What Equipment Do I Actually Need to Start a Podcast?
4 March 2026
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The question is deceptively simple. The answer, research suggests, is not what the gear guides want you to believe.
If you’ve ever opened a podcast app and scrolled through the endless sea of titles, you’ll notice something odd. A huge percentage of shows are named either (a) after the host, (b) after the guest, or (c) something so abstract and “clever” that you couldn’t guess the topic if your life depended on it.
Take a random dip into Apple Podcasts or Spotify and you’ll find them: Chat with Piet Pompies. Conversations with Joe Soap. The Show with Mandy and Friends. Who? About what? Why should I care? Unless you’re Oprah, Trevor Noah, or Beyoncé, slapping your name on a podcast isn’t a strategy – it’s self-indulgence. And unless your guest is someone your listeners already know, “Episode 12 – A chat with Koos van der Merwe” is just another digital tumbleweed blowing past unnoticed.
Then there are the kooky, overly clever names. Two Bananas and a Microphone. The Cosmic Pickle Hour. Cats, Hats, and Chats. Fun at the brainstorming table, but when your target listener types “how to market my small business” into Spotify, your Cosmic Pickle is going to stay buried.
The truth is that a podcast name is often the very first (and sometimes the only) chance you get to earn a click. Mess it up, and your brilliant content dies in obscurity.
Let’s linger on the “Chat with Piet Pompies” problem for a moment. The generic “chat with + name” formula is everywhere. It comes from a perfectly understandable instinct: podcasting feels personal, so you lean into the fact that you’re chatting with interesting people. But here’s the problem: if no one knows who Piet Pompies is, why would they listen?
Case in point: I once stumbled on Conversations with Dr. Barry Smith. The title told me nothing about the show’s actual focus. Was Barry a doctor of medicine? Of philosophy? Of carpentry? For all I knew, I’d be stuck listening to an hour-long monologue about lawnmower repair.
And this is a searchability nightmare. Imagine a listener looking for advice on entrepreneurship in South Africa. They search “South African small business podcast.” Do they find Conversations with Dr. Barry Smith? Not a chance. The algorithm is merciless.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, some podcasters go for quirky and mysterious. They want to stand out, but instead they stand in the dark corner of the room where no one can see them.
Take Two Men and a Toaster. Funny? Maybe. Memorable? Possibly. Searchable? Absolutely not. The title tells me nothing about the show’s content. Is it comedy? Tech? Kitchen appliance repair? Unless you’ve built a brand so strong that fans will follow you into obscurity, your podcast name has to carry its own weight.
Another offender: The Random Ramble. Apart from being the podcast equivalent of calling your book Stuff Happens, it’s also a terrible invitation. Why would I (a busy listener with 10,000 other options) spend time on something that advertises itself as random?
To make the point clearer, let’s look at a few well-known examples:
Bad: The Joe Show. Generic. Forgettable. Could be anyone, anywhere. Unless you are Joe Rogan and already have an empire, no one will click.
Confusing: 99% Invisible. This one breaks the rules, but it works because the creators invested in branding, storytelling, and consistent quality. The name alone isn’t descriptive, but they built a reputation that carried it. For a new podcaster, this is a dangerous gamble.
Good: How I Built This. Simple, descriptive, searchable. You know instantly it’s about entrepreneurs and the stories behind their businesses. And if you type “how I built” into a podcast search bar, guess what pops up?
Good: SmartLess. Also a bit abstract, but backed by major celebrities and marketed to death. Without the star power, it would have sunk.
The pattern is obvious: generic titles die, clever-but-confusing names only survive if you have serious resources, and descriptive names thrive because they do the heavy lifting of discovery.
Apple, Spotify, and YouTube all publish guidelines about titles. The consensus is clear:
Keep it short (3–4 words). Long names get truncated.
Avoid filler like “Podcast,” “Show,” “with [host name],” or emojis. They don’t help search.
Make it pronounceable and spellable. If a listener can’t repeat it out loud, you’ve lost free word-of-mouth marketing.
Use keywords naturally. If your podcast is about entrepreneurship, put “business” or “startup” in the title. Not as stuffing, but as clarity.
Be unique but not opaque. Distinctive names win, but they should still give a clue about the content.
Test before you commit. Ask a handful of people: “From the name alone, what do you think this show is about?” If they get it wrong, go back to the drawing board.
These aren’t just aesthetic preferences. They matter because podcast discovery is still driven largely by search and word of mouth. Search engines can’t guess what your clever pun means. And friends can’t recommend a show they can’t remember how to spell.
So what does a smart naming process actually look like? Here’s a concrete roadmap:
Define the promise. Write a one-sentence pitch: “This is a podcast about [topic] for [audience] who want [outcome].” Example: “A podcast about mental resilience for young professionals who want to stop burning out.”
Generate wide. Brainstorm 30–50 possible names. Don’t censor yourself yet. Split them into three buckets: descriptive (clear and keyword-friendly), evocative (metaphorical, creative), and hybrids.
Read aloud. If you stumble saying it, cut it. If it sounds silly in conversation – “Have you heard the latest episode of The Cosmic Pickle Hour?” – cut it.
Platform check. Keep it under 60 characters. Avoid “podcast,” “show,” emojis, and episode numbers in the title.
Search test. Type your shortlist into Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If 15 other shows have the same or similar name, start over.
Legal check. Run a quick trademark search (CIPC in South Africa, USPTO in the US). No point building a brand you might have to abandon.
Audience test. Share the final 3–5 options with actual listeners. Ask them what they think the show is about and whether they’d click.
Pick a tagline. Use your cover art and show description for extra context. Keep the main title lean, then add flavour: Startup Stories – From Garage to Global.
You might be thinking, “Who cares what it’s called? It’s the content that matters.” True. But only if people actually find the content. A bad name is like locking your brilliant podcast in a cupboard and then complaining no one’s listening.
Think about the platforms: Spotify, Apple, YouTube. Their algorithms are brutal, and they are keyword-driven. A descriptive name with natural keywords gets indexed, recommended, and clicked. A vague or generic name does not.
Think about listeners: busy, scrolling, with 10 seconds of attention. They’re not going to stop for Chat with Piet Pompies. They will stop for South African Small Business Stories.
Think about the long game: once your show grows, your name becomes a brand. Do you really want your brand to be The Random Ramble?
Podcasting is noisy. Tens of thousands of new shows launch every year, and the ones that survive aren’t necessarily the ones with the best content. They’re the ones that make themselves discoverable, memorable, and recommendable. Naming is not an afterthought. It’s step one of building an audience.
So before you hit “publish” on Chat with Piet Pompies or The Cosmic Pickle Hour, ask yourself: is this a name people can find, remember, and recommend? If not, you’re already losing the game.
A podcast by any other name might still be content – but if the name is bad, it’ll be skipped.
Your voice is your brand. Your podcast should sound like it.
We help creators, coaches, and businesses make shows that stand out – for the right reasons.
Book a free consultation and let’s build something powerful.
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