcast Titles
You can have the best podcast name in the world, but if it’s hard to find in a search engine or on a podcast platform, you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle in terms of discoverability.
Podcast platforms and search engines use keywords and metadata to help people discover shows, and this is where the name of your podcast comes into play. Adding keywords after the name of your podcast can increase your chances of appearing in search results. Let’s say your podcast is about cooking, for example. You could add keywords like “recipes” or “food” or “quick meals” in the title to boost your discoverability. There’s no magic number here for keywords, but aim to choose one or two strong ones that naturally fit what your podcast is about. Make sure to separate your keywords from the actual podcast title using a dash or a pipe.
As you’re doing this, look at how your podcast name works alongside your show’s description and episode titles. Are they all in the same general voice and tone? Together, do they give potential listeners a good sense of what your show is about? Your podcast name, keywords, description, and episode title form the metadata that platforms will use to recommend your show alongside other podcasts. If your podcast includes show notes, you can also include keywords there too! As a best practice, make sure to optimize your podcast’s metadata as necessary as your show grows. Continue experimenting and find what works best.
Conclusion
Coming up with a great name for your podcast is equal parts creativity and strategy. Make sure your podcast makes the right first impression for your listeners and captures their attention, while also keeping platform discovery and your brand in mind. And be sure to test and make changes to the title and other metadata of your show. By the end, you’ll know how to balance clarity with creativity and create a podcast name that resonates with listeners and is easy to find.
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