Ashley Graham, Glamour Both Expand Podcast Offerings

Kathryn Hopkins

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Podcasts are becoming an increasingly crowded market, but that hasn’t stopped two female forces from expanding their footprints.

In an interview with WWD, model and budding business mogul Ashley Graham revealed that her podcast, “Pretty Big Deal,” will become a permanent weekly feature, not even taking a break when she gives birth in January.

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At the same time, Glamour just released the first two episodes of “What I Wore When,” their newest weekly podcast in partnership with iHeartMedia.

Graham launched the first season of her podcast last October, kicking off the eight episode series with an interview with Kim Kardashian. Other guests included Serena Williams, Amy Schumer and Lindsey Vonn.

Its second season, of which Revlon is the title sponsor, began last week with an interview with “CBS This Morning” anchor and O, The Oprah Magazine editor at large Gayle King, but this time it won’t stop.

“We had a big meeting about what do the viewers want and what are they craving,” said Graham, who just released an episode with Emily Ratajkowski. “The first thing they were craving were 30-to-40-minute pieces of content for the commute and also we realized the moment we go away they’re sad and then people will forget about the podcast. So we decided that we want to be weekly and you never have to miss a beat.”

She will take around three months off when she has her baby boy, but will pre-record episodes. When she’s back, some of the interviews will be live.

As for how she gets some of her famous guests, Graham, who has 9.4 million followers on Instagram, doesn’t have a problem with sliding into their DMs. “I DM people all the time. I will blow your DMs up,” she said.

So far, this has proved to be an effective strategy, with no one turning her down for the show, made through do-it-yourself audio platform Anchor and available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify or any other podcast streaming service.

“I’ve been completely honest with my fans since Day One and they know that I’m only going to bring honesty out of my guests and that’s always been the goal for me — just to have honest, real conversations,” she said of why she thinks her podcast stands out from the crowd.

“But also, my guests feel like they have a platform to tell their own stories as well. It’s not just your normal who are you wearing, what parties are you going to.”

This is a sentiment Glamour shares despite its title. As per a press release, its podcast, released each Monday and hosted by digital director Perrie Samotin, “will go far beyond fashion choices, and explore how the seemingly small choices people make every day end up impacting their lives more than they realize.”

“It’s about style, yes, but the conversations include so much of what makes each guest interesting, so you can also expect talk around work, fertility, childhood, loss and — the all-important topic — last meal on earth,” Samotin said about the 26-episode podcast.

She will sit down with actors, writers, musicians, cultural critics, reality stars, chief executive officers, chefs and other influential women to discuss what they wore during a particularly pivotal moment in their life — and why it mattered.

The first two episodes are interviews with actress Zoey Deutch and “NBC Weekend Today” anchor Sheinelle Jones. Other guests will include reality star Stassi Schroeder, actress Bellamy Young, cook and author Alison Roman, sportscaster Erin Andrews, and TV personality La La Anthony.

“I’m genuinely fascinated by the way people choose what they wear, how they shop, and what they like — or don’t like — to spend money on, so I couldn’t be more excited to ask those questions to the most amazing mix of influential women,” Samotin added.

Glamour, which ceased its regular print edition at the beginning of the year, also has the “She Makes Money Moves” podcast, hosted by editor in chief Samantha Barry. Its other one, “Broken Harts,” has ended since it was a true-crime podcast centered around the Hart family.

Read more here:

A Little Theron, a Little Atwood — but Glamour’s Awards Were All About Jane

Ashley Graham Announces Pregnancy on Instagram

Ashley Graham Expanding Personal Brand With Podcast Launch

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