How to Check Podcast Name Availability

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How to Check Podcast Name Availability

March 15, 2023 • About 5 min. read

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Podcast name availability is 👉 one of the most important factors 👈 in picking a title for your show.

In this blog post, we are going to list the sites you should check to make sure you podcast’s name is not taken.

We will show you the quickest, most efficient ways to check podcast directories. We will also show you how to check for availability when it comes to social media, website domain, and trademark. 📋

But first let’s spend a little time on why it is important to have a unique podcast name.

Why is Podcast Name Availability Important?

Podcast name availability is important because you do not want people confusing your podcast with someone else’s. 👯

You also want to be easy to find on the internet, with a consistent handle across social media and a similar website domain.

Also, you do not want to get into any trouble in terms of a business trademark dispute, especially if you are doing a branded podcast for your company. 👩‍⚖️

Ok, let’s dive in! Read on for tips and tricks! ⬇️

How to check if a podcast name is available ?

Step 1: United States Patent and Trademark Office

It is good to start with the US Patent and Trademark Office because if someone else has trademarked the name you want to use for your podcast, you really should not use it. 🙅‍♀️

The agency has an easy to use search engine.

Not many people do the work to register a trademark, so chances are, your naming idea will pass this hurdle. 😅

Step 2: Podcast Directories

The next place to check if your podcasting title is already taken is podcast directories or listening platforms. Podcast directories are where people go to listen to the actual audio recording content of podcasts. Examples of podcast directories are Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, etc.

The good news is that you do not have to go through each directory individually to find out if your podcast title is available. ListenNotes.com is a search engine for all podcasts. If you search for your podcast name there and it is not already taken, you are in the clear in terms of not duplicating other podcast name already out there. 🙌

Note: There are a lot of zombie podcasts out there 🧟 … they are no longer active, but they still appear on podcasting directories. If you find that there is a podcast that already uses the title you want, check to see if it has been inactive for a long time. While it is best to not have the same name as any other podcast, if you really love the name and it only matches an old, inactive podcast, you can use it without worrying.

Step 3: Social Media

Congrats on making it this far! 🥳

At this point you can be confident that your podcast name is not shared by anyone else. So you are good to go, right? Not quite. ✋

Remember, podcasting is all about attracting your target audience or listeners. A big part of this is building a brand across social media platforms. That is why you want your social media handles need to be identical or at least very close. And, obviously, they need to be available.

That’s why the next step is to check Namecheckr.com. This website has a list of all the social media platforms. You enter your title idea at the top and then it shows you on the list which platforms have that handle available. 😎

Your social handle does not need to be exactly identical to the title you choose, but making it very similar will help. 🤝

Step 4: Website Domains

The last step in this process is to check to see if your title is available as a website domain name. There are lots of places to check this online, including InstantDomainSearch.com. 🔍

Like social media handles, your website domain does not need to be exactly identical to your podcast’s title. However, it does need to be somewhat similar. And of course, be sure to use keywords on your website to help potential listeners find you on major search engines like Google. 🗝️

Final Word on Podcast Name Availability

If you have completed all four steps and your podcast name is available on all of them, congrats, you did it! 🎉

More likely than not, whatever name you first create, will not pass all these steps. That’s ok! When you hit a wall, think of it as an opportunity to come up with more creative ideas. Chance are there is a better word (or words) out there to really convey what your show is all about. If you need some inspiration, check out our blog post with 300+ podcast name ideas!

Also, try out Ausha’s popular, free Podcast Name Generator tool. Trained on hundreds of podcast names, it will give you tons of options to choose from and play with. 🤓

That’s all for today, folks! Enjoy the process! 🚀

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March 15, 2023

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