If you’re looking to build your brand, grow your following, or engage new audiences in 2024, then you might want to start a podcast.
And before you get a mic, pick your show name, or buy that domain, you need to pick a topic that will guide your show.
This blog will show you the anatomy of a great podcast idea, and 50+ podcast topic ideas to inspire you.
What we’ll cover:
Starting a podcast is just like starting a business—you need to define your audience and their problems, identify your brand and voice, find the category you fit in (or create a new one), and decide how you’re going to represent yourself to a larger market. Here are a few things every great podcast needs:
With these key ideas in mind, here are 50 podcast topic ideas to inspire you!
Here are some big ideas to spark your creativity.
Entertainment
From movies and video games to TV shows and novels, the entertainment industry is rife with material for a great podcast. Take a deep dive into something you’re unfamiliar with or share your expertise on your favorite fandom—there’s something for everyone in entertainment.
Invite your listeners to read along with you through a popular series of novels, and share your impressions of the books.
Let your imagination run wild as you play a casting agent for upcoming TV shows or re-cast old classics with modern actors.
Watch a famous film franchise for the first time and share your experience with listeners.
Host famous (or infamous) writers, musicians, filmmakers, producers, choreographers, etc for in-depth interviews.
Aspiring performers can take listeners along to classes, auditions, rehearsals, and more to give a real-world view of the industry.
Experiential: Make the most of life and take your listeners along for the ride as you experience new things, try new activities, and find new hobbies.
Go undercover to retailers and document your customer service experiences.
Visit the best and worst-rated attractions in your hometown and share your real-life reactions.
Take on weekly challenges and push yourself out of your comfort zone by trying things you’d never expect.
Spend the week doing someone else’s job, visiting their gym, sticking to their diet, and even trying their hobbies.
Find an expert to mentor you as you attempt to master a new skill or hobby like chess, sewing, or carpentry.
Business: From taking your first job to conquering the C-suite, listeners can learn from your business experiences and make the most of their aspirations.
Share funny stories and quippy anecdotes about corporate culture, complete with memorable quotes from coworkers.
Give your audience insight into making big career changes and taking big job risks.
Share tips and tricks for making the most of every workday with productivity insights your audience can replicate.
Invite guests to join you for live brainstorming sessions to generate ideas for new businesses, products, apps, etc.
Help young entrepreneurs and start-up founders make the most of their investments with financial advice for small budgets.
Technology: The tech bubble isn’t bursting any time soon and with advances in everything from what we use to how we use it, technology podcasts are a booming business.
Share AI fails and foibles for a humorous look at technology’s fastest-growing sector
Provide your listeners with coding tips and tricks to maximize their efforts and minimize their mistakes.
Bring innovators, inventors, and big thinkers onto your show to share how they created their masterpieces.
A short, daily podcast that shares the day’s tech news, ‘this day in tech history’ segments, and 5-question interviews with famous names in technology.
Invite people to come lecture on an aspect of technology that people might not expect or have considered before.
News: Position yourself as a thought leader in your industry and keep your audience up-to-date with a regular news podcast.
Share useful news that can improve people’s lives, whether it’s a new medication, updated software, or community service.
Keep your audience informed about restaurant openings and closures, chefs, renovations, and more in your regional restaurant news show.
Create a business news podcast that shares big news about mergers, C-suite hires, board appointments, and more.
A short-form daily show to share the day’s big news in money, the markets, crypto and more.
Create a breaking-news-style podcast that jumps into the podcast feed any time there’s big sports news.
History: Few things are more interesting than the study of where we’ve been. From the Roman Empire (IYKYK) to the Summer of Love, there’s something to pique everyone’s curiosity when it comes to our shared human history.
Use your platform to share the history of your area with listeners, from how it was founded to major historical events along the way.
Share lesser-known sports rules with your listeners and explain how these historic holdovers came to be.
Take a historical look at the function and design of some of our most-used items, and consider alternative designs that might be even better.
Take your audience through the back stories and histories behind some of the business’s biggest mergers, acquisitions, and expansions.
Few things are more interesting than family dynamics, so bring your listeners along as you research some of history’s most famous families.
Advice: You’re a wealth of experience and knowledge, so don’t gatekeep the good stuff—share your advice with the world in your new podcast.
Give your audience a leg up with career advice from how to write a resume to how to ace an interview.
Share your best financial advice to help your audience learn how to make sound investments and build wealth.
Give your audience fresh insight with advice for dating, love, and relationship-building.
If you’re a medical professional, you can improve the lives of your listeners by sharing advice that helps them lead healthier lives.
Real estate pros can help their audiences make sound property investments with advice on navigating negotiations, requesting repairs, and more.
Self-care: Help your listeners take better care of themselves so that they can fulfill their goals, support their families, and achieve their best balance.
Share tips and tricks for achieving and maintaining an ideal work/life balance for those with busy families and big dreams.
Investing in your health is self-care, so help your audience take better care of themselves by sharing nutrition information and recipes.
Learning to love and care for your body is a lifelong pursuit, but you can help by sharing body-positive stories and motivation.
Invite healthcare professionals to share their best advice for taking breaks and protecting mental health.
Regular fitness is a cornerstone of self-care, so give your audience an accountability buddy in the form of a daily podcast.
Lifestyle: Have an interest or area of expertise that goes beyond a hobby? Whether it’s pets, parenting, or plants you can share tips and tools from your lifestyle.
From starting seeds to transplanting trees, your listeners will appreciate your gardening expertise.
A pet-centered podcast featuring training tips, product reviews, and heartwarming stories.
If you’re dedicated to reducing your carbon footprint, then share your tips and tools with audiences in a weekly podcast.
Compare and contrast perspectives with members of another generation to gain insight and wisdom into your own life.
If you spend your weekends pursuing sports and fitness, then share your lifestyle insights with other like-minded athletes.
Travel: Hit the road, take to the skies, or sail the 7 seas—however you travel, travel in style and share your passion with listeners who share your love.
Bring your audience along for deep dives on some of the world’s most famous road trips.
Share your best tips and tricks for air travel, from how to pack a carry-on to the best snacks to pack for the airport.
Take your listeners on an adventure as you document cruises, boating excursions, and more.
Rate and review some of the nation’s most famous truck stops, roadside attractions, and can’t-miss landmarks.
Visit the vast array of National Parks and share the history, beauty, and unique experiences available in each.
Creating a hit podcast is about more than finding the perfect topic—although it can’t be done without must-hear content—you also need the right format. A format is what lends your podcast its unique flair, and provides the necessary structure to make the whole process work.
Want to take a closer look at some of the most popular podcast formats? You can read more here.
If you’re still looking for your perfect podcast topic, we’ve got some questions you can ask yourself to help work your way toward the right content.
If creating your own podcast is one of your resolutions for 2024, then these building blocks will help you get your show off the ground. Have some big ideas you want to share? Get in touch and let us know.
Resound's team is building the future of podcast editing: An AI podcast editing app for creators. Here at Resound we're writing about the creative process to help content creators thrive. Picture is Ernst Chladni, the inspiration for our brand. Hear his story at resound.fm/about
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