Good podcast names are fundamental. That’s because along with your cover art, they serve as the first impression for your audience. They can even help draw them in. However, coming up with the perfect podcast name can be tricky.
Still, the best podcast names have a lot of similarities. For example, they’re memorable, easy to find in search, and communicate your subject. Ideally, they should also be short and to the point, and bolster your growing brand.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the most common characteristics that good podcast names share. Then, we’ll go over five tips for how to choose one. Let’s get to it!
What Makes a Good Podcast Name
While there are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to choosing good podcast names, many share qualities that can serve as guidelines
Firstly, good podcast titles are short, less than 29 characters in most cases. This is true whether the podcast title is creative, like Ear Hustle, or a more direct choice, such as The Shell Lake Massacre.
This is an excellent strategy because short names are often easier to remember. They’re also far less likely to get clipped by podcast feeds.
Keeping your podcast name short doesn’t mean sacrificing other elements, though. Many podcasts incorporate fun with wordplay. Three popular examples include Pod Save America, Revisionist History, and National Park After Dark:
If you choose this approach, the key is not to stray too far from your podcast’s content and tone. The potential listener should be intrigued but not put off guard.
Good podcast names are also completely unique. They shouldn’t be used on any podcast channels, and ideally, anywhere else online. Otherwise, listeners could get confused.
When you use an original podcast name, this helps ensure complete ownership over your intellectual property. Plus, it’s also good for search engine optimization (SEO).
In addition, you can also boost your podcast’s SEO by including a target keyword. For example, Fantasy Football Today’s name makes it very likely that it will appear in a search for “fantasy football”.
Finally, reinforcing an existing brand sometimes makes sense. This is a common tactic used by celebrities. The Michelle Obama Podcast, The Problem with Jon Stewart, and LeVar Burton Reads are just a few examples.
However, star power isn’t necessary to use this technique. It makes just as much sense if the podcast is an extension of a larger project.
5 Tips for Choosing a Good Podcast Name
Now that we’ve discussed some of the most important qualities good podcast names share, let’s go over some tips for choosing the best podcast name for your project.
1. Identify Your Target Audience
Before you choose your podcast name, it’s important to know who your ideal listener is. That’s because they represent your target audience.
Just like with creating a buyer persona, developing a profile of your ideal listener can help you determine how you’ll communicate your brand identity.
Therefore, you might want to consider the listener’s age, gender, income level, location, and other relevant demographic data, as well as psychographic information like interests and values.
One example of a podcast that uses its target audience to inform its name is Last Podcast on the Left. The name is a play on the horror movie title The Last House on the Left. So, it should catch the attention of horror fans.
Other examples of ideal listeners could be affluent millennials interested in real estate investing, Gen Z yoga enthusiasts, or American expats. These profiles are only limited by your imagination. The more detail you go into the better, as it’ll give you a deeper understanding of who you’re targeting.
2. Communicate Your Subject or Niche
Identifying your target audience and communicating your subject area or niche go hand-in-hand. The former determines how you’ll address the latter.
It’ll help you decide whether you want to use an evocative approach for your name, like 99% Invisible, or a very direct approach, like Not Another D&D Podcast:
Identifying your target audience can also help clarify your niche. This is crucial, since your podcast can’t be all things to all people, and it shouldn’t strive to be.
Narrowing things down will help it stand out in the market. Essentially, your podcast’s name should reflect this focus to attract your ideal audience.
3. Use Your Target Keyword
If you want to take the direct approach to naming your podcast, i.e. Real Survival Stories, you can improve SEO by including a keyword. This will make your podcast easier to find.
For example, if your podcast is about economics, you might include the keyword “money”:
That said, you don’t want to use a keyword that’s too generic. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting lost in the crowd. It can help to use an SEO tool to identify keywords that aren’t too difficult to rank for and have good search volume.
If you can’t fit all the keywords you want in 29 characters, that’s okay. Focus on getting the most important keyword in the title. Remember, you can always use your podcast description to fit in more.
4. Keep It Simple
Your podcast name should be as easy to remember and interpret as possible. This means leaving out abbreviations (unless they’re almost universally known, like NASA or DIY) and anything that’s hard to say or spell.
In general, the simpler and more direct your podcast name is the better it is for word-of-mouth referrals.
That’s because it limits potential roadblocks to sharing, like misremembering the order of letters in an acronym. The title Criminal is a perfect example – it gets across the show’s subject in a quick and memorable way.
5. Make Sure the Podcast Name is Available
Once you have an idea for your podcast’s name, it’s important to check whether it’s available. You’ll want to make sure there isn’t a podcast using the name already.
In addition, you’ll need to check the domain and social media handles. You may want to reconsider your name if it’s taken in these contexts or others, such as popular media.
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend uses personal branding to ensure the name’s availability, but starting with a strong brand isn’t necessary for finding a unique name.
Making sure your name is available everywhere on the web will make your podcast easier to find no matter where you post it – whether that’s on popular podcast platforms or your own website.
Conclusion
The best podcast names accomplish a lot, including defining your podcast’s brand and making it easy to find. That’s why it’s important to put in the effort to choose a good one. Fortunately, there are some simple guidelines you can follow to make sure you do.
To recap, here are five tips for choosing good podcast names:
- Identify your target audience.
- Communicate your subject or niche.
- Use your target keyword.
- Keep it simple.
- Make sure the podcast name is available.
Once your show is up and running, you can use Podcastpage.io to build a podcast website in no time. It offers mobile-friendly templates, automatic episode imports, a customizable audio player, and much more. Get started with Podcastpage.io today!
