You’ve found erotic stories and scenes in books or movies tantalizing, but have you considered bringing similar inspo to your ears? Audio erotica, also called “audio porn,” has been booming in popularity in recent years, and seemingly for good reasons — from more pleasurable sex to a more imaginative alternative to visual porn.
Intrigued? Several experts spoke with DailyOM about audio erotica, from how it works and benefits you can anticipate to ways to invite a positive first experience.
How Erotica Went From Visual to Audio
Erotica has been around for centuries, with ancient visual depictions of sex carved into stones and sculptures around the world. The mid-1700s brought erotic fiction as we know it today, when John Cleland wrote what’s considered the first erotic novel, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (while serving prison time for debt in London!).
In recent years, the dawn of smartphones brought a pornography boom, putting explicit videos in users’ hands. Since then, the increasing popularity of apps — growing from 500 available apps when the first iPhone launched to over 7 million in 2023 — brought with it the newer trend of audio erotica: short, spicy stories designed to turn people on.
Audio erotica can deliver a variety of benefits, from increased arousal and a sense of novelty or adventure to a chance to explore fantasies you’re curious about. You might even have an easier time bringing up those fantasies to a partner or lover after listening.
Since 2018, when Dipsea launched its pioneering app, a range of audio erotica apps and websites have emerged. Another spike in interest came about with the COVID-19 pandemic, starting in early 2020, according to a report published by the audio erotica company Bloom. Duing this time, more people started turning to audio erotica as a form of self-care and sexual self-discovery amid lockdowns and social distancing.
Now a search for “audio erotica” in the Apple App Store draws up page after page of apps that titillate. Stories range from a few minutes to close to an hour in length, often landing around 10 to 25 minutes. Some even include tutorials on how to pleasure yourself or a partner, or instructions for syncing up your story with a sex toy so you can enjoy sultry buzz with characters while you listen. And the listening options don’t stop at apps.
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What Is Audio Erotica?
Audio erotica helps you get turned on and invite sexual pleasure by listening to an explicit scene or story. It’s also a tool that can help you explore your sexuality and desires, according to Jess Charlesworth, editorial director of Bloom. “Audio erotica is an intimate, immersive experience meant to give you the most personalized pleasure possible,” she tells DailyOM. “It's something that brings together your mind and body and lets you explore what turns you on in a safe and mindful way.”
Rachel Kramer Bussel, erotica author and editor of over 70 erotica anthologies, most of which are available as audiobooks, defines the medium more simply: “any piece of erotic prose or storytelling available in an audio format for people to listen to.” (In other words, erotic audiobooks fit the bill, not just apps.) Unlike reading written erotica stories, with audio you can get in some spicy multitasking as you listen. “I think it offers listeners a way to consume erotica and still do other things, such as masturbate or engage in sexual play with a partner,” Bussel says.
That’s one way audio erotica fans say it differs from visual porn. While you can watch erotic films and pleasure yourself at the same time, many find it difficult to focus on a screen and a partner simultaneously. So whether you use audio erotica alone or with a partner, you might find it easier to focus on pleasurable happenings with this medium, compared to visual porn.
How to Get Started With Audio Erotica
Audio erotica comes in several popular formats: stories in audiobook form, such as the anthologies Bussel edits; podcasts, like Rose Caraway’s The Kiss Me Quick’s Erotica Podcast; and websites and apps, such as Bloom and Dipsea.
Once you’ve chosen your format and a site or app that appeals to you, set aside a time when you can listen in private and give it a go.
While there’s no best way to go about listening to audio erotica, experts generally suggest easing into it. “We recommend starting out with episodes featuring topics you’re already comfortable with,” says Charlesworth, who pointed out that feeling a bit intimidated at first is natural, given that you’re trying something new. Beginning with a topic or theme you’re familiar with may help you feel more at ease.
“It can be tempting to dive into a brand-new fantasy, but you don’t want to make that jump too quickly because it is a very immersive experience,” she adds. The immersive experience involves not only sexy performances by narrators, but often realistic sound effects — everything from orgasmic moans to sucking noises.
Bloom offers a “personalized onboarding experience,” Charlesworth notes, to slowly introduce you to different story types and levels of spiciness. “In general, it just takes time for new listeners to figure out if they’re into the kissing or pleasure noises or if they prefer episodes without sound effects, what narrators they like best, and all of that.” You may find listening to stories without pleasuring yourself or a partner easier at first, she says, and then, if you’d like, working it into a pleasure practice — something in your sexual repertoire that you return to routinely.
If you do want to explore bringing physical pleasuring into the mix, going solo at first might be a better approach, too, according to Bussel. “Ask yourself if you want to listen alone or with a partner, if that's applicable to you,” she says. “It may be wiser to start by yourself and see how you react without anyone else’s expectations.”
She also suggests giving yourself “enough time to process what you’re listening to and fully get lost in it.” If you plan to listen to a 10-minute story, for instance, try not to squeeze it into a 10-minute-maximum window. Instead, give yourself time to ease into the story and engage in self-pleasure during or afterward, if you wish to, or to hit the replay button if you feel more relaxed and present the second time.
If you’re listening to something and you’re not enjoying the experience, you can, of course, stop at any time! Another benefit many audio erotica listeners appreciate over visual porn is that you won’t come across an image you can’t unsee, making it easier to suss out if something is appealing to you without inadvertently diving into a story that turns you off or upsets you.
What Audio Erotica Can Bring to Your Sex Life
Audio erotica can deliver a variety of benefits, from increased arousal and a sense of novelty or adventure to a chance to explore fantasies you’re curious about. You might even have an easier time bringing up those fantasies to a partner or lover after listening.
Stronger Intimacy and Communication Between Partners
On a relationship level, Caraway and her husband have reaped the benefit of stronger intimacy, thanks to both her involvement in the audio erotica industry and the stories themselves, which they both enjoy. “Audio erotica has provided us with a much more fruitful playground upon which to explore ourselves and each other,” she tells DailyOM. “It’s also given us a better language to communicate desires and fears and even allowed us to ask more thoughtful questions.”
Those communication perks may help if you’ve ever felt ashamed of your desires or as though you didn’t have the language or skills to broach sex-related topics — all of which are common. In a study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior in 2019, more than 50 percent of the all-female participants reported having wanted to communicate with a partner about sex but opting not to, often out of discomfort or embarrassment.
If you relate, you might find it easier to say something like “I found this story hot. Would you like to listen together?” versus “Honey, I’m fantasizing about pegging” (or whatever activity you’re interested in hearing about).
You may also learn from the communication between characters in a particular story, such as realistic conversations involving desires, boundaries, or consent. “At Bloom, we focus on making our stories ethical and relatable by including things like consent, safe sex practices, and aftercare,” says Charlesworth. And hearing a character bring up STI status or condoms before things get sultry and deciding on ways to decompress afterward — such as cuddling, watching TV together, or sharing a shower, for example — helps normalize such things.
The Brain-Arousal Connection
Since your mind takes care of the visuals you perceive while listening, audio erotica leaves a lot of room for — and basically requires — imagination, which plays a significant role in arousal. In fact, a 2016 study published in Socioaffective Neuroscience & Psychology involving fMRI brain scans showed that thinking about sexy happenings, such as your nipples or clitoris being touched, activated arousal in the brain as much as or more than actual touch.
With audio erotica, your own likes and desires enhance that turn-on, says Charlesworth. “I love when we get user feedback from people who are … realizing that they’re in complete control of the experience,” she adds. “They’re not being told what the characters look like and their mind just naturally starts to fill in the blanks with what they find sexy.”
You’re the Star of the Story
That “filling in the blanks” idea resonates with Bethany, an office manager in her mid-40s who chose to remain anonymous for this story. She decided to try audio erotica while healing from a toxic relationship. “I was feeling pretty down about my body, like I couldn’t measure up to society or my ex’s standards, and I could not stand most of the porn I saw,” she tells DailyOM, adding that the videos seemed “male-centric and youth obsessed,” with very few exceptions. “With audio [only], I can keep my own desire at the forefront.” As a result, she says, she’s experienced deeper fantasies, stronger arousal, and more powerful orgasms.
Research supports Bethany’s observations. While feminist porn films that center women’s and queer persons’ desires have been gaining popularity, a 2013 report published by journalist Jon Millward involving 10,000 adult industry professionals showed that women account for the majority of adult film performers, yet make up only 5 to 6 percent of the filmmakers, which may account for the proverbial “male gaze.” Meanwhile, the average entry age of a porn performer’s career was found to be 22 for women and 24 for men, with careers that lasted about three to four years. Porn actors are also largely white, according to the study, accounting for over 70 percent of performers.
Audio erotica is generally more inclusive and more of an “insert yourself” experience, explains Charlesworth. “Audio allows you to be the star of the story by having the narrator talk directly to you,” she says. And anyone who enjoys listening to content can be that “star.”
Furthermore, in addition to providing accessibility for visually impaired people, numerous audio erotica companies, including Bloom, allow you to read transcripts instead, which is valuable if you’re hearing impaired or need added privacy — if, say, you’re not alone and have lost your headphones.
The Most Popular Audio Erotica Themes
There seems to be audio erotica involving most any sex-related topic you could think of, but certain themes are especially popular. Topping the list at Bloom, says Charlesworth, are stories about threesomes, dominant boyfriends, and sex in public. “These three have consistently been our top categories and I don’t see that changing anytime soon,” she adds.
Also popular are collections that feature a variety of kinks and fantasies, according to Bussel, whose 69-story erotica collections of flash fiction — very short stories that usually consist of a couple hundred words — attract readers galore. “I think that’s because for listeners, they get a wide variety of types of sex and kinks and fetishes and sexual orientations,” she says. “While some listeners know exactly what they want and are looking for very niche erotica, others are more interested in simply discovering potential new turn-ons.” Her anal sex and women’s orgasm-themed collections also attract a plenitude of listeners.
The most popular stories on Caraway’s podcast include Malin James’ “A Girl’s Guide to Her First Orgy” and one Caraway penned herself called “The Mating Chamber.” Caraway’s story features a warrior woman who lives in a tradition-bound matriarchal society and whose lustful desires for sex surpass her inclinations to “breed.”
When it comes to stories the show’s listeners can’t get enough of, Caraway says the theme isn’t the most important part. “In my experience, what truly remains constant or most desirable to our audience isn’t necessarily the style of sex,” she notes. “It’s the hook of the story, the characters. They want the kind of story they can return to over and over again, like a trusted friend.”
How to Create a Positive Audio Erotica Experience
To make the most of your audio erotica experience, Bussel suggests keeping a sex toy handy, if you enjoy them. Meanwhile, she says, “create a sensual space and privacy and enough time to process what you're listening to and fully get lost in it.” Pour a steamy bubble bath, for example, or light candles and place your favorite satin sheets on your bed behind closed doors.
When you’re ready to select your stories, Caraway recommends avoiding judging your fantasies or what brings you enjoyment. “Much of the world is just still too judgy when it comes to sex, sexuality, and erotica,” she says. “Audio erotica is an intimate companion who wants you to be you.” In other words, don’t listen to a story because you think you should find it sexy. Instead, go for what actually stirs your desire or curiosity.
Equally valuable are privacy and consent when you’re taking in those sexy stories. “At the end of the day, audio erotica is porn and consent is absolutely necessary before sharing this content with someone else, be it your partner or someone sitting next to you on the subway the day you forget your headphones,” notes Charlesworth. So if you’re listening to a sexy story in public in preparation for time with a lover or yourself later, use those headphones or read the transcript instead. And ask your partner before playing it for you both.
Knowing that you chose an ethically made option can make for a positive experience, too. You can likely rest assured that the audio erotica you consume was ethically made, according to Charlesworth, as long as you’re purchasing or subscribing to content made by a reputable company — meaning they create their own content or credit and pay other creators, which is information you can often gather from the company’s website. When in doubt, you could try reaching out to the company or searching for reviews or commentary posted online by the performers.
While you can find visual porn featuring well-paid and respectfully treated performers, Charlesworth feels “the ethical aspect of audio erotica is so nice, because you can consume this pornographic content without having that question in the back of your mind about the [physical] labor involved, ethical wages, health and safety, and all of that.”
Lastly, if you find yourself really resonating with a particular voice, style, or theme within a story, seek out more. Many audio erotica apps allow you to search by things like character orientation, fantasy theme, and narrator, Bussel points out, so “you can keep refining your searches until you hit the erotic jackpot.”
