PodBiz | Where's The Money In Podcasting?

How do you make money from podcasting when listeners are skipping ads? Sam Sethi has spent his career at the intersection of tech and media, from Microsoft and Netscape to co-founding TechCrunch. Now, as CEO of True Fans and co-host of Podcast Weekly Review, he’s focused on one thing: building direct relationships between creators and audiences. For Sam, the future of podcasting isn’t built on ads...

How do you turn a podcast into a system that actually drives revenue? Chris Stone has spent his career building audiences across legacy media and modern podcast ecosystems. From The Telegraph to the New Statesman, and now through Podcast Strategy Weekly and Podcast Crew, he’s focused on one thing: how content turns into trust, and how trust turns into business. “The money in podcasting… it depends...

What actually makes a podcast worth buying for advertisers? In this episode, Courtney O'Connor, Director of Podcast Media at Oxford Road, breaks down how brands actually evaluate, buy, and scale podcast campaigns. From her early start at Veritone One to now leading podcast strategy at one of the most established agencies in the space, Courtney has operated inside the shift from indie creator reads...

What if most of the money in podcasting isn’t in podcasting at all? In this episode, we’re joined by Jeremy Enns, founder of Podcast Marketing Academy, to break down where podcast revenue really comes from, and why so many shows miss it. Jeremy challenges the idea that growth is about tactics. Instead, he makes the case that concept, positioning, and packaging are the real drivers of audience and...

What does it actually take to build a media network inside a company like HubSpot? As Head of Media Partnerships at HubSpot Media Network, Carly Baker joined shortly after the acquisition of The Hustle and helped grow what started as a small collection of shows into a multi-platform media ecosystem spanning podcasts, YouTube, and newsletters. In this episode of PodBiz, Carly breaks down how HubSpo...

Is podcasting focusing on the wrong metrics? For years, the business conversation around podcasts has centered on CPMs, ad fill rates, and monetization mechanics. But Rox Codes believes the bigger opportunity lies somewhere else entirely: growth. Rox is the CEO and co-founder of Flightcast, a platform built with Steven Bartlett that brings YouTube-style analytics and experimentation into podcast p...

How do you reach the right audience inside a global industry? Victoria King Meyer has built a podcast that answers that question with clarity. As president of Progressio Global and host of The Chemical Show, she has created a platform that connects leaders across the chemical industry while expanding her reach beyond traditional trade media. In this episode of PodBiz, Victoria joins NJ to discuss...

If advertising is a billion-dollar market, where does that leave independent creators? In this episode of PodBiz, NJ sits down with Alberto Betella, co-founder of RSS.com, for a platform-level look at where revenue actually lives. Alberto’s answer begins with scale. Advertising remains the largest total addressable market in podcasting and continues to grow. But volume drives ad revenue. For small...

What if audience development doesn’t start at launch… but at concept? This week on PodBiz, we’re joined by Catrin Skaperdas, Marketing and Audience Development Director at The Podcast Guys, whose career spans Cumulus Media, independent consulting across European markets, and now building marketing infrastructure inside a growing UK agency. Catrin makes one thing clear: marketing is not an aftertho...

Where is the money in podcasting when you’re not chasing a big network buy? This week on PodBiz, NJ sits down with Matt Cundill (AKA Captain Canada), founder of Sound Off Media, longtime radio and podcast strategist to talk about what monetization really looks like for independent podcasters. Matt breaks down what he calls “small buckets of money” and why the biggest revenue often comes from one o...

This week on PodBiz, NJ sits down with Patrick Hill , Founder and CEO of Disctopia , to unpack where power, money, and influence are converging across podcasting, music, and creator platforms. Patrick brings a platform-level view of the industry. He explains why monetization is increasingly tied to access, subscriptions, and distribution control, how opinion-based media has become financially powe...

What does it actually take for an independent podcast to become partner-ready? This week on PodBiz, NJ speaks with Michael Osborne about how shows move from passion projects to major media partnerships and why that transition is almost never fast or accidental. Michael has built and produced multiple podcasts that successfully partnered with organizations like Smithsonian Magazine , PRX , and Wond...

What does sustainable monetization actually look like for independent podcasters today? This week on PodBiz, NJ speaks with Danielle Desir Corbett about how creators can build resilient podcast businesses by thinking beyond single revenue streams and treating their work as a portfolio. Danielle shares how her approach to monetization has evolved over time, why relying on one income source is risky...

What changes when podcasting moves from experimentation to infrastructure? This week on PodBiz, NJ speaks with Colin Anderson , Head of Network Development at the Office Ladies Podcast Network, about how podcasting has evolved into a serious commercial business and what that means for creators, networks, and advertisers operating at scale. Colin brings a perspective shaped by years inside podcast...

Is the secret to podcasting success hidden in the French market? In this episode of PodBiz, Norma Jean Belenky speaks with Sarah Toporoff, Head of Growth for Disco by Headliner, about the evolving landscape of audience growth and monetization. Sarah discusses how her team is helping publishers break podcasting out of "walled garden" platforms and into the wider web, transforming organic traffic in...

Why do so many podcasters focus on monetization before they’ve solved distribution and audience growth? This week on PodBiz, we’re joined by Greg Wasserman , Head of Relationships at RSS.com, to break down how podcasters actually build leverage in the industry and why relationships, not just downloads, are at the core of sustainable growth. Greg challenges the industry’s obsession with ads and spo...

What does sustainable podcast growth look like inside a fragmented, multilingual, rapidly developing European market? This week on PodBiz, Andreea Coscai breaks down how creators across Europe are building audiences, reaching listeners across borders, and monetizing through community-first strategies. As the founder of Eurowaves , Marketing Lead at Tink Media, and a key voice in global creator com...

Where’s the money in podcasting for independent creators? This week on PodBiz, we talk with Andrew Weiss, Director of Partnerships at Podfest Expo, about the real paths to monetization for indie podcasters. Andrew works directly with thousands of creators through Podfest’s global community, and he brings a grounded, practical view of how shows grow, how they earn, and why some creators thrive whil...

What makes a show “monetizable” in the eyes of advertisers? This week on PodBiz, Veronika Taylor breaks down how brands evaluate podcasts, what creators often overlook, and why the future of podcast revenue extends far beyond a single medium. As SVP of Content and the Creator Network at Acast, Veronika oversees global teams, creator relationships, and the systems that power advertising across more...

How do you build a podcast business that lasts- not just creatively, but financially? In this episode of PodBiz , host Norma Jean Belenky sits down with Jeff Umbro , Founder and CEO of The Podglomerate , to talk about what it really takes to grow a sustainable podcast company in 2025. Jeff shares how his background in book publicity shaped his approach to audience development, why choosing the rig...

What does sustainable growth in podcasting look like when the industry keeps changing? In this episode of PodBiz , Norma Jean Belenky talks with Arielle Nissenblatt , Director of Community and Content at Pinwheel and founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective . Arielle shares how creators can grow without chasing trends and why podcasting’s true value lies in connection, not scale. She explains how ind...

How legally protected is your podcast? In this episode of PodBiz , Norma Jean Belenky and John Kiernan speak with Gordon Firemark , entertainment and media attorney known as The Podcast Lawyer™. Gordon shares how podcasters can protect their work, structure their businesses, and avoid the mistakes that cost creators time and money. He explains why “fair use” isn’t a safety net, why every show need...

Can working for a brand truly be where the money is in podcasting, and what metrics prove the ROI? In this episode of PodBiz, Norma Jean Belenky speaks with Stevie Manns, a producer with a background in both finance and media who currently works on the branded podcast The Bid for BlackRock. Stevie shares their journey of realizing a passion for podcast production and strategy during the pandemic a...

Where's the best place to make money in podcasting in 2025? In this episode of PodBiz, Norma Jean Belenky speaks with Dane Cardiel , Founder and Publisher of Good Tape, about the business, culture, and ethics of the podcasting industry. Dane shares his "two answers" to the question of where the money is, the crucial role of community, and his journey from being the first non-CTO employee at Simple...

What does it really take to build a business that lasts in podcasting? In this episode of PodBiz , Norma Jean Belenky and John Kiernan talk with Randi P’Pool , Founder and CEO of P’Pool Media , about the realities of leading a modern media agency — from scaling teams and navigating client departures to redefining what creative success actually looks like. Randi shares lessons from two decades in b...