What to Talk About on a Podcast: A Host's Guide to Choosing Topics That Work

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0700

The hardest part of hosting a podcast usually isn’t recording or editing. It’s the moment you sit down to plan an episode and ask yourself the same question every host eventually asks: what should we actually talk about?

The short answer: choose topics where you, your guest, and your audience all care

The best podcast topics sit at the intersection of three things:

Something you genuinely want to understand. If you’re not curious, the conversation will sound forced.
Something your guest has earned the right to talk about. Lived experience, expertise, or a story they’ve never told publicly before.
Something your audience would lean in for. A question, tension, or perspective they don’t already have.

When all three overlap, the episode almost makes itself. When only two overlap, you can still get a good conversation but it takes more work. When only one overlaps, you’ll feel it. And so will the listeners.

Hosting on So Many Questions

What to Talk About on a Podcast: A Host's Guide to Choosing Topics That Work

The short answer: choose topics where you, your guest, and your audience all care