// 8-week live course · ramping up for cohort 2 · coming early 2027
Owned.
The Newsletter Course
for podcasters
You're building an audience through your podcast. But how many of those listeners can you actually reach? Own your audience with a newsletter.
// THE IDEA
You don't own your podcast audience.
A newsletter changes that.
Owned: The Newsletter Course for Podcasters is an 8-week live course for podcasters who are ready to build a newsletter: a direct, owned line to the people who care about what you make.
Led by Arielle Nissenblatt (podcast strategist, EarBuds Podcast Collective founder, Podcast Hall of Fame 2026) and Des Brown (email marketing expert, Email Advice in Your Inbox, CrossLetter), this course takes you from zero to live newsletter, with the strategy, infrastructure, tools, and community to make it stick.
By Week 8, you'll have a named, positioned, published newsletter.
// 8 weeks · live lessons + replays
What you'll do.
Each week: a live online session, a small action, and cohort feedback. By Week 8 you'll have a real newsletter, a growth plan, and a monetization map.
Why Your Podcast Needs a Newsletter
The owned media case. What a newsletter does to round out your offering. Setting intentions.
Naming, Positioning, & Finding Your Angle
How to position your newsletter within your podcast brand. Naming frameworks. Audience definition — who is it actually for?
Choosing Your Platform
ESP landscape for podcasters: beehiiv, Kit, Substack, and others. What to look for, what to avoid, and how to migrate if you're already somewhere.
Building Your Email Infrastructure
Owned vs rented audiences. Domain authentication, deliverability fundamentals. Welcome sequences — the most important sequence you'll ever write.
Content Strategy for Podcasters
What to write, how often, and how to make your newsletter extend (not duplicate) your podcast. Homework: draft your first issue.
Growing Your Newsletter
Cross-promotion mechanics. Collaboration strategy. Sponsorship and media kits — when to start and what you actually need.
Monetisation & Partnerships
Sponsorship structures, affiliate models, and tool integrations. Guest partner session(s).
Systems, Sustainability & What's Next
Workflows that don't burn you out. Metrics that matter (clicks, not opens). Cohort peer shares. Alumni community and next steps.
Cohort 2 lands in early 2027 — we're ramping up now.
// who it's for
This is for you if…
- ✓You host a podcast and want to build deeper engagement with your audience.
- ✓You've been meaning to start a newsletter forever.
- ✓You have subscriber list but you don't know what to do with them.
- ✓You want to add a visual component to your podcast without making a video podcast.
- ✓You're tired of 'just post more on social media' being the only advice.
// led by
Arielle Nissenblatt
Podcast strategist, founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective, Podcast Hall of Fame 2026.
Email marketing expert behind Email Advice in Your Inbox and CrossLetter.
// with thanks to
Our course partners.
The tools we trust and recommend to participants.
// RAMPING UP FOR COHORT 2
Show your interest for Cohort 2.
We're ramping up for Cohort 2 of Owned: The Newsletter Course for Podcasters, sometime in early 2027. Leave your details and you'll be the first to know when applications open.
Not sure yet?
If you have questions about the course, your podcast, or whether this is the right fit, send us a note and we'll get back to you.
I need help deciding if this is for me →// questions
A few answers.
+ When does it start?
Cohort 1 is underway. We're ramping up for Cohort 2, sometime in early 2027 — show your interest and you'll be the first to know when applications open.
+ Do I need a newsletter already?
Nope. Whether you have zero subscribers or a few thousand, the course meets you where you are.
+ How much time per week?
About 60-90 minutes of live lessons plus a small action each week. Async replays included, so you can watch and work on your schedule if you please — though we do encourage you to attend sessions live.
+ Is this just for big podcasts?
No. Most of the playbook is built for indie shows in the 100–10,000 downloads-per-episode range.
+ What's the price?
Cohort 1 was $297 per participant. We'll share Cohort 2 pricing when applications open.
+ How is the course taught?
Weekly live sessions via Zoom, recorded for async access. Between sessions you'll get a short action to complete.
+ Will I have to use a specific platform?
No. We cover all ecosystems. Participant data stays portable, and you'll be supported whether you choose Kit, Beehiiv, Substack, or something else after the platform module.
+ How big is the cohort?
Cohort 1 was capped at 25 participants. That seems to be the sweet spot for real peer interaction and live Q&A while still making the economics work.
+ Who is this for?
Indie podcasters of any niche or size who want to add a newsletter to their media mix; podcast producers or media teams building newsletter capabilities; creators with a small newsletter they want to grow; and people who know they should start but are scared of the workload / overwhelm. It's not for experienced email marketers or people who haven't yet figured out who their audience is.