So, what are you gonna call your podcast?
Your podcast name (and logo) are the first things potential listeners see when they stumble across your show.
So how do you come up with a name that makes people want to listen?
Why is your podcast name so important?
I know we’re all told not to judge a book by its cover but the truth is, we do.
When people find your show in their podcast directory it’s a combination of your podcast name and logo that encourages them to scroll down and read the description. And if they like what they read, they’ll give it a try.
Problem is, you don’t have a lot of words to make an impact so coming up with a great podcast name isn’t an easy task.
The goal of your name as well as your logo, description, episode titles, descriptions, social content and everything outside the audio of your show should be to stop people scrolling and get them to press play.
If you’ve got an existing brand, use it
If you’re starting a podcast as an extension of your blog, business or website, it makes sense to keep things consistent.
When I created a podcast to accompany my online podcasting course PodSchool, it made sense to call it PodSchool as well because it was covering similar content.
Of course, if my priority was shoving keywords in as many places as possible I could have named it “The Podcasting Tips Podcast” or “The Podcasting Show” but that’s kinda boring.
So if you’ve got an existing brand look at whether that name translates into a good podcast name and voila! The thinking might be already done for you.
Don’t choose keywords over creativity
Using keywords in your title will help people find your show if they’re searching in your niche. But you don’t want people just to find you, you want them to listen and follow or subscribe.
This means you need to catch their attention and keywords aren’t always the catchiest option.
There are also plenty of places you can optimise your show for search like your show notes, podcast description or category which means you don’t need to cram your title full of keywords at the expense of a more interesting name.
For example my interview show, You’ve Gotta Start Somewhere, could have been called “The Celebrity Interview Show” or “Celebrity Interviews with Rachel Corbett” but that’s not terribly engaging.
So, try and come up with a name that gives a bit of personality to your podcast.
If that includes keywords, great! If not, it’s not the end of the world.
Warning: Don’t sneak keywords in after your podcast name
This used to be a sneaky way for podcasters to get more keywords into their title without compromising the creativity of their podcast name e.g. PodSchool | Professional podcasting tips to help you create a high-quality show
Apple started cracking down on this and was taking podcasts off Apple Podcasts if they appeared to be keyword stuffing their titles.
So, come up with the best name for your show and leave the keywords for your show description.
Brainstorm as many ideas as possible and give the good ones time to sink in
When you start thinking about your show name get out a piece of paper and scribble down as many ideas as you can.
Don’t think too much about it and don’t judge what’s coming out. And once you’ve got a bunch of ideas pick your favourites and sit with them for a while.
Give yourself a couple of weeks.
Tell people whose opinion you respect and see what they think and take note of how you feel when you say the name(s) out loud.
If you like a name and feel proud and excited to tell people, it’s usually a good sign you’re onto something. If you get nervous or you’re unsure of yourself when you’re telling someone it’s probably a good indication you need to go back to the drawing board.
And when you share your show name make sure you ask people what they think the show is about.
If they guess something pretty close that’s fantastic. If they’re way off you might be a way off too.
Check whether the domain is available
This can be a quick idea killer.
It’s always great to have a website for your podcast because if people like your show they’ll want to find out more about you. It’s also a way for new listeners to find you when they’re searching in Google.
Ideally, you want your website name to match your podcast name, so if you can’t get the URL it might be a good idea to look for something else.
If you’re 1000% set on your name and you can’t get the URL you can always add “podcast” to the end of it and see if that’s available e.g. PodSchoolPodcast.com.
Get inspiration from idioms and synonyms
Searching for your keyword on idiom websites or thesaurus.com can be a great way to get your creative juices flowing.
These sites also help you come up with ideas that are a step or two away from basic keywords.
Search for books or podcasts in your niche
Amazon is a great search engine and if you type your niche into the search bar it’ll often turn up a bunch of books on your topic. These titles might give you some inspiration for your podcast name, but try not to copy someone else’s idea.
Searching podcast directories for podcasts in your niche is another great way to see what other people are doing too.
Take note of what you like, what you find annoying and what you think is clever and try to put the best of what you see into a podcast name of your own.
Don’t forget about tone
You might only have a few words to play with but if you can get a bit of tone into your title it’ll help listeners understand the vibe of your show.
Words are powerful and you can still pack a lot of punch when you’ve only got a few of them to play with.
So, no matter what the vibe of your show – fun, serious, intellectual – make sure it’s reflected in your podcast name.
Got a burning podcasting question you’d like answered? Send me an email.
Want to start your own podcast but need a little help? Download my “How To Start A Podcast” guide or sign up for my online podcasting course, PodSchool.
Thanks!
Great Article!