Podcasts are immensely powerful. Well-planned and rightly executed podcasts act as excellent content assets for any brand. Besides delivering entertainment and information, these also help brands build momentum. But with so many different podcasts making their way into the busy lives of listeners, how to settle on the perfect podcast ideas?

And, if you’re ready to record a podcast, but need help deciding what to create next, here are some podcast topic ideas to cut through the noise. 

First, let’s check out how to find the right topic for your podcast.

How to Find the Right Podcast Ideas?

Standing out with your podcast topic can be difficult if you don’t start right. But fear not, as we bring you some surefire ways to discover the right podcast topic ideas that can keep your listeners hooked.

1. What’s Your Passion?

Begin by identifying your passion. What are the topics that you can talk about at length? Do these topics excite you, or are you just covering them because everybody else seems to be doing that? Blindly following the masses when you don’t have an interest in a particular topic can result in burnout or inconsistency – and you wouldn’t want any of these if you’re trying to build an audience through your podcast.

So, identify your passion and narrow it down to a niche before selecting a podcast idea.

2. Study Your Audience

Okay, so now that you have found a niche, it’s essential to dig deeper. Learn more about your ideal listeners and figure out their pain points. Once you understand what interests your audience, you can easily find topics that will keep the listeners tuned in.

3. Get Some Inspiration

If podcast ideas seem like a puzzle, consider your surroundings as the final piece of that puzzle. Take inspiration from your surroundings. For example, conversations with friends and family or the news bites you have watched can pull your creative brain out of the strike. You can even check competitors’ podcasts or browse social media channels for inspiration.

4. Consider Monetization

Monetization may not be the end goal of your podcast, but it could be one of the goals. So, consider choosing a topic that can generate revenue at some point. For example, you can sell training courses or merchandise to your audience. There’s also an option to become an affiliate and promote products in your episodes. Pick a topic that assures you at least one monetization option for the future.

Now, let’s check out some creative podcast topics ideas to keep your listeners coming back for more.

50 Creative Podcast Ideas & Topics to Try Out

1. Live Streams

With live streams becoming more popular, many listeners are interested in learning more about the technical aspects of setting up and running a live stream. Share tips and tricks for engaging with audiences through live streams and building a following.

2. Sports

Post-match interviews are great conversation builders. And so are the recaps of last night’s game. So, if sports interest you, create a podcast on them. You don’t even have to stick to one sport. Plus, you can always try some unusual or underrated sports like camel jumping.

3. Audio Dramas

Put your creative hat on and create an audio drama inspired by decades-old radio drama shows. Although a bit more convoluted, this niche is perfect for those with a thing for acting and storytelling.

Check out the Last Known Position podcast for some inspiration on creating superb audio dramas.

4. Kids

With most parents fussing over the ever-increasing screen time of their children, audio entertainment for kids is a perfect podcast idea for anyone interested in the niche. You can create puzzles, share fun facts, jokes, etc. A more comprehensive approach would be telling kids’ stories with an ensemble cast – a great way to build on kids’ auditive skills with a podcast.

5. Alternative Living

Many people willing to go off the grid would find a podcast on alternative living a godsend. This category offers much to cover, from tiny homes to exploring sustainability.

6. Guided Meditations

Guided meditations often make one of the best podcast topic ideas, as they are for everyone. You can keep your guided meditations short or long to lull your listeners into a peaceful sleep. Some excellent ideas for guided meditations could be stress, mental clarity, bedtime, mid-day relaxation, etc.

Listen to The Mindful Minute to learn how guided meditations can help people unwind and be more mindful through a podcast.

7. Documentary

If you are a documentary lover, try creating a series. You can also review other documentaries and conduct interviews with documentary makers to get the low-down on their overarching stories.

8. Listicles

Listicles aren’t just fun to read. People also love to listen to them. Think of creating top 10 lists of whatever niches you’re interested in. For example, the top 10 football players or top 10 unique gadgets. Besides keeping the audience engaged, listicles also create suspense as you unpeel one layer at a time and get to the end of an episode.

9. Pop Culture

If you don’t want to narrow your focus on a particular niche, keep your episodic audio projects broad with the popular culture genre. Scour the web for hot topics that people would love to listen to and you’d have an entertaining podcast ready.

From Hollywood to celebrity gossip and the latest debates or scandals, you can share your opinions on anything and everything as long as it’s popular among your audience.

Looking for an example? Pop Culture Happy Hour is a great podcast to stir your mind.

10. Coaching

With people increasingly realizing the importance of coaches in their lives and coaching becoming a mainstream occupation, it’s one of the best podcast ideas. You can share tips and tricks to excel in this field or share your coaching sessions if you are a coach – but only with your clients’ consent.

11. Event Planning

Event planners can share their expertise in a podcast and even promote their services. Fancy creating a course for other event-planning enthusiasts? You can start a series with a step-by-step guide on making a mark in the industry and hosting successful events. Additionally, you can niche down on a particular event type (such as marathons, hybrid events, film festivals, weddings, etc.) and share all the intricacies involved.

12. Fitness

This one is a hot favorite of many podcast listeners. Focus on helping your audience stay fit, and you’ll gain traction. Offer tips on general fitness or choose a niche like cycling, yoga, running, weight lifting, etc. You can also invite fitness trainers, athletes and doctors for some words of wisdom, as Rhonda Patrick does in her podcast FoundMyFitness.

13. Paranormal

Albeit a controversial topic, paranormal has a good audience share in the world of podcasts. Give your listeners a spine-chilling experience by sharing paranormal mysteries. You can also interview people who have had close encounters with the paranormal or research supernatural phenomena.

14. Writing

Promote your writing prowess by starting a podcast. Apart from helping you gain more followers through writing tips and tricks, it will also help you gather exposure to build a clientele.

15. Automotive

We can’t live without the automotive industry. It isn’t only one of the world’s largest industries by revenue but also a viable podcast idea for automotive enthusiasts to share their knowledge. From mechanics to the latest cars, a lot can be uncovered in this niche.

The Collecting Cars Podcast is a terrific example of a podcast discussing automotive at its best.

16. Blogging

Don’t confuse writing with blogging. Blogging in itself is a huge niche to deep-dive into. Apart from excellent writing skills, it requires ingenuity and technical know-how. So, if you love blogging, you can share tips to help others hone their skills. You can also share the success stories of famous bloggers or interview them.

17. Pregnancy & Birth

Pregnancy and birth-related podcasts have been a staple since podcasting picked pace. Although plenty of resources are available in this niche, expert advice summarized in a podcast episode is always welcomed by auditory learners.

18. Time Management

Get behind the microphone and help your listeners with some effective time management and productivity tips. Make it insightful by bringing on guests and discussing anything that makes time worth its while.

Check out how Laura Vanderkam shares time management strategies in her podcast, Before Breakfast, and helps listeners make the most of their time.

19. Wildlife Podcast Ideas

Birds. Animals. Insects. Things that walk. Things that don’t. Hosting a podcast about wildlife gives ample reasons to keep the conversations going. You can share facts and survival tactics in the wild and interview experts or survivors.

20. Nature

There’s plenty of love for nature. You can create a podcast on different nature sounds or make it the go-to source for all things outdoors. There’s a vast range of things to cover. So, you can provide some straight information or make it more fun with anecdotes.

21. Myths and Legends

Bust some popular and even not-so-popular myths in genres like science, history, religion, etc., and build excitement amongst the listeners with little-known facts.

Like the podcast Our Fake History, you can substantiate your opinion with logic, tell people why certain myths exist, and discover the truth behind them.

22. Gardening

If you are a gardening fan, host a podcast in the niche and go deep with information on starting and managing gardens. You can keep it general or gear it toward a particular type of plant.

23. Feminism or Equalism

One of the best podcast topics ideas for those interested in human rights is feminism. You can also support gender equality by starting a podcast on equalism. Spread awareness and invite famous activists or academics to discuss topics from a feminist’s or equalist’s point of view.

24. Personal Finance

Money management can be a pain point for many. Create a podcast on personal finance and cover the what, when, where, and why of financial management. You can talk about retirement, investment, savings, debt, etc. But remember to give a disclaimer as you help them on their path to money nirvana.

If you want to take inspiration from a successful podcast on personal finance, The Ramsey Show is what you need to tune into.

25. Celebrity Interviews

Another popular podcast topic, celebrity interviews are engaging, fun and often top the charts. So, if you want to go beyond the mundane, this podcast is a good choice. As long as you have good connections, you can invite celebs and discuss their lives, work, and prospects.

26. Product Reviews

We all make purchases. Why not put them to good use by reviewing products in a podcast? Besides helping listeners make the right purchasing decisions, product reviews may also help land brand sponsorship deals.

27. Technology

Are you obsessed with technology? Make a podcast on it. You can pick a particular tech like laptops, TVs, phones, etc. Or an industry like home security, home automation, workplace innovation, etc. There are other options, too, like tech news, the latest launches, gadget comparisons, reviews, etc.

Check out the Tech Swamp podcast for tech history, policies, and more.

28. DIY Tutorials

Here’s a somewhat different take on DIY crafts. Host a podcast for those who love DIY projects. You can tackle one project in an episode with step-by-step instructions. Or, put together multiple smaller projects in an episode. Choose from arts and crafts, animation, home improvement, gadgets, and more.

29. Relationships

This one runs the gamut of emotions – from serious to fun. Offer relationship advice or invite professional counselors and therapists to help people navigate the rocky terrains of personal and professional relationships. You can also host people who want to share their relationship journeys or answer listeners’ questions about relationship problems they are struggling with.

30. Social Media

Considering how much social media has impacted our lives, creating a podcast on this topic is only fair. Help social media users smartly handle this swiftly changing world by discussing social media. From new platforms to recently introduced features in the popular ones, there’s a lot to cover, and interestingly so.

The Social Pros Podcast can help you learn a thing or two about social media practitioners, trends and ideas.

31. Travel

If you have some incredible travel stories to share or are a travel enthusiast with excellent tips and recommendations, this podcast idea is for you. You can pick a niche like budget, adventure or luxury. Or, ask travelers or travel influencers to come to your show and talk about their experiences. You can also interview locals while traveling for a more intrinsic episode.

32. Comedy 

If you love tickling everyone’s funny bone, try your hands at a comedy podcast. Perfect for standup comedians, this one gives a platform to share funny stories and sketches or even provide a hilarious take on recent events.

33. True Crime

If a light-hearted pep talk isn’t your thing, go for true crime podcasts. Filled with suspense and the intent to reveal the darkest secrets of real-life crimes and underreported cases, it’s one of the best podcast topic ideas. In addition to covering famous cases, you can shine a light on less notorious ones for a fresher take on true crime podcasts.

Crime Junkie is a successful example of how true crime can be a success amongst the masses.

34. A Day in the Life

Most of us want to find answers about famous personalities. What’s their daily routine like? Do they work out 4 hours a day? To better understand the daily lives of successful people, create a podcast and interview them. Tell the world what it takes to reach the top by revealing their daytime and nighttime routines and make way for some genuine inspiration.

35. Short Stories/Poetry

It’s no secret that podcasts help listeners get deeply immersed in topics of interest. So, here’s something for those who love short stories or poetry. Create a podcast for short literature lovers and publish your content on the show. You can even read others’ stories and excerpts from books and complement them with background music and sound effects for a dramatic feel.

36. Psychology

The human mind is incredible. You can talk about it in depth through a podcast on psychology. Pick a specific topic like age groups, phobias, personality types, etc. Alternatively, you can focus on mental health in general. The ground rule, though, is to inform your listeners that you’re not a licensed therapist (if you’re not) and it’s not professional advice (if it’s not).

All In The Mind is an excellent example of a psychology podcast discussing the mind, brain, behavior, and everything in between.

37. News and Politics

With this podcast, you’re never going to run out of content. There’s always some news doing the rounds and you can share it with your listeners. Pick a niche like environmental, local or sports, and you can even bring the people in the news to reveal the untold truth.

38. Q&A

Create a podcast for your followers. Ask them to send questions on what they’d like to listen to and create an episode on it. Remember, there’s no better judge of your work than your audience. So, let the listeners be the planners here and make it work by telling them what they want to know.

39. Investing

If you are an investment geek, ensure the world benefits from your knowledge by hosting a podcast. You can discuss investment strategies, stock market tips, the latest news, etc. Of course, you can also go for a particular niche like retirement, children’s education, and real estate, etc.

Talking of real estate, the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast is a good example of an investment podcast.

40. Business & Entrepreneurship

Business owners or those with entrepreneurship acumen can start a podcast and share actionable insights with people wanting to learn the ropes. You can also interview successful businesspersons to trend headlines.

41. Food & Cooking

Foodies can take their love for food online with a podcast. You can talk about food in general, interview chefs, or review restaurants. If you love cooking, you can also share tips and recipes. You can also select a category like BBQ, healthy eats, or a specific diet.

42. TV Shows/Movies

TV shows and movies are two classic choices for podcasts. You can always discuss new releases, share your reviews and speculate what will happen next. Or, take a different route and create a podcast on a famous TV show or movie to create a community for its fans.

For example, the Friends with Friends podcast by the KTLA Audio Network. In this podcast, former KTLA News Director Jason Ball and Producers Jackie Rodriguez and Vanessa Martinez discuss the different episodes of the hit sitcom Friends.

43. Digital Marketing

Demystify digital marketing and deep dive into how professionals or businesses can use it to position their brands for success. You can go specific with PR, content marketing, or branding. The key is to pack every episode with actionable takeaways on how to build on their digital marketing efforts.

44. Science

If you’re a science geek, you can explore different science topics with your audience. From biology to astronomy, there are several branches to explore. You can bring in scientists or talk about breakthroughs in your chosen field. The key is to keep things simple yet engaging to avoid losing listeners’ interest.

45. ASMR

ASMR is one of the most creative podcast topics ideas out there. And it’s one of the much-loved formats, especially if you want to avoid talking in your podcast episodes. You can use this format to help people destress and unwind, similar to what The ASMR Podcast excels at.

46. Parenting

Parenting is a life-long journey and there are not enough resources to make it easier. If you are a parenting expert or specialist, consider hosting a podcast to help other parents sail smoothly through this beautiful journey.

47. Animals & Pets

Animals and pets deserve not just our love and care but also awareness. You can spread the word about animals in general or pets in particular by creating a podcast around the topic. Share tips with pet owners on caring for their pets better, or choose a specific animal (cat, dog, hamster, etc.) to center your podcast around.

48. Books

Love books and want to build a community? Share book reviews or recommendations through a podcast. You can also create audiobooks and help people gain wisdom without reading them.

In addition, you can bring famous authors or give a platform to debut authors to talk about their first books like Debutiful does.

49. Philosophy

Love to question life and looking for a podcast idea that’s a bit more expansive than the ones shared above? If yes, then host a philosophy podcast. You can discuss different philosophical schools and famous philosophers and even interview modern thinkers.

50. Beauty & Fashion

If you’re on a mission to unearth the secret sauce of beauty or fashion, this podcast is your best bet. You can share tips or advice on fashion and all things beauty. Focus on a particular age group or niche like college fashion, workwear, etc. And to ensure it’s unique to keep the listeners’ attention, don’t forget to give it a quirky touch.

To spur your creativity, check out how the Fashion Revolution Podcast explores the hidden stories behind our clothing.

Found the Perfect Podcast Idea?

These podcast topics can offer a great way to connect with your listeners and build a following. But there needs to be more than just figuring out the perfect podcast idea to get off the ground. You’d need the right tools too. Try Wave.video’s online video recorder to record a podcast or host a live video podcast.

And, if you want to learn more about video podcasts, check this guide to find out what they are and how to start one.