One of the fastest-growing forms of content is podcasts. In 2020, more than 155 million people listened to a podcast every week. Google now even includes podcasts in their search results. A podcast can be a valuable marketing tool for a business, or a way to generate passive income through podcast advertising. One of the toughest parts of creating a podcast is the question: How do I choose a podcast topic? Whether you want to start a true crime podcast, interview people, discuss a book series or TV show, or host a new food podcast, we can help you come up with topics. In order to help you choose, we’ve made a list of podcast ideas depending on your audience, brand, and more.
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Podcast Topics If You Have No Audience
If you do not have an audience for your podcast yet, here are some topic ideas for how to get started with ideas that can help you grow your voice, and hopefully, your audience, too. (Keep in mind that popular podcast ideas are not necessarily always the best ideas! Don’t be afraid to be different when it comes to your own podcast.)
Teardowns
A teardown is a way to give a behind-the-scenes view of how something works. For example, you can tell exciting behind-the-scenes stories of your industry or particular business. Or, if you are a beauty brand, for example, you can do a teardown of an influencer’s makeup regime and talk about how you would change it and why.
Recording Stories
Podcasts feature stories. If you have a unique story, you don’t need a large following to simply record it. For example, did you road-trip across the country solo? Did you survive a harrowing experience? Just like they say “write what you know,” you can podcast about what you know, too. If you want to differentiate yourself from all the other podcasts out there, use your own individual and unique stories.
Record Your Experiments
Another excellent podcast topic is to record your own experiments. For example, perhaps you start a digital marketing podcast and each week report on your own campaigns and how they are working out. Or, you can visit a new restaurant each week and review it on your podcast.
Invite Other Experts to Be Your Guests
An excellent way to build an audience from nothing is to interview other experts, influencers, or well-known thought leaders in your field. If you already have those connections, utilize them!
If you don’t have those personal contacts, there are many ways to obtain them. You can try cold messaging on LinkedIn, or try connecting in person at conferences. Or, you can send personalized cold emails to influencers. The key is to build with each guest you have.
Curate Excellent Content
Another great podcast way to come up with podcast topics is to curate various ideas around your target audience’s pain point. Even if you are not the established expert on this topic, you can interview top sources who are. For example, perhaps you start a podcast chronicling how to lose weight and your own weight loss journey. Then, you could interview and get tips from celebrity trainers, athletes, and other high-profile people who have lost weight. Just make sure to credit any information you do discuss on your podcast!
Partner with a More Established Co-Host
If you want to dramatically increase your podcast’s audience, one thing to try is to partner for your podcast with someone who already has a following. You might have to negotiate to get someone more high-profile to do a podcast with you, like offering to do more of the prep work. However, these days, most people love being a podcast host!
Podcast Topics If You Have an Existing Audience
If you currently have an audience, for example, a list of email subscribers, website traffic, or a social media following, starting a podcast will be a bit easier. You can send your current audience directly to your new podcast channel. If you already have an audience, here are some good podcast topics to start off with.
Invite High-Caliber Guests
Many popular podcasts are structured in an interview format. (Think: The Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard.) The interview podcast structure works well because you will get exposure to your guest’s audience, and they will bring exciting new insights to your regular listeners. While you might not be able to get Dax’s level of celebrity guests, you can hopefully connect with some of the important influencers in your industry. The important thing to remember is to do your research on your guests ahead of time and generate topics based around their interests or areas of knowledge.
Offer Actionable Advice
Everyone loves advice. Another way to come up with podcast topics is to provide advice on current issues in your industry, at your own company, or within your own life. Brene Brown and Glennon Doyle both have popular advice podcasts. Russell Brunson also started “Marketing in Your Car,” where he talks about what he’s learned and the challenges he’s faced in the marketing industry. These types of podcasts are better for those with established audiences, like Brene, Glennon, and Russell.
Accept Listener Submissions and Questions
If you’re struggling to come up with podcast topics, a great way to generate topics AND engage with your audience is to accept listener questions and/or submissions. Many popular podcasts have “minisodes” where they read listener emails or do occasional Q&A episodes. You are guaranteed to discuss your audience’s interests, and it saves you time on coming up with topics! These types of episodes are the user-generated content of podcasts.
Additional Podcast Topics FAQs
Can I still do a podcast if my market is already saturated?
Absolutely! The key to starting a podcast in an already-saturated market is to differentiate your own podcast in some way. What makes your podcast different? Find a unique angle on the subject matter. Market your podcast based on what makes it different from the rest in your industry. Or, choose a different format from the rest of your competitors.
Is there a standard length of podcast episodes?
There is no standard length of a podcast. There are podcasts on Apple podcasts that are as short as a minute! Most hover more around the one-hour mark, but the length of your podcast depends entirely on your topic and how much there is to cover.
FAQs:
- How to come up with topics for a podcast?
- Are podcasts still popular?
- What are some ideas for podcast topics?
- How long should my podcast be?
- Can I start a podcast with no audience?
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