No matter what you're talking about on your show, you're going to need a name. After all, it's the title that people will see and remember when they search for podcasts, so it must be memorable and easy to spell.
But where do you start? It seems like every time you find an interesting word or phrase, someone else is already using it or has maybe even trademarked it. Before you tackle a trademark search, try to think about whether a similar word has a trademark. For instance, the term "podcast" is commonly used by podcasters, and it's already taken. There's a Podcasts app on your iPhone that you can listen to podcasts on. But what about podcasting? That idea has been around for years, and some companies have done some pretty crazy things with the name. Are you really going to name your podcast something that sounds just like the original term?
Another possibility is to use a name associated with your entertainment genre. It could be evocative of something you think about when you hear it. For instance, you could call yours "Podcasts For The Mind" or "The Brain Dump Podcast". Those phrases are undoubtedly exciting but are also commercialized terms that are used every day by other people. Yours would have to be different.
If you are still battling with how to name your podcast, you can always search for a combination of words that don't seem too familiar. For instance, "Happy Podcast" is quite a popular name – it's the name of a Parisian lounge – but "Happy Business Podcast" or "The Happy Entrepreneur" are much more evocative. You might even be inspired to write an article on podcasts about podcasts. Pretty much like I'm doing, actually.
But that should just be the beginning. Your podcast's name will probably have to stand up for years, even decades. So it needs to be memorable enough that people will start connecting it with your content. It needs to be exclusive sufficient, so other people can't use it. And it needs to have keywords associated with your content so search engines can understand what podcast you are talking about.
With so many things to consider, it's impossible to develop a shortlist of attention-grabbing words that will be interesting and available simultaneously. Here are some tips on how to name your podcast so that it is both memorable and searchable.
1. Consider the idea of the podcast genre. For instance, if you are talking about business podcasts, you could try naming your podcast "Global Business Podcast". It would stand out if you are doing something more entertaining, like "Stick Figure Comedians" or "The Laughing Mad Podcast", but they are also already taken.
2. Choose a name that is based on one of your ideas or themes for your podcast. For instance, you could always start your podcast by saying "The Brain Dump Podcast", "Cardiovascular Biz News", or "The Nerdy Millionaire". If you're discussing a particular topic like productivity or finance, start with "Productivity Biz News" or even things like "Work Biz News". Also, try to think of other keywords that people might search for.
3. Think about what you want your podcast to be about. For instance, if you're trying to give tips to help people develop themselves, you might want to create a name that reflects that. For example, if your podcast is about being more creative, you might want something like "Be Creative Podcast" or "Creative Minds...".
4. When it comes to business podcasts, make sure you use popular keywords. If you are talking about business news, it would be wise to include words like entrepreneur or start-up in the title so people can associate it with your content. Suppose your podcast is about sales training or improving sales performance. In that case, your title should incorporate some of the most popular words like leadership or sales training.
5. Use related phrases to your podcast. If your podcast is about executives, you should come up with a name that includes words like executive or businessman because those words will help people remember the content of your podcast. If you are talking about business news, it would be wise to include words like entrepreneur or start-up in the title so people can associate it with your content.
6. Think about something funny or topical that people might search for related to your topic. For instance, if you talk about the latest business news, political news, or sports news, you could use words like scandal or scandalous in the title.
7. Think about what your listeners might be searching for when looking for something related to your topic. If you are talking about entrepreneurship, you could come up with a name like "Entrepreneurial Biz News" or "Start-Up Biz News".This will make it easier for people to remember what podcast you are talking about.
Now, these are all great ideas, and I wish there was this type of resource available to me when I was thinking about how to name your podcast. On the other hand, I was pretty lucky because the name just popped into my head with the kind of podcast I had in mind. My surname is Watts, and I love to get involved and share peoples stories. So the show became Watts Involved.
A few years on from starting Watts Involved, I am thinking of starting another show, and the question of how to name your podcast raised its head again. We went through many ideas as the premise of this show is a cohost and me chatting about all things weird and wonderful. So we started listing names, and there were some fascinating ones we came up with.
However, what I have learned over the years is that the right podcast name is one thing. The ideal situation is to come up with a striking catchy name and find a domain for it. I will probably get into SEO at a later stage. For now, just know that a domain name that matches your podcast name is an excellent thing.
At the first meeting between my cohost and me, we had a list of all the show names we thought would work. Upon searching for their availability, we found that they had all been taken. I mean, who would have thought someone would have taken the name "Life The Universe And Everything"? So it was back to the drawing board, and we have finally managed to find a unique name and have registered the domain. We haven't launched the podcast yet, so I won't share the title just yet.
There are many things to think about when starting a podcast, and how to name your podcast is just one of them. I hope this has been helpful and if you have any questions, just drop us an email.
