Why listen to podcasts?

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Although everybody seems to listen to podcasts these days, some people do not, and I've found myself explaining several times why I choose to listen to them (as opposed to just listening to music or audiobooks). This post is essentially my stock response.

My overall pitch for podcasts is basically opportunity cost: if you have some downtime that you can't fill with something else (eg while brushing your teeth), and have the mental energy to listen to something, podcasts can be an interesting way to make productive use of this time.

Importantly, I won't recommend listening to just any podcast. I'm sure there are many bad podcasts out there. However, the podcasts which I enjoy all have some commonalities:

  • They sound like a conversation between two people; it's like listening in on an interesting conversation.
  • The people in the conversation are either people who I respect/admire, or people who I would never normally talk to.
  • I can tune in and out, it doesn't need 100% of my attention. If I miss a point then it's ok.
  • It consumes <80% of my mental energy, so I can listen to the podcast while doing something else (eg cooking, running)

Here are a couple of my favourite podcasts and a blurb about why I like them:

  • Conversations with Tyler: First, Tyler interviews a wide range of guests who all tend to have smart things to say, so basically every podcast is an opportunity to hear from an interesting person who I would never normally seek out independently. Second, Tyler usually knows a good amount about whatever subject his guest is an expert in, and he just asks about things he doesn't know. It often makes the conversation hard to follow, but not so hard that I get nothing out of it. The podcast feels like listening to a conversation between two experts, but one that you can at least follow (even if it is just because he abruptly jumps to the next question).
  • Acquired: basically two friends telling a story of a company. Feels like listening to a good friend tell a story at a bar (albeit a long story).
  • Complex systems (Patrick McKenzie): he tells stories about tech/finance in sarcastically funny ways (makes boring topics interesting). His podcasts are short enough that I don't lose interest.

So, if you aren't already a podcast listener, I think you should give it a try!