Introduction 

• The aim of this blog is to explain the three reasons why I think podcasts are so useful and why everyone should listen to them. In short these are:
  • The fact they are free
  • They don’t require a constant internet connection
  • You get a large spectrum of content
• After covering each of these in more detail, I’ll explain when I listen to podcasts and why, showing you how they can easily be fitted into your busy day.
• Back in June this year I shared the top 6 podcasts I was really enjoying at the time, which I also think are useful for millennials. I’m still listening to them now and you can read my original blog here: http://jablifestyle.net/2016/06/26/best_podcasts_millennails/. I fully appreciate that not everyone will enjoy all – or maybe any – of the podcasts I list, but even if you don’t think these are right for you, I still implore you to check out podcasts and add them to the list of media you engage with and obtain content from, if you don’t already.

Podcasts are FREE

• One of the greatest strengths of Podcasts is that they are completely free for the end-user, and you don’t get very much for free in this world.
• Why are they free? Podcasts are free for two main reasons: (1) Creators of podcasts often get paid for advertising on their podcasts. For example, the ‘Freakonomics’ podcast always has an advertisement half way through an episode. Advertisers like podcasts because they can target a very specific audience, based on the topic or target listeners of the podcast, and targeting can significantly increase their return on investment (ROI). (2) Creators of podcasts are giving you something for free as they are wanting you to buy something else. One of the main reasons Todd Tressider created his ‘Financial Mentor’ podcast (I can only assume) was to increase his visibility and make people more go to his website and buy his books/take his courses.
• Things that are free are often poor quality, for example the free CDs people hand out at London Tube stations, however this isn’t the case with podcasts. There are a couple of fundamental reason for this, the different and lucrative funding stream available to podcast creators and the competition to attract listeners.

Podcasts don’t require an internet connection 

• We live in an ever more connected world, and in many ways this has considerably improved our quality of life. However, because we expect to always be connected we get even more frustrated and annoyed when we don’t have an internet connection. With podcasts you don’t have to worry about buffering speeds or dead-spots when you’re travelling. You download an episode when you have connection and then it’s there on your device until you are ready to listen to it.

Podcasts cover a large spectrum of content 

• Podcasts, in comparison to may other media content alternatives, are very cheap to create. Compare the costs of creating a film or a TV series against the cost of a podcast series. Because of the comparatively low barriers to entry it makes a greater amount of content more cost effective to make available. If your passion or hobby is niche and has a small market many other forms of media content are not available, podcasts do an excellent job of filling this gap.

My Podcast habits 

• I primarily listen to podcasts on my daily commute to and from work. I will sometimes also listen to them at the weekend or when traveling but 95% of my podcast consumption happens during the commute. I am commuting for a total of 1hour 10minutes each day, to and from work, and find podcasts the most productive thing for me to do in that period.
• There are some obvious alternatives available to me on my commute, I’ll now go through each and highlight why I find them less optimal.
• Free newspapers/magazines – In London there are 3 main daily free newspapers, the Metro and City AM in the morning, and the Evening Standard. The Metro is a pile of absolute rubbish so I don’t touch that – it’s owned by DMG Media, the same people who own the Daily Mail which explains everything you need to know. While I like the content of City AM, and some parts of the Evening Standard, I can’t read it during my commute for two reasons: (1) the underground is absolutely rammed each morning so I don’t have enough room to open a newspaper (2) if I do manage to open it, my hands get covered in ink from the paper, which often ends up all over my clothes and laptop bag, not enjoyable.
• Fiction/Non Fiction Books – with physical books it’s a similar story to the newspapers in terms of space on the underground, however there is the Kindle option which takes away the space and ink problems. Despite this, I still can’t get on-board with books during my commute, as I find it doesn’t give me enough time to get into the story. I love being able to get deep into a book without distractions in a quiet environment. If I read while commuting I often end up having to re-read whole sections and the overall storyline and my enjoyment of the book gets lost.
• Audiobooks – They cost a bloody fortune, especially compared to podcasts, and take up so much memory on my phone.
• Listening to Music – As much as I love listening to music I feel that by doing so for an 1hour and 10 minutes five days a week I’m missing out on almost 6 hours of productive time a week, listening to podcasts allows me to learn something and maximise the little free time I have not in work.
• Not everyone is going to think the same way I do about the above alternatives and that is completely fine, the aim of this section was just to get my thoughts/views down and let you make your own decisions.

Conclusion 

• In this piece I have outlined the 3 main reasons why I think podcasts are a great form of media, and should have an important role in the way people consume information. Too few things in life which are free are any good, so celebrate one of the few things which are!
• I also wanted to describe when I consume podcast content and why I choose it over other alternatives available. If you aren’t currently enjoying podcast content I implore you to take a look at your current forms of media intake and also your daily routine to see if you can add it in or swap it for something else, hopefully you’ll thank me if you do!

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