The Invasion of Planet Podcast

I don’t think there has ever been a better year than 2020 for launching podcasts. With everyone stuck at home more than usual (isn’t that an understatement!) or doing home office, people all over the world have more time to listen, produce and launch podcasts. Once upon a time the in thing was to create mixed tapes (for those of you under 50, I refer to an obscure notion called cassettes), home videos, quilting, or scap-booking. Then came the social media invasion and our lives were never the same again. Suddenly the in thing became having a YouTube channel, a Facebook page, and Instagram page, and your own website, regardless of whether you are a company, author, photographer, celebrity, cook, teacher, coach, etc. the list is endless. Good Lord, but it doesn’t stop there.

Then the social media river developed another bend and now podcasts are almost a must, especially for those who are normally on the road for their work. With the current global COVID-19 travel restrictions, many are feeling the pinch in more ways than one. I’ll be honest, this is another one of those bandwagons that I dragged my feed about joining. The concept has been around for ages, and I remember downloading podcasts for my daughter before embarking on a long trip. But now my approach is more in the adult playing field, where the podcasts are being created by colleagues for colleagues, and there are thankfully many more edutainment podcasts than the plain old entertainment ones.

If you are skeptical about the whole podcasting world, fear not, you are not the only one. However, if you choose to venture into it as a listener, there is one caveat you must be aware of – and try not to fall off your chair: as of October 2020 there are 1,500,000 registered shows, resulting in a whopping 34,000,000 podcast episodes available online. Read that again slowly… and catch your breath before you click HERE for some fascinating statistics.

It is bad enough to be part of an audience craving for quality entertainment or edutainment only be confronted with a plethora of 34 millions options. Where to start? I have no sage advice to offer at the moment because I am far too overwhelmed. What is even worse is being a podcast host trying to break into this medium and be recognised or build up a following. There is no way of building up your following without putting in the back-breaking extra work in the other social media platforms and advertise like mad, unless you are a verified celebrity with an astronomical following.

Some weeks ago I wrote about the Second Chance podcasts by Raphael Rowe, and since then I discovered a host of other shows, but one that caught my ear was David Tennant’s David Tennant Does A Podcast With… if you are fans of the actor, (regardless of whether you are a Dr. Who, Harry Potter or Broadchurch follower), you will adore him as a podcast host. Then there is Tunnel 29 by the BBC4 which are short chapters of an interconnected series. I wish the best of luck in finding something that appeals to you, and remember, there is something out there for everyone.