Ever heard of podcasting? Ever listened to a podcast? Do you actively listen to podcasts?
Back in 2005 when the iPods were taking the world by storm, podcasting too became popular. Podcasting allowed anyone—not just news journalists and radio talking heads—to create a “show” of their own.
Just as blogging opened up the writing world to aspiring writers, podcasting did the same for the world of audio.
But then the enthusiasm for podcasting tapered off for a bit over the years.
Now, however, podcasting is gaining its second wind, fueled by a number of trends:
1.) Huge audience hungry for podcast content
According to research firm IDC, for the first time there have been more smartphones sold than ‘dumb’ phones. Says IDC:
In the worldwide smartphone market, vendors shipped 216.2 million units in 1Q13, which marked the first time more than half (51.6%) the total phone shipments in a quarter were smartphones.
That’s 216 million smartphones shipped in just the first quarter of 2013. The total number of smartphone users topped 1 billion in the third quarter of 2012, according to Strategy Analytics.
What do many smartphone users do? They listen to music and podcasts while commuting, shopping, and exercising. In other words, podcasts can be listened to while doing other things, filling up “dead time” that otherwise would be wasted.
The audience of people hungry for content and with the technology to conveniently listen to it is huge, and growing.
2.) Car manufacturers are integrating podcasting into their cars
BMW and Ford announced in August 2012 that they were integrating podcasting and internet radio functionality for their cars, and it’s only a matter of time before the other car makers follow BMW and Ford’s lead.
This means you’ll no longer be stuck with lame terrestrial radio stations, but can play—without fumbling with your MP3 player—what you want, when you want, including podcasts. Listening to podcasts, audio books, and music is great in an environment like the car where your eyes need to be somewhere else.
3.) Podcast apps make listening to podcasts easy and convenient
There are many apps that can play podcasts and MP3 files. Two prominent examples that I am most familiar with include Apple’s Podcasts app and the Stitcher Radio app.
Podcasts App
From a macworld.com review:
Now, not only can you subscribe to a podcast on one device and have it appear on another, but playback progress syncs as well. So, listen to a podcast halfway through on your iPhone and, if you have an Internet connection on both devices, you can later pick up your iPad and listen from the point you left off on the iPhone. The stations you create on one device are also synced to others using your iCloud account.
Available for iOS devices.
Stitcher Radio
From a review on Amazon.com:
I have long been a Stitcher user. This is a great app to get the podcasts and shows I want to hear from the web into my ears easily. I can create stations of my favorites, and the app works great. Since getting my Kindle Fire, I have been using Stitcher, but it was the phone version. This recent update is a tablet-specific version, so the app has gotten even better! Stitcher is my most used app across all my devices. And now I use it more than ever on my Fire thanks to their new version.
Available for iOS and Android devices.
Give podcasts a try
If you’ve never listened to podcasts, or if it’s been a while, think about giving podcasts a try.
I’d suggest using the Apple’s Podcasts app or Stitcher Radio, then subscribing to a variety of podcasts to get a feel for what is out there. From language learning, to cooking, to managing your money, to news, to old time radio, to podcasts on podcasting, there is surely a show for you.
Though I’m just learning the podcasting ropes, I currently produce two podcasts. The first is called the Intentional Living podcast, and there I focus on actionable advice and ideas for a rewarding and healthy lifestyle. Currently we are working our way through the best-selling time management book Getting Things Done, by David Allen.
My second podcast is called the Becoming Heroic podcast, and that weekly podcast is devoted to helping people discover the heroic within themselves, motivating those who want to be more than average, and encouraging those who want to squeeze the most they can out of life. We’ll look at why heroes are important in our lives, how to focus on and achieve meaningful goals, and strategies for living a rewarding life.
I’d love it if you gave these two podcasts a try—thanks for listening.