How Better For It stands out from the crowd
Good advice alone is possibly not enough in the crowded health and fitness podcast space. The podcaster needs an angle, something fresh to give the potential audience. On this measure Katie Williams has delivered big time since partnering with PodcastOne.
On her new podcast Better For It, the former champion beach sprinter and Surf Life Saving’s Australian Athlete of the Year, Williams offers her audience some real life experiences.
Explained the podcast format to Mediaweek, Williams said: “I take on a different challenge every two weeks. So far I have quit sugar, quit alcohol, undertaken 40 minutes of meditation a day, done fasting and had a plant based diet.”
Throughout each two week period Williams also films the whole experience and tracks the results with input from an expert in the different fields.
“The podcast measures my mental, physical and social health for each challenge. The point of the podcast is to inspire people to question their habits and to help them make positive changes in their life. Along the way I put my body on the line, revealing to listeners just how I have fared during the challenge.”
TV watchers might remember Williams as a contestant on season one of Nine’s Australian Ninja Warrior, but maybe perhaps more for Nine’s use of Williams in its marketing, rather than for her performance! “I got knocked out pretty early. It was quite disappointing because I trained very hard for it. The unforgiving course just got me on the day. I often mention on my social media that if I can fail in front on 2.5m people on TV I can do anything. I am certainly not afraid to fail.”
She has worked hard to build a dedicated audience across several platforms. When asked if she’s happy with the term influencer, Williams replied: “I’d rather be called ‘influential’. I treat my audience like a big family.”
With each audio podcast, Williams also posts on her social media channels a short Vlog with video highlights.
Two questions Williams answers at the end of each episode are: 1. Is two weeks long enough for this challenge to have been successful? and 2. Will I continue this long term? No spoilers here – you will have to listen.
“I have now built up a community of listeners who are doing these challenges with me.” A forthcoming challenge will be giving up coffee, something she admitted to being “heavily addicted to”.
10 Speaks has accompanying podcasts for major shows
Network 10’s newish podcast platform 10 Speaks is accompanying some of the broadcaster’s biggest formats this year with accompanying podcasts. One early success this year has been The Reality Bite: Jungle Nights where 2020 contestant and radio broadcaster Tanya Hennessy interviewed fellow contestants.
10 reported this year jungle fever was rife on social media, with the TV season achieving its highest ever interactions across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Total interactions lifted 23% year-on-year to 1.24m interactions overall.
Meanwhile the 10 Speaks podcast, The Reality Bite: Jungle Nights, achieved the highest number of listens within its first 24 hours out of all 10 Speaks podcasts.
10 is now hoping to replicate that success during the season of Australian Survivor: All Stars where James Mathison and Survivor Australia legend Luke Toki discuss each week’s highlights.
Listen to Jungle Nights and Talking Tribal here.
Getting maximum Cathrine Mahoney
We couldn’t wait until the Podcast Week column this week to reveal details about the new podcast from former Sony, Nine and Nova PR executive Cathrine Mahoney.
The podcast has particular appeal to many who sometimes daydream about quitting their day job!
Mahoney has something of a following after being quite successful in her new career already.
If you are new to the podcast and want to get more head to cathrinemahoney.com where there are links to many columns she has written for Mamamia, 9Honey and more recently Kidspot and Whimn.
There are also links to an early podcast series Mahoney did with Acast called I’ll Show You Mine.
The first episode of her new podcast So, I Quit My Day Job features Tash Sefton.
Listen to So, I Quit My Day Job here.
Kristen Larsen’s legacy: The incredible Ovarshare podcast
Passing away from advanced Ovarian cancer on 9 December 2019, cancer did not beat Kristen Larsen, she beat cancer by living an incredible life.
Larsen believed that death was not a reflection of losing a battle or a fight, in fact she despised that terminology.
Her final advocacy project was to create the Ovarshare podcast with Nova Entertainment, a powerful and inspiring series to share her story, and featuring people whose stories or spirit will touch the hearts of those that listen, which launched this week.
The honest and sometimes heart-wrenching six-episode series shares the stories of survivors, of those who passed and their families and friends. Larsen also talks to some of the medical professionals and charity sectors to gain insight into all aspects of ovarian cancer from the symptoms to dealing with a diagnosis and raising awareness and funding for research.
At 21 Larsen’s life changed forever when she was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. Over six years, she showed incredible courage and determination, and continued to hold hope and dream big to make a difference for women like her. Campaigning to raise awareness of the disease and funds for research, Larsen shared her story across Australia, UK, Canada and USA, was the face of many campaigns and fundraisers and successfully campaigned to secure millions of federal dollars. In 2018 Larsen was named a finalist in the Queensland Young Australian of the Year Awards for building awareness of the illness and the need for more research and clinical trial.
Elsa Larsen said of her sister Kristen, “Her smile so genuine, her laugh so full of joy, Kristen continued to dream big for her Teal sisters, wise beyond her years, Kristen’s story will live on, will continue to impact and inspire us.”
February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
Listen to episodes of Ovarshare here.
