How to Choose the Right Podcast Name: 3 Tips for Coaches

So you’ve decided you want to start a podcast. Amazing! And almost immediately the question hits… okay but what should my podcast name be?

It’s kind of like finding out you’re pregnant and immediately jumping to baby names. The excitement is real and I’m here for it. But before you fall in love with something you may regret later, I want to ground you in something important first.

If you’re a coach, consultant, or service provider using a podcast to grow your business (meaning you want your podcast to generate leads, attract clients, and make you money) your podcast name is not just a creative branding decision. It’s a strategic one. And getting it right from the start can be the difference between a show that markets you on autopilot and one you have to constantly remind people it exists.

Here are my three non-negotiables when it comes to choosing the right podcast name.

Tip 1: Is It Available and Distinct?

This is the bare minimum. It is also the easiest problem to fix early and the most annoying one to fix later.

Before you fall in love with a podcast name, take ten minutes and check:

• Is there a trademark on it?
• Is the domain taken?
• Is the Instagram handle already being used?
• Is there already a show with that name on Apple Podcasts or Spotify?

You don’t want to build a brand on top of something that already exists. It creates confusion for listeners and puts you in competition from day one on name alone. Check first, fall in love second.

Tip 2: Is It Clear?

The smaller your audience, the more this matters. If you’re trying to be clever with your podcast name, you’re probably already losing in search results.

Clever doesn’t get searched. Clear does.

My first podcast was named Awakened and Unfiltered. In my head it made complete sense.

Awakened — spirituality, intuition.

Unfiltered — I’m going to be real with you.

But if someone stumbled across that title, what would they actually know about the show? Who it’s for? What they’d get from listening? Nothing was clear.

I changed it early to something that included the actual topic: Intuition Development for Women. Suddenly more people could find me. Same thing with my current podcast, Online Business Made Simple. No guesswork. You know exactly what it’s about and who it’s for the second you read it.

When you’re naming your podcast, think about three things:

• Who is it for? Your ideal listener should see themselves in the name immediately.
• What is the result? What changes for someone who listens to your show?
• What is the umbrella topic? Stay broad enough to cover everything you talk about without boxing yourself in.

You don’t have to niche so far down that you feel creatively trapped. Online Business lets me talk about podcasting, blogging, SEO, mindset, and systems all under one roof. Find your umbrella and name from there.

Tip 3: Is It Accurate?

Your podcast name needs to actually reflect what your show is about… not what it means to you, not a metaphor for it, but what it is.

I learned this the hard way. I went through a phase where I named my podcast Thirst, as in quenched lol. It was a metaphor for following your desires as you build your business. Deeply meaningful to me. However, nobody was going into Apple Podcasts and typing “thirst” looking for business strategy. I wasn’t showing up. Even when I sent people there who already knew me, I was buried because my podcast name and my actual content didn’t match.

Here’s the thing, your podcast name is one of the strongest signals you can send to platforms and listeners about what your show is about. If the name is vague, emotional, or metaphor-driven, you’re making it harder to be found from the very start.

But what if I love my create podcast name?

If you truly love your name and aren’t willing to change it, then keep it. But then also support it with SEO. Use strong keywords after your title, optimize your episode titles, write keyword-rich show notes and descriptions. Your podcast name doesn’t have to do heavy lifting if the rest of your content is working hard alongside it.

The Right Podcast Name Can Market You While You Sleep

Your podcast has the potential to do something a reel or a carousel never can. I said what I said. A podcast can be found, clicked, binged, and subscribed to by people who have never heard of you, without you having to show up daily.

Every day billions of people are searching the internet based on their life experience. When you title your show to be found when they do that, then you give yourself the freedom to post and ghost until the next episode drops, rather than needing to remind your Instagram followers that your show still exists.

That process starts with a podcast name that’s available, clear, and accurate.

Come Get Feedback on Your Podcast Name

If you have a few ideas and want real feedback from people who get it, come hang out in my free Facebook community. It’s where coaches and service providers are learning how to get found online, grow their podcast, and build content that markets them without living on social media. Drop your podcast name ideas, make a poll, and let the community weigh in.

Join here.