Unsubscribing from “Subscribe”

In an effort to acquire more listeners, Apple Podcasts is ditching the word “subscribe” — in favor of the word “follow” — when asking people to download their podcasts. While this might not seem like a big deal, industry analysts feel this seemingly simple change in nomenclature will drastically change the podcast industry.

Subscription fatigue

By moving away from “subscribe,” Apple will change consumers’ perceptions about podcasts for the better. A study conducted by Edison Research revealed that 47% of people who do not listen to podcasts think that “subscribing” will cost them money. That’s a key reason they aren’t listening even though “subscribing” actually means the podcasts will be downloaded for free.

Luckily, Apple is listening to consumers. It will make the change from “subscribe” to “follow” within the next few weeks. Soon, it will be abundantly clear that there is no payment required to listen to podcasts. Apple isn’t the only podcast app unsubscribing to “subscribe.” Spotify, Audible and Stitcher all now use the word “follow,” too.

Why the change?

The fact that a subset of consumers are reluctant to pay for podcasts underscores subscription fatigue. This began to emerge after the onslaught of subscription services that came into the market over the past several years.

According to Deloitte, 47% of US consumers are unhappy with the growing number of subscription services out there in the market. They feel like they have enough and they don’t want more.

Subscription management

So what’s a subscription-fatigued, money-saving consumer to do? Take stock of what you have. If you feel you have an overabundance of video streaming services, decide what you can’t live without and consider discarding the rest.

The costs of multiple services add up really quickly and people tend to forget what they have. In fact, 81% of Americans underestimate how much they are paying for subscriptions. Many of the streaming services even have a live TV option, such as Hulu + Live TV, which can be much less expensive than cable.

We’re here to help

For consumers who are overwhelmed by subscriptions and want to cut back on spending, hiring a subscription canceling service is a great option. Billshark will cancel your monthly subscriptions for you, so you don’t have to deal with the hassle.

In some cases, we will even get you refunds for unused services. And when you’re ready to cancel cable, Billshark can help with that, too! Regardless of whether you are a podcast follower or a streaming subscriber, there are subscription management options out there for everyone that don’t have to break the bank.

Source: podnews.com