Arielle Nissenblatt is changing how people discover podcasts through her creation of the EarBuds Podcast Collective, which started in 2017. The weekly newsletter curates podcast recommendations, targeting the struggle listeners face in finding quality content. Nissenblatt, who also works at Pinwheel by Audily, uses her platform to help creators connect with audiences. Initially, she sent the newsletter manually, but she later upgraded to Mailchimp, driven by insights from podcasts she listened to. EarBuds has evolved into a multi-channel platform that includes its own podcast and social media presence. Nissenblatt has noticed significant shifts in the podcasting world since she launched EarBuds. Video integration alongside audio has become common, but she maintains that audio still holds value. The industry has seen substantial investment from companies like Spotify, often focusing on celebrity-hosted shows at the expense of listener engagement. She points out a persistent discovery issue: many valuable podcasts remain unknown, partly due to creators not effectively engaging their audiences. To tackle this, EarBuds connects listeners to overlooked shows and offers creators a framework for presenting their work. To further target specific interests, Nissenblatt is launching topic-specific newsletters that allow deeper engagement with particular genres, like true crime. She remains optimistic about the future of podcasts, citing successful celebrity-led shows like Amy Poehler's “Good Hang” as examples of effective audience engagement. However, she expresses concern about the declining opportunities for traditional audio creators and the rise of AI-generated content, which could threaten the quality of storytelling. Nissenblatt defines success through long-term listener engagement rather than short-term metrics. Her advice for creators is to actively engage with the podcasts they admire, fostering a sense of community and connection. After nearly a decade in podcasting, she aims to grow EarBuds while staying true to its focus on quality, accessibility, and community-building.