This is Niall Mackay, founder of Seven Million Bikes Podcasts. I host 2 shows: Smarter Podcasting and Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast. If you’re a fan of the latter, you will notice there’s a small difference in its name.
I had changed my podcast name four times. Each change felt small, but it also felt huge. At first, I thought a name was just a name. But I learned that the name of a podcast can shape how people see it, how easy it is to find, and even how attractive it is to sponsors.
In this post, I want to share my full journey with podcast names — the mistakes, the lessons, and the wins — and help you decide if you should change your podcast name.
My Journey With Podcast Names
2019 – Seven Million Bikes: A Saigon Podcast
I started my first podcast in 2019 as a hobby. I wanted to get to know people in Saigon on a deeper level. That same day, I had read an article that said there were 7.4 million motorbikes in Saigon, while the population was only 9 million. I thought that was a fun, quirky fact, so I called the show Seven Million Bikes: A Saigon Podcast.
But soon people began messaging me asking if I rented motorbikes. That was my first sign that the name didn’t really explain the podcast.
2020 – A Saigon Podcast
As my projects grew, Seven Million Bikes became an umbrella brand for many things: stand-up comedy, quiz nights, and music shows. To make the podcast more direct, I dropped the quirky part and renamed it A Saigon Podcast.
2020–2021 – A Vietnam Podcast
During COVID, I couldn’t do in-person interviews. Instead, I spoke with guests all over the world who had connections to Vietnam. The podcast had expanded beyond Saigon, so the name changed again to A Vietnam Podcast.
This version of the show really took off. It grew into the top 5% of podcasts worldwide with over 100,000 downloads.
2022 – Seven Million Bikes Podcasts (the brand)
By early 2022, I realised I was juggling too much — at one point, eight different jobs. I decided to stop doing comedy and events and focus only on podcasts. That’s when Seven Million Bikes became purely a podcasting brand: Seven Million Bikes Podcasts.
2023–2024 – Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast
After looking at listener data, I saw that my most popular episodes all began with “Discover” — like Discover Phú Quốc or Discover why Hanoi was the Paris of the 1930s. Those episodes had thousands more downloads than others.
I talked it through with my wife, my team, and podcast strategist Charlotte Lewis West. I even used ChatGPT to test ideas. In the end, I settled on Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast.
This name made the show clearer, easier to understand, and more attractive for sponsors. It also gave me a simple naming system for future episodes — everything fits under “Discover.”
Why I Changed My Podcast Name
There were a few big reasons why I felt it was time to change.
Clarity and searchability
Your podcast name should tell people exactly what your show is about. When someone scrolls through Spotify or Apple Podcasts, they don’t have time to guess. My old names were fun, but not clear. Seven Million Bikes sounded like a show about motorbikes. A Vietnam Podcast said the show was about Vietnam, but not what kind of stories or content. Discover Vietnam is much clearer.
Audience alignment
When I looked at my listener data, the “Discover” episodes stood out. People liked that style. The new name allowed me to give them more of what they wanted.
Brand evolution
My podcast has grown a lot since 2019. The name needed to grow with it. Discover Vietnam felt like the right next step in the journey.
Sponsorship appeal
This was also about business. I wanted the show to be easier to pitch to sponsors. A clear, professional name helps a lot. Sponsors need to know who your audience is and why they should care. A name like Discover Vietnam makes that easier.
Why You Might Not Want to Change
Of course, there are reasons not to change your podcast name.
Brand recognition
If people already know your name and love it, changing it could cause confusion. You don’t want to throw away years of brand-building.
Listener loyalty
Your fans might feel lost if you change names without telling them. They could think the old show is gone.
Too many changes
If you keep changing your name often, it can look like you don’t know what you’re doing. It can make your podcast look unstable. I know this because I’ve changed mine four times. Each time I brought my audience with me, but I was careful not to confuse them.
One option is to add a tagline instead of a full name change. For example, I once called the show A Vietnam Podcast: Culture, Community, and Conversations. This helped explain the content without changing the whole name.
How to Decide If It’s Time
So how do you know if you should change your name? Here are the steps that helped me.
- Look at your listener data. Which episodes do the best? Are people clicking on certain titles more than others? That’s a clue.
- Ask if your name is clear. If someone sees your podcast name for the first time, do they know what it’s about?
- Think about your future goals. Do you want sponsors? Do you want to grow? Do you want to shift your content? Make sure your name reflects where you want to go.
- Trust your gut. Sometimes you just know when it’s time. But always check with your listeners before making a big change.
How I Rebranded Without Losing Listeners
When I changed the name to Discover Vietnam, I wanted the process to be smooth. Here’s what I did:
- I kept the same brand colors, fonts, and style. Only the artwork and name changed.
- I updated the name on my host platform (Buzzsprout) and in the About section.
- I changed the names on social media, like Facebook and Instagram.
- I announced the change in an episode and on posts, so listeners knew what was happening.
- I explained that the content was still the same, just with a clearer name.
This way, I kept continuity. My loyal listeners stayed with me, and new listeners found it easier to understand the show.
Conclusion – Change Podcast Name
Changing your podcast name is a big decision. For me, it was worth it. My podcast grew, the brand became clearer, and the show became more attractive to sponsors.
But it’s not for everyone. If your name already works, if people already know it, and if it clearly reflects your content, then you might not need to change it.
