You, too? Here's why so many people are hosting podcasts.

This is NOT going where you may think it is. This post is not a sales pitch on why you (or your business) need to start a podcast to expand your reach and get in touch with your audience. This is not a PR Daily or WikiHow article on the basics of starting your podcast. And this is not (though I wish it were) a native advertising post sponsored by Anchor or Spotify.

Full disclosure: I use Anchor (which was recently acquired by Spotify) to podcast, and I love it. I recommend it to any- and everyone interested in starting a podcast. I only wish I were being paid to say that, but I don’t need to be. I’ll say it either way.

This post is actually about the origins of my first podcast and why I love podcasting so much.

I am not a long-time podcast listener, to be honest. I know some people who have listened to podcasts for what seems like decades. With the growth of digital music in the days of Napster, Rhapsody and early iTunes, podcasting took off as a widely consumed (but narrowly produced) form of entertainment. From large production names such as NPR to smaller, independent outlets, more companies started to launch podcasts as an alternative to radio and talk shows. Since, podcasts have only gotten more popular. From 2014 to 2017, monthly podcasts listeners increased from 41 million to 67 million respectively, and is expected to hit 132 million by 2022. That’s a significant increase, especially given that other forms of media consumption (such as TV and radio) are in sharp decline. Podcasts also serve an incredibly wide range of tastes. If you go on to any podcasts app (I recommend PocketCasts), under genre, you’ll find any genre you could think. Documentary, thriller, comedy, news, politics, religion and so many more, many with millions of listeners. Whether you’re looking for famed atheist Sam Harris or popular theologian Ravi Zacharias, or if you’re looking for libertarian, conservative or liberal political shows, or anything else. You can bet there is a podcast for it.

That’s incredibly exciting for people who love the audio medium. It’s easier than ever to consume and explore podcasts. And with large streaming services such as Spotify investing hundreds of millions into podcasting, you can bet it’s only going to get bigger.

With all this in mind, I decided last year to start my own podcast. After bouncing through a number of names and genre, my co-host and I decided on a general culture podcast that would be named Carpe Noctem (“seize the night” in Latin). It’s hosted at night, produced at night and geared specifically towards the late-night listeners (though, of course, it can be listened to at any time). We have weekly listeners and a social media audience. It’s very modest, and we’re far away from monetizing our presence. However, that’s not really why we do it. Truth be told, we do it because it’s fun. We enjoy the time we have, and we enjoy sharing and discussing a wide variety of ideas. It also helps us communicate better, even outside of the recording booth (which is usually my kitchen table). It is a project that helps us each build our portfolio and display our communication and critical thinking skills. That’s really all there is to it for us.

My interest in podcasting is also rooted in the impact podcasts have had on my life. One of the first podcasts I ever started listening to is the TED Radio Hour on NPR. While it’s broadcast weekly around the country on the local NPR stations, you can also find it on any podcast app. It takes popular TED Talks and explores them more deeply, and includes interviews with TED presenters and more. The concepts and ideas explored in the TED Radio Hour are awe-inspiring. The BBC Earth Podcast is a must for any nature-lover, or even any casual viewer of any nature documentaries. And of course, I can’t go more than a week without tuning into NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, the funniest news show ever created.

These podcasts have, in large and small ways, impacted me. It’s my goal to do the same with my own podcast. Some episodes are better than others, obviously. And that’s okay. It’s really just a fun thing to do. And it’s easier than you’d expect. As podcasts grow in popularity, the democratization of podcast production is currently underway courtesy of companies such as Anchor. So if you’re thinking about starting a podcast, what are you waiting for? It’s fun and it’s easy. It’s worth doing, even just trying.

While we’re on the topic, head over to my podcast and give it a listen. Subscribe on Anchor or anywhere you get your podcasts. Join in on the fun!