8 Rules for Naming your Podcast

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How do I choose a podcast title?

Dear Annie,​
​

My colleagues and I are gearing up to launch our first podcast and, honestly, we’ve spent more time debating the name than almost anything else. We’ve got the format figured out, we’ve booked our first few guests, and we want to launch the show ASAP, but we keep going in circles around the title of the show.

This might be the stupidest question, but we’re genuinely stuck: what is our primary goal with a podcast title? What should we be prioritizing and how do we know we’ve got a title that’s actually going to work for us?

​

Thanks,

Torn Between Titles

Have a question? Ask Annie here.

8 rules for naming your podcast

Hi Torn,

​Picking a great title for your podcast requires more than just some clever wordplay (though that does go a long way).

Our Chief Creative Officer Elizabeth Amos has a really helpful checklist of things you need to consider when coming up with a title for your podcast:

• Is it clear? The title should clearly say something about the content of the podcast and who it’s for.

• Is it memorable? It should stand out and stick in people’s minds. This will also help with word of mouth.

• Is it concise? Think 2-5 words for visibility on cover art. You can always pack more key words in a subtitle. This means thinking hard about whether your host’s name or your brand belongs in the title itself. If it doesn’t aid searchability, just leave it out.

• Is it easy to spell? If people can’t spell it, they can’t search for it.

• Are there other podcasts with the same title? It can be okay if there are older, very small, or inactive shows with the same (or similar) title. But if you try to launch a show with the same title as a much more popular podcast, audiences will get confused and won’t be able to find your show.

• Does it follow platform best practices? Steer clear of swear words or offensive language so your show doesn’t get flagged or banned. And skip the word “podcast” in the title itself. It’s redundant, eats into your limited word count, and it’s widely considered best practices to leave it out if you want platform promotion.

• Does it match the tone and framing of the show? If your podcast is lighthearted and humorous, a cheeky title can be great. If it’s serious and professional, a punny title will probably confuse or turn off your target audience.

• Does it include key search terms? What does your target audience regularly search for? Will your show come up in their searches? If you do have a well-known host, this could be reason for including their name in the title.

You can refer to this checklist when it comes time to pick your podcast title. At the end of the day, your goal should be discoverability and memorability. Does your title help your show get found? And once someone has heard of your show, will they remember the title when they go to download it?

Good luck,

Annie