Riverside, the go-to platform for podcasters aiming to record high-quality remote interviews, is expanding its features. The company has announced a new capability that allows users to automatically create newsletters from their podcast recordings using AI.
What Riverside Is Actually Building
This new feature analyzes the transcript of a recorded episode and uses AI to draft a newsletter based on the content. Imagine having an assistant who listens to your entire podcast, highlights the most interesting moments, and writes up a summary for your email subscribers to read in just five minutes.
If you’re already using Riverside to record your shows, this means one recording session can yield two pieces of content: the audio episode and a written newsletter—without doubling your workload.
Over the past few years, Riverside has transformed into an all-in-one creator tool. It’s added video editing, clip generation, and transcription to what began as a simple recording app. The newsletter feature fits right in: it takes something creators already do on the platform and extends it into a new format.
Why Newsletters, and Why Now
The newsletter landscape is becoming more competitive. Substack, Beehiiv, and Ghost are all vying for creators’ attention. Riverside isn’t aiming to replace these dedicated platforms—at least not just yet. Instead, they want to make it easier for creators. If you recorded your episode on Riverside, you shouldn’t have to start from scratch when it’s time to write the newsletter.
This approach is similar to what tools like Descript and Adobe Podcast have done with audio editing. They’ve taken tasks that used to require separate software and integrated them into the recording workflow. The key difference is that Riverside is moving from audio production to written publishing, which is a significant leap for the company.
Podcasters have been told for years that an email list is essential for truly owning their audience. Relying solely on platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts can be risky. This new feature removes one of the biggest barriers to starting that email list.
What This Means
If you run a podcast and have been hesitant to start a newsletter because writing feels too time-consuming, this feature is made for you. Record your episode just like you always do, and Riverside will draft the newsletter for you. You’ll still need to review it, add your personal touch, and hit send, but the daunting blank page is no longer an issue.
For your listeners, this could mean more podcasts showing up in their inboxes with easy-to-read summaries. This is especially handy for those who can’t always listen to a full episode but want to keep up with what creators are discussing.
This trend highlights an important development: audio and written content are merging. Tools that help creators publish in both formats without extra effort will likely become the norm.
| Riverside: By The Numbers | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 |
| Primary use case | Remote podcast and video recording |
| New feature | AI-generated newsletters from episode transcripts |
| Competing newsletter platforms | Substack, Beehiiv, Ghost |
What People Are Saying
“Honestly, this is the one feature that might actually get me to start that newsletter I’ve been talking about for two years. I hate writing, but I love recording.”
— u/PodcastingFromBasement, Reddit
“Smart move by Riverside. Every podcaster knows they should have a newsletter. Now there’s no excuse not to.”
— YouTube comment on Riverside’s announcement video
What To Watch
- Whether Riverside will allow users to publish newsletters directly through the platform or if they’ll only export drafts to services like Substack and Beehiiv.
- How dedicated newsletter platforms respond—Beehiiv has been particularly aggressive in adding creator tools.
- Whether the AI-generated drafts are good enough for creators to use with light edits or if they’ll require extensive rewriting.
- Riverside hasn’t announced a specific rollout date yet, so keep an eye out for a public launch confirmation in the coming weeks.
For more about this announcement, check out the original report from TechCrunch.
Ava Mitchell
Ava Mitchell is a digital culture journalist at Explosion.com covering social media platforms, streaming services, and the creator economy. With 4 years reporting on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and the apps that shape daily life, Ava specializes in explaining platform policy changes and their impact on everyday users. She previously managed social media strategy for a tech startup, giving her firsthand experience with the platforms she now covers.
