Can Creator Economy Build a Better Podcasting? | Sam Sethi, TrueFans #671

Can Creator Economy Build a Better Podcasting? | Sam Sethi, TrueFans #671

July 2, 2026 · 1h 40m · Episode 671

About this episode

Rob Greenlee and Sam Sethi discuss the impact of the creator economy on the future of podcasting.

In this episode of The New Media Show , host 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee welcomes Sam Sethi , founder of TrueFans and co-host of the Podnews Weekly Review. They had a wide-ranging conversation about the future of podcasting inside the larger creator economy. Podcasting helped create the independent creator movement through RSS, niche audiences, direct publishing, and long-form content that builds audience trust . Today’s creators are building broader businesses around video, memberships, newsletters, live events, merchandise, premium content, clips, community, and direct fan relationships. So, can the creator economy help build a better, more sustainable podcasting industry? Rob and Sam explore why podcasting can no longer think only in terms of feeds, files, downloads, and ad impressions. They discuss the rise of creator portals, the importance of owning the relationship with audiences, and how platforms such as Patreon, Substack, Beehiiv, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple are changing creator expectations. The conversation also examines whether advertising is becoming less central to the creator business model , and how subscriptions, premium content, micropayments…

People in this episode

Host: Rob Greenlee

Guest: Sam Sethi

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TrueFans, Podnews Weekly Review, Patreon, Substack, Beehiiv, YouTube, Spotify, Apple

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