This is a bit meta: Spotify enlisted Ashley Graham for a new limited-series talk show about her favorite podcasts… which will stream on Instagram Live.
Spotify is hoping to get more exposure for its podcast lineup by getting in front of the supermodel and entrepreneur’s 11.2 million followers on Instagram with the live show. It’s part of Spotify’s marketing push into the growing podcast space.
Described as a sort of “book club discussion” for podcasts, the weekly “Listen Up with Ashley Graham” will be live-streamed from her Instagram account in three sessions on different themes. On the live broadcast, she’ll talk about her weekly top podcast picks and respond to followers’ questions and comments. Not surprisingly: Graham is set to chat up new exclusive Spotify shows, such as “The Michelle Obama Podcast,” which premiered three weeks ago with Barack Obama as her first guest.
Graham hosts her own podcast, “Pretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham,” which isn’t exclusive to Spotify.
There is a Spotify tie-in designed to drive Graham’s fans to listen to and (ideally) get hooked on new podcasts. Before each session, Spotify will post a discussion guide on its For the Record blog, and Graham will create a Spotify playlist of the individual podcasts she’ll be talking about.
“I’ve been listening to so many great podcasts while at home in Nebraska — they are the perfect backdrop for my skating strolls with Isaac [her son] or when I need some solo time away from the family (everyone needs a break these days!),” Graham said in a statement. “I’m so excited to be teaming up with Spotify to host ‘Listen Up With Ashley Graham,’ where I’ll be discussing my favorite podcasts with fellow podcast-lovers and diving into topics that are of interest to me.”
“Listen Up with Ashley Graham” will comprise three sessions on different topics: Aug. 26 (starting at 12 p.m. ET) will be about motherhood; Sept. 2 will cover business entrepreneurship; and on Sept. 9, she’ll talk about wellness podcasts.
Fans are invited to participate in the discussion at @ashleygraham on Instagram to submit comments. In each Instagram Live session, Graham will host a 30-minute discussion to talk through the podcast discussion points and answer select questions.