Arielle Nissenblatt On PodBiz: How to Grow Indie Podcasts?

 PodBiz is a podcast hosted by Norma Jean Belenky and John Kiernan that explores the business of podcasting, focusing on monetization and industry growth. It features interviews with creators, executives, and innovators to discuss strategies for making money through podcasts, covering topics like ad revenue, branded content, audience development, and production workflows. The show aims to answer the question, "Where's the money in podcasting?"

If you think that's an obvious question, think again. Podcasting has always been a medium in which the technology is ahead of money-making opportunities.  

That clear path to monetization often takes time to develop. Look what happened in the 2000 tech bubble. It burst due to a combination of factors, chief of them was a lack of fundamental business models for many dot-com companies.

 PodBiz just released a don't-miss episode. It's called "Where’s The Money In Podcasting?" and the guest is Arielle Nissenblatt, Director of Community and Content at Pinwheel and founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective. On the show, Arielle shared how creators can grow without chasing trends and why podcasting’s true value lies in connection, not scale. She explained how independent podcasters turn listener trust into real business opportunities through clarity, outreach, and knowing exactly who they serve.

Arielle shares how creators can grow without chasing trends and why podcasting’s true value lies in connection, not scale. She explains how independent podcasters turn listener trust into real business opportunities through clarity, outreach, and knowing exactly who they serve.

On the show, Arielle observed: "The money in podcasting, just if I had to give a quick answer, it's in very specific niche podcasts and within that, it's in podcasters who know how to hustle for that money ... It's like really if you are a creator who has figured out a niche and this doesn't necessarily mean that your topic has to be super, super specific. It could be that you have a podcast about mental health, but you have figured out a niche within that, or you speak specifically to a group within that, and you figured out who those people are."

Here are some of the most insightful quotes by Arielle during the interview. 

On Audience, Outreach, and Sustainable Business

Arielle: "The best way to actually have a sustainable business in podcasting is for you to be doing the outbound, at least a lot at the beginning. And then over time, people might come to you... you have figured out who those people are and you know how to understand their wants and their needs and you actually have a direct line to them whether it's through a Facebook group or through some other sort of you know Maybe it's a monthly zoom or another type of Patreon type thing."

On Mindset Shift and the "No Rules" Philosophy

Arielle says: “Giving myself permission to be an expert in the room was a big mindset shift for me. And then I mentioned I had two. So I think another one is that there are no rules. And what I mean by that is, first of all, people love RSS because it's open...People ask me all the time, 'How many episodes should be in my season?' People ask me all the time all of these questions that they expect a very specific answer to. My answer to them is always, “There is no answer. You make this up.”

 On Long-Term Monetization and Portfolio Strategy

Arielle notes: “I just highly encourage people to look at the overall project that they're creating as part of a larger portfolio. And maybe the money doesn't come in through your hosting provider's programmatic ads, but more so it comes in through, I'm talking about this on a podcast now, so maybe then in five months somebody listens to this episode and pays me to consult on their show ... So the money in podcasting very much comes from plant the seed now and harvest way later. And I'm sorry for the people that don't wanna hear that. Well, it's not a fast money medium.”

Check out the episode with Arielle Nissenblatt and listen to PodBiz. The show can be a roadmap for indie podcasters in search of El Dorado for hidden gold. For passionate podcast fans, the show details the financial underpinnings of the industry. 

In fact, their just-released episode -- Where’s The Money In Podcasting? -- Jeff Umbro, CEO and founder of The Podglomerate shares how creators can grow by focusing on community, outlines The Podglomerate's three pillars of business, and offers practical advice on which metrics truly matter for sustainable growth.

"The underlying principle some people can often forget about is that  you really need to build a community around your show. ... You have to start by considering what is your destination and how do you get there? And how can you engage your community in order to help you do that? After all, not every show needs to have millions of listeners."