I see a lot of podcast ideas, at all stages, from all kinds of people, everything from “my friend and I want to start a podcast about dating” to “my company wants to dominate the business podcast category with a show about small business.”
Some of these show ideas are great. Some are not. Most sit somewhere in between.
One thing to understand: there are literally so many ideas, they are at acute risk of blending together. They occasionally follow me into my dreams. Occupational hazard.
So, after 20 years in radio and podcasting, I guess I’ve learned a few things about storytelling. But when someone asks, “Is this idea any good?” I don’t start with answers.
I start with questions.
The kind that make the idea feel a little uncomfortable.
Because that’s usually where it sharpens.
Here are 5 of the main questions I ask at the start of any podcast project. I hope they help you get your idea off the ground:
Ok so you have an idea…
1. Why are you drawn to this topic?
Not the professional answer, por favor. The real one.
What about this subject nags at you? Nags at your brand?
What about this topic do you feel you understand that others might not?
What about this topic are you still trying to figure out?
If there’s nothing personal at stake, the show can feel like homework. Or worse, the walking execution of a corporate agenda. But with some honest answers to those questions, you can find the spark that lifts a podcast from competent to compelling.
A good example of how this works is the small business podcast we make for Amazon.
Given that Amazon is often seen as the polar opposite of a small business, when they first came to us, I had to ask what gave them the credibility to speak on that topic.
Their answer was clear: over 60% of sellers on Amazon are small business owners. It’s core to their ecosystem, and they’ve built tools and services specifically for that community.
That gave them a legitimate way in. Next, I asked their host, Andrea Marquez, what drew her personally to a show about small business ownership. She wasn’t a small business owner herself. Her background was in podcasting.
But her family history told a different story. She comes from a family of Mexican immigrants, many of them entrepreneurs, including her parents, who built businesses from the ground up. She wanted to better understand that journey, what it takes, and what it asks of people.
That connection gave her a genuine empathy for her guests, and it shows. It’s part of what makes the show one small business owners actually want to be on.
2. What is everyone else already saying?
Before you make something, you need to know what you’re walking into.
Too many podcasts simply recreate the formula of something that’s already working. If I had a dollar for every time someone said they wanted their show to be like Diary of a CEO, I’d be lying in a hammock somewhere with a fruity drink in hand.
There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration. But creativity isn’t replication. It’s recombination.
So ask:
- What shows already exist here? In what formats?
- What angles are overexplored?
- What assumptions go unchallenged?
Making a new podcast isn’t about copying. It’s about positioning.
A strong show knows the conversation it’s entering and exactly where it stands within it.
3. Who is this for, really?
Again, not “everyone.”
You want a show that’s accessible, but building for “everyone” is just as ineffective as building only for the three C-suite executives you hope will buy your product. If they’re your target, the show should include them, without excluding everyone around them.
An audience is always broader than a target market. It may include current and future customers, but for a show to grow, it has to reach beyond them. This is basic audience theory. You’re not spear fishing. You’re casting a net, and where you cast it matters.
So think about your target, then zoom out:
- What adjacent interests do they have?
- What other shows are they already listening to?
- Where do those audiences overlap?
Study the podcast “neighbourhood.” Growth often comes from those edges.
Format matters here too. Take video podcasts. There’s a lot of hype, and sometimes it’s the right choice for discoverability. But if you’re targeting senior leaders, they’re less likely to fall down YouTube rabbit holes. They’re more likely to listen in the car, on a walk, or between meetings. In other words, they gravitate toward audio.
So ask:
- What does your listener get from spending 30 minutes with you?
- What do they leave with that they didn’t have before?
- Where are they most likely to encounter this content?
- Why would they choose you over the dozens of other options?
If the value exchange isn’t clear, attention won’t hold.
4. Where is the open space?
This is the question too many people skip.
Not just what is the show about, but how can we tell this story in a new way? What can your show add to the podcast landscape that others can’t? What perspective, voice, or combination of ideas is actually missing?
An example:
On the popular science show StarTalk, the discussion of Quantum computing topics is usually framed through cosmic wonder, deep questions about the universe, and loads of quirky personality. It’s a great show – but it’s been done. Most quantum shows (and there are quite a few of them!) emulate this conversation.
When designing the Quantum Matters show we now make for D-Wave, the opportunity wasn’t to make another “spacey” philosophical science show. It was to explore how quantum computing actually shows up in business and manufacturing contexts, and where it practically intersects with classical systems. Not endless speculation, but applied examples of quantum at work, framed by a combination of researchers and business leaders.
Same general topic bucket. Completely different lane.
That’s the difference between adding to the noise and carving out space.
5. What is the one sentence that matters most?
If you had one breath left, and you could say one last thing about this topic, what would it be?
Not your episode outline. Not your elevator pitch.
The thing you actually care about.
That sentence is often the core of the show, whether you realize it or not. Take my business partner Roger Nairn’s podcast, Dead Dads. It’s not merely a show about grief. Tonnes of those are out there already – and they do great work. But this one is different. It’s a show that exists because people sometimes need space to laugh inside their grief. This one defining sentence – the show’s “underlying truth” – gives it a clear lens and a powerful appeal.
To sum up
A strong podcast idea is rarely about having more information. It’s never about copying a formula.
It’s about having:
- a clear point of view
- an awareness of the wider conversation
- a defined audience
- and a deliberate way of telling the story
Ask the right questions. Everything else builds from there.
