Podcast discovery continues to expand beyond the places we traditionally think of as “podcast apps.” Substack has recently added a dedicated Podcasts tab to its app.

The new section gives users a centralized place to find podcast episodes from creators they already follow while also surfacing shows they may not have discovered yet. According to Podnews, the tab includes recommendations, recently played episodes and other podcast content available through Substack.

For creators already using the platform (or those thinking about expanding beyond their RSS feed) the update creates another potential doorway for listeners to find their shows.

Podcasts Are Becoming a Bigger Part of Substack

Substack may still be best known for newsletters, but podcasting has become a significant part of its creator ecosystem. The company told Podnews that creators publishing podcasts on Substack collectively earn more than $200 million annually.

The platform also allows creators to combine podcasts with written posts, subscriptions and other content rather than treating audio as a completely separate product. That combination is especially interesting as podcast discovery becomes increasingly fragmented.

A future listener may discover a creator through something they wrote, subscribe to their newsletter and then realize that creator also hosts a podcast. Or the journey could happen in reverse.

What This Means for Indie Podcasters

You don't necessarily need to start a newsletter or add another platform to your already overflowing content calendar. But Substack's new podcast tab is another reminder that people can discover your podcast in more places than the podcast apps themselves. This creates an opportunity to think differently about discovery.

If you already write a newsletter, could some of those readers become listeners? If someone discovers you through an article, event, social post or community, is there an obvious path to your podcast? And if someone loves your podcast, do they have another way to stay connected between episodes? But remember, the goal doesn't have to be being everywhere. You don't necessarily need another thing to manage. You may just need to make it easier for someone who discovers one part of your work to discover the rest of it.

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Long-form videos on YouTube got 76% more views in 2026. People also stuck around for 37% less time. That's one of the patterns Metricool found in their YouTube Study 2026, where they analyzed 799,718 videos from 71,177 accounts.

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Does Expertise Matter More Than Celebrity in Podcasting?

A new Audacy study found podcast listeners are more likely to be influenced by topic experts than celebrities. For indie podcasters, it raises an interesting question: What actually makes someone worth listening to?

Celebrity names have become a familiar part of podcasting. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Influencers. Television personalities. A recognizable name arrives with something most indie podcasters spend years trying to build: an audience.

But new research from Audacy suggests having the biggest name in the room may not necessarily mean having the most influence. According to Audacy's new State of Audio: The New Rules of Podcast Advertising report, podcast listeners are 27% more likely to be influenced by topic experts than by well-known celebrities.

The report also found that mid-sized podcasts delivered a 22% lower cost per action for advertisers than celebrity shows, based on Podscribe data cited by Audacy. The report is focused on advertising, but for indie podcasters, the findings raise a much bigger question:

What's Behind It?

Audacy describes a shift from simply buying reach toward recognizing influence. A celebrity podcaster might bring an enormous existing audience to a show. But a creator who has spent years talking about personal finance, parenting, true crime, entrepreneurship, mental health, sports, books, or an incredibly specific hobby, may have something different: Credibility with a particular group of people.

Their audience may be smaller, but listeners know why they're there. They've heard the host explain complicated topics. They've listened as that creator develops expertise over hundreds of episodes. They may have exchanged emails, attended events or participated in the show's community. Over time, that familiarity can create something a famous name alone can't guarantee. And that is trust.

Underlying Questions

What actually makes someone an expert?

Is it professional credentials? Years of experience? Lived experience? Hundreds of conversations with knowledgeable guests? The ability to research complicated topics and make them understandable? And does every podcast host even need to be an expert?

Some of the best hosts aren't necessarily the most knowledgeable person in the conversation. They're curious. They ask great questions. They know what they don't know. And they're willing to learn alongside their listeners. So perhaps expertise isn't always about being the person with all the answers. Maybe sometimes it's about becoming the person your audience trusts to ask the right questions.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Team Expertise: Podcasting rewards depth. A creator doesn't need millions of followers if they've earned credibility within a particular subject or community. Listeners may care less about whether everyone knows your name and more about whether they trust what you have to say.

Team Personality: Expertise alone doesn't make a great podcast. Listeners also show up for storytelling, chemistry, humor, curiosity and connection. Someone can know everything about a topic and still struggle to make an engaging show.

And then there's celebrity. A famous host isn't automatically less knowledgeable, trustworthy or engaging simply because they're famous. And a smaller creator isn't automatically more credible simply because they're independent. So, what makes someone influential behind the microphone?

Final Thoughts

For indie podcasters, there's something encouraging in Audacy's findings. You may never have the biggest audience. You may never have the most recognizable name. You may never compete with a celebrity podcast on downloads. But perhaps that's not the only kind of influence worth building. You can become deeply knowledgeable about your subject. You can ask better questions. You can serve a specific community incredibly well. You can show up long enough for listeners to know what you stand for—and trust you when you speak.

In podcasting, being known by everyone may matter less than being trusted by the people who know you.

So, we're curious: When choosing a podcast, what matters more to you: the host's expertise, their personality, their name recognition, or something else entirely?

Read more here.

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The Other People’s Shoes Podcast creates space for every voice and every point of view to be heard. Honest, constructive conversations have a way of opening our eyes to stories we might otherwise miss. After all, when you step into Other People’s Shoes, you gain what we’re all searching for… a different perspective on life.

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