The most common mistake in podcast titles

Summary

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The Most Common Mistake in Podcast Titles

MarTech Podcast™ // Marketing + Technology = Business Growth
Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Cody Goff, Podcast Growth Strategist at NerdWallet
Date: March 31, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the nuances of podcast growth through strategic titling, as Benjamin Shapiro hosts Cody Goff, a podcast growth strategist with experience scaling award-winning shows. The discussion zeroes in on the most frequent mistakes made in podcast episode titles, why these errors hinder discovery, and how to optimize titles for sustainable, organic growth.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Most Common Mistake in Podcast Titles (03:09)

• Cody Goff identifies the number one mistake: Using guest names in episode titles when those names are not widely recognized or frequently searched for.

  • Quote:

    “People use people's names when no one's searching for those names… like the title will be like a Katarina Moses from blah blah blah. And the thing is, no one... is going into Spotify and searching a Katarina Moses unless they're researching her for another podcast that they're about to interview her on… Just don't do it. Just give the value. Put the guest's name, unless it's a really, really high profile guest.”
    — Cody Goff [03:19]

• Best practice:

  • Only include the guest’s name in the title if they are exceptionally well-known or their name adds specific, search-driven value (i.e., “CEO of Microsoft”).
  • Otherwise, focus the title on the main topic or value proposition of the interview.

2. Balancing Company, Guest, and Topic in Titles (04:15)

• Benjamin Shapiro elaborates: The balance between featuring the guest’s name/company vs. highlighting the topic.

  • Quote:

    “We have gone back and forth about this. How much should we be trying to own the guest's name and company combination, you know, in our organic growth strategy? Or how much should we be trying to own the topic? ...For us, companies tend to be more recognizable, but if it is not the chief executive, something of a major company... You have to use your judgment on how truly impactful is the person's name, the company, and then what is the actual topic. Generally, I lean topic.”
    — Benjamin Shapiro [04:15]

• Insight:

  • Topical relevance usually trumps individual names unless the guest has considerable name recognition within or beyond their industry.

3. The Episode Number Debate (05:30)

• Cody Goff’s second big “no-no”: Including episode numbers in titles.

  • Referred to as "amateur hour," except for rare cases like highly established legacy podcasts (e.g., This American Life).
  • Quote:

    “I was going to say that... That's like amateur hour to... This American Life does it, which drives me crazy... But that's like using Rogan as an example for anything.”
    — Cody Goff [05:30]

• Benjamin Shapiro’s rule:

  • Unless you are This American Life or Joe Rogan, don’t put episode numbers in your podcast title.
  • Quote:

    “Exception not the rule.”
    — Benjamin Shapiro [06:15]

4. Summary Guidelines from the Conversation

• Use episode titles that emphasize what listeners will learn or the primary topic.
• Reserve guest names and company details for exceptional, high-profile guests known for drawing audience interest.
• Omit episode numbers unless your show is a rare exception with specific audience habits.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Cody Goff on guest names:

  “For the most part, most people at most companies are not being searched for like Brad Pitt or whatever.”
  [03:45]

• Cody Goff on episodes and exceptions:

  "If you're not This American Life or Joe Rogan, please don't put the episode number in your podcast."
  [06:16]

• Humor Moment:

  • When asked if he’s ready for the lightning round, Cody quips,

    "Probably not, but we'll try anyway.”
    [03:07]

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Important Timestamps

• 03:09 — The single most common mistake in podcast episode titling
• 03:19 — Why obscure guest names don’t drive discovery
• 04:15 — Weighing value between company, guest, and topic
• 05:30 — Why episode numbers hurt rather than help titles
• 06:15 — Specific exceptions: This American Life and Joe Rogan

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Tone and Language

• Direct and conversational, with a blend of industry insight and practical advice.
• Light humor to offset dense marketing discussion.

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Takeaways for Podcast Creators

• Give your episode titles the best chance for organic discovery by emphasizing subject matter over guest names—unless your guest is a celebrity or industry giant.
• Skip including episode numbers in titles unless you’re an iconic podcast brand.
• Always consider what your target audience is searching for and why they would click on your episode.

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Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

The Martech Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

From advertising to software as a service to data across all of our programs

[Sponsor Representative]

and clients, we've seen a 55 to 65% open rate.

[Cody Goff]

Getting brands authentically integrated into content performs better than TV advertising.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Typical lifespan of an article is about 24 to 36 hours.

[Sponsor Representative]

We're reaching out to the right person with the right message and a clear call to action. Then it's just a matter of timing.

[Podcast Announcer]

Welcome to the Martech Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. In this podcast, you'll hear the stories of world class marketers that you use technology to drive business results and achieve career success. Here's the host of the Martech Podcast, Benjamin Shapiro.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

I'm Benjamin Shapiro and joining me today is Cody Goff, a podcast growth strategist who also works at NerdWallet and a longtime operator who scaled award winning shows for major brands. And today Cody's going to break down what actually drives sustainable, organic growths in podcasting.

[Sponsor Representative]

Time for a short break to hear from our sponsor, Scrunch. When was the last time you actually visited a website to research something? For me, AI does all that work now. So if AI is doing the discovery research and deciding who or what is your brand's website really for the rise of AI bots becoming as important as new visitors is a massive change in user behavior. And that's what Scrunch is taking head on. Scrunch is the AI customer experience platform that helps marketing teams understand how AI agents experience their site. They tell you how your brand shows up in LLM results, where it doesn't and what's preventing your content from being retrieved, trusted or recommended. It's not just visibility. Scrunch shows you the content gaps, citation gaps, and how to fix the technical blockers that matter so your brand is found and chosen. And in AI answers, face it, your most important site visitor isn't human anymore. It's the AI deciding what gets surfaced. And for Martech podcast listeners, Scrunch is providing a free website diagnostic that uncovers how AI sees your site, where you have content gaps and where you're showing up versus your competition. To see how LLMs evaluate your site, go to scrunch.com martech that's scrunch S C-R-U-N-C-H.com/martech.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

All right, Cody, now it's time to move on to our lightning round where I'm going to ask you a couple of Martech related questions specifically centered around your experience and organic podcast growth. Are you ready?

[Cody Goff]

Probably not, but we'll try anyway.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Larry, we're going to do it. We're going to force you into it. All right, here we go. What is the one single most common mistake you see in podcast titles and what's the fastest way to fix it?

[Cody Goff]

People use people's names when no one's searching for those names, like I talked today, I like the title will be like a Katarina Moses from blah blah blah. And like the thing is, no one pro very likely in the world is going into Spotify and searching a Katarina Moses unless they're researching her for another podcast that they're about to interview her on, which I've done many times. So just don't do it. Just give the value. Put the guest's name, unless it's a really, really high profile guest, which I saw you did with the CEO of Reich. I think it was a former CEO of Reich or CMO of Reich, or maybe not HubSpot. It was HubSpot. The HubSpot guy. Yeah, you put his name in the title because like the dude was a huge deal at HubSpot, which is a huge deal. Right. If it, if it's, if you're talking to the CEO of Microsoft. Yeah. Okay, but like for the most part, most people at most companies are not being searched for like Brad Pitt or whatever.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Yeah. And it's funny, we have gone back and forth about this. How much should we be trying to own the, the guest's name and company combination, you know, in our organic growth strategy or how much should be. We be trying to own the topic? And for us, the companies tend to be more recognizable, but if it is not the chief executive, something of a major company. Right. When it was when I interviewed Alex Schultz who's the CMO of Meta. Alex Schultz, CMO of Meta says blank is a logical title if I am interviewing somebody who is the head of demand at a demand generation company. I interviewed Sarah from Qualified. I don't think people are understand who Sarah from Qualified is. They might not even know qualified, but they do understand AI SDRs and that's the hot topic and that's probably what people are looking for. So you have to use your judgment on how truly impactful is the person's name, the company and then what Is the actual topic generally, Eileen. Topic. You know what my biggest. No, no. Is stop putting the damn episode numbers in your titles. They don't need to be there.

[Cody Goff]

I mean, I would. I was going to say that, but, like, that's first. There's those two things on that. Yes. One, that's like amateur hour to this American Life. Does it? Which drives me crazy because this American Life is, for my money, the best podcast ever made. Like, and it's not even close. It's just perfect. Um, but it's. Yeah, it's like 86 now. As a side note, I actually really like that they do that because it's just a number. And I know when they run a rerun because they will put. Cause if I see in my feed, 4:35, 4:36, 82, I know it's a rerun immediately. And I'm never interested in those or very rarely interested in those. Um, so they're the one exception. But that's like using Rogan as an example for anything. Like, you just don't.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Exception not the rule.

[Cody Goff]

Yeah, they're very much the exception. But, yes, agreed. If you're not this American Life or Joe Rogan, please don't put the episode number in your podcast.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

All right.

[Sponsor Representative]

And a special thanks to Scrunch for sponsoring this interview. Scrunch is the AI customer experience platform that helps marketing teams understand how AI agents experience their site. They tell you how your brand shows up in LLM results, where it doesn't, and what's preventing your content from being retrieved, trusted, or recommended. And for Martech podcast listeners, Scrunch is providing a free website diagnostic that uncovers how AI sees your site, where you have content gaps, and how you're showing up versus your competition. To see how LLMs evaluate your site, go to scrunch.com that's scrunch S C-R-U-N

[Benjamin Shapiro]

C-H.com well, that wraps up this episode of the Martech Podcast. Thanks for listening to my conversation with Cody Goff, a podcast growth strategist. He also works at NerdWallet. If you'd like to contact Cody, you could find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our shownotes or martechpod.com you can always visit his personal website, which is podcastgrowthconsultant.com and if you haven't subscribed yet and you want a daily stream of marketing and technology knowledge in your podcast feed, click the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed next week. All right, that's it for today. But until next time, my advice is to just focus on keeping your customers happy.

[Cody Goff]

Foreign

[Podcast Announcer]

thanks for listening to the Martech podcast and I hear everything. Production Looking to launch or scale a podcast like this one for your brand? Then visit iheareverything.com.