The title of your podcast episode is a crucial element that can make a significant difference in whether or not a potential listener will tap download. Even for regular listeners, if the name of the episode doesn’t give them the impression that this episode is for them, they may skip it.
This means that all of the hard work you’ve put into the episode could be for nothing based on whether or not you get those few words right.
In this post, you’ll discover 4 powerful tips on how to write titles for podcast episodes. These 4 tips will help you to capture the attention of browsers and turn them into listeners.
1. Don’t Include Your Show Name and Episode Number
It’s tempting to include your podcast name and episode number in every title. It helps keep things looking organised. It makes it easier to get something down for the title. And you may have seen successful podcasters doing it. It doesn’t help you to get downloads, though.
Think about it from your audience’s perspective. When they come across your podcast episode title on Spotify or in a Google search, they may just scan the first few words of the title. In fact, the first few words might be all that appears on their screens. These first few words are essential in capturing the attention of the potential listener.
Is “The Recruitment Sisters, Episode 142: How to…” going to get them to click? If they’re super fans of the podcast, maybe. If they’ve never heard of the podcast before, definitely not. And if they only listen to the episodes relevant to them, again, probably not.
Some podcasts choose to just include an episode number, which isn’t such an issue as it’s only a couple of characters. And it may be beneficial for a serial podcast where the listening order is important. But for most, it’s unnecessary and can cause confusion if the numbers end up misaligned with the numbers that the podcast player has the episode listed as. It’s best to stick to what will grab attention. Speaking of which…
2. Be Clear, Concise, and Enticing
When it comes to podcast episode titles, clarity is super important. Your audience should get a clear idea of what they’ll get out of the episode just by reading the title. They don’t need to be super long, either. Any more than 10 words is usually unnecessary.
However, don’t confuse clarity with being boring! The key is to strike a balance between clarity and intrigue. You want your title to be concise, yet captivating enough to make your listeners think, “I can’t miss this episode!”
You can make your titles enticing by –
- Focusing on the results and benefits that your ideal listeners would get from listening.
- Considering the kinds of questions your ideal listeners would be asking.
- Making use of emotional power words such as ‘effortless’, profound’, ‘mind-blowing’, ‘game-changing’, ‘mastery’ and ‘revealing’.
- Creating a sense of urgency if applicable.
At the end of this post, you’ll find some examples of enticing episode titles.
Bear in mind that while names need to be persuasive, you need to be able to follow through with the content. A title that promises something that the episode doesn’t deliver is clickbait. And it’s a surefire way of disappointing listeners.
Guest Names in Titles
We need to address the use of guest names here, as well. If you have an interview show, it can be tempting to take the easy route and simply use the guest’s name as the episode title. This falls into the same traps we’ve already talked about, though. If your potential listener only sees the name of a person as the title, will this be enough to convince them that they’ll get value from the episode? Perhaps if they’re super fans of that particular guest. But even then it may not be enough when they only have so much time to spend listening to podcasts.
If you want to include guest names, add ‘with [Guest Name] after the main title. And leave their job title for the show notes. If you land a real celebrity, it may be worth adding the name upfront. Just try to step into the mind of your ideal listener and ask yourself, “What will get them to click and spend 30-60 minutes of their day with you?”
3. What Are Your Ideal Listeners Search For?
If you’re regularly producing episodes and posting your show notes in an online blog, you may begin to show up in search engine results. Researching what your ideal listeners are searching for on Google and creating SEO-friendly titles can help your podcast episodes rank higher in search results.
Using tools like Moz Keyword Explorer, or even Google and YouTube‘s autocomplete feature can provide valuable insights into what people are searching for.
Once you’ve identified relevant keywords, integrate them naturally into your episode titles. Make sure your titles accurately reflect the content of the episode and align with the expectations of your listener.
However, it’s important to strike a balance between including relevant keywords and avoiding keyword stuffing. Overuse of keywords can make your titles seem unnatural and spammy, and even cause Google to penalise you in search.
4. Test and Analyse
Learning how to write titles for podcast episodes is a skill that will grow as you create more episodes. One way to refine your title-writing skills is through testing and analysing the results. Try different approaches and keep an eye on your podcast analytics to see which titles get the most downloads.
Remember, what works for one podcast may not work for another, so it’s essential to consider your brand voice and what works for you. Keep refining and evolving your titles to keep your audience hooked and attract new listeners.
Quality Podcast Episode Title Examples
Now we’ve gone through the 4 tips, what does this actually look like as a podcast title? Here are 5 examples of good podcast titles:
- Nobody’s Using This Candidate Sourcing Technique – But They Should Be
- 7 Proven Strategies for Attracting Dream Clients
- Unveiling the Investment Secrets of the Super Wealthy with [Guest Name]
- How One Dad Turned His Passion for Baking into a Sweet Success
- What Questions Should I Ask At An Interview For An Internship?
Let’s break down some of the elements that make these good titles.
Nobody’s Using This Candidate Sourcing Technique – But They Should Be
This title piques interest. It tells the potential listener what the episode is about – candidate sourcing. But it also implies that there is an effective technique revealed in this episode that no one is using yet. And that by listening, they could get ahead of the curve.
7 Proven Strategies for Attracting Dream Clients
Again, it’s clear what this episode is about – attracting dream clients. And if one of your ideal listeners’ pain points is attracting dream clients, this would be very enticing for them. It also implies a list format (with an odd number of items), which is generally a high-converting format. Finally, it uses highly persuasive power words (proven strategies).
Unveiling the Investment Secrets of the Super Wealthy with [Guest Name]
This one also uses persuasive power words such as ‘unveiling’ and ‘secrets’. It’s to the point and clear what the listener could gain from the episode. It leaves the guest’s name until the end which could be a final push for the listener if it’s a well-known guest.
How One Dad Turned His Passion for Baking into a Sweet Success
People are drawn to stories and to emotion. This title tells a story all by itself. It also gives the potential listener a clear idea of what they’ll get from the episode. Of course, this is only going to be effective if you know who your ideal listener is. If it’s a dad starting a restaurant/bakery, then this title is perfectly aligned!
What Questions Should I Ask At An Interview For An Internship?
This one is super simple. It’s an SEO-focused title. Meaning that this is a question being asked on Google. It not only can help with ranking in search results, but it’s also very clear to the potential listener what they’ll get from the episode.
Keep Writing!
Learning how to write titles for podcast episodes that attract listeners is a skill that can help to grow your podcast significantly. And the more titles you write, the better you’ll get! Just keep in mind these 4 tips and you’ll be off to a great start.
