TORONTO (PRWEB) November 25, 2019
Five years after the launch of Serial, the true crime podcast that defined the entire medium, tech startup Quill is launching today, working to help aspiring podcasters get their shows off the ground. Quill is the world’s first dedicated marketplace for podcasters, helping to streamline entry into podcasting and offering a one-stop platform to help guide a podcaster’s journey from idea to beyond launch.
“Our mission at Quill is to help podcasters build a compelling show and find an audience to help it thrive. The barrier to starting a podcast can be high since the resources and support available to podcasters are scattered and limited, and it’s a big investment of time and money to get a show to market,” said Fatima Zaidi, CEO and co-founder, Quill. “The market is also becoming saturated, so it’s not just about finding help to develop a show, but also marketing it so that it finds an audience.”
Globally, over 30 million podcast episodes and 750,000 shows have been produced to date, with 3,750 new shows launching around the world every week. Podcasts have become a viable way for individuals and brands to connect with an audience, with at least a third of Americans listening to a podcast episode in the last month, but many don’t know where to start to get a podcast to market.
Quill’s marketplace connects podcasters with vetted freelancers who help with the various stages of bringing a podcast to life, including creative development, production, distribution, and marketing. Over 75% of podcasters hire freelancers to launch a show; according to Quill’s research, podcasters are primarily outsourcing to editors, researchers, graphic designers, and marketers, but currently the process to find and vet experts is fragmented.
Using Quill, individuals and businesses can search for the key people they need to develop a show, including hosts, scriptwriters, and producers, knowing they have been pre-selected for their podcast expertise and past work. Podcasters can provide project details directly through the platform, negotiate project scope with freelancers, and if it’s a fit, provide files and pay directly through the platform. Quill is also committed to providing pricing standards, since pricing for podcast production can vary wildly. For freelancers, Quill is a targeted way for them to find new customers without having to list their services on general freelance platforms.
Founded by Fatima Zaidi, a sales expert who has spent a decade working in strategy and sales, and Jay Roberts, a Cornell MBA with a background in finance and operations, Quill also has an advisory board that includes Dragons’ Den star Michele Romanow and venture capitalist Bruce Croxon.
“Podcasting is still considered a relatively new and niche form of content creation, and the tools and support for success are few and far between. I meet lots of people who have great ideas for shows, but who don’t realize the investment of time and money it takes to get a quality podcast of the ground,” said Stephanie Anrews, an audio editor and transcription specialist listed on Quill. “Quill’s platform is solving two problems - first, it’s helping aspiring podcasters reach people like me, who can guide them through the process; and second, it’s helping me connect with customers so I can focus more time on production, and less on marketing.”
In addition to its platform, the company is also offering podcasting audits to companies who want to assess whether it’s a viable medium for them. Quill is also organizing the first Listen In podcasting conference in Los Angeles in June 2020 to bring together professionals in the industry. The first confirmed keynote speaker at Listen In is Sophia Amaruso, the founder and CEO of NastyGal and Girlboss Media (and host of the Girlboss podcast).
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Links:
Website - https://www.quillit.io/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/quill.inc/
About Quill: Quill was founded in 2019 by Fatima Zaidi and Jay Roberts as the world’s first marketplace where individuals and businesses can find pre-vetted freelancers to help launch and grow their podcast. Quill aims to make entry into podcasting more streamlined and become the go-to platform for help throughout a podcaster’s journey. Based in Toronto, Quill launched in October 2019.