75 Podcast Ideas and Topics to Explore in 2022
Choosing the right topic for your new podcast is a huge part of attracting the right listeners and staying motivated to consistently create new content.
In this article, we share dozens of unique podcast topics to help you find one you can stick with for the long haul.
60 Unique podcast topic ideas
1. Celebrity interviews
Podcasts have almost become synonymous with podcast interviews with famous people. Having celebrities on your podcast is a huge draw to new listeners and can help you get featured by Apple Podcasts & Spotify.
2. DIY tutorials
Break down DIY projects for your podcast listeners. Whether it's crafting, woodworking, or sewing, you can record a tutorial on it and grow your email list by sharing free or paid guides to the project.
3. Psychology
Many of the top podcasts discuss psychology and the human mind. You can make a niche psychology podcast by narrowing the topic to a specific topic: personality types, age group, stage of life, Jungian psychology, etc.
4. Technology
Keep listeners up-to-date on the latest updates in a particular area of tech: podcasting, gaming, videography/photography, etc.
5. Product reviews
Help take the guesswork out of purchases by doing product reviews for your listeners. You can review anything: makeup, designer brands, skincare, or things like cars, sports gear, and hiking equipment. This podcast topic makes it easy to land sponsorship deals with brands in your niche.
6. Advice
Make an advice-column-style podcast by answering listener emails or even taking calls during your show. This type of content makes coming up with new episode topics a breeze.
7. Social media
If you know your way around social media, this could be a good podcast topic for you. You can teach influencers or business professionals how to harness social media for their personal brand, business, or startup.
8. Beauty and fashion
Talk about the latest fashion trends and make it niche by focussing on a particular age group or style. You can attend live events and conferences to connect with potential sponsors.
9. Nutrition or specific diets
Are you a dietitian or someone who knows how to use food to heal or get fit? There are endless ways to make this topic niche and plenty of emerging science to generate consistent ideas.
10. Podcasts about podcasting
If you have a passion for podcasting and helping other creators, you can teach podcasters how to record, edit, monetize, launch their show, and share other podcasting tips.
11. The outdoors and survival
The outdoors is a popular podcast topic with lots of opportunities for a new unique angle. You can cover topics like prepping, gear, or the best places to hike in various regions.
12. Have guests share their favorite things (books, music, etc.)
Interview people on their favorite things. You can add this question to the end of interviews as a segment or structure the whole interview around the question.
13. Host-led workouts
Podcast workouts are surprisingly easy-to-follow and a convenient alternative to video workouts if listeners are at a park or a gym.
14. Guided meditations
Produce short meditations for various circumstances: bedtime, stressful situations, inspiration, etc.
15. Tech reviews
Review gear to make it easy for listeners to make their next tech purchase. This is the perfect podcast topic if you want sponsors to send you new gear.
16. Recorded counseling or coaching sessions
Are you a counselor or some kind of coach? With your client's permission, you can record their session. One-on-one sessions with successful entrepreneurs make for highly engaging podcast content and are easy to put together.
17. Book recommendations or critiques
Review a book series, make recommendations, or summarize individual books like a podcast version of Blinkist.
18. Interview listeners
Interviewing listeners is a great way to make your podcast interactive and give your listeners a chance to share their personal experiences with your topic.
19. Short stories
If you're a writer, consider sharing your short stories on your podcast. You can also collect interesting stories from listeners and read them (with permission).
20. Local news and events
Keep up with your city's events and news and share local happenings.
21. Children's stories
As long as the story or book is in the public domain, you can read it on your podcast. You can read as a solo narrator or involve a cast.
22. Wedding and event planning
Create a wedding prep series that can be listened to like a course. If you're a wedding planner, this is a great way to market your services or sell an online course, too.
23. Form a podcast club
Want to host a club and keep everyone on the same page? Create a public or private podcast and use episodes as fuel for your next meeting.
Learn more about how to create a private podcast for your business or club.
24. 3D printing
3D printing is an up-and-coming technology with a lot of news to discuss: tech breakthroughs, reviews of different printers, various techniques, future possibilities, etc.
25. Storm chasing
Although this topic is a bit seasonal and regional, you can always discuss weather in the off-seasons. Get specific by focussing on the science behind tracking a weather system, personal stories, etc.
26. Alternative living
Help people understand the laws and associated complexities with alternative living (tiny homes, van living, off-grid, etc.).
27. Urban farming
If you have experience in this area, plenty of people are anxious to know how to grow their own produce. You can discuss which crops are the easiest to grow, how to store, what tools to use, etc.
28. Paranormal phenomenon
Take an investigative look at paranormal mysteries—believer or skeptic!
29. Entrepreneurship
Know your way around starting a business? Roughly 30% of millennials have a small business or side gig, and lots of people need help scaling it.
30. Self-help (for a specific group of people)
Create a self-help podcast for creatives, psychologists, business owners, CEOs, retirees, etc.
31. Branding
Branding is such a huge part of a successful 21st-century digital marketing strategy. Discuss ways to build a diverse marketing plan and brand a business.
32. Movie or TV shows recommendations
Delve into your favorite (or least favorite) films from various genres, recap plots, and share recommendations.
33. Caving, rock climbing, rappelling
If you're an adventure junkie, you're probably a valuable resource for others looking to start the same activities. Share your expertise, personal experience, and create a community at the same time.
34. Sports
Give the history of a sport, interview athletes, or recap the latest game.
35. Writing
Help people become better writers whether they want to write grants, scripts, blogs, or just develop a daily journaling practice.
36. Retirement
People in retirement are often looking for a new hobby or just advice on the new phase of life. You can create content to help retired folks find work, navigate finances, or start a new endeavor.
37. Five-minute podcast summaries
Create your own podcast summarizing bigger, successful podcasts in under five minutes—like the podcast version of Blinkist.
38. Pop culture
Pop culture is a never-ending source of podcast episode ideas. This is a popular podcast category, though, so aim to be specific and find a unique take on current events.
39. ASMR
ASMR can make a great podcast topic if you don't want to do a lot of talking. Make episodes on anything from cutting soap videos on YouTube or whispering sounds to help people fall asleep.
40. Birdwatching and birding
Teach people how to identify different types of birds and wear to go to find them. You can focus on a specific location or keep it general.
41. Home improvement
Help listeners troubleshoot common house problems, fix things themselves, or make home improvements with DIY projects. This topic makes for perfect content marketing for a hardware or home improvement store.
42. Art
Dissect various kinds of art, including its history, origins, the biography of the artist, or share different points of view of the same piece of work.
43. Interesting facts in under ten minutes
Produce condensed, information-packed podcast episodes that get straight to the point.
44. History
Research facts about historical figures, share biographies or educate listeners on a particular time in history. History podcasts were some of the first shows to make in iTunes.
45. Science
Break down complicated scientific topics in a way everyone can understand or make more niche content only a select group would appreciate.
46. Animals and pets
Make a podcast educating owners of unique pets on how to care for their animals. Or, make a podcast for the animals themselves (calming noises, etc.).
47. Improv
Play improv games with cohosts and guests. You can also share tricks of the trade and how to get better at the craft.
48. Medical
Are you a healthcare professional? Consider making a podcast related to your field of expertise. You likely have knowledge people would pay to hear.
49. True crime
Share true crime stories in narrative storytelling form. You can produce it heavily with sound effects or keep it as a single-narrator monologue.
50. Daily life hacks
Help listeners simplify their lives with productivity hacks. Hacks can be anything from cleaning to where to find the best deals.
51. Cooking
Teach your listeners how to cook food from different cultures, the secrets to certain dishes, how to meal prep, and other food-related troubleshooting.
52. Investing and finance
Consider helping listeners navigate the complicated waters of personal finance and investing. You can also talk finance as it pertains to specific issues like retirement, remodeling, or other big purchases.
53. Digital marketing
Give listeners actionable advice on how to improve their marketing. This is a good podcast topic for anyone in public relations, marketing, or branding.
54. Cycling
Share the best places to cycle, gear recommendations and reviews, or stories of your own cycling adventures.
55. Music
You can take this type of podcast in many different directions: music reviews, the best of certain genres, or put a spotlight on more obscure indie artists.
56. Alternative health
There's no shortage of alternative health modalities and plenty of people interested in the topic. You can share your own experiences, favorite products, and services, or interview experts in the field.
57. Day in the Life
Highlight the average day of someone you find interesting—or even yourself. You can make a whole podcast about a certain kind of person or change it up every episode.
58. Food
Interview popular or local restaurant chefs, review various dishes at high-end restaurants and let fellow foodies in on the best homemade dishes, sauces, desserts, etc.
59. Behind the scenes
Do you have an interesting job or have an interest in a particular field? Bring listeners behind the scenes to experience what it's like to be part of the industry.
60. Travel podcast
Share the best little-known travel spots, what to do when you get there, and personal stories of your own travel adventures. You can also interview listeners on their suggestions and personal travel stories.
Tip: Make your podcast niche by narrowing your target audience. Ask yourself what your average listener looks like (age, interests, location, etc.).
15 Podcast format ideas
Your podcast's format is the structure of your podcast episodes. Here are 15 options to help you brainstorm.
1. Roundtable conversations
A roundtable podcast features three or more cohosts discussing a topic, taking listener calls, or interviewing a guest.
2. Social commentary between host and cohost
This common podcast format allows for casual banter between podcast hosts. As a bonus, it doesn't require a lot of editing in post-production, either.
3. Host-led interviews with experts in various fields
Whether you have a podcast about science, films, animals, or healthcare, you can find experts and entrepreneurs to bring a new depth of insight to your episodes.
4. How-to/tutorials
Create audio tutorials on any number of topics. You can keep it centered around one topic for the entire podcast, do a series, or change it up every episode.
5. Unedited deep-dive interviews
Instead of interviewing a guest and piecing the best parts together in post, consider recording long-form interviews that don't require editing.
6. Deep-dive exploration of a topic
This format gives you an opportunity to set yourself apart from the competition and dive deeper than most podcasts go with your topic.
7. Dynamic storytelling by a single narrator
Have a knack for storytelling? Narrate true or fictional stories from any topic you feel passionate about.
8. Improvised comedy between two or more hosts
Put a twist on the average comedy podcast and play improv games. You can even find ways to make it interactive and involve your listeners.
9. Single-host commentary on news & politics
Share your thoughts on local or global current events and politics. You can change it by taking listener calls or having interest segments with your episodes.
10. Daily updates
Create shorter, daily episodes to keep listeners up-to-date. Obviously, this format works best for topics that change daily (like news, tech, the stock market, etc.).
11. Top 10 lists
Make things easy for listeners by doing the research for them. You can rate everything from food or travel spots to beauty products or tech.
12. Q&A
Q&A podcasts are a great way to involve your audience, increase listener engagement, and make highly relevant content.
13. Scripted fiction read by a cast of characters
Put together a cast and tell a story podcast theatre style. Audio dramas are typically heavily produced, so they can require a bit more work to put together.
14. Scripted nonfiction read by host
If you tend to freeze when the recording light goes red, heavily scripted podcast formats might be for you! You use this format for virtually any topic.
15. Repurposed content
Repurposed content takes some kind of pre-recorded media and transforms it into podcast format. This is an excellent option for churches to publish episodes of their sermons.
Alban Brooke
Alban Brooke is the Head of Marketing at Buzzsprout and the co-host of Buzzcast. Have any questions about this guide? Reach out on Twitter.
FAQ
What are the 10 most popular podcasts?
According to a 2021 survey by Edison Research, the top 10 podcasts are:
- The Joe Rogan Experience,
- The Daily,
- Crime Junkie,
- This American Life,
- Stuff You Should Know,
- My Favorite Murder,
- Pod Save America,
- Office Ladies,
- Serial, and
- The Ben Shapiro Show.
How do I choose the best podcast topic?
Start off by choosing a subject matter aligned with your interests that you won't get tired of talking about. Then, find a unique approach to your topic so you stand out from the competition in your genre.
Can I change my podcast's topic?
You can make small changes to your podcast topic without confusing your listeners or doing a significant rebrand. But if you want to change your subject matter totally, consider making a separate podcast altogether.