Storytelling podcasts are some of the best ways to keep yourself entertained during downtime, long car rides, or when you’re in desperate need to escape the real world. They’re easy to find, too. Just use your favorite podcast app, like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify, and get started.
Although there are many great shows to choose from in every podcast library, a handful stands out.
Look at our list of the best story podcasts for grabbing and keeping the attention of all types of audiences interested in various genres.
Best Story Podcasts
There is a lot of interest in storytelling podcasts these days; they’re great for hearing interesting tales in bite-sized pieces.
If you are new to the world of podcasts, the list below provides titles that will have you binging from start to finish and then craving more.
Myths and Legends: The Best Podcast About Folklore
Myths and Legends has around 400 episodes based on folklore from around the world. Tune in every Wednesday to hear new and exciting stories about topics you can only dream about.
Most shows tell stories based on folklore that impacted our upbringing and culture. From Vikings and dragons to wizards and magic worlds, these stories will keep you in suspense from start to finish.
Serial: The Best True Story Podcast
Serial is one of the most famous story podcasts in the industry, thanks to the notable coverage of the infamous Adnan Syed Hae Min Lee murder case they covered back in 2014. While this was the first podcast covered by the New York Times podcast, it isn’t the only one.
Sarah Koenig hosts all three Serial seasons, each telling a long-form true story that dives deep into a case with many twists and turns in every episode. Here you will access the information you never heard before into cases that aren’t widely discussed, allowing you to form your own educated opinion.
Sleep With Me: The Best Adult Bedtime Story Podcast
Typically, podcasters do not want the audience to fall asleep while listening to their show. However, Drew Ackerman created his episodes specifically for that reason.
Each Sleep With Me episode is made to help those with insomnia fall asleep to a relaxing, funny, and unique story based on experiences from the narrator’s life.
Drew’s primary goal is to provide a little company and comfort to those who simply can’t fall asleep.
Welcome to Night Vale: The Best Audio Drama Podcast
Two times a month, you can tune into this ongoing radio show audio drama podcast to get updates on a fictional town called Night Vale.
Each episode of this fiction podcast reports on all the strange things in this small town. You will hear paranormal activity, horror, mystery, and magic stories.
You can pick up from anywhere and catch on in no time, or you can start from episode one and binge over 200 episodes in this series.
You Must Remember This: The Best Film Podcast
Professional journalist Karina Longworth launched her first episode of You Must Remember This in 2014. She has since won several awards and has been mentioned in prestigious publications as the best film podcast of all time.
This podcast is well-written and thoughtfully researched to give listeners a tale of Hollywood’s biggest stars’ lives, legacies, and even lies.
RISK!: The Best Embarrassingly True Story Podcast
RISK! is a hilarious yet jaw-dropping podcast that tells embarrassing stories most people would never share with even their closest friends.
Each RISK! episode offers a cringe-worthy tale the audience can laugh, cry, and joke about later.
Host and professional comedian Kevin Alison has a way of getting the most remarkable things out of people for the entertainment of others, uncensored and unapologetic.
Up and Vanished: The Best Investigation Story-Telling Podcast
Up and Vanished is hosted by filmmaker Payne Lindsey, who started his journey in the storytelling world while seeking information on a missing woman in an 11-year-old unsolved murder.
Since the Tara Grinsted series, Payne has gone on to tell other stories that are just as interesting and frustrating, engaging the audience with interviews, police reports, and Q&As.
Payne puts himself right in the middle of each case, traveling to where the story happened, allowing the listeners to get first-hand experience as amateur investigators in true crime cases.
Little Stories for Tiny People: The Best Story Podcast for Kids
Little Stories for Tiny People offers parents nearly 30 minutes of free time during the evening routine. This storytelling podcast features traditional bedtime stories narrated by host Rhea Pechter, who knows how to relate to little ones.
While these stories are often used at bedtime, they can be listened to whenever your child wants to hear an engaging and whimsical book they can choose themselves.
Little Stories for Tiny People is one of the best podcasts for kids, which is a great asset in an industry primarily designed for adults.
Crimetown: The Best True Crime Podcast for Big Crime Stories
Crimetown is one of the best true crime podcasts and tells a true crime story from different cities in the US.
In this podcast, you will hear true crime stories about police corruption, unsolved murders, organized crime, heists, honest mobsters, and much more.
This nail-biting investigative series from Gimlet Media will have the true crime obsessed on the edge of their seats throughout every episode.
The NoSleep Podcast: The Best Scary Story Podcast
The NoSleep Podcast has been airing episodes for more than ten years with stories of spooky experiences from those who witnessed it first-hand.
This storytelling podcast has a team of voice actors, music, and sound effects that set the mood and terrifying tales that will keep you up all night.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, you need a good story to keep you from getting lost in the daily grind. With a great list of the best story podcasts available today, there is something for everyone.
No matter what genres you are into, hopefully, one of the above titles will pique your interest and keep you entertained.
