The Best Platforms for Podcasts
Image by ConvertKit on Unsplash
Sue Cook
I have always dreamed of becoming a radio DJ. Spinning the latest and greatest records of the year. Talking to people who influence the world. Bringing celebrities to their fan base. Becoming the female Chris O’Brian, local legend. You get the idea. I even had my radio station picked out. I wanted to work for WACI radio.
Then I began to have seizures/strokes, and my rising radio star didn’t even get off the ground. The station shifted focus. Boom, dream over! At least I thought, until I heard about podcasting.
Podcasting takes the role of a radio talk show host to the next level by reaching millions of listeners worldwide to chat about their areas of interest. Sign me up, please! You may be wondering what a podcast entails? According to Wikipedia “a podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files that a user can download to a personal device for easy listening”.
I am totally in favor of New Year’s goals! Time to put the goal of becoming a Podcaster on my vision board. The New Year is almost here, and now is a good time to make the leap and try my hand at this rapidly growing medium. I will definitely be in good company.
According to Buzzsprout there are “2,394,926 valid podcasts, with the top spots going to Comedy Podcasts or News”. People search out podcasts for many reasons using various search engines, but how do you know what platform will attract the most listeners? That is a burning question, especially if I want millions of them.
In November of 2021 the leading platform for podcasts was Spotify. They beat out Apple Podcasts, which was second place. Other platforms to consider would be:
There are more hosting sites available all the time with both pay and free options. Pay sites have the benefit of providing your podcast a larger audience due to advertising. If budget is tight, free is always good. My friend’s podcast, Doctor Who’s Line is it …Anyway?, is on both Apple iTunes and Anchor for free. It is doing well, and he works at keeping it that way by remaining consistent and recording podcasts well in advance of his release dates.
Consistency is key whether I decide to go free or paid, but especially free. You need to keep that audience engaged or they will find another podcast to catch their attention.
Now on to the next step. What will be the focus of my podcast? The possibilities are endless. Will it be about dog training, service dogs, poetry, or jewelry? Stay tuned to see what I finally decide to talk about. This will be a year to remember. 2022…Year of the Pod!
Sue Cook lives in Freeport, Illinois with her husband Randy and two dogs. Her passions include assistance dogs, rescue dogs, music, acting, theater, poetry, and Doctor Who. She’s been in both film and theater and is a regular cast member of the podcast Doctor Who’s Line is it….Anyway? Sue is an advocate for the use of Service Dogs to assist their disabled handlers to maintain their independence. Quigley’s Quest, her first children’s book, addresses how a dog becomes a Service Dog.
