Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today’s edition features the story of how Claire Kimball and Kate Watson grew The Squiz from a daily newsletter to a multi faceted brand via podcasting, with events now on the horizon.

‘We thought there would be an acquirer by now’: How The Squiz made an early pivot towards daily podcasts

This month The Squiz reaches its seven years in the market. Starting life as a daily, agenda-free catchup of the key developments, with a female skew, The Squiz surfed what was a US-led trend.

Later The Squiz expanded to a daily podcast - they believe it was Australia’s first - and then extended to Squiz Kids. More recently they launched new podcast Squiz News Club.

In an honest conversation, founders Claire Kimball and Kate Watson share their challenges and frustrations, including the difficulties of getting in front of media agencies, how they’d expected the business to go faster, how ‘curation’ is their favourite word, and why they’re planning to soon move into live events.

They also discuss their unconventional publishing backgrounds, with neither of them having been a journalist before starting The Squiz. Kimball had been head of communications at Woolworths and was a press secretary to former PM Tony Abbott. Watson had done sales roles for Bauer Media and Sky News Australia.

Time to leave you to your Thursday. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

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Tim Burrowes

Publisher - Unmade

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