This post is part of a series titled How to start a podcast in 2025. If you’ve missed any of the posts, check back here.
If you’re reading this post, I’m hoping you’re the kind of person ready to start their journey into the world of podcasting – making the transition from being a podcast listener to a podcast creator, host or producer.
Over the next five post, you’ll learn about sourcing and picking equipment you can use for podcasting, promoting your podcast, planning episodes, recording your episodes and more, but for the first part in the series I’m going to look at what happens at the start – choosing your niche, topic or focus.
You may have this locked down already and if so, you’re ahead of the curve. Starting a podcast begins with a strong idea, and ideally its one that excites you and will keep you motivated while you work on producing content and attracting an audience. Choosing the right topic or focus for your podcast from the start can be the difference maker between a podcast the thrives and succeeds and one that doesn’t.
With all that said, let’s dive in…
1. Choose a topic that keeps you motivated
If you’re a regular podcast listener or radio listener, you’ll know that some of the best shows come from presenters who are passionate about their chosen subject – books, music, film, theatre, food, working from home, starting a blog, cycling – whatever the topic is, you can hear the grá they hold for it in their voice.
That passion, that curiosity, is what keeps them motivated to continue producing content.
Much like starting a blog, or writing a paper, your podcast should be about something you enjoy talking about – not just for one episode, but for many.
As you’ll see in the coming posts about planning podcast episodes, having the passion for and knowledge of a topic will be a huge driver for you personally given the commitment required for regular podcasting. If you were to do a weekly episode for a year, would you get tired talking about the subject matter? Two years? Three?
Maybe the idea you’ve got bubbling away lends itself to something more concise. Have you been thinking about a shorter-form podcast, with a handful of episodes, all nicely self-contained? Even so, have you got enough material in the bag (or in your head) when it comes to creating the content for it?
Think about subject you already discuss or have a shared interest in with friends and family, or topics that you naturally research in your free time. If you love learning about something, chances are you’ll enjoy creating content around it as well.
Your podcast should be about something you enjoy talking about—not just for one episode but for many. Passion is key because podcasting requires commitment. If you pick a topic just because it seems popular, you might lose interest quickly. Think about subjects you already discuss often with friends or topics you naturally research in your free time. If you love learning about something, chances are you’ll enjoy creating content around it.
2. Topic chosen? Refine it
One of the big mistakes you can make in choosing a topic is making it too broad.
Let’s say I want to start a podcast called Any Given Food (an old food blog of mine) and my plan is to discuss literally everything about food. Think cooking, shopping, farming and agriculture, gardening, going gluten-free, vegan diets, food while travelling, baby food, food history, food science, if it’s about food, I’m going to cover it.
Doesn’t that seem too broad to you? Do you think I would struggle to attract a loyal audience? I know I would as the podcast lacks focus. Yes, the avenues for content seem endless, but to what end?
If I was to pick food as my topic, my next step would be to ‘niche down’ (a very American term) or to have a clearer focus for my podcast. So food is the overarching theme, but I want to explore food history instead. Now I’m starting to shape the idea for my series. Maybe I focus on Ireland’s food history, or maybe now I’ve gone too narrow.
Instead, my first few episodes are going to look like this
- The accidental inventions that changed our plates
- How the spice trade shaped the modern world
- The surprising history of fast food
- Bread: the staple that built civilizations
I get to talk about food, I dive a little deeper into the history of food on a global scale, and look at how it can be targeted to the audience I have in mind.
Having a specific focus will help listeners know exactly what to expect and increases the chances that they’re going to subscribe to or follow your podcast. Instead of ‘The E-Commerce Podcast’, how about ‘How To Grow A Small E-Commerce Store’ where instead of focusing on all things e-commerce, you’re focus is shifted strictly to the setting up, running and growing of a small store. You’ve got niche appeal, you’ve narrowed down your audience, and have a path to prescribed content.
For whatever overarching topic you have in mind, how could you refine it to make it work more in your favour? Does it need refining in the first place?
3. Identify your audience and what they want
Now that you’ve got your niche, topic or focus set, the next thing to do is figure out your audience.
Does the world really need another podcast on your chosen topic? Have you got anything new or fresh to bring to the party? Do you even know who your podcast is aimed at or what kind of listener you’re trying to attract?
At the end of the day, your podcast isn’t just for you, it’s for your listeners. It’s your job to impart the information, inform and entertain. Defining your audience early on will help you shape content that resonates with them.
Using The Football Manager Football Show as an example, we knew two things
- The podcast would be about a video game, Football Manager, with a smattering of football talk (hence the double use of ‘football’ in the title)
- The intended audience was players of the game, who typically play at least a few hours a week, and know enough about the game to know what we’re talking about without having to explain ourselves
The content resonated will with listeners, numbers grew nicely from month one through year three before knocking things on the head after 12 seasons.
Ask yourself this – who would benefit most from your podcast?
What problems do those people have that you can help solve? The more specific you can get, the easier it will be to both create the content for your podcast and to attract and retain listeners. A niche audience is often more engaged than a broad, general one.
If you can’t talk to your intended audience before you release, then your first step is to research existing podcasts in your space. Read up on reviews of similar shows, see what listeners love, hate, or wish was done differently. See if you can spot a gap. Maybe listeners want more actionable advice, or deeper interviews or conversations on a subject. Or maybe they don’t have an hour to spend listening your your well prepped show, but a 15-30 minute duration is more suited because your audience tends to listen in the car on the way to work, or coming off a workout in the gym, or out walking the dog.
Using money as an example, if you’re thinking in starting a podcast about personal finance, you might look at targeting young professionals who struggle with budgeting, rather than trying to appeal to everyone interested in money. How will you make that connection?
OK, that’s done, now what?
Before you commit to a podcast idea, run a few simple tests to see if it has potential.
One way is to create a short description of your podcast in one or two sentences. If you can’t explain it clearly, it might be too vague or complex. Try sharing your idea with a friend. Do they immediately understand what your podcast is about, or do they have questions? If they struggle to grasp it, you may need to refine your concept.
Another great exercise is to record a five-minute test episode.
Talk about your topic as if you were recording a real show. Go in cold, use the voice recording or voice notes feature on your phone, or sit down in front of a microphone and just let her rip. This will help you determine if you enjoy discussing it and if the content flows naturally. If it feels forced or you run out of things to say quickly, it might not be the right fit.
For my first radio show, I had everything planned for a 60 minute recording. Or at least I thought I did. Seven minutes into the process, I was dead, and I was working with three others at the time. We’d blown all of our content and ideas in such a fast-paced start that the show may as well have been a ten minute insert instead of an hour-long feature.
Testing your idea in this way can save you time and effort down the road. Another way to test your motivation is to brainstorm at least 20 episode ideas within your chosen niche. If you struggle to come up with enough topics, you might run out of things to say too soon.
A sustainable podcast needs depth. For example, if you’re considering a podcast about productivity, could you cover morning routines, time management strategies, overcoming procrastination, and digital tools for efficiency? If so, you’re on the right track.
Choosing the right podcast idea is the foundation of your success. Find a topic that excites you, refine it, identify an audience that needs it and test your idea before you fully commit. With the right start, you’ll set yourself up for a podcast that’s engaging, sustainable, and rewarding.
This post is part of a series titled How to start a podcast in 2025. If you’ve missed any of the posts, check back here.
