I don’t know about you, but I’ve let the inbox situation get a little out of control over here. On a daily — sometimes hourly — basis, I receive messages from lists I can’t remember subscribing to and from people I’ve never responded to. I’m quick to delete these without paying much attention, and in 2021, I want to get a little friendlier with the handy “unsubscribe” button.
Another part of taking better care of my email inbox, though, is doing the opposite — subscribing to lists that can teach and inspire and generally enrich my life. After all, if the lists I’m already on have the power to annoy me every day, there are bound to be other lists that can have an equally positive effect.
21 email newsletters podcast enthusiasts should subscribe to today
There are so many brilliant people and organizations out there who are taking advantage of the email newsletter format to share what they know with people on a regular basis. And if you love podcasts — listening to them, learning about them or even creating them yourself — you should know that there are tons of newsletters out there dedicated to podcasting, specifically. How cool is that?
I’ve done a little research on the best podcasting-related email newsletters out there, and I highly recommend you consider inviting some of these into your inbox.
We’ve broken 20 of our favorite newsletters into various categories to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
Podcast recommendations
Looking for the next best thing in podcasting? These newsletters curate the most interesting additions to the podcast biz so you can start listening to new shows even before they become popular.
- EarBuds Podcast Collective: Get in on this newsletter and you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of awesome podcast recommendations every single week. The EarBuds team has been sending these newsletters every Sunday evening since 2017, so they really know their stuff. Sunday might just become your favorite day of the week. And fun fact: SquadCast’s community manager Arielle Nissenblatt is the founder and curator of this newsletter!
- Find That Pod: Find That Pod will send you five podcast recommendations every week. This newsletter’s motto is “Finding great podcasts is hard. Let me help.” And I, for one, really appreciate that help! Navigating the podcast space can be seriously overwhelming without a little guidance.
- Podboxer: If you’re looking for the best of the best when it comes to business and entrepreneurship shows, specifically, Podboxer might just be for you. So many founders swear by the power of the pod when building a biz, and this newsletter is a great way to start tapping into it.
- Podcast Review: The Podcast Review newsletter is curated by the Los Angeles Review of Books, so it offers recommendations from people who are engaged in the worlds of reading and listening alike. Sign up and look forward to a round-up of shows and episodes in your inbox every Wednesday.
- Podcast Gumbo: The founder of Podcast Gumbo was inspired to start the newsletter back in 2018 simply because they loved podcasts so much. They wanted to get more people listening! Today, the newsletter is sent every Wednesday and features three recommended episodes. (Also, how fun is the title?)
- Just Listened: Are you ISO pods with an extra dose of girl power? Just Listened highlights shows for women, about women and by women. As a female podcaster, I may be just a little biased, but I think this is pretty cool.
- Podcast Brunch Club: The only thing that could possibly make brunch more fun? A good podcast playing in the background, of course! The Podcast Brunch Club’s mission is to bring “the book club concept to podcasts.” They host in-person and virtual listening events, but they also put together a monthly podcast playlist, which you can get delivered straight to your inbox via the Podcast Brunch Club newsletter.
Podcast industry news
If you have a podcast yourself, you can probably benefit from staying on top of industry developments — but keeping track of those developments may feel like a full-time job in itself. Bringing these newsletters into your inbox can help save you some of that trouble.
- Sounds Profitable: Created by podcast ad tech expert Bryan Barletta, Sounds Profitable is a newsletter and a podcast. Each week, expect essential knowledge on how ad tech affects all podcasters, big and small.
- PodMov Daily: Curated by Podcast Movement — a worldwide community of podcasters — the PodMov Daily newsletter offers a little bit of everything for audio creators. It will give you all kinds of resources to help you up your podcasting game.
- Podnews: This newsletter bills itself as “your daily briefing for podcasting and on-demand.” It keeps things concise and to the point and will give you information about what’s happening in audio all over the world. Podcasting giants like Spotify for Podcasters, Simplecast and NPR have thrown their support behind Podnews, so you know it’s legit.
- Inside Podcasting: Want to take a look at what’s happening inside podcasting? Subscribe to Inside Podcasting. (See what I did there?) Every day, you’ll get a curated email featuring details about the business, along with the occasional shoutout to a must-listen episode.
- The Bello Collective: The Bello Collective seeks to bring together writers, journalists and others who are passionate about telling stories — especially through podcasting. Their weekly newsletter serves this audience with industry news and inspiration.
- Hot Pod: Hot Pod offers “analysis, insight and commentary on the growing podcast industry — and whatever it will be in years to come.” The editor has been covering the business for 2014, so he really knows his stuff.
- Podcast Business Journal: This newsletter is pretty much exactly what you might expect based on the title. Subscribe and receive daily podcast headlines straight to your inbox.
- Podcast Pro Weekly: Looking for something that will help you stay in the know about what’s happening in the industry, but will come to you every week instead of every day? You may want to give Podcast Pro Weekly a try. Each edition features educational resources, industry news and show recommendations.
Newsletters for creators
These newsletters are not necessarily aimed toward podcasters, but anyone in the creative space can benefit from what they have to say.
- Check Your Pulse: The Check Your Pulse newsletter is geared toward creators in the tech and startup spaces. You’ll receive it approximately every two weeks.
- For The Interested: The team behind this newsletter calls it “a weekly dose of inspiration and actionable ideas to help you better produce, promote and profit from your creations.” And if your creation happens to be a podcast, why wouldn’t you want tips on how to better produce, promote and profit from it?
- #JessPicks: Sent every Sunday, the #JessPicks newsletter was inspired by its creator’s experience running a side hustle. As a result, it’s especially well-suited for anyone producing their pod as a side hustle.
- Total ANARCHY: Every two weeks, Ann Handley curates writing tips, marketing inspiration and other resources to get your creative wheels turning.
- Jocelyn K. Glei: Twice a month, creativity and productivity expert Jocelyn K. Glei seeks to inspire creators with a newsletter straight to their inboxes. Expect lots of ideas to help you get more creative and take action on your creative ideas.
- Braid Creative: If you’re hoping to focus on the branding for your podcast in the new year, the Braid Creative newsletter is where it’s at. Every installment will give you advice and insights to help you strengthen your brand so more listeners will engage with it.
Lately, it seems like it’s becoming harder and harder to reach that coveted goal of inbox zero. But these newsletters will make spending time reading in your inbox a breeze. They’ll inspire you, entertain you, and keep you informed.
If you know of any other great podcast newsletters, let us know in the comments below so we can share with our community!
Rockwell Felder is a CPA, entrepreneur, and co-founder of SquadCast. He and his team are on a mission to amplify collaboration, seeking to empower creatives to engage in meaningful conversations without barriers.