The Squeeze

Insider reporting

The closest thing podcasting has to a labor and culture beat. Skye Pillsbury reports on layoffs, deals, and the human cost of network moves. Free on Substack. Honest, occasionally gossipy, and the working-creator perspective is rare in this space. Read alongside Podnews and Sounds Profitable for full industry picture.

The Squeeze is the independent podcasting-industry newsletter run by Skye Pillsbury on Substack, read by over 5,000 podcasters and audio professionals. Pillsbury was previously the writer of Inside Podcasting at Inside.com and has been covering the industry for years; she launched The Squeeze because she felt no US-based independent journalist was reporting on the human side of audio — the layoffs, the working conditions, the contractor pay disputes, the moves that look small on a trade-press deal slide but reshape someone's career. The newsletter mixes original reporting, interviews, screenshots of industry chatter, and opinionated takes on big stories. Eric Nuzum has called it "an utterly fantastic addition to the journalism looking at podcasting" and recommended anyone interested in podcasting follow it. Pillsbury has appeared on Podnews Weekly Review to discuss her reporting on "big money podcasting" as networks shed shows and lay off staff. Free to subscribe via Substack at thisisthesqueeze.com. Best for: working podcasters and industry people who want a less-corporate read on what's happening, especially around employment and creator equity. Less essential if you only want platform/product news (Podnews covers that) or revenue numbers (Sounds Profitable does that). Pillsbury has done deep reporting on the "HBO of podcasting" emerging in 2026 and on what big money podcasting actually looks like as networks consolidate and shed staff — both of which are the kind of stories you won't find anywhere else.