The easiest way to understand what podcasts are is to think of them like radio shows on the Internet, but with 3 important advantages over traditional radio:
- You don’t have to be in range of a radio station to listen to your favorite podcast shows. No need to put up with static from a bad reception.
- You can listen to a podcast anywhere, anytime. Even on a plane after the stewardess has told everyone to put their phones on “airplane mode”.
- You can listen to current or past episodes anytime you’d like.
You can listen to podcasts on your computer or tablet, but the most convenient way to listen to podcasts is with a smartphone.
- On an iPhone, open the “Podcasts” app (if you don’t have it on your iPhone, go to the App Store to download it, or go to this link). Use the bottom tool bar to explore or search for the name of your favorite podcast.
- On an Android phone, go to the Google Play store, then search for “podcast”. You will see some Apps for podcasts – you will need to download and install one to explore and collect episodes of your favorite shows. I recommend Stitcher Radio for Podcasts (which is free) or Pocket Casts (a paid app, but it’s really worth it!)
If you really enjoy a particular show, be sure to subscribe so that you can automatically receive new episodes on your smartphone (or computer or tablet). If you really REALLY like that show, here are 3 ways show your support:
- Tell your friends about it.
- Share links to your favorite episodes by email or on sites like Facebook or Twitter.
- Post a review on iTunes 🙂
How To Subscribe To A Podcast Using An iPhone
Subscribing to a podcast with your podcast player app allows you to get the latest episodes of “A Musical Life” automatically downloaded into your smartphone. Although I’m focusing on using Apple’s Podcast app for an iPhone with this tutorial, the steps are pretty similar for any podcast player app on any smartphone.
- Look for the Podcast app and open it.
- Tap on the “search” icon along the bottom toolbar (A), then type in the name of the podcast you’re looking for in the top search bar (B). Scroll down to the list of podcasts below (C) and tap on the one you want to subscribe to.
- In the next screen, tap on the “Subscribe” button
- The button will gray out and show the word “Subscribed”.
How To Leave A Review
- Within the podcast view, tap on the middle “Reviews” button.
- Tap on a star to leave a rating (A) – the more stars you mark the better you think the quality of the podcast show (5 stars is the highest rating you can give). If you’d like to leave more detailed feedback or suggestions, tap to write a title and type in your descriptive review (B).
If you still need help setting up a podcast show on your smartphone or computer, feel free to email me at questions@amusicallife.com
