Why I Built Podcast Later: A Modern Instapaper Alternative

Hello, Michael here. I'm the founder of Podcast Later. I want to introduce our service by talking to you personally about why I built it.

You see, for most of my career, I've worked in industries and fields that have required me to stay on top of the latest information and do a bunch of self-study and self-learning. I spent time in grad school as a math PhD student. I've spent 25 years writing software where the landscape is ever-changing. And 10 years as a podcaster where every week and every episode is a brand new research topic.

The one constant here is that consistent reading and study is a competitive advantage. When you take the time and spend as little as 15 to 30 minutes a day reading and learning something new relevant to your craft, it adds up incredibly over time, like compounding interest. But everyone is busy, and we live in a world of distractions, unlike previous generations. Services such as Instapaper, Pocket, and other "read it later" apps do help organize and prioritize reading. But it's still a zero-sum game with taking time to read in these apps competing with everything else in your life.

Podcasts exist in a different slice of your time and attention. You sit down and read at work or in the evening in a comfy chair. But podcasting fits in when your body is busy, but your mind is free. Many people listen to podcasts on the train, commuting in their car, waiting at the bus stop, doing dishes, mowing lawns, taking the dog for a walk, and many other situations. Podcasts are ideal where reading is not viable, but paying attention to spoken word is. Many people feel like they can't spare 30 minutes to sit and read in their life. But they certainly have 30-minute segments such as these where podcasts work.

I built Podcast Later to create a single-click workflow that allows you to push one button in your web browser as you discover research papers, articles, and posts you need to read. Within a few minutes, audio versions will automatically be downloaded to your phone or tablet or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can listen to your article spoken by several of our lifelike narrators whenever you have those moments of downtime or need a break from what you're doing.

Because we offer you a private podcast feed rather than an app, there's nothing to install, and your audio-based articles work wherever your podcast player integrates. This is on your phone, of course, but on your watch. Certainly, in your car, if you have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and in other places,

That's why I built Podcast Later: To create an entirely new space to allow you to apply the compounding interest of reading and self-study while you're on the go and busy doing other things.

Thank you for your interest in our new service. You can check out the FAQ, which has comprehensive answers and an audio version. Or jump straight to our Getting Started Guide to try it for yourself.