🤯 Arielle Nissenblatt’s surprising take on podcast consistency

Presented by Alitu

🔥 Recognizing the Nonessential

There’s a moment in every creative process where the project gets cluttered. Notes. Noise. A “must-have” cold open. That clever sound cue you can’t bear to cut.

Creativity suffers from excess. The real discipline isn’t adding, it’s recognizing what doesn’t belong. The line that slows the story, the scene that repeats the point, the section that’s technically good…but spiritually irrelevant.

The nonessential often looks impressive. But when you cut it, the episode breathes. The listener leans in. And what’s left carries more weight because there’s finally room for it to land.

🎙️ Signal Flow: Arielle Nissenblatt

Industry game changers and valiant minds share their wisdom, adversities, and paths to innovation.

Arielle Nissenblatt is a podcast strategist, consultant, speaker, and all-around audio evangelist. She’s the founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective, co-creator of the Trailer Park podcast, and creator of the Podcast Plunge newsletter. At Pinwheel (a division of Audily), she helps brands and individuals build podcast strategies that work. Arielle is also a sought-after voice in the industry—whether on stage, in your feed, or in your DMs—with a signature blend of sharpness, curiosity, and humor.

I want people to be better at talking about their podcasts. Not just what it's about, but what it's for.

When someone asks, “Why does your podcast exist?” the worst answer is “Because we wanted one.” The best answer is something like, “We wanted to meet people in our industry,” or “We wanted to reflect our company’s values,” or “We wanted to start conversations internally.” That’s when the show starts to matter.

I used to say, “Be consistent above all else.” But now I’m much more into intention. Release an episode when it’s good. Don’t publish something just because it’s Tuesday.

Your podcast should feed the rest of your creative work. If it doesn’t, you’ll burn out. But if it does? It’s a ripple effect. An episode becomes a LinkedIn post, becomes a conversation, becomes a lead, becomes a talk. The audio is just the beginning.

I think it’s a mistake to evaluate every podcast on downloads. I care more about alignment. Is the show helping you achieve something meaningful? Is it getting you speaking gigs? Is it helping you meet people you admire? Is it helping you think better? If yes, it’s working.

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We need to normalize different formats. Ten episodes and done is fine. A pop-up series is fine. A monthly episode is fine. We get trapped in this idea that weekly = success. But sometimes, less is more. Especially if it means more intention.

A trailer isn’t just a summary; it’s a tone-setter. It tells people why they should care. It gives them a reason to subscribe. That’s not extra, it’s foundational.

I don’t care if your podcast is big. I care if it’s useful. To your business. To your brain. To your community.

My own show, Trailer Park, is tiny. But it keeps me sharp. It helps me practice what I preach. It reminds people that I’m not just a strategist, I’m a podcaster too.

When I start working with someone, I always ask: “What are three reasons this podcast should exist, aside from downloads or money?” If we can answer that, we’re on our way.

Podcasting doesn’t need to be your full-time thing. But if you’re doing it, it should do something for you.

🎧 Podcast of the Week: The Lonely Palette

This isn’t your dusty art history lecture. The Lonely Palette brings artworks to life by exploring the stories, emotions, and cultural context behind them, one painting at a time. Smart, funny, and beautifully written, it’s like going to a museum with your most interesting friend.

🥾 Further Exploration: Creative Podcast Topic Ideas for 2025

Feeling stuck on what to cover next? This fresh list from Podcast.co delivers 35 creative podcast topic ideas, from live episode concepts to format-bending thought experiments. Whether you're launching season 1 or recharging season 7, there's inspiration here to stretch your show without breaking it.

ICYMI:

🧙‍♀️ A Wicked voice with a wildly good podcast

🙋‍♀️ This podcast won’t give you answers, just better questions

🎉 A family, a microphone, and a podcast that stuck

💡 The Quiet Spark

A weekly question to ignite fresh thinking, stir self-reflection, and fuel your creative process behind the mic.

Are you loving what you do enough to make the time?

(via The Daily Stoic)