What is a podcast?
Podcasts are similar to radio shows. However, they offer greater listening convenience and topic choice allowing listeners to listen to whichever shows, episodes, and topic streams interest them at any given moment – whenever and wherever they get the urge.
There are more podcasts to choose from every day on just about every topic imaginable. Liberated Syndication (libsyn) pioneered the system to host and publish podcasts in 2004 and is arguably the largest leading podcast network. Libsyn alone claims to host over 25,000 different shows and it is by no means the only vendor that hosts and publishes podcasts.
Ok, so podcasts are like radio shows with more variety and listener control.
Podcast files are available as audio (or sometimes video) files that can be downloaded through the internet, almost always free. They are set up to allow you to subscribe to your favorite shows so that when new episodes of interest come out, you automatically get a copy through your podcast player.
What is a podcast player? Do I need one? Is it expensive?
Podcast players (Aka Podcatchers) are almost always free or very inexpensive ($5 or less) and there are many options to choose from. Most people listen to podcasts through their mobile device or Mp3 player but these software “apps” can also reside and play on your laptop or desktop computer.
Which Podcast Player / Podcatcher software should I use?
Some of our favorite players include iTunes, Podcast Republic, Overcast, and Castro. (If you are an avid pre-download researcher, there is an independent review of best podcast players from Tom’s Guide here.)
I’ve chosen a podcast player, now what?
The easiest way to get started is to go to the app store on your smart phone and do a search for podcast player. Pick your favorite, install it, open it and look for the search feature. Start searching for shows by topic or title.
Most players also allow you to search or browse by directory. This feature makes it easy to find podcasts of interest based on a wide (ok enormous) variety of categories (think: Technology, Christian Values, Pop Music, Self-Help, Human Resources, etc. ).
Customization is great, but so is security
It is worth noting that many podcast players/podcatchers also have the ability to store your preferences or mine your subscriptions for favorite shows and will then make recommendations on new shows to try over time. if you get squimish about these types of things look for a player that allows you to choose whether or not you want these features customized.
Device storage and data usage considerations
When you select a show you are given the option to either stream or download the show. If you stream the show you’ll be using your internet connection to play the content which may effect your play quality and will effect your data usage. If you download a podcast it will be stored locally on your device’s harddrive. This means shows be available for listening regardless of whether or not you have an internet connection but, if you have lots of episodes downloaded and you don’t delete them when you are through you’ll rapidly use up a lot of your device’s storage. A good podcatcher/podcast player will allow you to delete previously downloaded shows with a quick button touch.
Another important point, if you subscribe to a show new episodes will download automatically often without you even knowing it is happening. This can be very convenient but can cause storage issues if you forget about it and fall behind in your listening (and deleting) habits.
Of course you can always save your podcasts to the hard drive with the most empty space and manage your downloading habits accordingly.
Best podcasting formats, shows, and pop culture fast facts
Podcasting formats vary as widely as the topics themselves. They can be talk shows featuring special guests, listener call-in shows, first person stories (or rants) audiobooks, poetry, DJs playing or discussing new music, news reports, sightseeing tours, or something entirely new and different.
The best formats and shows are for you to discover but there are a few that have become pop culture phenomenons. You may want to start with these or save them for a future dry spell. Either way, you’ll want to know what they are:
Serial – Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial tells one story—a true story—over the course of each season. Serial – Season One focused on the murder of a high school teen in Baltimore Maryland and the subsequent prosecution and doubts associated with her high school classmate. It was a run away hit ranking number one on iTunes even before its debut and topping 5 million downloads faster than any other podcast. In April 2015, Serial also won a Peabody Award, the first for the radio/podcasting format. David Carr, a journalist with the New York Times, called Serial Podcasting’s first break away hit.
The Top – “The Top” is a podcast for entreprenuers, business owners, and money making enthusiasts hosted by young business savant Nathan Latka. Called, “The #1 Podcast for Entreprenuers” by Inc. Magazine, “The Top” dedicates each episode to a successful entreprenuer, currently holding either the number one or number two position in their industry, and focuses on what has made them successful – their business model, operating policies and profit margins, and then digs into each guests top cultural and professional influences.
This American Life & Planet Money – This American Life is both a weekly National Public Radio Show and a podcasting staple. Their 2008 episode about the Financial Crisis was such a hit it spun off and became a whole new podcasting and now nationally syndicated radio series called Planet Money. For those that like to keep up with what is driving both news and culture, both shows are worth subscribing to.
WTF by Marc Marion (Explicit) – While former public radio hosts dominate mainstream podcasting (if there even is such a thing) it is comedians who have always driven the predominant undercurrent. While their individual audiences aren’t always as large as the more formal news shows, comedians like Marc Marion flocked to early podcasting because of its freedom, flexibility and lack of censorship… and their intensly loyal audiences followed. In June of 2015, Marc Marion was the first podcaster to land an interview with the President of the United States. In episode ___, President Barack Obama’s motorcade pulled up to Marc Marion’s Los Angeles garage and proceeded to have a frank on-air discussion about the state of racism and race relations in America. The episode has been cited as a game changer in presidential interaction… in no small part to the president’s use of the N-word. In ways like this, Marion and many of his contemporaries are changing the standards for Americans consume and evaluate information and process the realities of pop culture. And, these thought leaders are doing it through podcasting.
Northpoint Church with Andy Stanley – As you might imagine, podcasting has provided an amazingly affordable new outreach arm for ministries across the religious spectrum. Perhaps the best example of phenomenon, the format, and the cross-pollination of media content is the podcast produced by Northpoint Church in Atlanta Georgia…the second largest church in the nation. Pastor Andy Stanley considers himself more an “advisor” than a counselor. He claims he’s not that great a listener… Either way, he is no stranger to the spotlight. His television show, “Your Move with Andy Stanley” airs weekly right after Saturday Night Live. Like the television show, Andy’s Northpoint Church podcast strives to help visitors make better choices so they can live life with fewer regrets.
In summary, if you’ve never listened to a podcast … it’s time to start.
According to the Pew Research Center and Edison Research nearly 1/3 of all Americans have started “tuning in” to podcasting and the size of the podcast listening audience (12+) has more than doubled since 2008.
And, when you are ready…
Of course, once you are hooked, and when you start thinking about producing your own podcast, that too is within reach.
Oration Recording, and the authors behind this article, specialize in helping clients produce and promote nationally recognized podcasts on a variety of topics. Contact us if you’d like to learn more.
