Podcast Bestie Celebrates 3rd Anniversary

Podcast Bestie is thrilled to celebrate its third anniversary, marking three years of growing an engaged Substack community of over 5,000 subscribers.

Launched in 2021 by seasoned podcaster and producer Courtney Kocak, Podcast Bestie has become a go-to resource providing independent creators with the tools and insights to stand out and succeed in the evolving audio landscape. In 2023, the newsletter expanded to include a companion podcast, Podcast Bestie, The Podcast, which recently wrapped its 17-episode first season with over 77,000 downloads.

Over the past three years, both the newsletter and podcast have featured insights from industry leaders and pioneering indie creators, including Anna Hossnieh, Arielle Nissenblatt, Lauren Passell, James Cridland, Jamie Loftus, Jay Clouse, Jeff Umbro, Danielle Desir Corbett, and Nick Loper. Covering topics from creative inspiration to audience growth strategies and navigating the business side of podcasting, it’s become a favorite for podcasters seeking relatable, actionable advice from peers and experts alike.

A handful of Kocak’s favorite issues from the past year include:

• From Podcast to Page: Cara McGoogan on Turning Bed of Lies Into Blood Farm
• What Mike Learned on His 7,711-Mile Audio Adventure
• What We Should Steal From 'Search Engine’
• Why Your Podcast Needs a Newsletter
• What Matt Gilhooly Learned from 100 Episodes of The Life Shift

With the continued growth of the newsletter and the addition of the podcast, Kocak aims to broaden Podcast Bestie’s offerings with webinars, providing even more valuable resources for podcasters. The Podcast Bestie community can look forward to an expanding catalog of content on both sides of the paywall in the coming year.

Subscribe to Podcast Bestie on Substack for the latest strategies delivered straight to your inbox. For advertising opportunities, visit podcastbestie.com/advertise.

About the Founder

Courtney Kocak is a Los Angeles-based writer and podcaster. She wrote for Amazon’s Emmy-winning animated series Danger & Eggs and Netflix’s Know It All podcast. She’s executive produced a slew of highly-ranked podcasts and currently hosts three of her own: Private Parts Unknown, about love and sexuality around the world with over two million downloads; The Bleeders, about book writing and publishing; and, of course, Podcast Bestie. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Cosmopolitan, Slate, and Business Insider. Her work has earned accolades, including an LA Press Club award for her gender/LGBT reporting with KCRW. Learn more at courtneykocak.com.