Mental Health Podcasts that Perform; Adnan is Free; Interviews with Ghosts Courtesy of AI; Unlikely Connections Between Brand and Host

Fall is here, and Q4 is in full swing. This week’s Influencer comes to you with a slower-than-usual news week which is fine by us because we’re focusing on mental health.

We have two interesting stories in the podcast space that you may find interesting – one will make you feel good, and the other is guaranteed to excite your mind with possibilities while being potentially a little scary.

We’re also sharing two podcasts focusing on mental health that perform extremely well for advertisers while doing good in the world – a win-win in our book.

Additionally, we share a spectacular aircheck from a podcast about mental health that shows that a podcast doesn’t necessarily need to be a spot-on fit for a brand to make an extremely solid connection in their reads.

And finally, our very own Dan Granger was a guest on the career-focused podcast POZCAST last week to further his crusade for live reads and nutrition labels on podcasts while sharing the career path that eventually lead to the formation of Oxford Road.

The Classifieds

If You Can’t Make Your Own Serotonin, Store-Bought is Fine

October is Mental Health Awareness month, and we’re highlighting two phenomenal Mental Health agency performers for this week’s classifieds. Our first selection comes from Podcast Nation and is hosted by The Therapy Group founders Emmalee Bierly, LMFT, and Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT. Every week they talk about a different topic related to mental health, from romantic breakups and emotional maturity to advice for therapy novices. While these two are professionals with a devoted following, their conversations feel off the cuff and reactively honest. This podcast is recommended for those trying to target young mothers who are extremely health-conscious or Millennial women in general. No appointment is required to test this performance opportunity; just click below for more details.

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The Doctor Will See You Now

Dr. Caroline Leaf is a cognitive neuroscientist and mental health expert, so you could say she’s a better source of truth than your best friend over a round of cocktails. Praised by colleagues and listeners alike, Dax’s long-running series has covered a whole host of interesting, medically relevant topics such as intrusive thoughts, trauma, de-escalating intense emotions, and creating boundaries with loved ones. Her formative principles focus on simplifying your life while giving practical tips and tools to guide your self-improvement. Our clients, who want to reach a medically informed and inquisitive audience, have found great success on this show. See below for additional information if you’re interested in grabbing your own mental mop and broom.

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In Case You Missed It

Serial Season 1 Episode 13

Most would agree that Serial was the launch of the podcast revolution, and this week, eight years after the show’s debut, Serial released the final episode – Adnan is Out. Adnan Syed was released this week after being incarcerated for more than 20 years for the murder of his girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, a crime he has always said he didn’t commit. Due to the show’s success, the zeitgeist that was Serial and the media surrounding the case undoubtedly impacted the eventual retrial and ultimate acquittal of an innocent man. Can justice and fairness be brought forth through solid journalism and media? It seems so. This classified section was brought to you by MailChimp.

Joe Rogan’s Exclusive Interview with Steve Jobs

The power of AI is being tested everywhere. While we see the strides we’re making in AI-generated art from sites like Dall-E, to AI transcription services, there are still massive gaps in overcoming the uncanny valley. Case in point, “Joe Rogan’s” recent interview with Steve Jobs.

A voice synthesis company based in Dubai published a fictional podcast interview between the podcast powerhouse and the Apple founder using realistic voices digitally cloned from both men. It takes place during the “first episode” of a purported podcast series called “Podcast.ai,” created by Play.ht, which sells voice synthesis services. The show’s content is trash, and anyone listening with any degree of discernment can easily tell that the show is a farce, but this could become a very exciting thought experiment. Based on the clumsy, often unintentionally funny interview we have today, we can imagine a world in which AI could create a true facsimile of what it would be like to hear the best interviewers of now take on the best interviewees of yesteryear or vice versa. Johnny Carsen’s exclusive interview with Post Malone may be forthcoming.

Dave’s Answer to the Part of the Problem

What do plants have to do with improving mental health? As we learn from Dave Smith’s endorsement of Fast Growing Trees, quite a lot. According to Dave, selecting just the right plants for your home can make all the difference in your mental well-being. And hearing great personal connections for our advertisers helps our mental well-being.

Finding a unique way to connect a brand to a show’s content doesn’t always run a straight line. A brand like Fast Growing Trees doesn’t have to stick to home improvement or gardening shows. If you find an honest connection between brand and host, and it’s executed correctly, shows like Dave’s Part Of The Problem can be a success story in a sea of unlikely performers.

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OXFORd In The News

Save the Live Read and Add Nutrition Labels

Regular readers of The Influencer know that Oxford Road Founder and CEO Dan Granger is on a crusade to save the live reads in podcasts while adding nutrition labels to this oftentimes black box channel. Last week, Dan joined host Adam Posner on The Pozcast podcast to discuss these near and dear topics along with the formation story of Oxford Road and where he thinks the industry is headed.

If you’ve read this far, thank you!

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