Podcasts We Like

Earlier this month, Spotify signaled their designs to get into podcasting by purchasing Gimlet Media (producer of the popular Start Up and the original Homecoming that Amazon adapted into critical success with Julie Roberts) and Anchor, a maker of popular podcast creation tools. They’re on to something.

More than 1 in 5 Utah adults now regularly listen to a podcast, up from just 1 in 10 a couple years ago. Many Utahns are currently transfixed by the bizarre true-crime podcast Cold, which is 14 episodes into the local story of the Susan Powell disappearance. Cold is riding the true-crime wave popularized by Netflix and is now at #13 on the Apple Podcast charts.

We’re no strangers to podcasting either. We recently launched season 2 of Make the Podcast Bigger, our very own podcast that seeks to showcase the incredible marketing talent along the Wasatch Front.

While you’re listening to our show, also check out our staff selections.

  1. This American Life – the original Podfather Ira Glass continues to be an amazing storyteller and curator.
  2. S-Town – there’s definitely TAL DNA in this investigative journalism podcast. Proves that real life is always stranger than fiction
  3. Reply All – it’s a self-described “show about the Internet”, but it’s always so much more than that. We love the recurring segments, “Super Tech Support” and “Yes Yes No” where the hosts deconstruct esoteric memes and other heavily coded digital slang
  4. My Favorite Murder – two funny (and delightfully profane) dames talking about murder mysteries both famous and obscure. They even did a live show in Salt Lake about the Salt Lake Library bomber.
  5. Sickboy Podcast – proves that any show can be entertaining, no matter the subject matter. In this case, illness and disease.
  6. How I Built This – NPR’s Guy Raz interviews company founders to get at the bottom of what made them successful. Always insightful and entertaining.
  7. Stuff You Should Know – even though 80% of the show is NOT about stuff you should know, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant have the best chemistry in podcasting. No wonder people will listen to any subject they discuss, even the Nielsen television rating point system!
  8. Song Exploder – if you’ve ever wondered how your favorite song came to be, this is the show. The ultra-cool and smart Hrishikesh Hirway is no longer the host, but the new hosts are more than capable. You’ll find everything from the Stranger Things and Halloween soundtracks to Rivers Cuomo admitting that he lets his insanely complicated spreadsheet dictate his song lyrics.
  9. Serial – because you gotta love Serial, right? The show that put podcasting on the map (and inspired a hilarious SNL parody) takes a decidedly different turn each season, but season 3’s foray into the criminal justice system was richly rewarding.
  10. Make the Podcast Bigger – okay, we’re totally biased but we like our own podcast and hope you will too. This week we’ll be sitting down with Jim Breitinger of Natural History Museum of Utah for a great conversation about event marketing, storytelling and how to stay strategic in museum planning and promotion.