Podcasting Guides & Resources - Podcast Insights®

Best Podcast Directories To Help You Get More Listeners 📈

By Ross Winn

Updated April 7, 2021

Disclosure: Links to other sites may be affiliate links that generate us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

So you’ve created your podcast, but you’re only getting a few listeners. How can you get more? One of the most important steps to increase your podcast’s reach is to distribute it to additional places that people are listening from or places where people are looking for podcasts to listen to.

The most popular place to distribute your podcast is Apple Podcasts, but there are several other large sites that can get you a lot more listeners. There are also podcast directories that you can submit your podcast to so you can be found more easily.

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Many podcast listening apps and directories automatically update from the iTunes API as well, so you may find your podcast listed on sites without submitting.

To be clear, these are not places where you host your podcast. These sites just read an RSS feed that is created automatically by your website or podcast host. Check out the best podcast hosts for sites that store your actual audio files.

Need your own website? Learn how to start a WordPress blog and check out the best WordPress hosting companies.

Let’s start with the “big 5” and then we’ll list other popular directories and sites to get found on…

2021 Podcast Stats & Facts (New Research From Apr 2021)

By Ross Winn

Updated December 28, 2021

Disclosure: Links to other sites may be affiliate links that generate us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Updated stats: Edison Research Infinite Dial 2020 released March 19th, 2020. Q1 2018 report from Nielsen came out March 20, 2018. Total number of podcasts & episodes on Apple Podcasts updated April 2021.

As new stats and reports come out, this post will be updated with the latest info on the podcast listener landscape.

There is both an infographic (with embed code) and a Pinterest image for your sharing needs as well!

Also, a common question is “how many podcasts are there?” and most of the data out there is outdated, but we have an accurate method for determining the number of shows – and it’s currently over 2,000,000.

There are also over 48 million episodes as of April 2021.

To highlight the growth, Apple confirmed there were over 550,000 podcasts at WWDC 2018 in early June.

An article published April 25, 2018, by FastCompany states there are:

Over 525,000 active shows and over 18.5 million episodes

And an article by Variety back in Feb 2018 said:

Apple Podcasts … features more than 500,000 active podcasts, including content in more than 100 languages.

It’s no surprise that those numbers are climbing daily.

Want to start your own podcast? Check out some of the best podcast hosting companies and our guide to starting a podcast. Then take it to the next level by starting a WordPress blog using one of the best WordPress hosting sites.

If you’re looking for podcast stats & analytics for your podcast, check out Blubrry Statistics here.

Best Podcast Equipment (For Beginners & Pros)

By Ross Winn

Updated April 7, 2021

Disclosure: Links to other sites may be affiliate links that generate us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Podcast recording equipment can be confusing to wade through and choose if you’re just starting out. There is a lot of podcast gear you can get but that doesn’t mean you need to get it all – and you can always expand your list of podcast equipment over time.

We are going to highlight the audio recording equipment you will need, as well as some things you may want to get later as you get more serious to really build out a complete podcast studio. There are separate posts about many of these individual items, so feel free to check out those posts for more in-depth info (there will be a link in the respective sections).

The essential podcast equipment you will need in 2024 are:

A computer
A microphone

…they are the first two items listed below.

If you have multiple people recording together, you will want to avoid USB mics, which means you’ll also need an audio interface or mixer to hook up multiple XLR microphones.

Also, take a look at the podcasting starter kit for more specific equipment recommendations depending on the number of hosts you have. There are lower-budget options for beginners, along with upgrades for intermediate and pro levels.

The Best Podcast Starter Kit (For 1, 2, 3 & 4+ Hosts)

By Ross Winn

Updated August 25, 2021

Disclosure: Links to other sites may be affiliate links that generate us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Ready to start a podcast?

Audio quality is clearly one of the most important factors – and for that, you’ll need a good microphone.

As you add more people, you will need some additional gear to get everything hooked up and recorded on your computer. It’s not complicated – and I’ll tell you exactly what you need to get started.

I’ll give a lower budget (but quality) recommendation and some suggested upgrade options as well.

2019 Podcasting Conferences & Events You Need To Attend

By Ross Winn

Updated October 11, 2021

Disclosure: Links to other sites may be affiliate links that generate us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Podcasting is exploding, and with it, more events and conferences that feature your favorite podcasters, a place to meet and network with other podcasters, and a place to learn. We’ve put together a list of the top podcasting conferences and events so you can easily find one to attend.

They will be in chronological order and we’ll try to include upcoming dates and locations whenever possible. Let me know in the comments if any are missing!

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It’ll be in Orlando from Aug 13-16, 2019 this year.

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Be sure to use promo code INSIGHTS for $30 off!

P.S. Let me know you registered and let’s chat – I’d love to connect in person!

Featured Podcasting Tools For:

Podcast Hosting

Buzzsprout

Web Hosting

Bluehost

Podcast Music

PremiumBeat

Remote Recording

Iris

Best Podcast Directories To Help You Get More Listeners 📈

2021 Podcast Stats & Facts (New Research From Apr 2021)

Best Podcast Equipment (For Beginners & Pros)

The Best Podcast Starter Kit (For 1, 2, 3 & 4+ Hosts)

2019 Podcasting Conferences & Events You Need To Attend