How To Create A Podcast App : Apps To Record & Listen Podcast’s

Packed with important information and meticulously sprinkled with delight and joyful banter, podcasts are remarkably engaging. On the listener’s behalf, podcasts require minimal effort to engage with. Unlike blog posts that need to be read or videos that need to be watched, podcasts can be listened to on the go. Consequently, it is safe to say that create a podcast app is a beneficial medium for businesses.

In the past few years, the number of podcast listeners has shot up significantly. According to Statista, in 2018, the number of weekly podcast listeners was 48 million. And this number is anticipated to reach 115 million by 2021. Additionally, the international podcasting market was valued at $9.28 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 27.5% between 2020 and 2027, quickly amassing $60.5 billion.

And because of this seismic growth, several companies are rushing to launch their podcast mobile apps and take advantage of the momentum. Many podcast startups are devising new and innovative features to provide their listeners with a better listening experience.

If you, too, are interested in developing your podcast mobile app, this post is for you. Here, we will look at the various aspects of building a feature-rich podcast mobile app. We will also look at the top podcast apps in the market, the must-have features of developing a podcast app, and its associated cost of development. So, let’s get started.

What Is A Podcast App?

A podcast is essentially an episodic series of digital audio files that can be downloaded or live streamed and listened to. Anyone and everyone can create a podcast these days. Several podcasts exist from individuals, radio networks, TV networks, companies, storytellers, new-podcast-only networks, etc.

There is no set or pre-determined length, style, format, or production style of podcasts. You can simply create a podcast by talking about things that interest you. What’s best about podcasts is that they are relatively cheap and easy to produce. And their popularity is growing by the day.

Voice Content Credibility Over Visual Content

Indubitably, the most significant benefit of podcasts is that it serves as a substitute for video content.

Although videos are an excellent medium to communicate with people and convey your ideas to them, many do not feel entirely comfortable creating videos. Generating videos is an art that requires the right lighting effects, background setup, shooting equipment, etc. Without all these things in place, one may end up with a poorly recorded video. And this, in turn, may adversely impact the brand reputation.

Alternatively, in the case of podcasts, there are no such requirements. All you need is a good script to get started. Besides, podcasts may be a one-way call, but they help develop a healthy and interactive relationship with the listeners. Often, listeners feel attached to a certain voice, story, or concept and develop a constant bonding with the speaker.

Types Of Podcast Apps

1. Storytelling Podcasts

Storytelling podcasts are the ones that narrate stories based on fictional or non-fictional events using audio clips. These podcasts are highly engaging as they grip the listeners from the very start. However, they are slightly tricky to master.
Journalists and media correspondents immensely use storytelling podcasts to narrate an event or reveal essential information on different subjects.

2. Hybrid Podcasts

Hybrid podcasts are those that have the same host or anchor throughout the episodes in a series. However, each episode features a different guest speaker.

Such podcasts are typically used to record interviews or panel discussions. The episode begins with a little commentary or monologue made by the host, followed by interactive and in-depth conversations with the guest.

3. Interviews Or Panel Discussions

As the name suggests, these types of podcasts are meant for interviews and panel discussions. Typically, they are hosted by a fixed anchor who interviews either a single or many guests simultaneously.

The podcast offers the listeners a variety of viewpoints. It is an excellent platform for hosting political debates as they keep the listeners engaged throughout.

4. Repurposed Content

A lot of listeners nowadays prefer podcasts with repurposed content. This comprises interviews with celebrities, seminars, workshops, etc. These podcasts are quite informative and help to enhance the listener’s knowledge about things.

Podcast / Audio Streaming Market Size & Stats

Podcasts are rising in prominence, and for a good reason. Owing to their user-friendliness and easy nature, they are quickly becoming a preferred way of communicating with the audiences. To prove the point, we will look at some impressive statistics.

• The podcast industry is growing at an exceptionally fast pace. In 2018, the industry generated around $479 million in revenue and was on track to yield over $1 billion by the end of this year.
• The mounting interest in the podcast medium can be witnessed in the worldwide number of podcast listeners. In 2020, there were around 485 million listeners worldwide. And this number is anticipated to reach 800 million by 2025.
• Taking note of this growth, Spotify recently spent $600 million on several podcast-related acquisitions. It acquired content studios like Gimlet Media and Parcast, along with a creation app called Anchor.

It is also worth mentioning that podcasts are predominantly popular among younger age groups. For instance, in the US, about 44% of the listeners are aged between 26 and 35. At the same time, only 22% of the listeners in the US are above the age of 56. Quite similar statistics can be observed in many other countries like United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany.

Top Podcast Mobile Apps In The Market

The word ‘Podcast’ was first mentioned in 2004 when Apple added the incredible podcasting feature to iTunes. Ever since, the concept has been on the rise, until recently, when it just exploded in popularity. The Covid-driven lockdown increased the rate of new podcasting entrants.

Here, we will look at some of the top podcast mobile apps often used as a reference point by media app development agencies while building a podcast mobile app.

1. Spotify Podcast

Although Spotify is primarily a music streaming service, it also offers podcasts, including many exclusive titles. You can opt for Spotify’s Premium account to enjoy ad-free listening at $10 a month. It is only when you have a Premium account that you can download Spotify podcasts.

If you like any podcast, you can follow it from your Spotify app. Also, you can add your chosen audio files to your queue and listen to them at any time. Spotify is compatible with all Alexa-supported devices.

2. Google Podcast

Google Podcasts enable the users to find out the best shows based on their preferred genre and trending. The app has an attractive user interface and is easy to use. You can easily subscribe to shows and download them for listening offline.

There are also several other options like 30-second fast-forward, a 10-second rewind, and a sleep timer.

3. SoundCloud

Typically, SoundCloud is an audio-streaming platform. But it also offers hundreds of podcasts on different genres.

Additionally, SoundCloud is a social platform that enables users to connect with artists and other fellow listeners directly. They can share what they like and create curated playlists for every occasion.

4. Stitcher Podcast

Stitcher is another popular podcast application that offers a curated collection of playlists for each taste. There are also many original shows that are exclusive to Stitcher’s ad-free premium subscription plan.

One of the best features of this app is that it comes with an array of playback options. The users can also skip episodes, fast-forward times, and even set a sleep timer.

5. Audible Podcast

Primarily, Audible is a selection of audiobooks. However, the platform also offers many podcasts, including some exclusive titles. You can easily find a lot of content on categories like tech, food, comedy, relationships, travel, etc.

One of the most user-friendly platforms, the Audible podcast app, allows for offline listening. It also works seamlessly with all of Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices.

6. Pandora Podcast

Pandora has a vast selection of audio libraries that includes thousands of shows and episodes. These shows span various genres, such as comedy, music, sports, crime, fiction, etc.

All the Pandora podcast app subscribers, accessible, Plus, and Premium, can access the podcasts. The Premium users can add these podcasts to their collection and listen whenever they want.

Steps To Create A Podcast For Your Business

• • Choose a relevant topic according to your niche.
  • Choose a co-host for your podcast; anyone from your friend, business partner, or co-worker can be your podcast guest
  • Choose an interactive eye-catchy name for your podcast, e.g., WTF With Marc Maron, The Talk Show with John Gruber, TWO IRISH GUYS DISCUSSING SOFTWARE. etc
  • Structure and design your podcast
  • Create an attractive cover for your podcast
  • Preparing a professional intro can give an excellent start to your podcast.
  • It would be best if you chose good intro music for your podcast.
  • Get a good quality microphone.
  • Discuss and plan all the strategies with your podcast host.
  • Choose good recording and editing tools to record and edit your podcast effectively and efficiently

Best 6 Recording & Editing Tools For Your Podcast

1. GarageBand
2. Audacity
3. Power Sound Editor
4. Music Maker
5. Studio One
6. WavePad

Best 6 Hosting Platforms For Your Podcast

1. Buzzsprout
2. Anchor
3. Spreaker
4. Podbean
5. Acast
6. Podomatic

• • • Create an account and start uploading your podcast episode
    • Add an attractive title and description to your podcast
    • Add a link to your website and social profiles
    • Submit your podcast and wait till its approval
    • When your podcast is live, start sharing your podcast.

Where Can You Share Your Podcast?

• • • Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Snapchat, Reddit, etc
    • You can share your podcast with different communities like discord servers forum etc
    • You can share it with the help of your youtube channels.

Post-Launch Steps For A Podcasting Business

• • • Hire an experienced mobile app development company or website development company that has experienced web and app developers.
    • Create your own podcast app or podcast website
    • Design your podcast app and website according to your business need
    • Start posting your podcast episode to your own platform
    • Make your podcast app or website Seo friendly

Monetization Opportunities For Podcast Mobile App

1. Premium Subscription

The users of your podcast app can choose to opt for a premium monthly subscription. With this, the users not just get access to ad-free content but also some finest audiobooks.

It is important to note that there are several free podcast apps available on the market. Therefore, you must opt for this revenue model only if you feel that your content is unique and exclusive to the listeners.

2. Sell Advertisement (Voice, Banners, etc.)

This is one of the best ways to monetize the app and generate a steady stream of income. You can showcase images, banners, or brand videos in your podcast app from relevant advertising businesses in exchange for a predetermined fee.

Key Features Of Podcast Mobile App

1. User Profile Dashboard

The user profile includes various tabs such as account details, setting, downloaded podcasts, listening statistics, and much more.

2. Podcast Recorder & Editor

This lets the users record and edit their podcasts and share them with other fellow app users.

3. Basic Voice Editing Tools

The podcast app should offer a complete set of basic voice editing controls. This includes recording from a microphone, copying and pasting audio notes, deleting audio from the timeline, selecting audio on a waveform, etc.

4. Social Login & Signup

The signup process should be easy for new users. It is imperative to add a social login option to quickly sign up using any of their existing social media accounts.

4. User Behavior Tracking

With this feature, the app admin can track, collect, and analyze qualitative and quantitative user data. He can further use this information to send personalized recommendations to each user and keep them engaged.

5. Voice Command Access

With this feature, the users can easily and quickly access their chosen audio files through voice commands.

6. Distribution To Podcast Libraries

This feature allows you to reach thousands of potential listeners by listing your podcast across various libraries. For instance, you can distribute your podcast to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, iHeartRadio, Castro, and more.

7. Loyalty Programs

A robust loyalty program is a great way to make your users stick around. You can entice the loyal users of your podcast app by rewarding them with special offers or free access to premium audiobooks.

8. CRM System

A customer relationship management system enables the app admin to manage user profiles and streamline user interactions. It helps to enhance customer relationships, and in turn, increase customer lifetime value.

9. CMS For Blogging

A content management system allows the app owner to create, modify, and manage all the content published on the app.

10. Real-Time Analytics

This is a significant feature that enables the admin to track the app performance by analyzing key metrics. For instance, he can find insights about the new user, top-rated podcasts, total number of downloads over time, etc., and use these to make significant data-driven decisions.

11. Promotion Tools

Leveraging various marketing and promotion tools like emails, text messages, calls, etc., the app owner can significantly boost the app engagement rate.

Podcast Commercial Use Cases & Benefits

In the past few years, the use of podcasts within business enterprises has substantially grown. There are many different ways these enterprises are leveraging private podcasts to engage with their diverse workforces. Here are a few use cases for the same:

• • • Employee onboarding
    • Employee training
    • Corporate communication and business updates
    • Sexual harassment training
    • Sales enablement
    • Employee engagement
    • Product updates
    • Management communication
    • Information about internal meetings
    • Sharing motivational brand stories
    • Sharing daily updates
    • Employee-generated content
    • Promoting diversity in the workplace & much more

Moving on, personal podcasts are proving to be immensely beneficial for the internal communications of an organization. Some of the many reasons to invest in personal podcasting for your company are as follows:

• • • It helps to make the internal communications much more engaging and frictionless.
    • It helps to reach the non-desk workers in time and convey essential announcements.
    • When working with a global team, personal podcasts help to bridge time zones and engage with the workforce on their exclusive schedule.
    • It helps to enhance knowledge sharing within an organization.
    • Podcasts are much more effective than text in improving retention and sales learning.

Private podcasts can boost your sales outcomes and make a real difference to your company’s bottom line.

Tech-Stack For Developing Podcast App

How Much Does It Cost To Develop A Podcast Mobile App?

Several factors help to determine the overall cost of podcast audio app development. Some of the most significant ones are as follows:

• • • Choice of the platform
      Depending on your platform for your podcast apps, such as iOS or Android, the app development cost varies.
    • Development tenure
      The number of hours taken to complete the app development directly impacts its cost.
    • In-app features and functionalities
      The more advanced features you add to your app, the higher will be the development cost.
    • Technology stack
      If you choose to develop SDKs and APIs from scratch, the cost of development will rise, unlike if you use third-party integrations.
    • App UI/UX
      An app design that displays multiple podcasts will cost more than a minimal design.

With all these factors above in mind, the cost of developing a mobile podcast app with essential features and functionalities should cost around $20,000 to $25,000. However, an app developed with advanced features and for all platforms may cost about $40,000 to $50,000.

Wrapping Up

Nowadays, podcasts are in great demand. A lot of people prefer using them over videos as they can be engaged on the go. They are also anticipated to be a massive trend in the upcoming years.
Consequently, several startups are investing in podcast mobile app development to set up a steady source of revenue. If you are interested in the same, the best time is now. You must get in touch with a reputed mobile app development company to get your hands on a fully customized and feature-packed podcast app today.