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

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

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