Whether you’re a new podcaster or a veteran, it can be tough to come up with fresh podcast episode ideas. But if you want to keep your audience engaged, you have to give them something unique in each episode.
To help you produce amazing content, we’ve put together this big list of engaging podcast episode ideas. Use it to elevate the quality of your show.
Tip
Need help starting your podcast? Check our complete guide: How To Start A Podcast: Your 2021 Step-By-Step Guide.
1. Host a Q&A session
Unlike a typical podcast interview, a Q&A session is when you source questions from your listeners to ask a guest. Obviously you will need to editorialize the questions a bit, but this is a great way to make your audience feel engaged.
2. Interview the attendees of a conference
If you attend a conference, convention, or other kind of event, conduct some on-the-spot interviews with other attendees. Try to ask unique questions that expose your audience to new perspectives and ideas.
3. React to live events
If something important or influential happens, your listeners probably want your opinions. You could create an amazing episode by simply watching the event unfold and reacting naturally. For instance, a football podcast host would comment as he watches the Superbowl.
Keep in mind, however, that you don’t want to violate anyone’s intellectual property, so don’t share anyone else’s content without their consent.
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4. Experience it for the first time
Choose a topic that’s entirely new to you and podcast about it as you explore. Have discussions with guests who are also new to the topic. For example, the Potterless Podcast is one man’s adventure through the Harry Potter books for the first time, without any outside influences.
5. Focus on your sponsor
Host an entire episode where you focus entirely on one of your sponsors. You don’t have to make it a long advertisement, but you can get deep into their company, people, and how they are serving their mission.
6. Dig deep into something mundane
Pick a seemingly normal aspect of your podcast niche and dive as deep as you can. For instance, if you podcast about event planning, explore everything there is to know about tablecloths or centerpieces. If you podcast about exercise, explore the history of the pushup. You might spend 40 minutes breaking down and discussing a single landing page or discussing the history of a single sailing knot.
7. Get meta with your show
Explain to your listeners how you prepare for each episode. How do you choose a topic? How do you conduct research and prepare notes? How do you find the right guest? Your listeners would love to know how it’s all made.
8. Tell a story through someone else’s eyes
Whereas most episodes are told from your own point of view, host an episode by adopting the perspective of another person – perhaps the subject of the episode. This will give you a chance to show another side and practice your acting chops.
9. Link your episode together
Create a series of episodes that don’t seem to relate, but then tie them all together in the final episode. This is a great way to reward your listeners for their loyalty. For example, S-Town tells one continuous story across all of its episodes.
10. Summarize the news
There’s so much information out there these days that it’s impossible for a single person to keep up without making it their full time job. Give your audience the quick highlights of what’s going on in your industry. This could be a recurring episode where you list and react to the week’s headlines.
11. Get political
Host an episode that teaches your listeners how they can get involved in your topic or industry by participating in local, regional, or national politics. You might tell them how to contact their representatives, who to vote for, or how to volunteer their time to support the issue.
12. Narrate as you perform tasks
Instead of recording in your podcast studio, record while doing something active and narrating your progress. You might walk through a task, process, or skill. Encourage your listeners to follow along as you go.
13. Create a top 10 list
People love top 10 lists. It’s a succinct and organized way to present information. You could offer your favorite tools, favorite places, influential authors, or anything else. Keep in mind your top 10 list doesn’t have to be the best, you can also catalog the worst.
14. Create a holiday episode
People love the holidays, so creating content around them is a no-brainer. If a holiday is nearby, find a way to weave it into the topic of your show. For instance, a business podcast might ask entrepreneurs what they are thankful about for Thanksgiving.
15. Compare multiple generations
One person may see an issue one way, while someone from a different generation sees the same issue from an entirely new perspective. Bring several people on to your show from different generations and unpack a topic together. Uncover how their ages influence their feelings on the topic.
16. Interview other podcasters
Other podcasters in your niche are not your competitors. You can work together to help each other grow. Invite some other podcasters on to talk about what’s going on in your industry, the future, and how you run your podcasts.
In fact, this isn’t just one of our podcast episode ideas. Getting on other podcasts is a key way to market your show.
Tip
Need help marketing your podcast? Check out our full guide: How To Promote A Podcast: The Ultimate Podcast Promotion and Podcast Marketing Guide.
17. Learn a new skill
Record yourself as you learn a new skill or technique. Start from the very beginning and narrate the entire process for your listeners. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and fail. Document everything in your recordings. Add photos and videos to your episode show notes.
18. Change your location
Instead of recording your show in the usual place, switch things up by picking a new location. A change of venue can help you think differently and make unique connections. You might record in your guests’ office or in a public place or in a location that relates to the content of your episode.
If you record in a new location, make sure to describe it carefully to your listeners so they understand how it affects your content. Tell them what you see and hear. Use your physical space to affect the content.
19. Give control to a panel
Instead of leading a discussion, invite a few influential people on to your show and let them talk about whatever they like. Don’t guide the conversation in any way. Allow it to flow naturally as smart and passionate people talk about what they love. (Just make sure you invite people who are good at having conversations and don’t need their hands held.)
20. Produce some super short episodes
Change your podcast format a bit by releasing episodes that are considerably shorter than usual. For instance, instead of your typical 45 minute episode, release six five-minute episodes that focus on a micro topic; something that can be discussed quickly.
For example, NPR News Now is an extremely popular podcast whose episodes are only five minutes.
21. Get super personal
Tell a personal story about your life, including the people you know and challenges you’ve overcome. This might be hard to tell, especially if the topic is sensitive, but it’s a great way to connect with your audience emotionally.
22. Tell the same story from different points of view
In most episodes, you tell a story or teach a lesson from your own perspective. Consider writing an episode that pauses and then tells the same story from a different perspective. This is a great way to help your audience see multiple sides of the same issue.
23. “A day in the life of…”
Shadow someone in your niche for a day. Explain everything they do to your audience. Interview this person deeply, even about things that seem mundane. Audiences love to learn about the unique qualities of people or professions they assumed were simple.
24. Build something new
Document the process of building something new, like a business, nonprofit, or social club. Let your audience follow along as you make plans, execute those plans, face challenges, fail, and then eventually succeed.
25. Review books (or other content)
Find popular or one-of-a-kind books in your niche, read them, and then review/discuss them on your show. Give your audience some notice so they can read along with you. You could do an entire episode about the book, or do little bits in each section.
26. Read a short story
If there’s a relevant fiction or nonfiction short story in your niche, consider reading it entirely on your show. Just make sure you have permission from the author first.
27. Guide your audience through a task
Walk your listeners through a specific task, like meditating, exercising, lawn care, or completing a task. Pretend the listener is doing it with you. This creates an engaging experience for people who work through the task along with you.
28. Face your fear
Is there something that you find particularly frightening? Face it while recording a post episode. Document the whole process while you work through the problem and (hopefully) come out the other side overcoming your fear.
29. Get a kid’s perspective
Children bring their own unique perspective to everything, especially adult issues that they’ve ever been exposed to. Speak with some kids about the issues in your niche. Explain the concepts briefly and ask for their thoughts. You might be surprised by answers!
30. Create a support group
Invite a group of people on to your show who are experiencing (or have experienced) the same problem. Encourage the group to support each other, either by offering advice or simply sympathizing with one another.
31. Debunking myths
Identify a list of myths that never seem to go away in your niche. Explain the myths and why they are false. Most importantly, explain where they came from and why they persist.
32. Host a debate
Host a proper debate by proposing a resolution and asking two people to take different sides of the issue. Let them know ahead of time so they have time to prepare their points. Moderate the debate using standard debate rules.
33. Podcast for a cause
There are lots of worthy causes in the world, some surely relating to your niche and general topic. Contribute to these causes by educating your listeners about the challenges and prompting a worthy organization. Encourage your audience to donate their money or time to help.
34. Unpack legal cases
Identify a popular or meaningful lawsuit that took place in your niche or industry. walk your audience through the facts of the case and the arguments from both sides. If you can, consider bringing a legal expert on to your show to explain the nuances of the law.
35. Ask “What if?”
Consider a popular news story, lawsuit, trend, or event in your industry. Then ask your audience to consider what if it happened differently. Propose an alternate ending and then walk your listeners down the fictional path of what could have taken place.
How to Come Up with Podcast Episode Ideas
If none of the podcast episode ideas on our list work for you, you’ll need to generate some of your own. Coming up with ideas is more of an art than a science, so you’ll need to find the method that works best for you. But we can help you get started.
Take lots of notes all of the time
If creative people have anything in common, it’s that they’re always banking their ideas somewhere for future use. This is called “capturing.” They might use a little pocket-sized notebook, a note taking app on their phone, or a white board in their office. Record anything you think will be useful later, especially your good podcast episode ideas.
Conduct regular research
It’s difficult to sit down and actively come up with podcast episode ideas, but you can allow them to “come to you” by spending a lot of time exploring your niche and other people who are part of it. This means you have to regularly visit places where people are talking about your niche.
Here are some accessible places where you should spend time exploring your niche. Whenever you browse, always ask yourself, “Would anything here make good podcast episode ideas?”
- Facebook groups/pages
- Twitter conversations
- Quora questions
- YouTube channels
- Amazon books
- Reddit forums (subreddits)
- Competitor podcasts
Get the bad ideas out
Undoubtedly, you’ll have more bad ideas than good ones. This is totally normal! Don’t feel like a failure if many of your ideas are boring or unworkable. Write them down and immediately cross them out to get them out of your head. You have to get through the bad ones to find the good ones.
Think asymmetrically
Sometimes you can generate podcast episode ideas by considering the opposite of your current ideas. For instance, if you plan to produce an episode around the best vacation spots in the U.S., you might also consider the best stay-cation ideas (at-home vacations).
Listen to other podcasts in your niche
Listening to other podcasts in the same niche can give you episode ideas in several ways:
- Topic inspiration: Other podcasts in your niche can inspire you with ideas for topics to cover. As you listen, take note of the topics they discuss, and consider how you can put your unique spin on them.
- Format inspiration: Listening to other podcasts can also give you ideas for new formats or approaches you can take with your episodes. For example, you may hear a podcast that does a “deep dive” on a specific topic, or one that features interviews with experts in the field.
- Guest inspiration: If you’re looking for guests to interview on your podcast, listening to other podcasts in your niche can help you discover experts, authors, and influencers in your field who would make great guests on your show.
- Trend spotting: By listening to other podcasts in your niche, you can stay up-to-date on trends and hot topics in your industry. This can help you identify potential episode ideas that are timely and relevant.
Remember, while it’s important to be aware of what other podcasts in your niche are doing, it’s also important to put your own unique spin on your episodes. Use the ideas you gather from other podcasts as a starting point, but don’t be afraid to take risks and experiment with your own ideas and approaches.
Ask your audience
Your audience is part of the same niche that you are. If you are running out of ideas for podcast episodes, consider asking them directly what they want to hear. Give them an easy way to submit their responses, such as a public Facebook group or a form on your website.
If you end up using an idea that was submitted by a fan, make sure to thank them publicly on the episode. This is a simple way to show your appreciation, and it has the power to bring more people into your little community.
Collaborate with other podcasters
A big part of being successful as a content creator is networking with other creators. reach out to other podcasters, influencers, or experts in your industry for their ideas. Ask them about what works and what their audiences found interesting.
You should be having these conversations often, not just when you need something. Be sure to provide just as much – or more – value than you expect to get from your colleagues.
Explore content tools
Tools like Google Trends, BuzzSumo, and AnswerThePublic are great ways to uncover what other people care about. Poke around your niche to see what’s trending up. Then capitalize on those trends by turning them into podcast episode ideas.
Don’t Stress Over Podcast Episode Ideas
Don’t worry if you can’t come up with something brilliant and unique for every episode. Listeners like some consistency so they know what they’re getting into when they open their podcast listening app to consume your content. But if you want something fresh, use this list of podcast episode ideas for inspiration.
