Choosing your podcast name may just be the most important element in your podcast and will represent your brand. Your podcast name sets the tone for each and everything that follows and is the absolute epicenter of your audio content.
As one of the core pillars of your podcast, the importance of your podcast’s name goes without saying. It helps a listener easily identify your niche and tone and begins to carve out what can be expected from the podcast as a whole. It is often what sparks a listener’s initial interest in your content. You can use Content Curation to create engaging content without much effort. Let’s face it, without an eye-catching and enticing podcast name, selling the podcast to potential listeners is going to be a challenging task to accomplish.
While all of this can indeed create a lot of pressure, it doesn’t actually have to be a complicated task. From an educated angle about the marketplace, and certainty about what it is you’re communicating through your podcast, the podcast name will, in essence, create itself. So let’s take a look at which details are relevant, which are not, and how you can best leverage the podcasting industry to position yourself successfully.
Why Is a Podcast Title So Important?
Seeing as the title of your podcast is the initial hook of a new listener’s interest, you can understand why it is such an important aspect. Not only does it serve to cultivate an audience, but it’s also at the core of everything your podcast is and can become.
Over time, your podcast’s name becomes an integrated part of your brand as a whole, is an easy identifier of who you are for others, and can sway the potentials of where you can go in the long term. It’s not just another piece of content, it’s the ultimate in terms of your podcast brand.
With a compelling and accurate podcast title, you can not only articulate the concept of your podcast, but you can also increase your podcasts searchability through SEO keywords, and possibly even open up great opportunities for yourself down the line.
Things to Remember when Creating a Podcast Title
Everything you create relevant to your podcast is going to be tied back to the title of your podcasts. It is one of the most important aspects of your branding and is what leads the way in terms of your marketing. But by now, we’ve articulated the importance of the title, bringing us to the actual creative process. So, which things are actually important to keep in mind when creating your podcast title?
Starting off, It’s obvious that you want your podcast title to be indicative of the content which lies inside, as a nonsensical name simply doesn’t represent the audio well. Thus, keeping a clear vision of the purpose of your podcast is of primary importance. In other words, keeping your title within the context of your topic points and niche, at the base level, just makes the most sense, and feeds into your actual content seamlessly.
That said, however, there is plenty of room for creativity and cleverness within your title. As much as it’s important for your podcast to be clearly explained through its name, it’s also important that your podcast stands out within your niche. After all, if every podcast in your niche had the same or similar names, none of them would seem that interesting upon first exposure. In essence, don’t be afraid to employ wit and individuality into your title in order to make a lasting impression.
Oversaturation is a common frustration amongst creators in any industry, and podcasting is not immune. The podcast industry becomes more populated each and every day, with over 700,000 active podcasts already in place. As the space becomes more populated, so too does your niche. By having an understanding of who your peers are, and what they’re creating, you may be able to avoid too many commonalities and thus, rise above in your sphere.
Basically, keep the purpose of your podcast at the forefront of your creative process, do your absolute best to point to what kind of content a listener can expect, but still cultivate awareness about the other podcasts in your niche.
Title Guidelines
Now that you have a better understanding of what to keep in mind in the creative process, it’s time to take a look at the practical side of things. Which titles tend to perform the best and why? What stipulations do various streaming platforms hold you to? And is there such a thing as too many keywords? These are some questions you may have begun asking throughout this article.
The first practicality you may run into while creating your podcast name deals with length. Keeping a podcast’s name short and sweet is a roadblock many creators run into, as enticing titles seem much more easily created with more characters. However, the primary goals of your podcast title are to hint at the content which lies inside, and quickly grab the attention of your ideal audience. If a potential listener loses interest before they even finish reading your title, they are less likely to actually press play.
It’s one thing to hook a listener with your title, and further explain the intricate details of the podcast through your show description. It’s another thing entirely to attempt to accomplish both through just your title alone. Give yourself the opportunity to pace out your audience’s interest over several variables, and you may find it’s easier to retain their attention.
Additionally, you often have a limited amount of display space on streaming platforms. Meaning, if your podcast title is too long, the entirety of your name won’t show up on a preview screen through search or explore features. Because of this, the average podcast title across the most popular streaming platforms is 20 characters. This is a safe range for optimal visibility, and not only that, but many witty and catchy podcast titles perfectly fill this space, too.
With such a limited space to convey your concept, you may be inclined to use keywords as a means to boost visibility. However, this can quickly cause you to run into issues. Not only does the focus of your title shift from being catchy to being cluttered, but it can also raise suspicions from certain platforms. Attempting to gain algorithm priority in an unethical way can result in the suspension and even removal of your podcast from a platform.
What to Avoid when Creating Podcast Titles?
Not only are there plenty of things to keep in mind in the creation of your podcast title, but there are certainly several things to avoid, too. Navigating the do’s and don’ts of the medium, as well as the terms of service of various streaming platforms, is a unique skill in its own right. Following is a list of unnecessary mistakes you can easily avoid.
Avoid the word Podcast – In most cases, listeners actively seeking out podcasts are doing so on streaming platforms specifically designed to host podcasts. In these cases, it’s obvious to the listener what type of content they are getting themselves into. It’s almost redundant to include podcasts in the title of your podcast, in addition to taking up your valuable character space.
Avoid Using Your Name – Many streaming platforms reserve a special space for the creator/host of the podcast to be displayed. Unless the name of your podcast is a carbon copy of your brand name, there is no need to identify yourself as the host. Plus, you are almost always able to reiterate who you are in the description of your podcast.
Avoid Profanities – This is one of the most obvious things to avoid, in that your podcast is likely to be censored and harder to locate with the inclusion of graphic content. While it’s not a strict rule, it is something to keep in mind.
Avoid Unnecessary Complexities – Consider that your podcast is going to be shared through word of mouth, and across various social media channels. In this process, it’s likely that a podcast title with a complicated name (to say, spell, or otherwise) is going to be miscommunicated, resulting in less access from a mainstream audience. It’s acceptable and encouraged to be clever, but ensure that your podcast is still easy to search for and find.
The creative process of a podcast is labor-intensive, indeed. There are many considerations to hold in mind, many logistics to navigate, and a world of other podcasters to find your place within. Your podcast’s name is the biggest identifier of your audio content and is arguably of most importance to the creation. It can feel like a complicated task, but with the information provided in this article, you should be more fully equipped to embark on the podcasting process.
