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In this post you will find:
- 4 tips to consider when working on podcasting show
- 3 key reasons why already existing podcast competition isn’t threatening your show
- 40 podcasting shows ideas you can start working on immediately – ideas for long stories which will capture your audience attention
4 tips to consider when working on podcasting show ideas
- To start a podcasting series you need to work on something that will be able to spark the imagination of your listener and affect their emotions,
- You don’t have any visual aides. Some materials will work much better in a form of videos or blog posts with pictures, like “how to” manuals, home renovation, camping gear advice, etc.
- You are dealing with an audience who is probably doing other things while listening (house chores or on a commute). Your audience can be easily distracted so you should work on immersive narration which will encourage your listeners to focus on your podcast.
- Consider the type of content which doesn’t require visuals, but topics where a good descriptive form with repetitions will be applicable. Storytelling content can work great.
In this article, which we highly recommend, we focused on another set of practical tips boosting creativity: 8 practical tips for brainstorming podcast ideas.
3 key reasons why you should not be afraid of already existing competition
Most of the ideas can be successful when approached correctly. Don’t be afraid of already existing competition in the podcasting niche you are choosing because:
- A different approach – your approach to a topic will most definitely be different than someone else’s. We all have different upbringings and experiences which shaped us to have an individual perspective to just about any possible topic there is.
- Consumer’s growing consumption – most people enjoy the same topic content from different sources. Think of youtube or tv shows. How often have you turned on a similar youtube video after you have watched a clip from your favorite creator? Have you finished watching a show and then immediately started searching for a similar show? That is why competition in the podcasting area is not really a threat if you will deliver good content.
- Quality – there will always be a place on the market for quality content. Just invest time in idea development, research, gear setup and long term planning. We have multiple guides prepared to help you boost the quality of your show in the areas of:
- content planning guide: content planning for long term value
- best gear selection guide – podcasting gear – detailed recommendations
- mic setup – 17 useful microphone setup tips for pro audio
- voice tips – 19 voice tips – effective professional podcasting guide
40 podcasting shows ideas you can start working on immediately
The success of your podcast will depend on your effort, skill, timing and a bit of luck. We can’t promise that any idea will be successful.
1. Storytelling for authors
When you want to be an author and you are starting with short stories you can turn some of them into podcasts. This will be a good way to promote yourself, your work and to deliver your stories to a wider audience and test out new formats.
This format is great for short stories as similarly as reading it works on your audience imagination. You can add additional layers of tension, mystery, and suspense with voice modulation, deliberate pauses and changes to speed and loudness.
2. Dating tips
This topic can be approached by so many different angles. You will have different advice based on where in life you are currently at. Talk from the perspective of a college student, a young employee, an experience 40+ person. You can have tips for different genders.
This is also a good topic to share personal stories of good and successful dates and also of terrible ones most people would rather like to forget. Stories can be charming, heartwarming, funny, filled with tensions or humor.
3. Space exploration
Extremely broad topic with a limitless amount of interesting stories. You can talk about the beginnings of the rocket industry after the 2nd world war, the birth of NASA, early space exploration, the space race between the USA and Russia. You can choose a modern approach and talk about multiple existing space agencies, existing and planned space missions and private/commercial initiatives of Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Elon Musk. This is a dynamic and exciting field where new rockets are being built and tested and Mars colonization plans stimulate our imaginations.
4. Electric revolution
We live in an interesting time as global consensus is that we have to switch to renewable energy sources and modernize existing infrastructure to generate less pollution. You can talk about how different countries, cities, companies or entire industries are adopting new solutions and changing the world around us. As renewable energy will become more efficient old industries (especially coal mining) will be under pressure and jeopardy. This means a lot of people and many regions will have to adapt to the new reality.
5. Local politics
As national and international politics takes the spotlight of major media outlets it’s much harder to get a high-quality commentary on local politics. Your listeners may be interested in what is going on in their communities. A lot of decisions taken on a local level can have a much faster impact on the daily lives of your audience.
6. Cultural events
Concerts, theater plays, musicals, poetry clubs, art exhibitions, etc. If you are into cultural events, don’t miss any new premiers and have an interesting perspective to share this topic can be perfect for you. People are always looking for a good guide into the world of arts.
7. In-depth book reviews
Perfect topic for people reading a lot of books and wanting to share their passion. Books and characters depicted are deep and more complex than movies. The podcast format is great for book reviews as they don’t require visual aids.
8. Children
This can be a good topic targeting young parents. You can talk about parenting advice, you can share experience raising multiple children. If you have a pediatrician background you can share what is normal in a child’s development and growth. If you have a psychologist background you can advise about emotional needs, a child’s behavior when joining a new group or advice parents going through a divorce.
9. Travel planning
People travel all the time and still struggle to properly organize their stay. Podcasting is a great form to provide traveling advice. In short material, you can talk about the most valuable places to visit in 1-2 days in a given city.
You can also provide safety tips to people going to various countries, talk about local customs, and what are the best ways to get a local vibe in the shortest amount of time.
10. Overcoming illness
Thousands of people each year struggle with serious illnesses. If you or someone you know has overcome an illness this can be a good form to share your experience. Your show can be providing hope, courage, emotional support and strength when people need it the most.
11. Sport commenting
If you are knowledgeable about any sport, have a good memory for dates, names, events and can provide interesting insights this could be a good niche for your podcast. If you watch sporting events with your friends and are able to always provide some wider context or interesting facts, there are thousands of people who would be interested in what you have to say.
12. Military service experience
Most people know about the bravery and heroism of veterans from Hollywood movies. However, with 20 million veterans living in the USA, there is great potential for interesting, inspiring, frightening and uplifting stories. Talking about a military experience in your podcast can be very engaging for a lot of people.
13. Experience of having/playing in a music band
Have you ever had a music band? You can share your experience of composing, recording, long hours of hard work, getting along with your band members, getting your first gig. Experience with fans, experience with recording companies.
This can be interesting for music fans and inspiring for people thinking about starting a music career.
14. History podcast
Here you would need to choose a niche you want to be an expert in or already have an immense knowledge you want to share with others. From ancient history to modern times there are thousands of events you could be talking about. You can be talking about the growth of cities, technological progress, and development, wars, development of weapons, great battles that shaped our world, etc.
15. Moving to a big town
Do you have an interesting experience moving from a small town to a large metropolitan area? This is a challenger thousands of people face every year and can be quite scary. If you have this experience and can share it a bit of humor and tension this can be a great podcasting idea giving strength to people in this very situation.
16. Getting passed addiction
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health over 21 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battles a substance use disorder. They need help and their families need help and hope. If you have an experience of getting passed addiction you can create great and inspiring content for people and help with this though struggle.
17. Experience of surviving a mass shooting
Another difficult topic on the list but extremely important for millions of people affected by tragic events. If you feel strong enough you can provide support, comfort, and hope for survivors and their families.
18. Life with a disability or a medical condition
You can share your experiences, tell personal stories, encourage people to pursue their passions and goals despite existing difficulties. You can discuss how society has changed in the last decades regarding both peoples approach and awareness but also regarding accessibility and infrastructure.
19. Immigration story
If you have a personal or family story to tell about immigration, adaptation to a new environment and overcoming struggles this can be a very engaging podcast idea.
This can be a helpful source of strength and support to other migrant families and can help spread awareness among local populations.
20. Industry podcast – the food industry
The food industry is a great example here as it has massively changed in the last decades. The wide adoption of new chemicals extending the shelf life of products, modifying taste and consistency is suspected currently for contributing to the booming problem of allergies.
Also, high caloric density as a result of food processing is largely responsible for the obesity problem. Spreading awareness can be extremely valuable for your podcast listeners. You would have to be careful not to accuse anybody without proper evidence to avoid potential lawsuits or cease and desist letters.
21. Mountain rescuers
Saving lives in beautiful and yet dangerous circumstances is a great idea for a podcast. An experiences mountain rescuer will have hundreds of stories to tell (frightening, educating and inspiring).
22. Firefighting
Life of a firefighter can be rich in different types of terrifying events. From saving people from burning buildings, fighting wildfires, rescuing people from under rubbles all those stories can be transferred into podcasts. Your show will be full of emotions of hope and terror. It can also add an educating layer on how to behave in difficult circumstances.
23. Business failures
The top, most valuable companies in the world exist for less than 30 years. We all know them Amazon, Alphabet (Google), Facebook, Alibaba, Tencent. Some of them are a bit older like Apple or Microsoft. But his means they were able to dethrone much older and at some time more powerful corporations. Failures can be as interesting as successes and can provide valuable lessons and captivate attention.
24. Car racing
If you have experience racing a sports car you can tell all kinds of stories about preparations, mental toughness, physical requirements, rivalry, and sportsmanship.
You can provide tips for beginners, talk to the fans of motors sport in the offseason or provide interesting season commentary and discuss performance predictions.
25. Medical podcast – saving lives, curing difficult cases
For people with experience in the medical field podcasting about saving lives. Providing comfort to patients and their families can be a good source for very emotional tales.
26. A police officer podcast
Whether you are in active duty or retired police officer you probably have thousands of stories to tell. We all know the general premise from multiple tv shows. However, adding a personal touch, the story of how you started and how this work has changed you and shaped you is a wonderful idea for a podcast.
27. Life after prison
2.2 million people are in prison in the USA. Another 4.7 million are on parole. A lot of those people struggle to adjust after they are released, people around them don’t always know how to behave, their families suffer. If you have a personal story to tell here you can be a great source of hope and inspiration for people in this position.
28. History of art
You can tell an interesting story about the history of art. Behind many paintings, sculptures, books, poems, etc. there are interesting stories about their authors, inspirations for those works of art, hidden symbols and meaning. You would need to think about how to provide an interesting podcast when you lack the visual aid, so good storytelling skills are recommended here.
29. Cyber attacks
With cybersecurity attacks being more prominent in our world they can easily become more popular in the future than train robberies and bank robberies in the past. We have data theft, millions in bitcoins being stolen, global powers influencing elections, spy agencies building malware software, the rise of ransomware, etc. Most spectacular cyber attacks will probably happen in the future but what happens already in the world is enough to build an interesting podcast.
30. Charities
Marketing for charity actions is becoming more competitive every year. Asking for funds for noble causes needs to compete for audience attention the same way as global brands do. Researching and discussing the most interesting charity actions can be interesting and inspiring. It can have an additional positive effect of spreading awareness and helping to raise funds for people who need it the most.
31. Growing local business
If you have a successful local business you can share your experiences. Tell stories of encountered obstacles, the way you managed to overcome difficulties. Describe your approach to customers, stories of interesting individual orders, stories of customer gratitude.
32. Unsolved crimes
Unfortunately, the majority of U.S. crimes go unsolved every year. This is a wide topic for podcasting, from interesting and mysterious cases, funding for law enforcement, investigative methods, etc. If you feel like an investigator yourself you can provide interesting and frightening stories to your audience. You can also deliver an education layer and explain how to behave in dangerous situations.
33. Marijuana industry
With marijuana becoming legal in more and more states knowledge about this industry is still very limited. You can discuss the difference in approach to product growth, marketing and distribution. You can explain what is still illegal for people to avoid making simple but costly mistakes.
34. Spy agencies of the world
The mystery surrounding spy agencies is capturing audiences imagination around the world and is the reason why spy movies are so popular. Demystifying those global, powerful agencies can be an interesting topic for a podcast. You can describe the origins and history as well as the most interesting (publicly known) missions and operational methods.
35. Avoiding financial scams
Cybercrime is the fastest growing type of criminal activity in the United States. According to security company Symantec more than 143 million Americans affected by cybercrime. A consumer can be affected directly when their device gets compromised or indirectly via a security breach in a big corporation. This topic deserves a lot of attention and you can become an expert and advice people how best they can protect their wealth from criminals.
36. Ultramarathons / Ironman triathlon
Extreme sporting events are a great idea for a podcast. They require months of physical preparation, self-discipline, and very strong will. You can share your experience of training, preparation and then participation in the event. This will be fascinating for people who are never going to take part in such a challenge and valuable for people thinking about participating in the future.
37. Saving energy, limiting household generated pollution
With the topics of being more eco-friendly, generating less pollution and saving energy becoming more important every year you can provide guidelines for households interested in improving their lifestyle and reducing waste. With many technologies being in development this is a very future-oriented topic with potential for providing discovery value for your audience and helping people feel good about caring for the environment.
38. Modern culture
Multiple modern cultural and religious events and symbols take roots in ancient history and cultures that predated them. It is very interesting how many symbols, motives, and figures are depicted on buildings, banknotes and are present in modern-day rituals. It is a very broad topic covering the roots of modern civilizations, surrounds it with a bit of legend and mysticism and ultimately can deliver interesting knowledge about the world to your podcast listeners.
39. Earning on art trading
Do you paint, sculpt, make decorations, costumes or sound design professionally? You can tell your story from where did your interest in art comes from, how it transferred into business, how and where do you find contracts, you can talk about greatest successes and failures.
40. China
China is currently the world’s largest economy. Mark Zuckerberg learned Mandarin to better understand the Chinese market. China is Apple’s most important, international growing market. More Hollywood blockbusters film some of their scenes directly targeting the Chinese audience. And yet knowledge about this enormous country is on average quite small. With China becoming more important in global business and politics making this country and culture more approachable can create a great podcasting show.
Once you decide on an idea and start developing a show start also working on a website dedicated to your podcast. There are many benefits to having a website. Read more about it, including what an effective site should have in our article: Podcast Website Marketing Guide – increase the number of listeners and improve monetization.
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