Your audience will see your podcast name before they hear a word from you. Could your name mean the difference between showing up first in podcast search results, or not showing up at all? Let’s look at some some tried and tested naming strategies, and some tropes to steer clear of.
The three camps of podcast naming
When it comes to podcast naming, people typically fall into three camps: those who put no thought into their podcast name, those who agonise over it, and those who get it just right: people who pick names that either make a statement, outline a benefit, or hold up a mirror to the listener.
Make a statement
Take a position that highlights your perspective. Some shows that do this really well are:
- Everything is Alive
- You’re Wrong About
- You Are Not a Frog
Think about the power of statements like “Black Lives Matter”, “Time’s Up”, or “March for Our Lives”. These are global movements with logos and websites - they’re brands - but the nature of their names makes them undeniable and irrefutable.
Highlight the benefit
For this, go back to your Listener Story. Here are some good examples of podcast names that demonstrate a benefit:
- One Percent Better
- Stuff You Should Know
- How I Built This
To get clear on your benefit, complete the sentence “People listen to my podcast so they can…”. Then, see what happens when you tack on another “so they can…”. And another.
Hold up a mirror
Let your listener see themselves in the podcast name. Here are some great examples:
- Generative Leaders
- She Podcasts
- Latina to Latina
Things to consider
So here are some tips and things to consider when naming your show:
- Always go for clarity over cuteness.
- Ideally, it shouldn’t be more than 4 words long.
- It has to be unique.
- Don’t be afraid to use lingo or terminology that’s relevant to your industry.
- Make sure it sounds like something you would say.
Remember, as with all of this stuff, there are no hard and fast rules. If you’ve got a name you love, go with it. These are just some things to keep in mind.