What's Working For Podcast Growth in 2026?
What’s Working for Podcast Growth in 2026
There’s no one-size-fits-all playbook for growing a podcast right now (or ever!) but there are things that are working.
At our first well, it depends event, we’re presenting some experiments in podcast marketing that are currently ongoing! You'll hear from Arielle Nissenblatt, organizer of well, it depends and podcast audience strategist, as well as two other marketing and growth experts to be announced.
This is a tactics-forward session designed to show you what’s actually working — and how you might be able to apply those tactics in your own work.
We’ll get into:
what’s happening with promo swaps and feed swaps (what’s worth doing, what’s not)
how creators are approaching paid marketing today (and which companies are doing interesting work in that space)
and why more podcasters are pairing newsletters with their shows, and tips on getting a newsletter off the ground
Who it's for:
Pre-launch creators who want to build a launch and marketing plan
Ongoing creators who need a tune-up
Marketing / audience growth professionals curious about what's going on in podcasting
Who it's not for:
Total newbies. We love you but we will be using some jargon which might be tough to grasp if it's your first day on the (podcast) job
We'll have a marketing session for you soon!
This is not going to be a panel of vague advice. It’s a working session built on the idea that context matters — and that the best thing you can leave with isn’t a universal answer, but the tools to make the right decisions for your show.
You’ll come away with:
At least 1 growth tactic you can test
A clearer sense of which strategies are worth your time right now (and which to skip)
New tools, platforms, or companies to explore for audience growth
FAQs (but just the answers):
Recording? The event will be recorded and available just for anyone who has a ticket for one month. Then, it will be available for purchase.
Q&A during the event? Yes, we'll leave time at the end for questions. Feel free to throw comments and questions into the chat throughout the session.
Unsatisfied? Our main goal is that you come away with at least ONE new thing to try, look into, put into action, or otherwise DO. If you do not find that one thing, we'll give you half of your money back.
Meet your host
Arielle Nissenblatt is a podcast strategist, producer, and founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective. She works with creators and companies on audience growth, content strategy, and marketing, and is Head of Community & Content at Pinwheel by Audily. Arielle also hosts Daily Tips That May or May Not Help You and writes several newsletters about podcasting and the creator economy.
PROMO & FEED SWAPS: Amanda McLoughlin (she/they) is the CEO of Multitude, a podcast collective, production company, and ad sales provider. A digital creator since 2004 whose career started in finance and business services, she created Multitude in 2018 to support fellow creators in making a living on their own terms. She was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Media honoree in 2021, co-hosts the podcast Spirits: Mythology & Folklore, and Executive Produces several shows. She also teaches podcasting at Stony Brook University.
NEWSLETTERS & EMAILS: Francis Zierer is the editor of Creator Spotlight, beehiiv's newsletter and podcast cataloguing how creator businesses grow and monetize — from independent, newsletter-based journalists to lifestyle YouTubers to the strategists and entrepreneurs serving them all. His work explores the creator as a distinct category of digital media worker; the borders (and lack thereof) between creators, journalists, and other media producers; the relationships between creators and platforms; and how creators build sustainable businesses.
PAID MARKETING: TIM LEE is the founder and CEO of Introcast, an innovative platform for podcast audience growth and monetization. Introcast has worked with shows like This American Life, Curiosity Weekly and Jordan Harbinger. Tim's career has spanned technology, media and venture capital. Across all these fields, Tim's passion has always been helping upstarts to get discovered and scale.
Pricing & access
We offer sliding scale ticket pricing for this event. If cost is a barrier, please reach out — we want this to be accessible.
We also believe in paying the people who make these events valuable. All guest speakers, contributors, and presenters are compensated. Your ticket helps make that possible and supports the ongoing maintenance of the well, it depends platform.