20. Podcast Episode Titles That Get Clicked, Played + Found in Search

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Now, this is assuming they've made it past your cover art. They loved your show title, they've maybe read your show description. They are trying to, that's them trying to decide if your show is right for them and then they get to the list of your episodes or maybe they're even following your show already. And your ideal listeners, your super fans, someone who listens to you regular regularly.

new episodes have come out, [: 00:01:00

And I am telling you it is all about the title. So let's talk about how to write titles that not. Only get clicked, but they will help show up in search, which also helps your show become found organically because not just your title of your show will show up. Individual episodes can show up based on keywords.

So lemme just kind of tell you a little bit about, ~um,~ when I first started helping podcasters with strategy. I noticed this pattern in any podcast I would listen to so many times there have been, I shouldn't say so many times, but there have been, I could count at least two for sure. That is not so many times, but however you get the point, the host will be talking and they will reference a past episode, and I'm like.

won. I would've listened to [: 00:02:00

You will hear sometimes people say not to do that because it'll mess up with SEO. I promise that it's not gonna bother your SEO as long as you have those keywords in there. But the big reason you want the episode number in there is so someone can find it. I have been told so many times, go listen to episode 2 47 and they don't have their episodes numbered.

So how am I going to find episode 2 47? Now if I really want to hear it, I, I'm gonna go find it. But just number your episodes. So anyway, I'm realizing immediately I didn't listen to this episode. Once I find it, I didn't listen because of the title, like it did not interest me. And then I'm thinking, well, this title doesn't really explain what they said.

to it, and I would've missed [: 00:03:00

And here's the reason I probably didn't click it. It was either too vague or it just didn't really say what the episode was about. And people cannot fall in love with your content if they're not gonna press play. So the two takeaways of this episode are going to be the title of your episode matters and it can be searchable, uh, matters to being pressed Play and being searchable is what I should say, which is what this whole episode is gonna get into.

And thirdly, that episode numbers matter. Okay? But why do those titles matter so much? So let's think of your title as the front door to your episode. It's the very first impression your listener's gonna get, and it's gonna show up in those search results. So. Their podcast feed, whether they're in Spotify, apple, no matter where they are.

So it will [: 00:04:00

Is also gonna stop people from who organically find you. And that's what we wanna do. We want people who, if we didn't want people who didn't know us to find our podcast, well then you're, you should be fine no matter how many episodes you have, right? I mean, not episodes, downloads, followers, numbers, consumption, all of that.

Not really consumption rate, but all of the things that, the number, the metrics that show you, someone's listening to you. It's not gonna grow if you don't want new people to find you. So this is how new people will find you is by those episode titles, because they need, once they find your show, they need to see some episodes that they clearly want to listen to.

if you have your titles very [: 00:05:00

So let's talk about some common mistakes that are made with podcast. Episode titles. I keep saying podcast titles. That is true too. But this one's focuses, this one's focused specifically on the episode titles and most podcast hosts fall into one of these traps. And I'm gonna use, I'm gonna use podcasting ideas here because it just simplifies my brain from coming up with something else.

But I will give you some other examples. Actually, you know what? I do have some other examples. I had chat GBT help me. So there's, but there's three common mistakes. One is that the title is too vague. So if I were to use podcasting, I could say, like the episode was called, uh, let's talk about Podcasting.

e up with bad titles. That's [: 00:06:00

You must hear, I don't know. That's really hard. That's really strange that it's harder to come up with a bad title now. ~Um. ~But that just shows you that like, I mean, what about that? So here that's gonna, A clever, catchy title might be something that you're super, I call 'em super fans. That's what a lot of people call the people that listen to you regardless.

Now, they may click on that, they're gonna be like, whoa, I wanna hear what happened to her. Because they know you, but somebody knew is gonna be like, what does that have to, I don't. Why would I listen to that? I don't even know this person. And the third thing that I see a lot of is titles that are too long when it takes up the entire spot to where the you get.

Usually if you have a [: 00:07:00

'cause they're going to be like, that is too long to explain. And here's the other thing, if it has to be that long to explain what your episode is about, then we need to work on simplifying it. Or you need to really figure out what you're talking about because you're probably talking about too much in one episode if the title has to be that long.

le to have what the topic is [: 00:08:00

I mean, you obviously wanna title it what the episode's about. I've guys, I have, there have been titles that didn't even talk about, like, they didn't even have anything to do with what was in the title, or there was one I really wanted to learn about and I thought that was what the whole episode would be about.

And instead it was like five things. That was number five. I was really disappointed, but I kept listening 'cause I wanted to hear what that part was. But at the end I was like, really? That's all there was on that. So what I say as a formula could be the topic of your episode using keywords. So make sure that topic has the keywords in there, plus why it matters or like the result or the reason they should listen.

because you want to find out [: 00:09:00

So my title could be. Episode titles that get plays and can be searched. Again, I'm, I'm still working on my title. I should have figured that out before I said that, but anyway. Okay. Let me give you some examples. So if I was an, ~um,~ a business coach and I came up with a title called Time Management Tips, or five.

Time management tips or whatever. It's a, it's okay, but it's a little vague as to, well, why would I wanna know some of these time management tips? But if I used the title time management tips for coaches to get more done and less or better yet, I just thought of another one. Like a, well, let me finish that one.

Time management for coaches to get more done and less time. Okay, that's better. But I just thought of another one. Like time management to, or actually let's do mindset. So mindset is very vague. Like people will talk about mindset things like. Mindset issues, minds. I don't know what I'm trying to say again.

Bad titles are hard for me [: 00:10:00

'cause if not, that's just clickbait and we don't want that. But the more specific you could get, you want people to have the curiosity of, oh, well what is. How does she do that? Or how, what does that Tell me more. You want the title to give you that curiosity, but also be very clear and specific. So maybe a health and fitness person might talk about.

al media, like content ideas [: 00:11:00

I actually use my chat. GBTI have a custom chat, GBT, but it came up with 30 days of content ideas to attract clients this summer. So if it was still June, it's clearly not, but do you see how that gets people a little bit more curious? Because a lot of people talk about, well, everything is slow in the summer, but if you had an episode that talked about how that was not the case, people are gonna be like, Ooh, I wanna listen.

Okay, so. We want each of your titles to create that curiosity to be specific, have that clarity that is what is going to get them to press play. And the same goes for guest interviews. Oh my goodness, you guys. Make sure your titles on your guest interviews. Don't just say guest interview with Susie Q. Why would someone wanna listen to Susie Q when they have no idea who she is?

s that? Like? Go back to the [: 00:12:00

~If you can ~say the title and then just add with Suzy Q or featuring Suzy Q. So do you see the difference? Like you should have a title that makes them wanna click play, whether they have that guest on there or not. Now I have seen some people not put the guest name on the titles. I go back and forth with this.

So I think you should, because if you're gonna, if that guest is gonna take time to be on your show, you want to acknowledge that they are there. There are a few big name podcasters that don't put the guest in their titles. And sometimes that bothers me because I go to click play thinking I wanna learn from that specific host, and it's not her, it's the guest.

formula, your topic with the [: 00:13:00

What is that episode about that needs to be in the title? Always have keywords. Always, always, always. This is gonna help I, I've said this so many times, but this is gonna help your episode show up when someone, so when someone types in that keyword, so if someone were to go to Apple or Spotify, or. iHeart, wherever they listen, and in the search bar, they type in podcast titles or episode titles.

I keep forgetting episode titles.

My episode should hopefully show up, and now it may not. I mean, there could be a ton of people with the same keywords, so you really wanna work on keywords that are going to help you. But keyword research is for another podcast

making someone want to press [: 00:14:00

so I could have titled this episode, the one thing you need to get People to press play. That's very enticing. It hits that curiosity and you might wanna click on it, but if I'm trying to get searched or found organically with SEO, that is not gonna cut it. No one is searching. What is the number one way for people to press play that's not so, do you see how both a good title hits both parts?

Now? I have not always had my titles optimized for search. But the amazing thing is you can always go back and change your titles to your episodes. I don't know if you knew that, but you can. So if you wanna go back and really start to optimize your titles. Just start with, maybe not go back to the beginning and go up.

pt and then just go with the [: 00:15:00

What was I talking about? What were those key words? Maybe they were missing from my title. Add them in there and you can change the title because even if someone's already listened to it, well you've already got their listen. Now you're trying to find new people. That's the greatest thing about long form content.

It's always gonna be there. So, oh, and another thing you. Really wanna make sure that whatever your title is is actually what the episode is about. So this is, I said this before, but this goes more specifically if you're gonna back, go back and look at titles. Don't name it something just to get the click.

It's not gonna gain their trust. So you probably will have to listen to older episodes if you forget. I kind of said that already, but I just wanna kind of put that in there. ~Um,~ you certainly don't wanna mention, like I said before, if. Something that's not in there and it's like mentioned for like two minutes.

lp with, you can always book [: 00:16:00

And as always, I have my long term. Strategy one-on-one, intensive, my Growth Intensive that you can check out, and I'll put the link to that in the show notes as well. Um, but aside from your show title and your show description, these episode titles are your very first chance for people to see the value that you can bring.

They have to press play to hear your content and all of the amazing knowledge that I know you want to provide. So spend more time on your titles. Make them count, even if it's just a. Five extra minutes. Really think through that formula. What are the, what's the topic with keywords? What result is it going to bring?

more catchy, and that's okay [: 00:17:00

So stick around for that episode because that's, that's what I'm gonna be covering is how that episode description, if the title doesn't work, the episode description can get them to click play. So until then, keep creating those episodes that move your listener one step closer to becoming your client, and I will see you then Friends.

Have a great day.