Fitness trainer Shiv Simani has shared two significant ways his influencer career has grown since he won the Pulse Influencer Awards in 2021 and 2022.
In both editions of the Pulse Influencer Awards, Shiv Simani took home the title of Health & Fitness Influencer of the Year, triumphing over 9 other nominees in each respective year.
Speaking to this writer, Simani expressed his understanding of the impact his content has on his fans.
"The awards showed me that people have been extremely grateful for what I am doing. They have really motivated me and given me more energy and psyche to continue creating and sharing more content," Simani said.
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The awards have also taken his influencing career to a higher level, he now feels more confident about his work beyond just doing it for fun.
"They have also given me some validation that what I am doing is not just for fun. They have boosted my confidence and made me believe that I am the real deal," he added.
Simani also discussed the upcoming influencer awards scheduled for October 7 this year, expressing his hope of clinching another title.
Simani's podcast could be nominated for the podcast of the year category.
"I am going with the mentality to win, so I am really hoping for that," he added.
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UNIT The Podcast returning for Season 2
During the interview, Simani, who co-hosts 'UNIT The Podcast' with his wife, talked about the return of the second season, which is set to be launched either in late September or early October.
The first season of Unit the Podcast concluded in April.
Simani revealed that he has a strong interest in podcasting and is consistently listening to various other podcasts, both domestically and internationally, to learn different techniques and ideas that they can incorporate.
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Monetisation of podcasts
Speaking about the monetisation of podcasts, Simani said he is navigation the revenue aspects of such content.
"I would like to know that too," Simani said, followed by a light laugh.
However, Simani emphasised that the primary focus is to first establish consistency and build an audience before they can eventually earn from it. In the first season of the podcast, they did not have brand partners.
"While we've been approached by potential partnerships that we didn't have in season one, they also need to align with the themes we discuss.
"Right now, we are concentrating on building consistency and expanding our audience," he explained.
Simani encouraged young people to embrace digital content creation which has become a source of livelihood for many Kenyans.