How to Subscribe to Podcasts using iTunes 8

This article shows you how to subscribe to podcasts using iTunes 8. You'll learn how to browse for podcasts that interest you and how to subscribe to them. In another article I'll show you how to manage them.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• iTunes 8
• iTunes Account

1. 
    
   iTunes Store Selection

   Open iTunes and look for the iTunes Store selection under the Store menu on the left hand side.

2. 
    
   Select Podcats Options

   From the home page, select the Podcasts options.

3. 
    
   Select Technology Podcasts

   You can browse the Podcasts page and click on a podcast selection to read about it, but in this step we will select from a category. I like Technology podcasts, so under the Categories menu select Technology (note that I cropped out most of the categories so that we can easily see the one we're selecting).

4. 
    
   Select a Podcast

   Under featured podcasts in the center of the page look to see what you like. I love listening to Leo Laport, so select This Week in Tech (TWiT).

5. 
    
   Subscribe

   On the TWiT page there is a subscribe button next to the TWiT image. Click on it to subscribe.

6. 
    
   Alternative Browse and Select Podcast Episodes

   Alternatively you could brows specific episodes which are listed beneath the podcast description. This is a good way to try it before you subscribe. But since most podcasts are free it doesn't hurt to subscribe because you can always unsubscribe.

7. 
    
   Select Podcasts Library

   After you subscribe, iTunes will download the latest podcast for you. To see it, let's go to your Podcasts library by selecting on the left hand side the Podcasts option under the Library menu.

8. 
    
   Set List View

   Make sure that your library is displayed in the List View mode. On the upper right corner you will see a selection of views, choose List view.

9. 
    
   Examine Subscription

   Lastly, examine your new subscription. Just double click on a downloaded podcast and enjoy.

Tips & Warnings

• Always make sure you have the most up-to-date version of iTunes. It's free.
• If you are looking for free podcasts (and it seems that most of them are), make sure that in the description of the podcast it indicates that it is free. See Step 5.

Resources

• iTunes 8 Download

[RENorton]

on 10/8/2008 Excellent article. Very well-written and informative. Thanks for the tips.

[tjclancy]

on 10/7/2008 Thanks! I read some of your, too, and they were very helpful. Thank you.

[Alisiane]

on 10/7/2008 I tend to be 8 months beyond whatever technological trends are hot, but once I figured out how to do this, I was hooked. It seems like there's an Itunes update every other day, but it always seems to be an update for the better so it's hard to complain.

Good helpful info here! :-)