How to make attention grabbing podcast titles
The number one mistake podcasters make is that we begin with content first, and then throw a quick title together before our episode goes live. A few days later when we look at our subscriber growth and it has completely flatlined we ask ourselves, “what happened?!”
So how DO you pick the title for your next episode?
The Attention Grabbing Headline Formula
If you want to grow your subscriber base you have to flip the equation on its head and answer the following five questions:
- What questions do my existing subscribers want anwered?
- What are my ideal listeners searching for to find the answers to those questions?
- What is the attention grabbing headline that will show them that I have the BEST answer to that question on my podcast?
- Who is the most qualified person to answer that question?
- How should I share this content to guarantee that my listeners leave with an answer to their questions that makes them excited to take action on what they have learned?
These questions have guided my podcast The Lucky Titan, and other top podcasts to the iTunes Top 50 lists in record time and simply require a few minutes of your time each week to ask for some simple feedback from your audience. Here is a quick example and then we will get to the title examples:
- What questions do my existing subscribers want anwered? – After asking the listeners of my podcast (mostly agency owners and coaches) they told me that they really wanted to learn how to scale their multi-six figure businesses through acquisition.
- What are my ideal listeners searching for to find the answers to those questions? – With this question at the forefront of my mind I went to google and did a keyword search using ubersuggest which showed me that a keyword that was searched at least 2000 times per month was “how to buy a business”
- What is the attention grabbing headline that will show them that I have the BEST answer to that question on my podcast? – Using one of the 141 headline templates below I chose a title that included the keyword phrase from step 2. **BONUS HINT** if you interview someone and you include their name in the title, oftentimes you will be in the top 4 results googled when someone googles that person’s name. The title we settled on was “How To Buy A Business With No Money Down With Carl Allen.“
- Who is the most qualified person to answer that question? – Often times you won’t be the most highly qualified person to answer that question, so instead of trying to fake it, bring a guest on who can answer the question, and your audience will think you all the wiser. We decided to invite world reknowned business buying expert Carl Allen to be our guest because he is one of the most qualified individuals I know in this space.
- How should I share this content to guarantee that my listeners leave with an answer to their questions that makes them excited to take action on what they have learned? – From there we break down the answer to the keyword into 3 simple questions which we address in the episode which becomes the content. Our three questions were:
- If you had to start a business from scratch which industry would you chose?
- How do you find a business for sale that will meet your business goals?
- How do you buy a business with no money down?
So now that you have the formula for creating killer headlines for your podcast episodes, here are 141 headline examples that we have used to convert our content into millions of eyeballs, and millions of dollars for our business.
141 Episode Title Examples
- How to _ in x steps
- How I made _ in x steps/days
- How to rock your _ while looking like a _
- How to completely change your _ in x steps/days
- How to use _ to stand out from the crowd
- How to ___ the correct way/ like you know what you’re doing
- How to Get Rid Of / Stop Doing _____ for Good
- Where to Find _____ Even When It’s Impossible
- A Total Beginner’s Guide to _____
- The DIY Guide to _____
- “X” Things Your _____ Doesn’t Want You to Know
- “X” _____ Every _____ Should Know/Own/Be/Have
- “X” _____ You Need to Try/Do in [Year]
- “X” Types of _____
- “X” Myths About _____
- “X” Truths About _____
- “X” _____ Worth Paying for in [Year]
- “X” Resources to Help You _____
- “X”-Point Checklist for _____
- “X” Habits of _____
- “X” Trends That Will Be Big for _____ in [Year]
- “X” Things _____ Love About _____
- “X” Things _____ Hate About _____
- “X” Essential Things All _____ Need to Own/Know/Have in [Year]
- “X” Examples of _____ to Inspire/Motivate You
- “X” Reasons _____ Didn’t Happen/You Didn’t Get _____
- “X” Most Effective Strategies for _____
- “X” Popular Ways to _____
- You’ve Been Doing _____ Wrong for Years
- “X” Incorrect Ways to _____
- “X” Steps to Achieve _____
- “X” Creative Ways to _____
- “X” Foolproof Strategies for _____
- The Epic Formula to Finally Achieve _____
- “X” Tactics to Get You to Stop _____ for Good
- “X” Handy Tips from a _____ Pro
- “X” Ways to _____ Without _____
- “X” Tricks to _____
- How to Make Sure Your _____ Isn’t _____
- “X” Weird but Effective _____
- “X” _____ That Will Make You _____
- “X” Things No One Tells You About _____
- How to _____ to Drive _____
- How to Find _____
- How to Craft/Make/Find a Strong _____ that Will _____
- How to Develop/Create/Craft a ______ to _____
- How to Tell if _____
- How to Hack _____
- “X” Things to Consider When _____
- “X” Questions You Need to Ask Before _____
- “X” Signs You Need to _____
- “X” Rules You Must Follow if You Want to _____
- “X” Habits of _____ Who _____
- “X” Things You Didn’t Know about _____
- “X” Benefits of _____
- “X” Tips for the Busy _____ who Still Want to _____
- “X” Ways to Make Sure Your _____ Is _____
- The New _____ Everyone is Talking About
- “X” Strategies/Tips/Tools to Get You _____ Results Fast
- How _____ Did _____ in Just “X” Days/Months
- The Big Lie Hiding in _____
- Is _____ Harming Your _____?
- “X” Cardinal Sins of _____
- “X” Mistakes that Are Costing You _____
- If You Can _____, Then You Can _____ Today
- “X” Lessons We Can Learn from _____
- This Simple Method is Helping World class _____ to _____
- “X” Ways to Be/Do _____ Revealed
- Exclusive: The Secret Sauce Behind _____’s _____ Revealed
- A Simple Way to _____ That Will Work for Any _____
- Can You Recognize All “X” Warning Signs of _____?
- Is _____ Causing You to Lose/Miss Out on _____?
- Why _____ Fails and _____ Succeeds
- A Powerful Story of “X” _____
- What You Probably Should Know About _____ by Now, but Don’t
- The Ugly Truth about _____
- How to Overcome _____ When _____ is Standing in Your Way
- You Don’t Have to Be/Have _____ to Achieve/Be/Gain _____
- The _____ Industry’s Best Kept Secrets
- How to Build/Be a _____ You Can Be Proud Of
- How to Start _____ and Love Every Minute of It
- Stop Suffering from _____ and Start Loving _____
- The Lazy Person’s Guide to _____
- Your “X” Biggest Questions About _____ Answered
- Answers to All the Questions You Have About _____ But Were Too Afraid to Ask
- How to Remove the Headache from Doing _____
- Fast-Track Your _____ Results by _____
- “X” Reasons You Should Do _____ Instead of _____
- How to Launch/Start/Do a _____ in “X” Steps
- How Do _____ Really _____?
- Understanding _____ vs. _____
- “X” Mental Barriers to Getting Started as an _____
- “X” Answers to the Question, “_____?”
- “X” Ways to Increase Your Chances of _____
- How to _____ Even if You’ve Never Done _____ Before
- “X” Ideas for _____ to _____
- How to Get the Most Out of Your _____
- Why _____ Need to Love/Hate _____ to Succeed
- “X” Ways to Incorporate More _____ in Your _____
- The Unknown _____ That/Who is Getting All the Attention in [Year]
- How to Save Big on _____ This Year
- Who Else Wants to _____?
- Discover the Emerging Trend in _____ That _____ Swears By
- “X” Legal Loopholes to Help You _____
- What Most _____ Misunderstand About _____
- A Behind-the-Scenes Look at _____ Before It’s Revealed to the World
- A New Take on an Old Problem: How _____ is Putting Its Own Spin on _____
- “X” Lessons Learned from _____
- How to Survive Your First _____ Without _____
- Are You Still Wasting Time/Money on _____? Here’s How to Stop.
- Is ____ a Scam?: The Powerful Story of One ____ Who Discovered the Hard Way
- How _____ is Ripping You Off, and What to Do About It
- Do You Really Need _____ to _____?
- How Much Do _____ Really _____ in [Year]?
- How to Turn _____ into _____ in Just “X” Days/Months
- How _____ Went from _____ to _____ in Just “X” Days/Months
- The Data-Drive Guide to _____: How to _____ to Avoid _____
- “X” Common Missteps That Are Costing You _____
- Do You Know These Overlooked Truths/Mistakes/Laws That Are Costing You _____?
- Why Having to Do _____ Over Again Isn’t a Death Sentence
- Why Doing _____ Every Day Makes You More _____
- Why _____ is Really All About _____
- Why _____ Needs to Go Away Forever
- “X” Reasons Successful _____ Do _____ Every Day
- “X” Ways to Stay Consistent With Your _____
- How to Attract _____: _____ Reveals Their Secrets
- Modern/New/Classic _____ That Will Set You Apart From _____
- The Only _____ Made to _____ Is _____: Are You Using It?
- Can We All Agree It’s Time to Stop _____ Now?
- No, You Really Don’t Have to _____ to Achieve _____
- I Did _____ for “X” Days/Months; Here’s What Happened
- “X” Experts Share Their Take on _____: Do You Agree?
- We Asked “X” _____ What They Would Do About _____; Here’s What They Said
- _____, Are You Leaving ____ on the Table?
- How to Avoid Looking Silly When Talking About _____: A Water Cooler Guide
- An Open Letter to _____ About _____
- The Exact Process I Used to _____ in “X” Days/Months
- Forget Everything You Know About _____, and Then Read This
- Master _____ in Just “X” Minutes Per Day
- The One Thing Your Competitors Don’t Want You to Know About _____
- Smart _____s Do This; Their Competitors Don’t
