Compiled by Tess Connery and Grace Gollasch
Keep it Cleaner’s Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw on keeping it real with KICPOD
Keep it Cleaner founders Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw have announced that they’re bringing KICPOD and KICBUMP podcasts to LiSTNR. Up until now, the pair have been self-publishing the health and wellness podcasts, with KICPOD tallying up more than 6 million downloads since its launch.
Podcast Week’s Tess Connery spoke to Smith and Henshaw about how the partnership came about and what comes next.
Henshaw: “We met up with Sam Cavanagh two or three years ago, in a cafe in South Melbourne. We caught up just to chat about what we could do together. We’d always admired Sam and his career and what he’d done in terms of podcasting – obviously, he worked with Hamish and Andy for so many years.
“When we met with him, it was really great to connect, but it wasn’t the right time for either of us to go into a partnership. But we’ve stayed in contact, and then this time it was the right time.
“So we’ve had that relationship for a while, which is really nice. We’re really, really excited.”
The podcast covers a wide array of topics and speaks to a wide array of guests. When it comes to deciding what to cover each week, the pair say that it comes down to a philosophy they’ve had since the very beginning: the podcast is for the community.
Henshaw: “For us, it’s about speaking to our community about what type of issues and topics they want to hear about. We can speak about fun things and silly things, but we also speak about things that really matter. That’s really, really special for us to be able to do.
“Our listens are really very consistent, which is great. Sometimes they’ll be a bit higher if it’s a really popular person, but they’re quite consistent. What that means for us is that we can bring to light really important topics, and we know that our audience is open to it.”
As well as heading to LiSTNR with the original KICPOD podcast, Smith has also launched the KICBUMP podcast. Created after the birth of her son, Harvey, KICBUMP covers everything from bump to baby – but she says that the listenership is not restricted to mums.
Smith: “For me personally, being a mum and having a space that I can just vent all things motherhood, or speak about Harvey and know that no one’s getting sick of it because they’re coming here to listen to that sort of thing is special.
“We’ve had 14 episodes so far, and what we found is that a lot of the listeners aren’t necessarily mothers themselves, or parents – they might not even be pregnant. Some of them aren’t even thinking about having a child soon, they’re just really intrigued to learn more about it.
“I know I’m speaking to quite a broad demographic when I’m having those conversations, which is really exciting. We’re averaging about 70% of the downloads that our KICPOD episodes are getting, which is really incredible, considering it is that bit more niche.”
The pair say that there are a number of goals they’re lining up to kick with LiSTNR on board, bringing KICPOD to “a new level”.
Smith: “Expanding our listenership, being able to reach more people with these stories and these lessons that we learn is important to us.
“We’ve never captured video content of our podcasts, and as podcast listeners ourselves, we really appreciate when other podcasts do that, I find it really entertaining. It’ll be so great for us to be able to share that as well.
“Also, I think LiSTNR will help us to get a better understanding of exactly what our audience is wanting or listening to – that’s really exciting for us. It’s going to be really exciting to see what happens when we have a team of specialists.”
Overall, the pair hope that KICPOD listeners have fun with them, and learn something along the way.
Smith: “We hope they enjoy it most of all, and we just try and make sure that there are takeaways from every episode. Even if we are just talking about the fun stuff, if people can take things from listening to our podcast, that’s awesome.
“For us, as well as growing as interviewers and the partnership with LiSTNR which is really exciting, at the same time we aren’t going to stray from being super relatable and raw. We are not polished, KIC is not polished, Laura and I are not polished, and we think our listeners like that about us as well. We won’t lose touch with that.”
Henshaw: “We live in a world where you open the news and get stuff like what’s been going on in the past week, it’s really hard. Sometimes you do want to escape from that and listen to something that feels wholesome. We hope the podcast feels like a hug.”
KICPOD and KICBUMP will be available on LiSTNR from 1 August 2022
Are Media launches Captive! podcast series about what motivates women
Are Media has launched a podcast series investigating the content that captivates Australian women, as exclusive Kantar research reveals a six-fold increase in top of mind awareness for advertising created by Are Media brands in print, digital and social media.
Hosted by author, TV presenter and criminologist, Dr Xanthé Mallett, the ‘Captive!’ series talks to leading editors and content creators, including Nicole Byers, editor-in-chief of The Australian Women’s Weekly and editor of marie claire, Elle Lovelock, editor-in-chief of Home Beautiful and Real Living, Gourmet Traveller editor Joanna Hunkin, Alex Bruce-Smith, digital managing editor of ELLE and marie claire, and Clare Catt, head of creative at Are Media.
The three-part podcast looks at risk taking and rule breaking content, what motivates women and keeps them coming back for more and ways brands can use commercial creativity and Are Media’s data, research and insights to drive audience engagement.
Nicky Briger and Elle Lovelock
Across four Are Media created branded content pieces Kantar tested, top of mind awareness rose on average 29% when compared to a control group, with message association up 25%, brand favourability rising by 13%, online ad awareness increasing by 10% and purchase intent and consideration lifting by 11%.
Kantar said: “The strength in these results are a testament to the well-crafted fit for purpose content that shows understanding of how the media are being consumed as well as the influence of some of Australia’s most beloved mastheads. This combination has also proved Are Media’s ability to take consumers through the full purchase funnel.
“Our eye tracking data further proved how engaged the respondents were as the images of the print executions drew the respondent in, but then they stayed for the highly persuasive content – with three out of four finding the content relevant to them (1.5 times Kantar norms) and 88% who felt that the content provided them with new information (1.5 x Kantar norms).”
Watch and listen to the podcasts:
Making MAGic – Stories behind the covers
The Knowing – Connecting across digital and commercial creative
The Zeitgeist – Setting and following the agenda
Acast announces integration with Meta for podcasters and audiences
Acast has announced an integration with Meta that will give podcasters new ways to grow audiences and engage with fans.
The companies are developing an integration between Facebook Groups and Acast+, the platform’s subscription offering that allows creators to give paying fans exclusive benefits across multiple platforms.
Creators using Acast+ will be able to offer listeners entry to subscriber-only Facebook Groups where fans can engage with each other, interact directly with their favourite podcasters, and get access to exclusive benefits – including live streams, Q&As and special events.
When a fan subscribes to a podcast’s Acast+ membership, they are admitted into the Group by linking the subscription to their Facebook account from the podcast feed. These communities will be powered by Facebook’s new Interoperable Subscriber Group technology.
See also: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces more ways for creators to make money on its platforms
The integration will not only enable podcasters to build a community for their listeners, but also to offer their fans new perks with a much simpler user experience.
Ross Adams, CEO of Acast, said: “When podcasters are able to build deep relationships with their listeners, great things happen. A core part of Acast’s mission is to help turn those listeners into true, loyal fans — and this integration with Meta helps make that a reality for our tens of thousands of podcasters around the world.”
This new connection between the social media platform and podcast company will allow podcasters to create their community hub seamlessly – without the need to manually find and add fans.
Podcasters will be able to manage their Group, using it to engage with their community, promote new and upcoming episodes, access insights, and much more.
Peter Helliar joins iHeartPodcast Network with You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network Australia has announced it has added You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet with comedian Peter Helliar to its robust lineup of podcasts.
You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet will see Peter Helliar chatting to celebrity movie lovers about classic and beloved films they haven’t seen until now.
Listen as comedian and KIIS FM’s 3PM Pick Up host Kate Langbroek experiences Fight Club for the first time; fellow The Project host Waleed Aly watches an all-time classic, Star Wars; comedian Wendy Harmer sees The Karate Kid; award-winning actor Jackson Tozer enjoys The Terminator and many more.
Helliar said, “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet has been a labour of love. I have had a lifelong love affair with movies despite significant gaps in my filmography.
“To experience films for the first time such Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, Gone With The Wind and Beetlejuice with mates has been such a thrill. I’m stoked the team at ARN have taken this podcast into their movie-loving hearts. I can’t wait to continue this adventure with them.”
ARN’s head of digital audio, Corey Layton, added, “iHeartPodcast Network is committed to delivering the best content in every genre, and we are thrilled to add You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet to our comedy slate. Pete is one of the country’s most loved comedians and brings his trademark humour, not to mention a huge line-up of celebrity guests, to this hilarious movie podcast.”
You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet joins iHeartPodcast Network Australia’s growing slate of comedy podcasts, including Somehow Related with comedians Glenn Robbins and Dave O’Neil, and the just-released fifth season of the world-famous The Ron Burgundy Podcast with Will Ferrell.
[Listen to You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet here]
2022 Infinite Dial study reveals 7 in 10 Aussies listen to online audio weekly
The number of Australians listening to online audio each week has climbed by 8% over the past year, according to the sixth annual 2022 Infinite Dial Australia study, released by Edison Research and industry body Commercial Radio Australia.
Nearly 15.6 million Australians, or 71% of the population aged 12+, listen to online audio weekly, up from 66% in 2021 and 46% when the study first started in 2017. Monthly listening rose to 78% from 74% a year ago. Online audio comprises AM, FM and DAB+ radio stations listened to online, podcasts and music streaming services.
The average time spent listening to online audio increased to 13 hours and 31 minutes per week, up from 12 hours and 11 minutes a year ago.
Australia overtook the US as one of the most advanced podcast markets in the world, with the number of people who listened to a podcast in the last month growing to 40% from 37% a year ago (compared to 38% in the US), while the number of weekly podcast listeners was steady at 26%.
Podcast listeners were more deeply engaged, listening to an average of seven episodes in the last week. The average time spent listening to podcasts surged to seven hours and six minutes per week, up from five hours in 2021.
CRA chief executive officer Ford Ennals said, “Australia is one of the world’s leading podcast markets and these results show that podcasts continue to capture the imagination and ears of Australian listeners with a staggering level of individual weekly listening of over seven hours every week. With increases in the key drivers of growth such as smart speaker ownership, connected cars, use of radio station apps and great podcast content, we can expect to see this level of digital audio growth to be sustained.”
Commission Factory and Ampel launch new podcast series, Flex Your Hustle
Global affiliate marketing platform, Commission Factory has announced the launch of its new podcast series, Flex Your Hustle, via independent audio experiences agency Ampel.
Aimed at helping marketers and agency teams find innovative new ways to grow their business outside of traditional channels, Flex Your Hustle, is a 14-episode content series talking to start-ups and SMEs through to CMOs of large-scale brands.
Michelle Lomas, general manager, Ampel (and also Flex Your Hustle’s host) said, “Podcasting and audio are currently Australia’s fastest growing marketing communications tools. And with 40% of Australian’s listening to a podcast at least once a month there is a wealth of audience to connect with.
“The aim of Flex Your Hustle is to disrupt the way marketers think, so what better way to deliver the message than use the platform that is currently disrupting the comms market?
“We know Australians are turning to audio as a preferred method of finding out information, and people are now listening on average 7 podcast episodes a week. So taking a brief from a brave client who is prepared to look for an alternative method to engage its customers was
exactly what we do best.”
Flex Your Hustle’s guest line up is as unusual as the series itself. While other marketing podcasts focus on success stories of the big guys (and occasionally women) with venture capital backing and Ivy League education, Ampel and Commission Factory took a different direction. Lomas interviews marketers most people have never heard of to highlight people with zero marketing experience who managed to build multi-million-dollar businesses – simply by hustling their way to success.
[Listen to Flex Your Hustle here]
Nikki Osborne goes Too Far with new podcast
Podspot and Nikki Osborne have launched a spin-off podcast from her stand-up show, Too Far.
Each episode will see Osborne chat to comedians about their best/worst gear and the fallout afterwards.
Osborne said, “no people were harmed in the recording of this podcast.
“Every comedian has that “choke on your cornflakes” joke. We’ll reflect on when they worked and when they caused cancellation. At least you’ll get to hear them,” she said.
“Virtue signalling is a virus and this podcast is the anecdote, I mean antidote. Both”
Podspot CEO Dave Matthews said, “This is the comedy podcast that picks at the scab that is political correctness, so we needed a host that could do just that. No one is better at picking that scab than Nikki Osborne.”
“The world is so scared to laugh these days, we need to laugh and we need to have a space where we can laugh at ourselves.”
