Starting a podcast is an exciting venture that can enable you to explore your passion and make money. Plus, with the initial momentum and excitement, it may seem quick and easy to plan and record your show. However, after a while, you might run out of ideas for new episodes.
Don’t worry though, there are tons of ways to find new podcast ideas & topics to keep your content fresh. For instance, you can look at news websites, research trends on search engines, and explore social media.
In this post, we’ll take a look at five ways to find new topics and ideas for your podcast. Let’s get started!
1. Regularly Check News Websites
One of the best ways to generate new content is to capitalize on the latest news and popular events. This way, you can make sure you’re creating fresh content and position your podcast as up-to-date at all times.
It also enables you to publish episodes that people are currently interested in while the topic has plenty of momentum:
However, it’s important to only discuss news that’s relevant to your niche and theme. Otherwise, it may come across as disingenuous.
This method is particularly effective if your show often features debates, political chats, sports, technology, TV/Movies, or pop culture. That’s because you’re able to include this type of content more organically as new newsworthy topics emerge. For example, you might dedicate an entire episode to an upcoming major sporting event or use it as inspiration for a shorter segment during your show.
What’s more, it’s super easy to keep your finger on the pulse of the latest news. All you need to do is check out news websites regularly. You can always do additional research after that and share new insights with your listeners.
2. Research Trends in Search Engines
You can check content platforms like YouTube, Discord or Reddit to find trends and highly popular topics. Furthermore, there are resources like Google Trends that could help you identify up and coming search terms on search engines.
These results may be in the form of videos, blog posts, or websites that are built around keywords and search terms associated with the topic. Beyond getting ideas for your show, these keywords can eventually be used to improve your podcast SEO and attract new users from the search results pages.
Obviously, the popularity of these keywords can change over time due to new technologies, practices, and interests. Therefore, it’s important to stay on top of the latest keyword trends.
You can also use a tool like Google’s Keyword Planner to discover new keywords:
Just type in some words and phrases relevant to your podcast. Then, click on Get Results.
You’ll be able to view the average number of monthly searches for specific keywords. There’s also a Three month change column which can be useful for identifying very new or topical ideas for your show.
You can even add keywords to a plan in Keyword Planner. This way, you’re able to view the projected performance of search terms in a test plan before you choose the topic for one of your episodes.
3. Explore Social Media
Social media platforms are constantly being updated with new content, so they are a great place to find ideas and topics for your podcast. What’s more, a lot of this content is “user-generated” and comes in the form of videos, images, and reviews.
The benefit of this type of content is that it typically isn’t planned or scheduled ahead of time. That means a lot of social media content is “timely” focusing on current events, trends, and viral happenings:
Plus, users all over the world have social media. That means it can provide you with diverse opinions and potentially expand your way of thinking.
With this in mind, you might focus your efforts on Facebook and YouTube since these are the most popular social media sites. However, you don’t want to overlook next-generation platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which can give you access to a younger demographic.
Additionally, most social media platforms provide a search bar, which you can use to discover specific content that aligns with your niche. Then, once you start following certain creators and engaging with relevant posts, the network algorithms can suggest additional content that might interest you.
4. Listen to Other Podcasts
As a podcaster yourself, it can be difficult to make the time to engage with your own favorite shows. When you finish recording, planning, and editing your podcast, the last thing you might want to do is spend more time in the world of podcasting.
However, listening to other podcasts can spark ideas for your own show. For instance, you might tune into an episode that introduces an interesting subject without fully expanding on it. Or, you may realize you have strong opinions about a popular topic that’s discussed on one of your favorite shows:
Additionally, if you’re particularly passionate or knowledgeable about the topic, you could reach out to the podcast creators and ask them to be a guest on your show (more on guests in the next section). Then, you can expand on the topic even further. Plus, you might pull in some new listeners from your podcast guest’s audience.
Keep in mind though that it’s important to make sure your content remains original. You don’t want anyone to accuse you of plagiarising other content creators. That’s why it’s a good idea to offer a new angle or perspective on the topic to make it specific to your podcast.
5. Invite Podcast Guests
Another great way to find new podcast topics and ideas is to research podcast guests. Through creative collaborations, you can gain inspiration and insight into new subjects.
For example, when you invite someone to your show, you can let them steer the conversation to a certain extent (while still properly preparing and fulfilling your host duties). Alternatively, you might discuss one of your guest’s favorite topics or areas of expertise:
Established podcasters and industry leaders often have plenty of advice to share and/or new ventures to promote. So, when you invite a creator to be a part of one of your episodes, you might ask them to discuss their new book, product, or course. This may make it easier to convince busy or distinguished guests to come on your show.
As always though, it’s important to make sure that the topic and ideas stay relevant to your podcast niche or theme. Put simply, inviting a highly popular but irrelevant guest might alienate visitors and cause them to lose trust in your show.
Conclusion
When you’re a new podcast creator or host, topic ideas can be easy to come by. However, once you’ve been publishing episodes for a while, you might struggle to think of fresh ideas for your show. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to spark your creativity.
To recap, here are five strategies you can use to find new podcast topics and ideas:
- Regularly check news websites.
- Research trends in search engines.
- Explore social media.
- Listen to other podcasts.
- Invite podcast guests.
Another way to take your podcast to the next level is to create a podcast website. With Podcastpage, you can access beautiful templates, a customizable audio player, automatic episode imports, and more. Sign up today!
