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, and how creators can design businesses that compound value even when the market shifts. Rather than chasing trends or short-term wins, she explains the importance of owning assets, nurturing community, and staying flexible.

As she puts it:

The conversation explores how podcasting fits into a broader creator ecosystem that includes newsletters, consulting, syndication, grants, and community-driven products. Danielle also walks through the creation of Grants for Creators and why helping other creatives access funding has become a meaningful and sustainable part of her business.

This episode is a practical look at how independent podcasters can build long-term stability by thinking in portfolios, not paydays.

• What portfolio thinking means for podcasters

• Why single-stream monetization is fragile

• Relationship-driven brand deals and pitching

• Pricing and packaging campaigns as an indie creator

• Selling community as a business asset

• Building and monetizing Grants for Creators

• Airline syndication and evergreen content value

• Storytelling as a long-term growth strategy

Danielle Desir Corbett is a podcast strategist and the host of The Thought Card and Road Trip Ready. She is the creator of Grants for Creators, a paid newsletter that curates funding opportunities for podcasters, journalists, and creatives. Danielle previously founded and sold the Women of Color Podcasters community and works at the intersection of podcasting, personal finance, and travel.

Websites: https://danielledesir.com/ https://thoughtcard.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedaniellecorbett

(01:21) Where Danielle sees money in podcasting today

(04:00) Why portfolio thinking matters

(06:03) How brand deals really work for indie creators

(10:21) Pricing and packaging creator value

(14:59) Danielle’s path into podcasting

(19:01) Building and selling a creator community

(27:40) Inside Grants for Creators

(38:03) Airline syndication and evergreen ROI

(41:51) What Danielle would build first today

PodBiz is the podcast about the business of podcasting. Hosted by industry veterans Norma Jean Belenky and John Kiernan, the show features conversations with creators, executives, and platform leaders to answer one question: Where’s the money in podcasting?

Each episode dives into monetization strategy, adtech, branded content, IP development, and audience growth. Guests include leaders from Acast, Captivate, Crooked Media, Buzzsprout, True Native Media, Podfest, and more.

Learn more: njbmedia.co | thepodhouseproductions.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 production, strategy, and network development. He explains why more advertiser money is flowing into podcasting than ever before, how networks think about audience value beyond downloads, and why community still matters even as the industry becomes more corporate.

As he puts it:

The conversation also explores how podcasting culture has shifted from its early indie roots to a more structured, professionalized industry. Colin reflects on what has been gained, what has been lost, and how creators and operators should think about sustainability, loyalty, and long-term value in a changing ecosystem.

• Why advertiser demand in podcasting continues to grow

• How podcast networks evaluate shows and revenue potential

• Audience value beyond scale and raw download numbers

• The role of community inside networked podcast businesses

• Podcasting’s shift from indie culture to corporate infrastructure

• Loyalty, labor, and evolving work culture in media

• The influence of legacy media on podcast growth

• What the next phase of podcast networks looks like

Colin Anderson is Head of Network Development at the Office Ladies Podcast Network, where he works on network strategy, partnerships, and show development. He has spent his career across podcast production, monetization, and network leadership, giving him a clear view of how the industry has matured.

Website: colinanderson.info

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrcolinanderson/

(01:02) The current state of podcast monetization

(07:20) Community and audience value at scale

(12:21) Colin’s path through the podcast industry

(17:53) How podcast networks have changed

(24:54) Work culture and loyalty in media

(30:50) Legacy media’s role in podcast growth

(37:08) The outlook for creators inside networks

(44:06) Navigating podcasting as a business

PodBiz is the podcast about the business of podcasting. Hosted by industry veterans Norma Jean Belenky and John Kiernan, the show features conversations with creators, executives, and platform leaders to answer one question: Where’s the money in podcasting?

Each episode dives into monetization strategy, adtech, branded content, IP development, and audience growth. Guests include leaders from Acast, Captivate, Crooked Media, Buzzsprout, True Native Media, Podfest, and more.

Learn more: njbmedia.co | thepodhouseproductions.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 into loyal listeners.

As she puts it:

• Where the money is in podcasting: Why Sarah argues the true money is in the audience and why

• France is a uniquely booming market for branded content.

• Breaking the walled gardens: How to reach the billions of people online who aren't currently using dedicated podcast apps.

• The "Owned, Earned, and Paid" framework: Why creators need to look beyond organic growth to reach new heights.

• The "Death of the Download": Navigating the controversy of auto-play audio and why "guaranteed listens" are a better metric.

• Professionalizing audience strategy: Moving past the "if we build it, they will come" naivete to implement real media strategy.

• Awareness vs. Performance: Understanding the spectrum between generating impressions and building a loyal following.

Sarah Toporoff is the Head of Growth for Disco by Headliner. Based in Paris, she has over a decade of experience in media innovation, having worked in journalism innovation, radio product development, and publisher partnerships. She is a self-described "audio girly" who specializes in helping publishers and brands maximize their reach through contextual content recommendation.

(00:00) Intro

(01:04) Where is the money in podcasting?

(01:29) What is Disco by Headliner?

(03:27) Breaking podcasts out of "walled gardens"

(04:49) Why audio was left behind by the web

(06:33) Case Study: Doubling Al Jazeera’s audience overnight

(10:52) The importance of paid media in a launch strategy

(11:55) The controversy of auto-play and inflated downloads

(13:34) The "booming" branded podcast culture in France

(16:52) Sarah’s journey from English teacher to legacy media

(23:32) Debunking the "If we build it, they will come" myth

(26:34) The shift toward dedicated audience growth teams

(30:06) Awareness vs. Performance: What are you actually buying?

(33:15) Why you can’t buy loyalty

(38:30) Real-world budget benchmarks for podcast growth

(41:25) Riding the video wave without losing audio's soul

PodBiz is the podcast about the business of podcasting. Hosted by industry veterans Norma Jean Belenky and John Kiernan, the show features conversations with creators, executives, and platform leaders to answer one question: Where’s the money in podcasting?

Each episode dives into monetization strategy, adtech, branded content, IP development, and audience growth. Guests include leaders from Acast, Captivate, Crooked Media, Buzzsprout, True Native Media, Podfest, and more.

Learn more: njbmedia.co | thepodhouseproductions.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.