When your podcast episode covers more than one thing, how do you title it? That's a great question my friend Mark Des Cotes from PodcastBranding.co asked me, and it's a good one.
I generally prefer single-topic episodes. They set clear expectations and they're better for podcast SEO. But sometimes a show naturally covers multiple topics, and trying to cram all of them into a title can get messy. Here are five approaches you can use.
1. Find a theme
Look for a common thread that ties your topics together. Instead of something like “Pizza Recipes: Gluten-Free, Low-Sugar, and Dairy-Free,” you could title the episode “3 Pizza Recipes for Dietary Restrictions.” The shared theme (dietary restrictions) gives the title unity without listing every detail.
There's a tradeoff, though. When you collapse three searchable phrases into one umbrella term, you might lose niche SEO for your podcast. A listener is more likely to search for “gluten-free pizza recipe” than “pizza recipes for dietary restrictions.” One option is to use both: “Pizza Recipes for Dietary Restrictions: Gluten-Free, Low-Sugar, and Dairy-Free.” That gets long, so think about what comes first. The beginning of your title carries the most weight, especially since some podcast apps cut off long titles.
Finding a theme also doesn't mean you only use the theme. You can pair it with other techniques on this list.
2. Use the most compelling topic
If your topics don't share a clear theme, lead with the one that's the most interesting or the one that takes up the most time. It won't represent everything in the episode, but it'll grab attention better than a laundry list.
Dave Jackson and Jim Collison do this on their podcast, Ask the Podcast Coach. Here are some example recent titles:
- “Apple Video Podcast Reality Check”
- “Why All-in-One Podcast Platforms Usually Disappoint”
These highlight the most compelling part of the episode without pretending it's the only thing discussed.
One important rule: deliver on what the title promises. If your title highlights a topic that gets 60 minutes of coverage, great. If it only gets one minute out of an hour, your audience will feel misled. I see this a lot on YouTube, especially in the AI space. Creators title videos “How to Do This” but only explain the what without ever getting to the how. That's a broken promise, and people notice.
3. List topics concisely
When your topics are genuinely unrelated and none stands out as the clear headliner, just list them. Erica Mandy does this well on The NewsWorthy, where each episode covers multiple unrelated news stories.
Her titles look like this:
- “Stock Market Record, Another AI Jesus & TIME100 List”
- “Golden Age of America, Pentagon's AI Ultimatum & Olympic Ratings”
She doesn't list every story. She picks the three most interesting and keeps the wording as tight as possible. “Olympic Ratings” doesn't spell out whether ratings were up or down. It just names the topic. That's enough to spark curiosity.
This approach gives listeners a quick snapshot of what's inside and lets them decide whether the episode is for them.
4. Be creative instead of descriptive
If your podcast leans into entertainment, you can use creative titles that don't literally describe the content. The Podcasting 2.0 podcast with Adam Curry and Dave Joes does this. Here are some example titles:
- “SlopJacked”
- “Put More Cheese On It!”
These titles are fun and intriguing without telling you exactly what the episode covers.
These titles often come from a moment inside the episode (a phrase someone said, an inside joke). That creates a special connection for listeners. You see the title, wonder where it came from, and then when you hear it in context, it clicks. Yes, inside jokes are okay in your podcast!
This won't work for every show. If your podcast is purely informational, a creative title might just confuse people. But if entertainment is part of your brand, lean into it.
5. Combine these techniques
You don't have to pick just one. This Week in Tech with Leo Laporte pairs a creative hook with a descriptive subtitle:
- “The Great British Marmalade Scandal – Building Your Own Router”
- “Some Had Leashes – Google's Monopoly, YapScore, Robot Marathon”
The creative bit grabs attention. The descriptive bit tells you what substantial topics are covered. Together, they're both entertaining and informative.
Notice the order: the creative part comes first. Flip it around and the effect changes. “Building Your Own Router – The Great British Marmalade Scandal” sounds like the marmalade thing is a subsection of the router topic. The creative hook needs to lead.
Whatever approach you choose, remember that some podcast apps truncate long titles. Lead with your most important words. If you're entertaining, lead with the creative hook. If you're informing, lead with the topic that best represents the episode's value.
Special thanks
- 1,897§ from Bryan Entzminger
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