Head-to-head comparison
Make Noise (Book) vs Podnews
Two of the resources tools podcasters reach for. Here's how they differ on pricing, features, audience, and the trade-offs that actually matter day-to-day.
Eric Nuzum's book on podcasting and audio storytelling from a former NPR creative lead.
Best for: Strategy-and-craft book
Daily podcast industry news read every weekday morning by working podcasters.
Best for: Industry news
At a glance
The honest trade-offs
Make Noise (Book)
Pros
- Strategic and creative, not technical
- From a senior industry creative voice
- Tape from Ira Glass, Terry Gross, others
Watch-outs
- Not a how-to-start guide
- Published 2019 — pre-video era
- US public radio worldview
Podnews
Pros
- Updated every weekday since 2017
- Genuinely global coverage
- Free with no paywall
Watch-outs
- Inside-baseball tone
- Not for casual listeners
- Light on creative craft topics
Which one should you pick?
Pick Make Noise (Book) if
You’re building around strategy-and-craft book. Nuzum led podcasting at NPR for a decade, helped create TED Radio Hour and Invisibilia, and co-founded Magnificent Noise in 2019. His book skips RSS tutorials and focuses on creative principles.
Pick Podnews if
You’re building around industry news. If you only read one podcast newsletter, this is it. James Cridland's daily dispatch is short, dense, and global — heavy on platform moves, hires, and tech changes.
Also worth comparing
Frequently asked
What does Make Noise (Book) do better than Podnews?
Make Noise (Book)'s standout is "Strategic and creative, not technical". Podnews doesn't make that promise — it leans into "Updated every weekday since 2017" instead. If the first sentence describes your workflow, pick Make Noise (Book); if the second does, pick Podnews.
What are the trade-offs?
Make Noise (Book): not a how-to-start guide. Podnews: inside-baseball tone. Whether either matters depends entirely on what you actually need — neither is a deal-breaker by itself.
Can I use Make Noise (Book) and Podnews together?
Both are resources tools so most teams pick one. Some workflows do combine them — for example, using Make Noise (Book) for one show or episode type and Podnews for another. Worth trying both free tiers before committing.