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Should You Add Your Name to Your Podcast? w/ Kieran MacRae

53 podcasts in the Apple Podcasts Top Podcasts have the host's name in the title or the network.

When over half of the most popular podcasts today are doing the same thing, I like to take notice. And I did notice something: these podcasts have grown massive brands around both their podcasts and their hosts.

I’ve done a lot of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) over the years and like to look at how many people are searching to try and spot trends. Let’s take My Favorite Murder. There are roughly 60,000 monthly searches for It.

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But there are also almost 15,000 monthly searches for Karen Kilgariff and almost 7,000 for Georgia Hardstark, the two co-hosts. Around a third again from just the podcast.

This means people are not only looking for the podcast but also for the hosts. This repeats across all the major podcasts where the hosts became famous alongside their podcasts.

So when podcasts like “My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark” add their names to their titles, should you do it too?

Here are three reasons why you should consider it.

It Will Build Two Brands at Once

Podcast branding is simple. It’s the positive outcome people get after listening to your show. Let me explain.

Say you want to learn about personal finance, so you listen to Ramit Sethi's podcast I Will Teach You To Be Rich. When you finish listening, you feel educated and possibly entertained, which feels good. That positive feeling then gets associated with that podcast, and so that podcast has built its brand as a place to go to learn about personal finance.

But you also have Ramit Sethi’s name on the podcast, and he is the clear host. This means that positive branding gets associated with Ramit Seth as well. So the next time you are on the internet, and you see Ramit Sethi, that same positive feeling comes to mind. From there, you watch his Netflix show, read his book, and follow his Twitter account, and a cycle of growth happens.

The benefits of that branding on your name are endless. Whether you’re using that to get more business, more clients, more followers, or you want to then carry that branding on to your next project. For instance, anything Seth Godin creates gets a flood of attention because of 30 years of good feelings built around interacting with projects attached to the name Seth Godin. You can start that cycle by putting your name on your podcast.

It Will Position You as a Leader

“You might not know me, but you should, and you will.”

That’s what having your name on your podcast does to people who don’t yet know you.

Sure, it can feel like a chicken and egg situation. Does the name on a podcast draw attention because you’ve heard the name but didn’t know they had a podcast? Or is it because you listen to the podcast that the name comes to mean something?

Both are true in different situations. It depends on how much previous branding was done. But I believe it’s a way to build up trust and expertise with your audience because your name becomes associated with the topic you’re talking about.

It Makes You Easier to Find

People move best from media to media. Newsletter readers will read other newsletters, and podcast listeners will listen to other podcasts.

If you’re doing your podcast marketing right, you’re a frequent podcast guest, and so your name gets put in front of another audience. Yes, you might get to mention your podcast, but someone will interview you about you. Not your podcast, so you build positive feelings around you as a person, which you can then take to your podcast.

The people who liked what you said will likely look you up in a podcast player to hear more, and having your name clear on your podcast makes that discovery easier.

Final Thought

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Podcast listeners come for the topic and stay for the host. Lean into it. Make your name a prominent part of your podcast.

Community Wins

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How I Can Help You

1) ​​How To Get Your First 100,000 Downloads – Get clarity on podcast marketing and what it takes to grow a podcast. I break down the biggest mistakes new podcasters make and the ten step marketing process you can use to get more podcast listeners.

2) ​Work with me 1:1​ – I offer podcast coaching, and podcast marketing audits. Book a chat with me today, and we can discuss how we can work together to grow your podcast!

2) ​Recommended Tools​​ – These are the tools I use to grow my podcast. I focus on tools that improve quality and save time.

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