Your podcast name is fighting for attention in a sea of 4+ million shows. It needs to be searchable, descriptive enough for new listeners to understand your topic, and unique enough to stand out in podcast app search results. Your domain extends your show beyond audio into a full media brand.
Include a topic keyword
Podcast discovery heavily relies on search. Including your topic helps: 'The Tim Ferriss Show' uses a name, but 'StartUp' tells you the topic. New podcasters benefit from keyword-rich names for discoverability.
Make it sound like a show
Great podcast names feel like show titles. 'Serial', 'Radiolab', 'How I Built This' — they all sound like something you'd tune into. Test if your name sounds natural when someone says 'Have you listened to [name]?'
Keep it short for app displays
Podcast apps truncate long names. Apple Podcasts shows about 30 characters before cutting off. Keep your main name short and use the subtitle field for keywords and description.
Build a web presence
Your podcast website hosts show notes, transcripts (SEO gold), guest info, and sponsorship details. A strong domain like episod.es or listen.to becomes your podcast's home base.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Starting with 'The' — it makes alphabetical discovery harder
- Using acronyms nobody recognizes
- Making it too clever — new listeners need to 'get it' immediately
- Not checking if the name exists on all podcast platforms
- Choosing a name that only works for your current season or topic