'Recipe for Failure': Meghan Markle Receives Stern Advice From PR Pro

The Duchess of Sussex is set to launch a new podcast with Lemonada, but she will need to make some major changes from her 'Archetypes' podcast if she hopes for success.

By Allison Schonter

Meghan Markle is continuing to work on her personal career and businesses following her exit as a senior royal in 2020, but she may be setting herself up for some disappointment. Following news in February that the Duchess of Sussex partnered with Lemonada Media to launch a new podcast after her and Prince Harry's multimillion-dollar deal with Spotify ended last year, a celebrity PR expert has warned that the new business endeavor is a "recipe for failure."

"For Meghan Markle's new podcast to see more success than Archetypes, she and her team are going to have to bring something seriously fresh to the table," Kayley Cornelius, a celebrity PR specialist speaking on behalf of Betfred, told the Express.

Markle is no stranger to podcasts. She hosted her Archetypes podcast on Spotify for 12 episodes. The podcast featured conversations between the duchess and other notable women, including Mariah Carey, Mindy Kaling, Issa Rae Trevor Noah, and more. However, as she looks to start a yet-to-be-named, original podcast series with Lemonada, which will also distribute the inaugural season Archetypes, Cornelius said that Archetypes "lacked a solid marketing strategy" to maintain weekly listener engagement, and "the success of Meghan's new podcast will depend on a variety of factors such as the marketing, guests, and topics discussed."

"Simply rebranding the same format under a different name is likely a recipe for failure. The podcast industry is booming, but while there's a lot of demand for this new form of media, the main reason people tune in is because they are invested and feel connected to the host," Cornelius continued, adding, "to make this new podcast successful, Meghan will need to forge stronger connections with her audience or maybe bring in an expert co-host to offer more structure and personality to the show."

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At this time, details of the upcoming podcast are scarce, including what it will be titled, what Markle will discuss, and if there the duchess will have a co-host or bring on special guests. The podcast was first announced back in February, with Markle at the time stating, "being able to support a female founded company with a roster of thought provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024. Our plan to re-release Archetypes so that more people can now have access to it, as well as launching a dynamic new podcast are well in the works. I'm so eager to be able to share it soon, and am overjoyed to be joining the Lemonada family."

The podcast has already reportedly faced some setbacks. Royal expert Richard Eden claimed in April that the podcast was postponed to 2025, as Lemonada did not want its launch "overshadowed" by the release of her upcoming Netflix series. An official launch date has not been announced for the podcast, but her upcoming Netflix series, which will "celebrate the joys of cooking and gardening, entertaining, and friendship," reportedly recently wrapped filming.

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