In 2018, 26% of Americans 12 or older listened to podcasts monthly, compared to 41% in 2021 which is almost a 2x growth. The first form of electronic mass entertainment came to us in the form of radio shows. But with growing technology and industrialization we saw entertainment in the form of television, movies & eventually online streaming services. The convenience of a streaming service is hard to beat yet there are people who love the art of storytelling without the visual cues. So what could be created for them? The answer was podcasts!
Can be produced by a studio or from the comfort of your own home by amateur podcast artists, podcasts give everyone a new way to discover & consume content.
WHAT ARE PODCAST APPS?
The convenience of streaming apps and the ease of the radio, all rolled into one, podcast apps allow you to save, stream and follow your favorite podcast channels and artists. The most popular examples of these apps include Podbean, Spotify, Google Podcasts & Apple Podcasts.
You can create your own playlists, follow your favorite studio, channel and/or artists and browse through different genres like you would on Netflix or Prime. The most popular genre so far has been comedy, especially since many comics turned to podcasts & videos since the beginning of the pandemic. True crime, mythology, fiction, etc have also found a good place. Hulu’s latest hit show Only Murders In The Building is based on an amateur True Crime Podcast.
Hulu’s latest hit show Only Murders In The Building is based on an amateur True Crime Podcast.
FEATURES OF PODCAST APPS
A podcast app has features very similar to that of any other streaming app with a few additional features that are meant to enhance the audio experience. The podcast experience is mostly split between two sets of users- listeners & publishers.
THE TOP FEATURES FOR LISTENERS INCLUDE:
Subscribe to podcasts This allows you to follow & stay updated with new episodes as they are released.
Download episodes This feature helps in offline listening especially when the user is traveling in areas of spotty connectivity.
Genre & language selection With the multitude of genres and languages that podcasts are available in, a user can select their preferences & get suggestions based on those.
Playlist creation This allows the user to keep and maintain their own playlists as per their convenience & preference.
Mark favorites When a user marks an episode or channel as their favorite, it helps them to find it faster in case they need to find it again.
Audio enhancements One can fix basic adjustments like volume, bass, stereo/mono sound, etc as per their preferences within the app for an optimum experience.
Vote or like episodes This can help the algorithm predict better suggestions as per the user’s history and like or dislike for episodes already heard.
THE TOP FEATURES FOR PUBLISHERS INCLUDE:
Easy publishing & listing Publishing a podcast shouldn’t be a complicated task and it should be as simple as uploading & tagging a file from your mobile.
Unlimited hosting shouldn’t be restricted to the number of minutes or episodes that one can have on the platform.
Scheduled posting Artists should be able to schedule releases as per tier requirements without having to manually do it.
Live streams The option to host live podcasts, interviews, etc should be there to allow for more real-time engagement with the audience.
Monetization modules A variety of monetization modules should be made available to the artists so that they can choose the best possible way for them to monetize their channel(s).
Promote/advertise Artists & studios should be given a feature to advertise or promote their channel or episodes so that they can be discovered by new audiences.
IoT integration The app should allow for podcasts to be played across devices and not just mobiles or laptops. Google Home, Alexa, Siri, etc support should be available in the app.
User statistics There’s no growth until you understand what your audience wants. Thus, it’s important that the artist can access and understand the behavior of their audience to create better content for them.
THE PROCESS TO CREATE YOUR OWN PODCAST APP
There are many crucial steps involved when creating an app. Below are the major milestones you’ll need to cover when working on creating your own Podcast App. In case, you need a detailed overview you can check out our guide to get started on your own app and the key mistakes to avoid.
- Narrow down the goal & USPs of your Podcast app
- Do a thorough competitor analysis
- Set an app development budget after research
- Shortlist an app development company that has end-to-end services
- Work on a Minimum Viable Product that’s suitable for all stakeholders
- Choose and work on a suitable monetization module
- Test and do quality assurance at every stage
- Ensure adequate branding across the app
- Launch and continue testing for growth
Like every other app that is created, a podcast app also has multiple stakeholders who need to be considered when creating the app. One should give importance to things like the UI/UX or technology being used for the best possible user experience & loyalty. For end-to-end expert mobile app development solutions, you can reach out to us at Valere, and for an estimate of the budget, you can use our App Development Cost Calculator.
Valere is an award-winning software development agency that has built over 300 top-rated applications for startups and Fortune 500 companies in all verticals like healthcare, finance, sports, fitness, education, and more. Their apps have been featured by the New York Times, and have been consistently recognized as Apple App Store’s top featured apps, TechRadar, and Google Play Store’s top featured apps! Schedule a call with us today to learn how we can help your team create the perfect software or application that can Accelerate Your Business Goals!
