What I answer when people ask me “What are your favourite podcasts?”
For the past 5 years, I’ve been listening to podcasts on and off. Prior to that, I thought that podcasts were, generally speaking, very boring and meant to be listened to, while commuting to work.
Since then, I’ve changed my mind and have started paying more attention to podcasts, as did the American population (couldn’t find worldwide stats):
More than 73 million Americans listened to a podcast last month, this is about twice as many compared to 5 years ago.
There are several trends driving this:
- Smart speakers
- Longer commuting times (both by car and public transport)
- Higher number of podcasts being produced so more variety
- Smartphones
- New podcast apps etc.
All of these reasons fuelled a growing interest in podcasting:
Interestingly, the marketing research consultancy Nielsen has also observed that podcast listeners have a few traits in common:
- They spend more money on orange juice, milk, and cereals than non-podcast listeners
- They tend to have iOS devices rather than Android
- They’ve had more formal higher education compared to non-podcast listeners
Because podcasts are becoming more accessible and everybody nowadays is a content creator; many new apps have appeared which let anyone record and distribute their own podcast:
Having said that, we can all agree that podcasts definitely have some potential. However, the crucial question remains:
Which podcasts should I listen to?
And while there is no definite answer, below is a list of my favourite podcasts:
The creepiest one 💀: Homecoming by Gimlet
“Homecoming” is a fiction podcast, it’s a psychological thriller based in the US. The story is about the impact of a (fictitious) psychological programme tested on war veterans. It’s beautifully produced with great voices/actors and fantastic sound design.
At the beginning, it was pretty difficult to follow a story without reading or seeing anything but I got hooked right away and listened to all the episodes.
The one that will put you to sleep 😴: Sleep with Me by Drew Ackerman
“Sleep with Me” is intended to put you fast asleep with the podcast tagline being: Bedtime stories to help grown ups fall asleep in the deep, dark night.
The host has (purposefully) one of the most boring voices around and I’ve actually never managed to get to the end of an episode. Very quickly, you’ll doze off and won’t even be able to recall a single word. Listen to this if you want to fall asleep while hearing someone talk.
The one you should listen to if you’re a TED Talk lover 💡: TED Radio Hour by NPR
“TED Radio Hour” is hosted by Guy Raz and as its name says, is more or less an hour of TED Talks. Each week the host selects the best TED Talks around a common theme such as “The Art of Listening”, “Comfort Zone”, “The Fountain of Youth”, etc, and then compiles the best extracts from these talks. The result is a great show re-assembling TED Talks, combined with insightful comments by Guy Raz and interviews with TED speakers.
It’s one of the first podcasts I listened to, and I’ve been addicted since! The show is really well structured and the variety makes it entertaining during the full hour. It goes beyond a traditional TED Talk and offers several perspectives on a given subject.
The most entertaining one 😸: Snap Judgment by WNYC
“Snap Judgment” define themselves as a storytelling podcast. They mix fiction and reality and dramatise listeners’ stories which have been sent to them. They combine several short stories in an episode, have the people who experienced them tell all about it, and then add interesting music and sound effects in between.
I love this show, especially the episodes that they produce around Halloween or some of their specials. Whenever I listen to this show, I almost feel like I’m in the room with the storytellers, it’s so absorbing!
The one in which you’ll learn the most interesting facts and anecdotes 🤓: 99% Invisible by Roman Mars
“99% Invisible”’s mission is to study “all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about”. This show explores the important aspects of our lives that we seldom pay attention to, such as the design of flags, the printing of money, the design of roundabouts, the hair classification system, and many other quirky topics. The host, Roman, explores each topic through interviews, media archives, and sound.
This show is insightful yet super entertaining. I’ve been listening to it for a long time now! Not all the topics are of interest and some are really US-specific, but with over 300 episodes I’m sure you will find something to your taste.
The one to listen to if you want to be an entrepreneur 🖇: How I Built This by NPR
“How I Built This” is the second podcast from Guy Raz in this list (after TED Radio Hour). This guy knows how to produce some of the best shows around! It explores entrepreneurial journeys through long conversations with founders. As opposed to many “fancy” podcasts, “How I Built This”, doesn’t focus on trendy startups but rather seeks out entrepreneurial stories from the founders of companies such as Ben & Jerry’s, Southwest Airlines, Lonely Planet, Wikipedia, and many others.
What I appreciate the most about this podcast is that it’s not full of random startup tactics that generally make the gist of equivalent “Startup Nation” shows. Since most of the interviewees are quite old by now, they have great hindsight and are able to reflect on what made the success of their companies.
My two favourite episodes from this podcast are definitely the Southwest Airlines one and the Ben & Jerry’s one!
The one to listen to if you want to keep up to date with what’s happening in the “Valley” 🏙: “a16z”
The “a16z” podcast was launched by the eponym VC firm Andreessen Horowitz which has invested in companies like Airbnb, Buzzfeed, Slack, and Twitter. There is no central theme, and as per their own description “the a16z podcast discusses tech and culture trends, news, and the future[…]”
Every episode is a conversation between usually an a16z staff member and one or several industry experts. The episodes are backed by solid research and I really learn something every single time. Since they cover such a wide range of topics, I don’t listen to each episode, but rather pick and choose the ones that might be of interest.
For instance, I recently enjoyed one which talks about how Lyft (the Uber competitor) manoeuvred to change the regulatory landscape that would allow them to operate (or not) in the US.
The one to listen to if you want to become paranoid about your online security 🕵️: Breach by Carbonite
“Breach” is a podcast about cybersecurity, and most specifically the recent Yahoo hack as told by Bob Sullivan (a NYT journalist) and Alia Tavakolian. This podcast is quite short with its 6 episodes and and no upcoming ones. It covers everything you need to know from a consumer standpoint about the Yahoo hack that happened from 2011–2016.
It paints the picture of the company knowing it was under attack but which did absolutely nothing to protect itself. Breach also covers in detail how this impacts you as a web user and what will the long lasting effects of this hack be (and most particularly on the recent US elections).
The show is beautifully produced with great sound design, solid research, and interesting interviews. Initially, I thought this was going to be a geeky podcast but it’s really accessible to everyone!
The one to listen to if you want to understand ISIS from the inside out : Caliphate by the New York Times
“Caliphate” is a podcast produced by the New York Times, it follows the journalist Rukmini Callimachi as she explores what really is the Islamic State through intimate conversations with ISIS members, families of victims, and experts. The show also follows her as she travels to Mossoul and meets with “contacts” on the field.
It’s an emotionally difficult show and at times I was on the verge of crying while listening to it during my daily commute. In terms of audio-production, it’s very minimalistic: there’s no extra fluff. Nothing is censored, there’s no distracting music, the facts are told as it is. The focus is on the voices and the stories of people impacted by ISIS.
To record this podcast, Rukmini is followed by her colleague Andy Mills who is not a terrorism specialist and asks the question that will be lurking in the back of your mind.
Those are the main podcasts I’ve been listening to recently, but I’m always on the lookout for more podcasts so if you hear anything interesting, please send them my way!
P.S : If you’re looking for a good podcast app, I highly recommend Overcast (on iOS)
More where this came from
This story is published in Noteworthy, where thousands come every day to learn about the people & ideas shaping the products we love.
Follow our publication to see more product & design stories featured by the Journal team.
