Podcast topics are really crucial because they go a long way to determine whether:
- you’ll have any listeners for your podcast OR
- if your current listeners will return
And if you’re reading this, it’s because
- you’re about to start a podcast and you want to know what the best podcast topics are,
- you already have a podcast and you’re struggling because you’re not sure what the best podcast topics are for you to explore, OR
- you have a podcast, it’s doing OK now and you want to stay ahead
Even though your podcast might carry your name, it’s not about you; it’s about your listeners. So, unless you want to lose them, you need to focus on podcast topics that interest them.
Now, unless you’re clairvoyant, how do you know for sure which podcast topics listeners will be interested in hearing more about?
That’s why I prepared this blog post. It contains 10 podcast topics and if you read to the end, you’re bound to find at least a couple of podcast topics that could make your podcast, a hit with listeners.
1) Food
This might come across as a strange choice for one of your podcast topics, but have you seen how many food blogs, cookery books, Instagram and YouTube cooking channels there are?
Podcasts are just one medium for people to consume information; some people learn better when they hear, than when they see.
So, yes, food is really popular as a podcast topic because people are interested in food!
And there are so many different spins you can put on this podcast topic, to keep your podcast episodes fresh.
Having said that, something you need to bear in mind if you’re talking about recipes on your podcast is that unlike the case with TV shows, your listeners can’t see pictures or videos of what meals or ingredients are supposed to look like.
Not saying you can’t talk recipes on your podcast show; I’m just saying you need to be creative about it.
2) Relationships
Another popular choice when it comes to podcast topics, it turns out people really want to hear about relationships.
Dating, marriage, divorce, weddings, breakups and makeups, dysfunctional family issues, how to survive, why don’t men mean what they say, why don’t women just say what they mean, interpersonal relationships even at work – the topic of relationships can be a goldmine if you know what you’re doing.
3) Career
One of the reasons this is one of the most popular podcast topics is that people spend a lot of time training for, entering and trying to get promoted in their careers.
Not everyone wants to get into or is cut out for entrepreneurship (and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this) so they want to know about how they can have the best experience.
Or at least how to avoid bad and worst-case scenario experiences in their careers.
Even artistes have to have some kind of structure in/for their careers if they truly want to be successful. So, this isn’t just about the 9 to 5 (or 8 to 4).
Meaning if you decide to focus on careers as a podcast topic, you’ll probably have a lot to sink your teeth into.
4) Entrepreneurship
Some people are trying to start businesses.
Some are trying to survive in business in certain industries in specific markets. And some want to sell their stakes in a business.
Imagine how many grateful and fiercely loyal listeners you’d have if your podcast content answered their questions.
5) Popular culture
- What’s going on, on Twitter?
- What new feature has Instagram come up with?
- Who’s getting cancelled today and why?
- Which book became a bestseller after the former President of a country was photographed with it? Should we all run out and buy it?
- Is the latest Grammy winner for “Song of the Year”, overrated?
- Should Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial be brought forward?
- How did Hushpuppi not know he was being investigated?
- Which celebrity is getting married to one man this week after they called their baby daddy, the love of their life last week?
- Which reality television star is actually secretly married?
- Why did a movie producer help her husband fake his death in real life?
- Which YouTuber is being called out cos their hair isn’t really natural but they’ve been promoting products for 4C hair?
- What TV series’ episode kept you up all night and why?
- Did Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart deserve to be a contender for an Oscar?
- Which designer is in hot water again after getting dragged into the latest Instagram instalment of what I ordered vs what I got?
There’s a reason that popular culture is one of the podcast topics that get a podcast(er) lots of attention.
The issue you may have, though is that because podcasts tend to be recorded in advance of when they are heard, your content may not be as fresh (read as current) as you’d like.
But there are creative ways to stay and look current. So, for instance, if you focus on television series, you could tie commentary on one of the themes of a particular episode to a real life hot topic playing out in real time.
6) News
Fake or not, people listen to, read and watch the news.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s broadcast from a studio or a correspondent is transmitting from a war-torn zone, people want to know.
So, news will always be one of the most popular podcast topics there is.
And though you may not have the budget or other resources to compete with major studios, it can still work for your podcast.
7) Politics
Country-wide events or world occurrences like bomb blasts, insurgency and kidnapping, food shortages, power cuts, elected officials getting caught doing what they shouldn’t, and war always gets people talking about politics (or their perception of it), even when an election isn’t around the corner.
So, depending on how you’re treating it, this could be a good choice when you’re thinking about podcast topics.
Just bear in mind that people can get heated and take things really personally, on either side of any fence.
And if you can’t get a sitting senator or a gubernatorial aspirant as an interview guest, you could try the Student Union President of the university in the town where you live.
It’s all politics.
No, seriously.
8) Crime
There’s a reason that cop shows, crime dramas and true crime documentaries do so well onscreen.
People want to know about them, so they’re popular.
And like I wrote above, podcasts are just one of the ways people get information or understand communication.
Therefore, if crime is one of the podcast topics you choose + you know what you’re doing + you’re creative (including with the kind and calibre of guests you invite on your show)? The sky is the limit.
9) Health
As far as podcast topics go, this will always be popular.
And there are so many different angles you can approach it from, the list of titles your show episodes can have is probably inexhaustible.
From communicable diseases and sexually transmitted infections to nutrition, vaccines, eating disorders, genetic modification, designer babies, shady doctors, rude nurses, bullheaded patients (who also lie about their history), an overburdened healthcare system, medical tourism, and biomedical terrorism – if you know what you’re doing, why not?
10) Money
As a podcast topic, this is actually a double-edged sword.
Cos you might have people who are afraid to hear about money because they don’t have (a lot of) it, they weren’t raised with a proper understanding of money, or they’ve got some other hang-up about money. So, they might not want to listen to your show.
On the other hand, you might have listeners who are proactive about earning money and being able to keep most of it.
But if you know how to find the sweet spot for your listeners, this is one of the podcast topics that could make podcasting a worthwhile experience for you.
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