Here’s how to find the ones that will consistently deliver you value.
Podcasts changed the lives of the JAR Audio team.
But with more and more podcasts hitting directories its not always easy to discover them.
The following are the 10 ways in which the JAR Audio team finds their next podcast to listen to that align with your goals, tickle your curiosities and are chock full of value.
1. Use Google to search for the “best of” lists.
This one’s a suuuper easy way to start…but we use it all the time.
If you just Google the topic you are interested in and then “podcasts” after it you will get the top results. You can also try adding “best” before your search term so you’ll be served up some lists of the best podcasts on your topic.
2. Try a podcast newsletter.
There are some incredible writers curating podcast newsletters, and they only get better and better. Some of them are designed to help you find your next podcast.
It can sometimes be hit or miss (depending on your interests), and some are more broadly “podcast” focused (including the latest industry news) but if you are open to a range of options that you might not consider they can be worth subscribing to. It’s like how we used to hunt the “Staff Picks” section of Blockbuster (remember Blockbuster?).
Here are a few options worth checking out:
YSLTF (You Should Listen To Friday)
3. Use Twitter to search for a certain topic.
Much like Google, you can search for a topic along with the word “podcast” after it. You’ll see a list of different tweets from users who have used that exact phrase.
In a lot of cases people are sharing their favourite episode or promoting a certain episode.
4. Use Twitter advanced search to find podcasts users have shared in the past.
You can even use Twitter’s advanced search function to find tweets from a user that mention certain terms.
You can choose someone who’s opinion you trust (Bill Nye) or someone you like to follow (Zac Effron) and just add the word “podcast” after it.
Depending on who you choose, you’ll be served a few episodes that they’ve recommended in tweets over time. This is a great way to see who’s influencing the influencers.
For example, a search for Bill Gates that included the word podcast resulted in a very cool energy podcast from 2017.
Its important to note that if you search for tweets from a person who has their own podcast you are going to get a LOT of results from that podcast… So you might have to sift a bit.
5. Search Apple podcasts for the names people you follow or admire.
Want to learn more from Bill Nye?
Type their name into the search bar in Apple’s podcasts app.
You’ll be served up a list of podcasts in which they have either appeared as a guest or where the main topic of conversation.
You can now dive deeper into their lives, but you also might learn something from the podcasts you are served. Chances are these podcasts will feature other guests or topics you will find interesting.
You can also use this approach to search for topics instead of people or try it on other podcast platforms.
6. Search Apple podcasts for topics you are interested in.
Just like the above tip, you can also type your topic of interest into the search bar in Apple’s podcasts app.
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Want to learn more about remote working?
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Wanting to get back into long distance running?
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Interested in a new morning routine?
Just search your topic and start exploring.
7. Explore the “You Might Also Like” recommendations from some of your favourite podcast apps.
I can’t tell you how many times i’ve purchased another book on Amazon because I was served up a similar title to the book I just bought.
Well, Apple does the same thing with podcasts. Other podcast directories like Overcast do as well.
If you look up your favorite podcasts in the Apple podcasts app, you can scroll down to the “You Might Also Like” section and see a bunch of recommendations of similar shows.
With the Apple app you can even dig deeper by clicking into one of their recommended podcasts and see what’s in the “You Might Also Like” section on that podcast page as well.
And it keeps going…
8. Try Listen Notes
Try running a search in Listen Notes, which will look through podcast titles, episode titles, and episode notes for match your queries (whether you’re looking for particular people or specific topics).
9. Ask a friend (or a stranger)…
Don’t let algorithms and rankings be the final word—gather some recommendations by asking your friends about which podcasts you need to be listening to.
10. Try one of these suggestions…
Here are a few other suggestions:
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Podcasts We Listen To group on Facebook.
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/r/podcasts on Reddit
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Join the New York Times Podcast Club on Facebook
Roger Nairn is the Co-Founder and CEO of JAR Audio
