Podcast names are the worst… At the planning stage, it feels like the most important decision you'll ever make! Getting the right balance of clarity, gravity, humour… it can keep you up at night trying to make the right decision. But, once it's done, it's just a name, and often loses all meaning!
So, if we're going to make good use of that ‘up at night' time, what makes for a “good” podcast name? What factors should you take into consideration? And what are some of the common mistakes made by podcasters when it comes to naming their shows?
These are the things we're going to take a look at in this one-stop-shop guide to podcast names.
First Up: Check for Duplicates (& Take Over?)
Before choosing a name, just make sure there aren't any other shows already using it.
A quick search in your podcast app will let you know what's available and what isn't. Go further too, though, and do a search on Google for <your keyword> + “Podcast”.
You might find a show using the name you had your heart set on, and spot that they stopped putting episodes out back in 2007.
As frustrating as this can be, don't just bash on and decide to use it anyway. At the very least, it'll cause confusion for your listeners and potentially harm your audience growth.
Even using a very similar name to a pre-existing podcast can be a bad call, regardless of whether that show's still active or not.
It might be possible to get in touch with whoever ran this show though and see if they'll actually give it to you, or let you buy it off them. If you're absolutely desperate to use a certain podcast name, then there's no harm in asking.
The 3 Main Options for Naming Your Show
Here are the 3 main schools of thought when it comes to naming a podcast.
Option 1 – Creative Podcast Names
Famous examples – 99% Invisible, The Moth
Creative or “clever” names are often built around a play on words, or an esoteric term from the show's topic or niche.
Many of these names make sense when you look deeply enough into them. But others are just plain abstract, and offer no hint into the show's actual content.
If you already have an audience, a reputation as a good content creator, or a big marketing budget, then this won't necessarily hold you back. If enough people check out your show and enjoy it, then you'll do fine.
But if you're starting completely for scratch then you need to ask yourself what your target audience are searching for online – and if your podcast name is going to show up in these searches.
If you're at this stage, then the next option is the best one for you.
Option 2 – Descriptive Podcast Names
Famous examples – The Property Podcast, Football Weekly
This type of name can be described as “doing exactly what it says on the tin”.
You might think of this as the “boring” option, but as long as your content isn't boring, nobody's going to care.
Descriptive podcast names are immediately identifiable to their target audience. And they're easier to find because they perform better in searches.
However, if you have a really creative or clever name picked out for your show and are desperate to use it, you can always find a way to merge it with a descriptive title, too.
Warning – iTunes / Apple Podcasts
Be careful with overly long podcast names or “keyword stuffing” though, as iTunes/Apple Podcasts have really started to clamp down on this.
In the recent past, you could get away with adding a short subtitle into your podcast name to expand on exactly what the show is about. For example;
Podcast Name | What it's about – or – Podcast Name, Who it's for, and why
But using commas and ‘separators' in your podcast name might now see you rejected by Apple Podcasts when you try to submit there.
This is the unfortunate result of a minority of podcasters filling their podcast name fields with keywords in an attempt to rank for every search term under the sun.
So be as succinct as possible with your podcast name to avoid any issues here. If you can't get into iTunes/Apple Podcasts, you're going to have serious issues growing any sort of audience.
Option 3 – Using Your Actual Name
Famous examples – The Tim Ferris Show, The Joe Rogan Experience
Podcasts that are named after their hosts generally have one thing in common – the host already had an audience before they started the podcast.
These names offer no hints about the shows content. If you've never heard of Tim Ferris, his show could be about literally anything.
As it happens, the podcast is about “interviewing world class performers” in all fields, linking together the similarities and routines that connect them.
If nobody knew Tim Ferris, he'd probably have put a bit more description into his title. Something like “How to be World Class” would certainly catch the eye of his target audience.
More iTunes/Apple Podcasts Stuff…
If you're podcasting as part of your business, and that's built around your name (or company name), then until recently you could've added that in there alongside your show title. For example – “Training for a Marathon, with Jane Smith”.
But that type of name would likely now be rejected by iTunes/Apple Podcasts. In order to have it accepted, Jane would likely need to shorten the show title to “Training for a Marathon”.
As you also need to fill out a provider or “author” tag when creating your show inside your media host, you can still rank for searches for your own name or your business name by adding it there instead.
Using the Word “Podcast” in Your Name
There's no harm in putting the word “podcast” in your show title. But it can be a little redundant.
When someone is searching a podcast directory for new content, every result they get is a podcast.
Of course, a name like “The [your topic] Podcast” can still work really well. But if your name is a bit longer, and you're looking to save space, then the word “podcast” can be the first to go.
You'd maybe still want to mention the word “podcast” on your actual website name to cater for Google searches, but you can often leave it out of your podcast name when entering that detail into your media host.
Being Found in a Search
When a listener searches for a term or keyword in a podcast directory, they'll be presented with a “ranked” number of options.
Most podcast directories (including iTunes/Apple Podcasts, which is comfortably bigger than all the rest combined) won't search through your shownotes, subtitles, etc.
They're only looking at your podcast name, provider name, and episode titles, so you'll need to work your keywords and SEO-friendly terms into t...