Let’s be honest. You can record the most powerful, hilarious, life-changing podcast episode ever… but if your title sounds like a school essay, no one’s clicking it. “Episode 14: My Thoughts on Motivation.” Hard pass. If your episode title doesn’t make someone stop scrolling and think “ooh, tell me more,” then you’re basically hiding your best work behind a boring label. Titles are your front door. Your handshake. Your “first date impression.” So let’s fix that. Here’s how to write better episode titles that not only sound good but also make your podcast discoverable across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
1. Hook Them Quickly
Think of your title like a tweet (or a TikTok caption). You’ve got seconds to grab attention. The goal isn’t to summarize your entire episode, it’s to create enough curiosity that people want to listen. Instead of: “A Deep Dive Into Confidence and Growth” Try: “The Confidence Episode: What Nobody Tells You About Growth.” Short, snappy, but still gives people a reason to click. The sweet spot? 6–10 words. That’s what platforms like Spotify and Apple display fully before they get cut off. Anything longer and your title ends mid-sentence like: “How I Finally Learned To…”
… learned to what, bestie?
2. Lead With Value, Not Vibes
Vibes are great, but clarity wins. Ask yourself: what’s in it for the listener? Why should they care? Compare these two: “Sunday Chats With Me” vs “How I Plan My Week (and Stay Sane Doing It).” The second one tells the audience exactly what they’ll get and speaks to a need – productivity, structure, mental peace. Great titles promise transformation, insight, or entertainment. On YouTube, this is especially crucial. The algorithm needs keywords like “how to,” “why,” or “what happens when…” to know who to show your video to. So don’t be afraid to write titles like: “How to Build a Brand From Scratch,” “Why Everyone’s Talking About Burnout,” or “What Happens When You Stop Caring What People Think.” Clarity = clickability.
3. Add Curiosity, But Don’t Catfish
You want intrigue; not clickbait. There’s a difference between “I Tried This Morning Routine and It Changed My Life” (okay, relatable) and “This Secret Will Make You a Millionaire Overnight” (calm down, YouTube). Curiosity works when there’s genuine payoff. If your guest shares something surprising, tease it. “The One Thing My Therapist Said That Changed Everything.” Or: “He Quit His Job and Made $10K in a Month.” Listeners love a story or a “what happened next” angle. Just make sure your content actually delivers.
4. Use Keywords (Without Sounding Like a Robot)
Your episode title is part of your podcast SEO. Yes, even on Spotify. Search engines scan those words to decide when to show your content. Think of the words your audience would actually type when looking for something like your episode. If it’s about mental health, use “anxiety,” “self-care,” or “healing.” If it’s about business, words like “marketing,” “side hustle,” or “brand strategy” matter. Don’t overstuff it like “Side Hustle Entrepreneur Business Tips Growth Marketing Strategy.” You’re not an AI bot, you’re a storyteller. Blend keywords naturally into human-sounding sentences.
5. Numbers Work. Always.
People love lists. It’s why BuzzFeed still exists. Titles with numbers promise structure and value. “5 Ways to Build a Loyal Audience.” “3 Red Flags in Podcast Partnerships.” “10 Lessons I Learned From My First Year Podcasting.” Numbers give people an expectation, they know what they’re getting into. Also, odd numbers weirdly perform better (science or sorcery, who knows).
6. Format Your Titles Like a Pro
Here’s the formula most top shows follow: Main Hook | Secondary Detail or Guest Name. Example: “The Science of Confidence | with Dr. Tumi Johnson” or “How to Go Viral Without Selling Out | Podcast Tips from Jules & Tunde.” That pipe symbol “|” or a colon “:” makes your titles cleaner, easier to scan, and better optimized for search. And if your guest is well-known, a celebrity, influencer, or public figure – include their name in the title. It’s instant SEO gold. People often search the guest’s name first, not your podcast name, so ride that wave. Example: “Navigating Fame and Burnout | with Bonang Matheba” or “The Business of Reinvention | with Trevor Noah.”
And here’s another pro move: if something is trending – a viral challenge, pop culture moment, or major news topic – weave it in naturally. Listeners are already searching those keywords, so meeting them halfway makes your episode instantly more discoverable. Just make sure it’s relevant to your content. For example, if everyone’s talking about “digital burnout,” and your episode covers that, use it in the title: “Surviving Digital Burnout | Why Everyone’s Tired (and How to Fix It).”
7. Tailor for Platform Behavior
Not all titles work the same everywhere. On Spotify and Apple Podcasts, shorter, punchier titles win. Think clarity over creativity. People are usually multitasking and skimming. On YouTube, longer, descriptive titles perform better because they feed the search algorithm. Add detail or context like “How I Built My Podcast Studio at Home (For Under $200).” And don’t forget your thumbnail and description, they work together with your title. If your title promises something, your visuals should echo it.
8. Don’t Overthink It (But Don’t Phone It In Either)
We’ve all been there: staring at the publish screen wondering, “Is this title clever or confusing?” If you’re unsure, ask a friend: “Would you click this?” If they pause, rewrite it. Your title should pass the scroll test: if it popped up on someone’s feed with no context, would they still tap play? If the answer’s yes, you nailed it.
Remember: your podcast title is the difference between someone scrolling past your episode and someone giving it a shot. It’s your first impression, your billboard on the podcast highway. So, make it clear. Make it clickable. Make it sound like something you’d actually want to hear. And if you ever get stuck, remember this rule from the Podcast Sessions Magazine: great titles make people curious, not confused. Because at the end of the day, you don’t need to trick people into listening, you just need to make them feel like they’d be missing out if they didn’t.
