Choosing the title for each new episode is one of the key factors of having a successful podcast. This is the first thing a listener will see and is what will determine whether or not they’re going tune in.
Crafting the right title for your episode might be tricky, especially since you want to create one that will fit your brand while also giving listeners an accurate idea of what the episode is all about. Episode titles should attract new listeners as well as give you extra marketing for your podcast.
In this article, we will give you five tips to create the perfect title for your episodes and how to give it that hook to pull listeners in!
Align The Title With Your Content
When you decided to become a Podcaster, you obviously had an idea in your mind about the topics you would like to discuss. Each episode’s title should give your listeners an immediate clue as to what you will be discussing during the episode and whether or not you’ll have any guests.
A fun idea you could be to ask a friend how they will describe each new episode. This might help you to figure out what the title should be, or just offer you the keywords you can use to best describe it. Getting feedback from your listeners is also a great way to see how you are being heard, and how others are interpreting the content that you put out. This will give you a better idea of how to most appropriately align your titles with the message you want to send through your podcast.
Be Succinct and Don’t Waste Words
Being succinct simply means creating a title that is brief and clearly expresses what the episode is about. Your podcast title is not the place where you have to divulge absolutely everything that will happen in the show. However, it should give your listeners a clear outline of what they can expect or who you will be interviewing.
Most podcast directories also only offer a specific amount of characters you can use in your episode titles. For example, iTunes only allows you to use a total of 225 characters. Keep in mind that being brief doesn’t mean that there are no important keywords included. Instead, it means not stuffing all the keywords into your title all at once.
So to prevent listeners for turning to other shows for their topic of interest, be the podcast that is clear, concise, and to the point – giving them exactly the episode they might be looking for. So don’t be vague, provide enough detail, and make it concise!
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization is a major part of the success of a podcast, as this is one of the best ways for listeners to find an episode they want. Creating a title that is creative and unique will help make your podcast easily searchable by using as many relevant keywords as possible or adding subtle keywords that link back to the show.
Adding subtitles to your episodes will also help increase the SEO. If your show title can align with a listener query, then when they make the search your keywords will lead them to you. When you have a guest on one of your episodes, it is also a god idea to add their name in the title so that it gets linked back to their other content.
Make it Catchy!
With new shows popping up each and every day, the world of podcasting can be incredibly saturated. All the many podcasts can often make it feel like there’s nothing that hasn’t been said before. There are quite a few podcasts out there already, covering all of the topics you might have thought of. This is why ensuring that your podcast covers unique topics and engaging conversations is extremely important.
Thinking outside of the box when it comes to your word choices is an easy way to make your titles fresh and original. Listeners will be more tempted to click on an episode if it has an intriguing title, and adding a catchy hook will draw them in. So find a way to stand out from the crowd, and make each and every episode title unique to your own voice, giving your listeners the chance to be entertained!
Focus on Your Audience
Doing research after each episode will help you uncover what listeners would like to hear in the future. Listeners don’t necessarily care about the episode number or a cute pun; what they care about is what the content of the episode is. Encourage audience engagement by targeting episode titles to answer the specific questions they have.
It is important to keep in mind that your potential audience will also be reading your title and it should appeal to them just as much as it does to your current audience. The right title will be the difference between someone becoming a new listener or passing on to another podcast altogether. And last but not least, make the title shareable! If it’s easy to share on social media, then the potential to attract new listeners becomes even greater.
