Latest / Podcast Growth, Podcast SEO, and Podcast Launch Strategies for Mom Entrepreneurs | Podcasting for Moms / 81. The Most Overlooked Field in Your Podcast Setup | Podcast SEO Tips

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81. The Most Overlooked Field in Your Podcast Setup | Podcast SEO Tips · Podcast Growth, Podcast SEO, and Podcast Launch Strategies for Mom Entrepreneurs | Podcasting for Moms

• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, real talk.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to go pull up your podcast right now.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Pull up how it appears in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Look at the name of your show, just the name.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now ask yourself, if someone searched for help with your topic, would your show name give them any indication that you cover it?
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: For most podcasters, the answer to that question is no.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: And that one little thing is quietly costing you listeners every single week.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're gonna be talking about the most overlooked field in your entire podcast setup.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: And spoiler, it is not your episode titles, it's not your show, it's not your cover art, and it's not even your description.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's your podcast name, specifically what comes after it.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Stick with me because this is a five-minute fix that some of my clients and biz friends have seen completely change their download numbers.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about it.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Podcasting for Moms, the show for moms in business ready to start, grow, and scale a podcast that turns their listeners into buyers.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Jenny Sumerson, a podcast strategist and fellow mom entrepreneur.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: You're in the right place if you want to learn how to start and grow a podcast that attracts your ideal clients and really does the heavy lifting for you when it comes to selling your offers, all while balancing life as a busy mom.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Are you ready to create a podcast that grows your income, impact, and influence?
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Let's make podcasting work for you.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Because as moms, we know how to get things done.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: All right, let's jump into the episode.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Podcasting for Moms, the podcast for mom entrepreneurs who are using their show as a real marketing tool to grow their business and make more money.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Jenny Sunenson, a podcast strategist and producer, and I help moms stop winging it with their podcasts and start treating it like the lead generation machine that it actually is.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so let's get into the episode.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, first up, what is the podcast name field really for?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: So when you set up your podcast, you filled in a field called your podcast name.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Simple enough, you typed in the whatever show or podcasting with so-and-so and moved on.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: But here's what most podcasters do not realize Apple Podcasts and Spotify and all the other platforms use that name field as one of the primary signals for search.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: When someone types in a topic, let's say something like podcast marketing for moms or how to grow a small business podcast, the algorithm is scanning podcast names to find relevant results.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And if your show name is just your name or a cute brand name that does not describe what you actually do, you're essentially invisible, completely invisible to the people who are actively searching for exactly what you teach.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I want you to think about it this way.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: If you walked into a library and you were looking for a book about marketing your podcast, and every book spine just had the author's name on it with no title, you would have no idea what to pick up.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: That's exactly what listeners experience when your podcast name gives them zero context.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Your podcast name field is Prime SEO Real Estate, and most people are leaving it completely blank, metaphorically speaking.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so the keyword extension strategy.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: So this is a fix and it's so simple it's almost annoying.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of changing your podcast name, you add a keyword extension to your podcast name.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: This means taking your show name and adding a short searchable phrase after it that tells both the algorithm and potential listeners exactly who you help and what they will get.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: So the format looks like your show name, colon, keyword rich description.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of just the Jenny Sennison show, it becomes the Jenny Sennison show, podcast marketing and growth strategies for mom entrepreneurs.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of business with Sarah, it becomes business with Sarah, online business tips for mom entrepreneurs.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: You get to keep your brand name, you get to keep your identity, you just add the searchable layer that the algorithm actually needs to service you to the right people.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now, some of you are gonna say, Jenny, won't that look weird or be way too long?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I hear you.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: But I want you to think about this from the perspective of discoverability versus aesthetics.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: A name that looks clean but gets zero search traffic is not actually serving your business.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: But a name that's slightly longer and shows up when your ideal listener is searching, that's a podcast name doing its job.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, most people are not reading your full show name anyway once they're inside your feed.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: The extension is primarily doing its work for search.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about how to choose the right keywords for your extension.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: So now you're on board, you want to add this keyword extension, great.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: But what keywords do you actually use?
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: So here's how I think about it.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: You want to include two to three of the following.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: So the first one is who you serve.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: This is your audience identifier, mom entrepreneurs, women in business, Christian mom entrepreneurs, work from home moms, small business owners.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: Basically just use a language your listener would actually use to describe themselves.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: The second thing, what you help them do.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is the outcome or the topic.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: So podcast growth, podcast marketing, online business tips, passive income, content strategy.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Again, think about what your listener would be typing into a search bar, not what sounds impressive in a bio.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then the third thing you could include is the format or method if it's distinctive.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes this is relevant, sometimes it's not.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: If you're very niche, like a faith-based business podcast or podcast specifically for Etsy sellers, that specificity can actually help you rank for a smaller, more targeted audience.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: And just know you don't need to do all three.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Two is usually enough.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: The goal here is to have a phrase that sounds natural when read aloud, but pulls in real search traffic.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: So a quick way to research this is by going to Apple Podcasts and searching in your topic.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Look at what the shows that are ranking are calling themselves.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: Look for patterns and then look at what's missing from that landscape.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: The gap there is often your opportunity.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: So before I wrap up the teaching portion, I want to name a few things I see all the time that are killing discoverability.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to stop naming your podcast just your name.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Something like the Jenny Sunsen show with zero context tells a search algorithm nothing, and it tells a new listener nothing.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: Unless you're already a household name in your niche, your name alone is not a keyword.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to stop using clever wordplay with no searchable terms.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: I love a good pun as much as the next person, but if your show is called the Juggle Struggle and you help moms build online businesses, the algorithm has no idea that that's what you're doing.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: Your cute name is a branding win that becomes a discoverability loss.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I want you to stop treating your podcast name like it's set in stone.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: I know the idea of changing your show name feels scary, but adding in a keyword extension does not mean you're blowing up your brand.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: It means that you're making what already exists much easier to find.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: You can keep everything you love about your show name and just give it a searchable long tail keyword.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so let's pull this all together.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Your podcast name field is not just a label.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: It is a searchable asset, and the single simplest way to activate it is to add in a keyword extension that tells both Apple Podcasts and your potential listener exactly who you help and what you cover.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: The formula is your show name, colon, or slash, and then keyword rich description of who you help and what you do.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to choose keywords based on your audience identity, the outcome that you help them reach, and any niche and any niche specificity that is relevant to your listener.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: And then go do it.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Seriously, this is one of those things that just takes five minutes or less and pays off every single week because search is always running even when you're not posting new episodes.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you updated your podcast name and are thinking, okay, Johnny, what else am I missing?
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: I have something for you.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I put together a free podcast growth scorecard that walks you through the key areas of your podcast that are either helping or hurting your growth.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's not a fluff checklist.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: It is a real diagnostic tool that tells you where the gaps are so you know exactly what to fix next.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: You can grab it by going to podcastingformoms.co slash scorecard.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Once again, that's podcastingformoms.co slash scorecard.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: I will also link it in the show notes below.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Because here's the thing most podcast growth problems are not content problems.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: They are strategy problems, and the scorecard helps you see exactly where yours are.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for being here today.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode gave you a quick win, make sure to share it with a fellow mom podcaster who could use it too.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you next week.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: Now go and optimize your podcast name.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for tuning into Podcasting for Moms.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: I hope today's episode gave you the tools and inspiration you need to make your podcast work smarter, not harder.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you love what you heard, be sure to subscribe and leave a review.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: It means the world and helps other moms in business find the show.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: For more tips, resources, and support, head to podcastingformoms.co.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, you're not just building a podcast, you're building your legacy.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, friends.