Naming Your Podcast

hello name tag with the word podcast

What’s in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”—William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.

With all due respect to one of the greatest wordsmiths in history, we think a name is hugely important.  Your podcast name should illustrate who you are, speak to the community to which you belong, and also define your place in the world.

Here are some tips to create an effective podcast name:

  • The name should predict the content.  The Joe Rogan Experience, Crime Junkie, The Daily from the NY Times, Planet Money and My Favorite Murder are all pretty self-evident.
  • Word-of-mouth is a key driver of discovery.  Your podcast name should be simple, succinct, and easy to remember for those who heard about your podcast from a friend.
  • It’s ideal if your pod name contains a key word for driving search BUT avoid “stuffing” your name with multiple key words.
  • Keep your name short and therefore memorable.  WTF with Mark Maron is hard to forget!
  • An intriguing name can stimulate trial.  Titles like Stuff You Should Know, Dr. Death, And That’s Why We Drink create fascination.  
  • Make a list of names, from ridiculous to sublime, and see which of your favorites ‘check the boxes.’
  • Finally, try them out on your network to gauge effectiveness.
  • Remember, most great names are a result of trial.  The creators of Google initially named it BackRub!  Someone suggested Googolplex, a play on the mathematical term googol.  A domain search with the spelling Google got things started.  
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