Creators from TrueFans: Showcasing Independent Podcasting

Sam Sethi & Claire Waite Brown

Championing independent podcasters and their supporters, each episode features an interview with an indie podcaster to talk about their show and how they make it, and which Podcasting 2.0 features could be of use to them to improve discoverability, interactivity and monetisation for their podcast. Co-hosts Claire Waite Brown and Sam Sethi also discuss what's happening in the podcast world that might be of interest and use to independent podcast creators.

  1. 22h ago

    Foley, Fiction and Futureproofing

    Creating audio fiction on your own terms is all about following spontaneous creative sparks, experimenting with live sound design and protecting original content as AI tools reshape the podcasting landscape. This time Claire catches up with voice coach, actor and writer Flloyd Kennedy, creator of the audio fiction series Am I Old Yet? Flloyd shares how a lockdown sketch competition evolved into 13 seasons of lighthearted comedy following an outspoken elderly protagonist. Claire and Sam Sethi then unpack a wave of technical and industry news from demystifying Model Context Protocols (MCPs), exploring the ‘clip economy,’ celebrating recent Signal Award winners, and previewing upcoming creator newsletter tools. In this episode, we explore: The Origins of Am I Old Yet?: Flloyd explains how a 10-minute lockdown sketch turned into a multi-season audio comedy podcast.Decades of Storytelling and Theatre: Looking back at Flloyd's career in Brisbane repertory theatre, founding a women's theatre company in Glasgow and bringing playwriting instincts to podcasting.DIY Sound Design and Wedgwood Foley: The joy of doing everything yourself, from recording live coffee cup clinks using unpacked teacups to learning crowd noise terminology (‘walla’) on Discord.Casting and The Person Tag: Sourcing voice actors and how podcasters can use the Podcasting 2.0 Person Tag in TrueFans to feature cast photos and link to actor portfolios.Demystifying MCPs and APIs: Sam breaks down Model Context Protocols (MCPs) in plain English, explaining how advanced users use tools like Claude to connect workflows, and why TrueFans approaches developer APIs thoughtfully.AI Agents and The ‘Clip Economy’: Tackling the risk of AI scrapers stripping full episodes into bite-sized clips.Value for Value vs AI Scrapers: Sam proposes turning the tables on automated web scrapers by requiring upfront value-for-value micropayments before AI agents extract episode content.Celebrating Indie Wins and Creator Newsletters: Shouting out TrueFans-featured creators who took home Gold, Silver and Bronze at the 5th Annual Signal Awards, plus an update on bringing newsletter publishing directly into the TrueFans Creator Portal. Listen to Am I Old Yet? here. Submit this form to be featured on the TrueFans home page. How to claim your show. Follow @TrueFans.fm on Instagram and/or Threads. Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or here Read: TrueFans blog Recommendations: Creators Podroll Feedback: TrueFans Support Music: How It Is from Ketsa Music

    Foley, Fiction and Futureproofing
  2. Oct 19

    Connection, Contacts and Community

    Producer and co-host of Queernecks podcast, Dash shares what it’s like creating a show that blends authentic Appalachian voices with insightful queer perspectives, covering everything from local traditions and current events to humorous anecdotes and meaningful connection. After relocating to Minnesota, Dash started the show with co-host Beck to stay connected to home. He breaks down how they use front-porch banter to talk about real life without falling into trauma traps, how he edits as a hearing-impaired producer using script-based tools and how they've built an engaged, welcoming listener family. Plus, Claire and Sam discuss the latest TrueFans platform updates, including the brand-new Contacts Tag, a new requirement for getting featured on the TrueFans home page, listener feedback from Martin Lindeskog, and a reminder for our upcoming Live Network Feed Demo. In this episode, we explore: Blending Appalachian Culture and Queer Perspectives: Dash explains how Queernecks explores the intersection of Appalachian traditions, local life and LGBTQ+ issues through humour and authentic, unscripted conversation.Navigating Displacement and Staying Connected: Using podcasting to bridge distance and stay tied to family roots.Laughter, Connection and Avoiding Trauma Traps: Using front-porch humour and storytelling to reflect on hard shared experiences without reliving trauma or letting it limit them.Editing by Ear and Keeping it Fun: How Dash handles editing as a hearing-impaired producer using script-based tools, keeping prep light so recording stays spontaneous and enjoyable.The New Podcasting 2.0 Contacts Tag: Sam and Claire break down the new @ contacts feature for email, feedback, guest bookings and more.Why Creators Must Claim Their Show: Claire outlines the requirement for getting featured on the TrueFans home page, whereby creators must claim their show for free as a simple value for value exchange.Live Network Feed Demo: A reminder for Claire and Sam's live demo on Thursday, October 29th at 5:00 PM UK time (10:00 AM PDT), which will show podcasters how to build cross-promotional networks. Listen to Queernecks here Submit this form to be featured on the TrueFans home page. How to claim your show. Follow @TrueFans.fm on Instagram and/or Threads. Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or here Read: TrueFans blog Recommendations: Creators Podroll Feedback: TrueFans Support Music: How It Is from Ketsa Music

    Connection, Contacts and Community
  3. Oct 5

    Metadata, Maps and Marketing

    How to breathe fresh life into your podcast back catalogue using 'unsexy text', and how independent creators can eam up in networks to boost discoverability. Stephanie Fuccio, host of Geopats Abroad, shares how she intentionally wrapped up her expat podcast four years ago, only to realize its 92 evergreen episodes were still ripe for new listeners. She explains how in one-week she retitled all 92 past episodes, and is now concentrating on polishing show notes and planting engagement cues to continue to resurface past episodes. Claire and Sam then unpack a stack of platform updates, from clever tricks for resurfacing older episodes to the difference between publishers and networks. Plus, they share an update on native iOS/Android apps, map out Independent Podcast Award nominees with location tags, and invite creators to a live demo of the new TrueFans Network Feed! In this episode, we explore: Modernizing Evergreen Audio: Steph shares how she uses AI tools to help cleaned up keywords and update show notes for better search discoverability.The Power of 'Unsexy Text': Why tweaking episode titles and metadata creates real listener connections, and why podcasting often 'forgets itself' by ignoring past episodes.Real Connection over Slippery Downloads: Shifting focus away from misleading download stats towards real community building, lead generation and interactive comments.Resurfacing Gems with Featured Episodes: Claire shares how creators can use the Featured Episode setting in TrueFans to pull back-catalogue episodes right to the top of their feed.Publishers vs. Networks: Sam breaks down how individual creators can join forces into a Network to pool listener numbers and attract bigger sponsors.TrueFans Network Feed Live Demo: A heads-up about Claire and Sam's upcoming live demo on Thursday, October 29th at 5:00 PM UK time (10:00 AM PDT) showcasing how podcasters can cross-promote and build networks together. Reserve your spot here.Native iOS & Android App Update: Answering fan mail from David John Clark, Sam outlines the shift from web apps to native iOS and Android apps, bringing 'liquid content' to CarPlay, Apple Watch and smart TVs by late October.Putting Podcasts on the Map: How TrueFans is using the Podcasting 2.0 Location Tag to map nominated shows for the Independent Podcast Awards, and how hosts can drop their pin in their Creators Dashboard.Marketing Podcasting 2.0: Sam and Claire discuss breaking down the 28 P2.0 tags into digestible steps (Monetization, Discovery, Interactivity) so creators aren't overwhelmed.Listen to Geopats Abroad here Join the Live Demo: Register for the TrueFans Network Feed Live Demo taking place October 29th. Submit this form to be featured on the TrueFans home page Follow @TrueFans.fm on Instagram and/or Threads. Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or here Read: TrueFans blog Recommendations: Creators Podroll Feedback: TrueFans Support Music: How It Is from Ketsa Music

    Metadata, Maps and Marketing
  4. Sep 21

    Somatic Healing, Slow Podcasting and Stats

    How can podcasters reject rigid ‘bro-marketing’ metrics, embrace the gift economy and build an evergreen show that lights them up, all while balancing family life and business? Melissa Maouris, creator of Reparenting Podcast, shares her inspiration for running her show as a free resource rooted in the gift economy rather than transactional gains, and how she has managed to produce Season 3 at her own pace alongside motherhood and a full-time coaching practice. Claire and Sam discuss the widespread adoption of the RSS Funding Tag and other monetization options within TrueFans, and preview the upcoming TrueFans newsletter functionality, designed to help independent creators build community. In this episode, we explore: Reparenting and Somatic Healing: Melissa breaks down how reparenting helps listeners strip back inherited identity expectations, reconnect with their authentic selves and process suppressed emotions through a somatic lens.The Gift Economy vs. Transactional Living: Why Melissa launched her podcast as a free resource to give from a place of surplus and overflow, and how creating purely from love keeps her inspired.The Power of Slow Podcasting: How Melissa balances recording around raising two children and running a coaching practice – taking two years to complete Season 3 on her own timeline rather than adhering to rigid weekly release pressure.Rejecting ‘Bro-Marketing’ and Hands-On Editing: Navigating frustrations with hyper-capitalized podcast metrics, and why she chooses to edit her own episodes to retain full creative control.Demystifying the RSS Funding Tag: Matt Medeiros champions the Funding Tag, described as the podcast industry's easiest way for creators to accept external support.Creator Newsletters and Stats: Sam and Claire reveal how TrueFans is expanding newsletter functionality to all claimed shows, enabling hosts to publish newsletters with subscriber open rates and link-click rank analytics. Listen to Reparenting Podcast here Matt Medeiros' Funding page Submit this form to be featured on the TrueFans home page Follow @TrueFans.fm on Instagram and/or Threads. Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or here Read: TrueFans blog Recommendations: Creators Podroll Feedback: TrueFans Support Music: How It Is from Ketsa Music

    Somatic Healing, Slow Podcasting and Stats
  5. Sep 7

    Typography, Transcripts and Tight Edits

    How do the tiny, unnoticed details of everyday communication shape our behaviour, and how can podcasters apply that same rigorous eye for detail to elevate their content, reach, and editing? In this episode, communications consultant and creator of Communication Untangled, Sue Keogh, explains how her fascinating career across radio production, digital media, and marketing agency work led her to explore the hidden designs that quietly govern our lives, from motorway signage and medical device instructions to voting slips and restaurant menus. Claire and Sam discuss some of the technicalities of independent podcasting, debating everything from RSS feed accessibility and cutting-edge geosearch to the painful reality of editing out involuntary mouth clicks. PLUS, who should present the Independnet Podcast Award for the category that TrueFans has sponsored, Sam or Claire? Comment with your pick. In this episode, we explore: The Power of Planning and Batching: How Sue managed to record four episodes in just two days by blocking business time, building Trello workflow boards, and using pre-interview prep calls to ensure a brilliant, tight recording.Bringing Audio to Life with Chapters: Sue and Claire discuss the power of Podcasting 2.0 chapters, sharing how adding visuals, such as photos of fonts, menus, and gallery captions, adds a whole new layer of lock-screen interactivity.Accessibility and the Transcript Gap: Sam and Claire tackle why more hosting platforms and creators aren't utilizing free or cheap transcripts, and propose a user-driven ‘request transcript’ button to push for better industry-wide adoption.Hyper-Local Discovery via Map Radius: Sam explains the newly implemented geosearch feature on TrueFans, showcasing how listeners can discover podcasts within a specific radius based on their location.‘Set-and-Forget’ Automated Social Sharing: How fans can link their social media profiles to TrueFans and choose ‘verbs’ (like Play, Share, or Become a Fan) to auto-post their podcast activity and recommendations.The Brutal Art of the Edit: Claire and Sam discuss podcast judging pet peeves like ‘flabby’ intros, the painstaking task of cleaning up mouth clicks and breaths, and how to maintain a natural conversation cadence without making edits sound too clipped or robotic. Listen to Communication Untangled here Submit this form to be featured on the TrueFans home page Follow @TrueFans.fm on Instagram and/or Threads. You can support the show by streaming payments from your TrueFans wallet while you listen. Leave a super comment via the speech bubble icon in the TrueFans app. Learn more about TrueFans features by listening to our sister show, Fanzone. Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or here Read: TrueFans blog Recommendations: Creators Podroll Feedback: TrueFans Support Music: How It Is from Ketsa Music

    Typography, Transcripts and Tight Edits
  6. Aug 24

    Ballet, Passion and Publishing: With The Adult Ballet Studio

    How to use storytelling skills to break down industry barriers and bulld a thriving community around a lifelong passion. Elizabeth Blosfield – the multimedia journalist behind The Adult Ballet Studio podcast – discusses how through reconnecting with ballet as an adult she identified a gap in the market for resources and storytelling dedicated to amateur dancers over the age of 18, and explains how her podcast fills that gap for her listeners. In this episode, we discuss: The Adult Ballet Community: Elizabeth uses her podcast to break down barriers in the ballet field to make the art form more welcoming for dancers of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.Journalism and Storytelling: How her background as a multimedia journalist allows her to uncover moving human stories and share the ‘joy’ of the dance world.Production and Efficiency: Elizabeth shares her ‘grind’ of balancing a full-time career with independent podcasting and how overcoming the technical learning curve has allowed her to become a more efficient producer.Discovery and Synergy: How features of the TrueFans app, such as Podroll, can enhance discoverability for podcasts.Cumulative Clout and Thematic Discovery: A new TrueFans Publisher feature will allow independent podcasters to form collectives or 'mini-networks' based on shared themes to improve their cumulative clout with advertisers and help listeners find similar content without relying on algorithms. Listen to The Adult Ballet Studio here Submit this form to be featured on the TrueFans home page Follow @TrueFans.fm on Instagram and/or Threads. You can support the show by streaming payments from your TrueFans wallet while you listen. Leave a super comment via the speech bubble icon in the TrueFans app. Learn more about TrueFans features by listening to our sister show, Fanzone. Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or here Music: How It Is from Ketsa Music Feedback: TrueFans Support Read: Creators Blog Recommendations: Creators Podroll

    Ballet, Passion and Publishing: With The Adult Ballet Studio
  7. Aug 10

    Sustaining Creative Communities: With Andreea Coscai and Jullian Androkae

    Can you reclaim your podcasting joy and build a sustainable community around your show? Andreea Coscai and Jullian Androkae, founders of PodVision, join Claire to explain how they handle the heavy lifting of production, video assets and marketing that can suck the joy out of creating an independent podcast. We discuss: Partnership over Outsourcing: Andreea and Jullian offer a bespoke approach to helping creators launch and rebrand shows.Navigating Platform Dependency: The frustration of depending on third-party algorithms for discovery and the potential for Podcasting 2.0 features to change the relationship between creators and fans.Global Perspectives: Andreea introduces EuroWaves, a newsletter focused on the European podcasting market and international collaboration.Podcasting 2.0: The importance of interactivity, from direct listener comments to Podrolls and premium content. Educating Creators Sam and Claire discuss the importance of 'training' creators to use interactive app features to build deeper community connections, and how TrueFans incentivizes independent creators by offering hosting credits when fans listen directly through the app. Find PodVision here Submit this form to be featured on the TrueFans home page Follow @TrueFans.fm on Instagram and/or Threads. You can support the show by streaming payments from your TrueFans wallet while you listen. Leave a super comment via the speech bubble icon in the TrueFans app. Learn more about TrueFans features by listening to our sister show, Fanzone. Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or here Music: How It Is from Ketsa Music Feedback: TrueFans Support Read: Creators Blog Recommendations: Creators Podroll

    Sustaining Creative Communities: With Andreea Coscai and Jullian Androkae
  8. Jul 27

    Discovery, Feedback and Funding: With Indie Business Club

    Can your creative passion truly ‘earn its keep’? In this episode, Claire chats with Mel Barfield, host of the indie business club podcast, to explore the ‘near infinite possibilities’ and practical hurdles of independent podcasting.  From her 90s-radio-inspired format to her unique ‘indie anthem’ episode titles, Mel shares how she navigates the transition to solo hosting while craving the feedback that turns ‘silent listeners’ into a community. We also break down new TrueFans features designed to help indie shows thrive, including: • Buy Me a Subscription: A revolutionary way for fans to directly gift hosting packages (from 1 to 12 months) to cover a creator's overhead costs. • The End of ‘Featured and Forgotten’: Learn how our homepage discovery tool ensures your show pops back to the front every time you release a new episode. • Private Feed Imports: Now you can bring your premium content from Patreon or Substack directly into the TrueFans app for a seamless listener experience. • Request a Podroll: A new collaborative tool for cross-promoting with creators worldwide to find ‘fan synergy’. Plus, find out a little more about the International Women’s Podcast Awards and learn how you can support independent voices through super comments and streaming micro-payments. Listen to indie business club here Submit this form to be featured on the TrueFans home page Follow @TrueFans.fm on Instagram and/or Threads. You can support the show by streaming payments from your TrueFans wallet while you listen. Leave a super comment via the speech bubble icon in the TrueFans app. Learn more about TrueFans features by listening to our sister show, Fanzone. Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or here Music: How It Is from Ketsa Music Feedback: TrueFans Support Read: Creators Blog Recommendations: Creators Podroll

    Discovery, Feedback and Funding: With Indie Business Club

About

Championing independent podcasters and their supporters, each episode features an interview with an indie podcaster to talk about their show and how they make it, and which Podcasting 2.0 features could be of use to them to improve discoverability, interactivity and monetisation for their podcast. Co-hosts Claire Waite Brown and Sam Sethi also discuss what's happening in the podcast world that might be of interest and use to independent podcast creators.

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