Podcasts: what are they, how are they and where to listen?

Podcasts are already part of many people's routine. Very popular with fans of pop culture, we can say that this content format today covers many areas that go beyond entertainment.

With the current coronavirus pandemic and the quarantine forced by it, many have had to change their habits drastically. What helped this format to grow and become part of the routine of many.

But it is unfair to say that the success of podcasts was due to the pandemic. In fact, this content format was already growing rapidly, even before the Covid-19 threat was part of our routines. Today, even large media companies already have their own podcasts.

But what are podcasts, how are they made and, mainly, where to listen to them? That's what we'll show you in the excerpts below.

Podcasts: what are they?

The name may seem strange, but it shows that podcasts are not something that just arrived. In fact, the first podcast was published in 2004 in the United States. The word is a combination of "iPod" and "Casts", which means "transmission" in English.

That is, it is an iPod transmission. Apple's offline music player had recently been launched and it was the fever that anticipated the arrival of iPhones. It is precisely because they only play audio that podcasts are exclusively that way.

On the other hand, currently some content channels even broadcast their recordings live on platforms like YouTube. So you can not only listen to the program, but also watch your presenters speak.

How are they made?

One of the main advantages of creating podcasts is that, although they involve a certain amount of work, they have few barriers to entry. After all, there are several free and online sound editors. In addition, you do not need to have professional recording equipment.

Your smartphone's audio recorder and some apps to get together will be enough. If you want to use your computer to record podcasts, Windows 10 itself has a native recorder that will be of use.

It is also not necessary for your podcast to count on the participation of other people. The “round table” format, with several people debating a topic, is quite popular in the country, but it is far from being the only one.

Your podcast can either feel like a bar conversation between friends, or the narration of a script well written and done just by you.

In short, the production of podcasts usually has four phases: research and writing of the script, recording, editing and publication. The periodicity also depends a lot on who is behind the channel.

There are podcasts with fixed days to be released, content producers who release their podcasts per season, with a long pause between them and those who do it more sporadically, more as an enthusiast than as a professional.

Where to find podcasts to listen to?

There are several ways to find podcasts to listen to. You can either browse the podcast producers' own websites or use platforms that host this type of content.

SoundCloud is one of them, but the most popular today is Spotify. It has an exclusive section for finding and listening to podcasts. Other online music platforms like Amazon Music and Deezer also have an area for those who prefer podcasts to music. It can be heard on both the computer and smartphones.

How to launch your own podcast?

As we mentioned throughout the article, you don't need professional equipment and a complete team to start recording your ideas and publishing them in podcast format. To do this, just use a smartphone or computer with an app to make the recording (if you bring guests, remember to also put your devices to record the audio), use an audio editor and publish it.

For publication, you must create a website where you will host your podcast episodes. Then, you can add it to the aggregators we have indicated.

The process is a little different for each platform, but the rules are usually very similar. Usually, just go to the special page for sending podcasts and add the address of the website where they are published.

Then, just add basic information about your podcast (such as name, description and contact details) and wait a few days for approval of the podcast within the platform.

Did you like the idea of ​​becoming a podcaster?

Or you just prefer to include them in your routine. As we said at the beginning of the article, there are podcasts for all tastes, whether you want to know more about multiplayer games, tips for healthy recipes or to learn more about what's going on behind the scenes of politics.

But don't end here: indicate your favorite podcasts by commenting below!