Alex Cooper launches ad agency

• Alex Cooper has launched an ad agency. The Unwell Creative Agency will act “as a conduit for brands to reach Gen Z women through live events, original productions and the parent company’s podcast network.” The agency’s first deal is a multi-year partnership with Google.

• Alex Cooper was one of those present at SiriusXM Media’s “Built with Audio” advertising showcase in New York yesterday. “I am a CEO and I’m a podcaster”, she said, “but all of that wouldn’t be successful if I wasn’t a marketer. Every single day I’m thinking about, ‘How can I push my product?’, ‘How can I push my podcast?’, ‘How can I push my movies, television shows, consumer products?’. At the core of it all, none of it would be as successful if I wasn’t thinking with my marketing cap at all times.”

• In Spain, Isabel Coello has been announced as the recipient of the PodWoman Award for 2025. She won for her work on La Casa Grande, a documentary podcast that explores violence in intimate relationships and the recovery process of the women who have suffered it. She will be presented the award at the PodWoman event this weekend.

• The full schedule for the Hot Docs Curious Minds Festival has been announced. The event is in Toronto ON, Canada, between Nov 6-9; there are a number of live tapings and interviews with podcasters.

• The Black Effect Podcast Network is celebrating its fifth year anniversary. “Our mission has always been to build a dedicated platform where Black voices can thrive. We have accomplished that mission and more,” said Charlamagne Tha God.

• Podtrac released the September 2025 US rankings for publishers and podcasts. In the podcast ranking, The Charlie Kirk Show saw a rise from #34 to #6 (his fatal shooting was on Sep 10); SiriusXM’s Fantasy Footballers moved from #34 to #9 (the new NFL season kicked off on Sep 5); and Morbid jumped from #404 up to #11 (this is essentially “the highest new entry”, given the show shifted to SiriusXM on Sep 1 from Wondery, which isn’t a participating publisher). As ever, these rankers measure participating podcasters only.

• How many people across the world are strapping on their Apple Vision Pro and using it to listen to podcasts through Overcast? 35, says Marco Arment.

• As Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO shows a special episode in UK cinemas tonight, Nick Hilton writes that the show “is everything wrong with podcasting”; while others are pointing out that DOAC isn’t the first in cinemas, irrespective of what Bartlett claims.

Moves and hires

• Laura Hagen has been announced as SVP, Regional MD Americas & Global Head of Agency Relations at Acast. She joins from iHeartMedia and Zeta Global.

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Tips & Tricks

• Buzzcast, Buzzsprout’s official podcast, tackles some of the myths surrounding podcasting this week - busting many of the myths circulating round the podcasting that stop you from starting podcasting. No, you don’t need to launch with three episodes; no, you don’t need expensive equipment; and no, there aren’t too many podcasts!

Podcast News - with Airwave

For your Signal Award consideration: Face Off: The US vs China for Best News & Politics Podcast and Best Individual Episode in News & Politics. The show is an inside look at the turbulent relationship between the world’s two superpowers, the two men in charge, and the vital issues that affect us all; it’s hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jane Perlez, former New York Times Beijing bureau chief and current fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center.

For your Signal Award consideration: [REDACTED] History for Best Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Podcast. [REDACTED] History is a show where we can have real, unfiltered conversations about the things that SOME FOLK don’t want us to talk about. This is where we will huddle around the campfire and tell the stories of people that the textbooks forgot.

The award-winning Nature Podcast is 20 years old this week and recently published its 900th episode. The podcast, from the science journal Nature, covers the biggest research news, meets the scientists behind the results and provides in-depth analysis from Nature’s team of journalists and editors.

The Problem With… is brand new from James Smith, a founder, fitness content creator, and author of three Sunday Times #1 bestsellers. James sits down with experts across tech, health, and media to tackle some of today’s most provocative topics - from AI and hormones to screen time and business trends. It’s new from Platform Media.

The best way to learn about someone is to look into their kitchen cupboard at their mug collection, according to A Mug’s Life. Alpine ski racer Chemmy Alcott has a 31 year old mug that inspired her to become a four time Olympian - and other mugs in her collection kick off stories of drinking tea in the Royal Box at Wimbledon and empowering young people to embrace failing. The show is hosted by Juliet Davies.

What happens when constitutional duty collides with private grief, when ancient ceremonies meet modern media, and when a family’s most intimate moments become the world’s most watched drama? With a simple phone call beginning with the words “Your Majesty”, William has just been told his father is gone — and that the crown is now his. Palace Intrigue Presents: King William has launched - a speculative fiction podcast with a look at what’s to come.

Podcast Promotion in the wild

“You know what’s fun? Making your podcast feel real by printing a 4x4 foot ad and hanging it on the wall of the local Curling Club”, says Dominic Girard on LinkedIn. The show, Secret Sunshine, is about the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. “Because [it’s] hyper-local, it makes sense to market it in hyper-local ways. Sometimes that means going beyond podcast apps and socials to show up in the actual places my audience gathers. In other words: fish where the fish are — or in this case, curl where the curlers are.”

Podcasting will grow more if we market it more. Seen a podcast being promoted somewhere in the wild - other than on a podcast? Let us know by hitting reply.