PODCAST 101
Why listen? Podcasts (the word is a mashup of “iPod” and “broadcast”) have been around since 2004. Now there are more than 400,000 of them free on iTunes. While they comprise just 2 percent of all audio entertainment, a quarter of Americans now listen to podcasts at least once a month (up from just 9 percent in 2008). Here’s why:
You can listen anytime. Podcasts can be heard on your computer, but 69 percent listen on a smartphone, tablet or other mobile device. Unlike traditional broadcast radio, which transmits to a limited physical range at a set time, podcasts are available anytime, anywhere by downloading or streaming. Podcasts are listened to most often at home (51 percent) but also in the car/truck (22 percent) and at work (14 percent). You can choose your topic and length. Podcasts can be any length and frequency, ranging from short, like Chris Guillebeau’s 10-minute daily Side Hustle School ,to several hours long, like Dan Carlin’s semiannual Hardcore History. But most are 30 minutes, on average.
“Podcasting is a creative revolution,” says Carlin, who started in radio before shifting to podcasting in 2005 and also hosts the current events podcast Common Sense. Creative freedom and worldwide reach are what really set podcasting apart from radio, he says, allowing anyone with an idea to find an audience. Get started
Use an app. Apple’s iPhone comes with a built-in podcast app, and you can ask Siri to serve up podcasts on any topic. On Androids, you can use the Google Play Music app. Third-party apps, such as TuneIn Radio, SoundCloud or Spotify, are also available.
Find what you love. Your favorite magazine, newspaper, blog, radio or TV show probably has a podcast too, such as NPR’s Wait Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me! or Food52’s Burnt Toast.
Flag a favorite. Subscribe to automatically get new episodes.
Listen together. Voice-activated speakers, like Amazon Echo, Google Home and the upcoming Apple HomePod, are transforming podcasts, letting people listen together much like old-school radio, but on demand.