Quick question – why did you want to read this article? Why are you here? Most likely it was the title. As you name each episode of your podcast, it clearly reflects the content and attracts both regular and new listeners.
You know the expression “It does what it says on the label”? It may be the obvious, but those few words are very valuable to the whole package. There is a real art in composing a title that is honest, descriptive, and compelling. Here are 3 important guidelines for writing podcast episode titles.
Use catchy keywords
Keywords are the ones that best describe your episode topic. It is therefore natural to use this for a specific title. There is a twofold advantage in giving high priority to keywords. They help your search engine optimization (SEO) on the Internet and in podcast directories. Even on a human level, they are only directly relevant and come straight to the point.
If you interview people regularly, make sure the guest’s name is included in your episode title. This will maximize the potential for people to come across your podcast when they type the person’s name (or their brand) into a search engine.
Catchy titles are those that arouse expectations. Use keywords in combination with language that offers a little intrigue and is emotionally charged. There’s a reason you see titles like “You Won’t Believe This Entrepreneur Turned His Money Into Millions” on the internet. While you don’t want to patronize your potential audience’s potential clickbait tactic, it is one proven way giving away just enough in the title to encourage people to click through to satisfy their curiosity.
Structure: numbering and number of words
Try to keep the title of your podcast episode as short as possible and customize it in no more than five words. If anything, this directness suggests a sense of confidence in what you have to say and promises that your content will be the point and the articulation as well. Also, remember how cramped episode titles can appear on a busy page in iTunes! You can always elaborate on it in the description of the episode.
There is also a tendency to title episodes like chapters, e.g. B. “Episode 1: How to Write a Great Title”. The numbering itself is not a problem. It’s a helpful reference for both the podcaster and the listener. However, given the limited space, you want to make sure that your keywords are not lost, e.g. B. “Episode 1: How to Write …”.
Daniel J. Lewis of The audacity to podcast recommends moving the number to the end of your episode title to avoid wasting valuable space on a small display so that listeners can instantly see what the episode is about.
He also points out that “leading with an episode number can also conflict with well-written titles. See how confusing “# 10: 3 Ways to Success” looks? Listed items get a lot of approvals, so if your episode has a numbered list, it’s good to have that visibility. Give the content pride of place in your podcast episode title.
Focus on your audience
IIt’s tempting to come up with a cute title, maybe an inside joke or a play on words. This may show your shrewd manner in words, but it could risk alienating new potential listeners who don’t yet know what your podcast is about. Keep that in mind It’s not just your regular audience reading your titles Having a broad focus will help appeal to a wider audience.
Shift the focus in the title to your audience and you put them in a position of strength. You can do this using second person pronouns (you, yours). Assuming that you are personally answering a riddle your listener may have is more compelling than an impersonal description of your content. Using words like how, what, and why in your title really appeals to this sensitivity.
A podcast episode titled “How To Strengthen Your Audio Marketing Strategy” is just more inviting than one titled “Strong Audio Marketing Strategies”, isn’t it?
These are subtle but very effective ways that your episode title can help reach listeners. Then let your podcast do the rest!
