Quill is an award-winning podcast production agency focused on branded audio content. Quill’s team has also built CoHost, a podcast hosting, analytics and audience growth tool for brands and agencies. We spoke with Fatima Zaidi, Founder & CEO of Quill & CoHost, to learn more about what they do.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Quill is an award-winning podcast production agency that specializes in branded audio content. The team at Quill also built CoHost, which is a podcast hosting, analytics, and audience growth tool for brands and agencies.
What made you want to do this work?
Like many Canadians, I didn’t even know what a podcast was until 2014 when I fell in love with the true-crime podcast Serial. At the time I was handling sales for a marketing agency, and while I loved listening to podcasts, I also realized how powerful podcasting could be for brand storytelling. Unlike reading a book or watching a show, you can listen to podcasts while you cook, clean, work out, or commute, which makes it an attractive medium for brands to reach an audience.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
We are the only podcast production agency that also owns an analytics tool. Our premium distribution + audience growth and insights tool CoHost helps provide you with access to metrics and analytics not available on other platforms. This deeper understanding of your podcast helps us achieve your goals. We help global brands with the infrastructure, production and distribution needed to not only create their show but to find an audience and determine the ROI of their podcast.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
We work primarily with corporate brands. We’ve built a roster of international clients including PwC, TD, CIBC, Expedia and SickKids Hospital.
How does your business make money? How does it work?
Our production agency charges brands for an 8-episode podcast series, and our tech product is a saas revenue model where users pay a monthly subscription fee.
Where in Toronto can we find your profession?
We are a completely remote and global company. Our official HQ is in Toronto, but our employees are scattered across Canada and the US. In fact, we decided never to have a physical location. The small silver lining with the widespread stay-at-home measures brought on by the pandemic was that they forced the podcast industry to transition to remote recording which can be more convenient for scheduling, travelling, and connecting with far away guests and even more intimate if done right.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
I really appreciate it when customers ask us why we are different from other production agencies, and other podcast hosting platforms. We are the only production agency that created an analytics tool for our clients. Our innovative podcast hosting product is used to drive marketing insights & analytics for the brands we work with. Our mission is to help brands gain a superior understanding of who their podcast audience is, the impact their content is making, and the ROI their shows are bringing in to simplify their podcast workflow to drive reach, growth, and revenue.
Overall, our core mission is to empower brands with the content and insights they need to create impact. Our team truly believes in the power of branded podcasts and we’re focused on pushing the industry forward via our quality of production, platforms, and unique data insights such as the first State of Branded Podcasts Report.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The best part of my job is working with my innovative team to solve our industry challenges. The worst part of my job is that every day brings you a new set of challenges. Getting comfortable with uncertainty and discomfort is what being an entrepreneur is all about.
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
There is an experience some podcast hosts have in which the more popular they get the more ridiculous they become. It’s called The Joe Rogan Experience.
What are your social media channels?
Instagram | Twitter and my personal channels are @zaidiafatima
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Toronto business that you love?
Willful, an online wills company, and Trufan, a software company in Toronto.
