Category: <span>MIC Thoughts</span>

Why we’re proud to be a social enterprise

November 19, 2024November 19, 2024
by Vic

November 21st marks Social Enterprise Day, and it’s the perfect opportunity to tell you why we’re super proud to be a part of the social enterprise economy.

Social enterprises are a vital part of the UK economy, contributing billions of pounds annually. They create jobs, tackle social and environmental issues, and strengthen communities.

As you can see with MIC media, a podcast production and training company, there’s loads of different types of businesses that are social enterprises from pubs to banks to leisure centres.

3 people around a table. 1 girl seated with headphones on. A male and young girl stand looking over a sound desk

a screen grab of a zoom call with 11 women waving

A Shared Vision

Our founder, Vic, has dedicated almost two decades to the third sector. She’s passionate about using podcasts as a force for good, she adds,

“When I founded MIC in 2019, there was no question that it would be a profit-for-purpose model. There’s nothing quite like MIC in the podcasting industry, where it’s often centered around money, big names, but not purpose.

We’re proud to be contributing to the growing diversity of social enterprises, showing that they come in all shapes and sizes. As the world strives for more inclusivity and equality, doing business with social enterprises like MIC contributes to the greater good. More businesses are looking at their ethical footprint and legacy, and working with MIC is a powerful way to make a positive impact.”

Why We’re Proud to Be a Social Enterprise

We’re not just a podcast production and training agency; we’re a catalyst for positive change. Our social mission is to amplify underheard voices and stories through the power of podcasting. By doing so, we’re not just creating compelling content; we’re empowering individuals and organisations to tell their stories, share their knowledge, reach new audiences and inspire action.

There’s a lot of value in what MIC media does. I would definitely recommend charities and social impact organisations to consider a podcast, whether that’s as a tool to engage with current or potential beneficiaries, funders, potential partners. It also helps you reach new people in a unique way. MIC can help you achieve all of this.
Liam Nolan, Head of communications and Stakeholder Engagement, Children’s University

Our Impact, Your Impact

Upskilling and empowering teams: Over the past 5 years, we’ve trained 2,500 people with podcasting skills. Many of whom will have never picked up a microphone before.
Building capacity: Our work with the social impact sector, helps them strengthen their communication strategies and in lots of cases, save time and resources.
Changing the narrative: We’ve produced over 55 audio projects, giving a far-reaching platform to diverse voices, experiences and perspectives.
Sharing best practices: We help the social impact sector to share knowledge and expertise to drive more social change.
Sparking innovation: We support organisations to think creatively and innovatively to tell their story.
Boosting credibility and impact: Our podcast services help to build our social impact sector client’s brand reputation and increase their impact.

Social Enterprise UK explains the importance of social enterprise businesses, “By selling goods and services in the open market, social enterprises create employment and reinvest their profits back into their business or the local community. This allows them to tackle social problems, improve people’s life chances, provide training and employment opportunities for those furthest from the market, support communities and help the environment.”

There’s also a great definition of social enterprise here

A Shoutout to Our Social Enterprise Buddies

MIC is surrounded by an incredible network of social enterprise organisations who we urge you check out; like our buddies Yellow Jigsaw who are community media specialists, PIE who work with school children to help them to get employment ready, Noisy Cricket a consultancy agency that exists to help boost other organisation’s social impact, Flourish Together CIC, whose main objective is to support women to start, grow and sustain their own social ventures.

In the early days of MIC media we were supported by The School for Social Entrepreneurs and The Federation (RIP) and we’re certified Social Enterprise by Social Enterprise UK. We’re also now a part of the Social Economy Network in both Manchester and Tameside. If you’re looking for social enterprise support, or to buy social, do have a look at these guys.

Join us on our mission

We believe in the power of ethical business and the positive impact it can have on the world.

As a wise man once said, ‘These times they are a changin’ and with 131,000 social enterprises in the UK, the future can only be brighter with us guys driving this change.

Join us in creating a more equitable and just world, one podcast at a time. By choosing MIC, you’re not just selecting a service provider or a podcast company; you’re investing in a future where every voice is heard.

Interested in starting a podcast?

Email us now to discover how MIC can support your social impact business’s podcasting journey through production, training or consultation.

MIC Thoughts

5 reasons to amplify your social mission with podcasts

March 8, 2024March 8, 2024
by Vic

So you’re a social impact business making waves for good. You’re passionate, dedicated, and changing the world, one project at a time. But have you considered the power of podcasting to amplify your social mission?

Podcasts are audio shows that listeners can follow and listen to on-the-go. They’re a fantastic way to connect with a dedicated audience, spread awareness about your cause, and inspire action.

But maybe you’re on the fence.

Well, we’re here to get you off it!

Here’s 5 reasons why you might choose podcasts to amplify your social mission.

1. A closer look, big impact

five bulb lights — ^{Photo by Rodolfo Clix on Pexels.com}

Unlike a quick social media post, podcasts allow you to explore deeper into the issues you care about. Think in-depth conversations with experts in your field, inspiring stories from changemakers, and practical advice for listeners to get involved. Powerful, right?

Real-life example: Here’s how Children’s University used their podcast to explore issues around education and social mobility – something they know a thing or two about!

2. Find your tribe

grayscale photography of people raising hands — ^{Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com}

Sometimes our blogs and even social media posts feel like we’re shouting into the voice. Podcasts, however, let you target a specific audience who shares your passion, would be interested in your content, but most importantly, get value from it. This means your message resonates with the people who matter most. Who knows? This could be the start of a loyal community of podcast fans who love you and your cause.

Real-life example: Here’s how Flourish Together CIC grew their network of female social entrepreneurs beyond their live events, through their podcast.

3. Content is King (and Queen)

woman holding book — ^{Photo by Polina Zimmerman on Pexels.com}

The beauty of podcasts? You’re in control of the narrative! You’re the boss. It’s your podcast! This means you can get as creative as you like, you can test, and experiment and this is the vital bit… have fun. Consider sharing your expertise, hosting conversations, and most of all, create content that educates, uplifts, and motivates your listeners.

Real-life example: Here’s how Made By Mortals created a hit kids podcast by experimenting with music, theatre and performance.

4. Budget-Friendly

person putting coin in a piggy bank — ^{Photo by maitree rimthong on Pexels.com}

Starting a podcast doesn’t have to cost a bomb. This will be music to your ears, especially in a time where the cost of living crisis perpetuates and cuts are a plenty. With a little creativity and free editing tools, you can create high-quality audio that gets your message across.

Real-life example: Here’s how Yellow Jigsaw started their podcast with a group of amazing over 50’s community reporters.

5. Long-Term Play

worms eyeview of green trees — ^{Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com}

Your podcast can be evergreen content. Meaning that it stays relevant even if you listen to it a month or even a year after it’s first released.

Additionally, once you create an episode, it can find new listeners for years to come – because it will always be online (unless you delete it of course!) Imagine your message continuing to inspire change long after you hit publish – that’s the magic of podcasting! Not to mention the added value of having your content available to hear all the time.

Real-life example: Here’s how GM Moving used podcasts to share the messages and ethos of their Right To The Streets campaign for safer streets for women and girls.

Even small, impactful podcasts can make a big difference.

So, what are you waiting for?

Interested in starting a podcast?

Email us now to discover how MIC can support your social impact business’s podcasting journey through production, training or consultation.

MIC Thoughts

Not for profits! 3 places to find podcast content…

August 28, 2023August 28, 2023
by Vic

I often say that as social impact organisations you don’t have to look far for content. You’ve got a wealth of diverse, authentic and personable stories right at your fingertips. In this helpful blog post, I’ll point you to 3 places where you can find podcast content right now!

‘How do I find great podcast content?’ It’s a question we at MIC media get asked all the time. When we delve a little deeper with the social impact organisation that we’re working with, we more than often find that they’re sitting on a great big pile of awesome stories, in the form of case studies, testimonials, surveys, interviews, diaries, blog posts… the list goes on. All of these (and more!) can form the basis of, be shaped or re-formatted into great podcast content.

Content is king, but it doesn’t have to be a pain in the arse – especially in our sector where, and especially in our current climate, our attention often needs to be elsewhere, right now!

So, here’s 3 places that you can find podcast content right now,

1. The people you serve

Armchair Adventures is a globally successful podcast for kids. It’s made by Made by Mortals, an award-winning participatory arts organisation just outside of Manchester in the UK.

Armchair Adventures started in 2020 as a lockdown project for Made by Mortals. When COVID hit, they couldn’t work with their performing arts group of diverse over 65s. They also saw how much their community was being affected by isolation, lack of school routine, and more. So they equipped their group with laptops and taught them how to use Zoom!

Each episode features the experiences and opinions of their group of over 65’s. They also flex their performance skills and voices feature in each episode. It’s a truly intergenerational and accessible learning experience that brings together children and older people.

Andy Smith, Musical Director at Made by Mortals says, “It really was a no-brainer to turn to our talented bunch of older participants to create Armchair Adventures. The benefits of our unique collaboration just keep multiplying. Through our older cast, we give children a unique perspective on the world and help them learn about different cultures and generations. Our older participants gain communication skills, performance experience, confidence, cultural capital, and social mobility. It’s a very unique set-up and works incredibly well for everyone involved.”

Listen to Armchair Adventures ⬇️

Armchair Adventures: A Join-In Story Podcast for Kids
Listen to Armchair Adventures: A Join-In Story Podcast for Kids on Spotify. I’m on the lookout for some curious, brave and silly explorers to join me on an adventure! Hey! I’m Connie Chief Adventurer here at Armchair Adventures Travel Agency – where we specialise in journeys of the imagination.

So, do you work directly with people? Who are your beneficiaries? What unique stories and experiences do they have? How could they help you to create a podcast that can benefit everyone involved?

2. Your opinion pieces

Children’s University is a social mobility charity that encourages, tracks and celebrates learning that takes place beyond the classroom. Their podcast ‘Children’s University: Live’ serves as a mouthpiece for their opinions, reactions, conversations and thinking around the latest social mobility and education news, reports and research.

Many of the episodes in the latest series of the podcast started life as blog posts by the charity’s CEO Helen O’Donnell and were repurposed into podcasts by the team here at MIC media. Through this repurposing of content, they have opened up new audiences to the thoughts of Children’s University. At the same time offers content in a way that lots of people find more accessible or easier to digest than a blog, for example, it can be consumed on the go.

The charity also says that it’s a great way to connect with its network of over 100 Children’s University delivery partners across the country.

Helen adds “In charity comms we can often get bogged down with the written word. My inbox is full of reports I should read. We see podcasts as a shortcut to get our thoughts and opinions out to a) our network b) professionals working in this arena. It’s giving us a voice, but one that’s less onerous to consume for the listener. We’re also a people-led organisation and having a podcast really demonstrates that there are passionate people at the heart of what we do here at Children’s University.”

Listen to Children’s University: Live ⬇️

Children’s University: Live!
Listen to Children’s University: Live! on Spotify. A series from Children’s University, the charity that encourages, tracks and celebrates young people’s participation in learning beyond the classroom.

Are you sitting on blog posts, opinion pieces, executive summaries…could you extend the reach of these pieces by repurposing them in a more accessible way – like a podcast?

What content do you have that can spark conversation or amplify your voice of authority?

3. Your archive

The LGBTQ+ helpline Switchboard turned to its archive to create its multi-award-winning podcast The Logbooks. The 3-series podcast offered a unique glimpse into LGBTQ+ life across three decades.

Each episode of The Log Books podcast centres around the log book entries made by volunteers who staffed the phone lines right from the charity’s first day in 1974.

By shining a light on the past, and bringing these issues, stories, and moments in time into the modern day, the charity highlights the incredible work they’ve done and continues to do for the LGBTQ+ charity. It’s a really clever approach to podcasting, because by just telling these stories they’re creating brand amplification without it becoming a blatant advert.

Tash Walker, the podcast’s producer and host explains how the idea first came about,

“I was literally rooting around at Switchboard and came across these boxes. Inside were these A4 books that contained reams and reams of handwriting! I quickly realised that it was this living, breathing diary of the charity that started in 1974. This was not long after the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales in 1967. So this was an insight into queer history in Britain that I’d never heard before and I’m sure others hadn’t too. My eyes literally cartoon jumped out of my face with what I’d found!

Turning these into audio to go directly into people’s ears just made perfect sense because of the original telephone helpline. The impact of the podcast has been incredible, from winning awards and press, to people donating to the charity and episodes being used in educational settings. We’re really proud of it.”

Listen to The Logbooks ⬇️

The Log Books
Listen to The Log Books on Spotify. **Best New Podcast (Gold) at the British Podcast Awards 2020**What if you could glimpse into LGBTQIA+ life from decades ago? Since 1974 volunteers at Switchboard, the LGBT+ helpline, have written notes in the charity’s log books.

Sometimes our search for content can lead us to the most obvious places! Take a look into your past, what’s lurking back there that can help to tell the story of your present?

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So there you have it, 3 places you can find podcast content right now. If you’re asking the question ‘Where do I find great podcast content?’ – take 5 minutes to think about the content you have already at your fingertips!

Get out there and start telling some stories!

Post by MIC media founder, Vic Elizabeth Turnbull

P.S. If you need help getting started, we’re here to help.

At MIC media, we’re experts in helping social impact organisations create great podcast content. We can help you find stories, develop scripts, and produce high-quality episodes. Get in touch with us today to learn more.

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MIC Thoughts

3 ways podcasts benefit not-for-profits.

February 10, 2023February 10, 2023
by Vic

There is a myriad of benefits of having a podcast – and I reveal 6 surprising ones in this blog post. But as a not-for-profit, you may be wondering how exactly you can put this ever-growing medium to good use. How can podcasts benefit not-for-profits?

In our world, I know that every penny and resource that you have must be put to good use and importantly, help you to keep fighting the good fight. It therefore only makes sense that your podcast is put to lots of good uses!

So here are 3 interesting ways that not-for-profits are currently using podcasts to benefit the incredible work that they’re doing.

1. Contribute to learning resources

Flourish Together CIC supports women to start, sustain and grow social enterprises. As part of their awesome suite of support are learning events and leadership, start-up, and employability programmes

Their podcast, ‘Supporting Women in Social Enterprise’ is an extension of their support services. Each episode focuses on a topic that’s of use to female social entrepreneurs. Think of it like an audible guidebook to social enterprise, with episodes such as governance, crowdfunding, and measuring social impact.

Nickala Torkington, founder of Flourish explains more,

“We want to tell stories and showcase social entrepreneurs. We’re also creating a training and learning resource, and wider we’re creating a positive reputation in our sector. It’s not just a podcast that you sit and listen to in the bath. We wanted people to take action. React. Do it!”

With 12 episodes under their belt, the team has now started using the content as further learning materials for their programmes. For example, pointing participants to specific episodes for further learning in between sessions. They’re also looking to include the episodes as part of their online learning package. Making their resources available virtually has been something they’ve been looking to do for a long time, and the podcast has been an easy way to kick-start this.

Additionally, the podcasts are a great way for potential funders, partners, and participants to get a feel for what they do, Nickala goes on to explain,

“We thought a podcast could give people who couldn’t get to our events, an insight into what we’re doing. It’s a ‘reputation builder’ and a marketing tool that we can share and get more people involved. The podcast is helping us to join the dots and reach and engage more people than we could otherwise reach with just our physical events and Programmes.”

Does your not-for-profit deliver learning programmes, workshops, or courses? A podcast could complement your offer by creating on-demand content that your learners can access as they wish. Let’s flip this on its head too, if you have existing learning materials, such as blogs, videos, or fact sheets, could these be transformed into podcasts?

🎧 Listen to ‘Supporting Women in Social Enterprise’ ⬇️

Supporting Women in Social Enterprise
Listen to Supporting Women in Social Enterprise on Spotify.

2. Answer commonly asked questions

SENDIASS Manchester is a support service for young people with special educational needs and the parents of SEND children.

Serving the whole city of Manchester makes the service very busy. Every day they come across similar queries from parents and young people. So the small team wondered how they could free up their time by having the answers to these common questions in an accessible and easy-to-understand way.

Whilst the service has an extensive repertoire of factsheets and superb online resources, they needed something else that could accompany these, be accessible, and be easy to digest – especially important for time-poor parents.

A podcast was the answer.

The first series of SEND Talk comprise the top 5 queries SENDIASS Manchester are asked every day. The idea is that when they next get a query around one of these episodes, they can direct people to the podcast to help them. They can then call back if they need further information.

Margarette Lee-Chapman, the manager at SENDIASS Manchester explains why podcasts are a useful tool for them,

“As a service, we are always looking at ways to work more efficiently so that we can maintain same-day service but are also very much aware that many people that call us do not have English as their first language and may have difficulty with the written word in our factsheets and guides. Many families also are working long hours but also have little time during the day to contact us and therefore podcasts seemed like a sensible solution. By using our podcast, they will be able to hear advice and gain information at a time that suits them best.

She explains that it’s useful for the parents who use their service too,

‘’We also wanted parents to hear the stories of how parents themselves have been proactive in the SEND world by not only helping their own children but also giving inspiration and confidence to other parents to navigate the SEND world. These podcast episodes are their stories.”

So are you an information and advice service that gets inundated with the same sort of queries? A podcast of your most common queries, or what I like to call an audible FAQ, could help you to free up resources that can serve other areas of your not-for-profit.

🎧 Listen to SEND Talk ⬇️

SEND Talk
Listen to SEND Talk on Spotify.

3. Creatively report to funders

For Inspire Women Oldham their podcast ‘That Inspire Feeling’, was the perfect opportunity to show their funders Oxfam, the breadth of skills, confidence, and knowledge that their participants had gained during their funded project called LIFE.

Sally Bonnie, founder, and director of Inspire says,

“From the early beginnings of Inspire, I had always hoped we could find a way of bringing the voices of the women into other spaces and a podcast is such a wonderful way to do this!

“Creating podcast episodes are a fabulous way of capturing and showcasing the growth journeys of the women we champion. I think more and more funders are wanting to see this. Written Reports don’t really capture the essence of that change; there is something really special about including women’s voices in this way.

Oxfam GB who funded the LIFT Project, were delighted with this approach and was able to share our project outcomes wider through their organisation and partners. Podcasts have become an integral part of how we evidence change journeys, and how we report to our funders.”

The finale of their first series was an episode that was dedicated to the learnings and outcomes of the project.

It was a similar approach that Nickala from Flourish took when she created an episode based on a consultation commission the CIC did with Manchester City Council. She gives policy reports as another example of this,

“Policy reports always talk about ‘hidden voices’ and ‘getting people’s voices heard’. But often we simply just ‘read’ about them, with highlighted quotes or similar. We don’t actually ‘hear’ them. Podcasting lets us actually hear those voices.”

For Sol Diaz, who runs an ESOL project in Manchester, she wanted to show her funders how far her participants had come in learning English on her language programme. She created a podcast that now only demonstrated their progress and showcased her programme, but also provided a source of learning for other ESOL students beyond her project and the local area.

🎧 Listen to That Inspire Feeling ⬇️

That Inspire Feeling
Listen to That Inspire Feeling on Spotify.

So if you have an opportunity to creatively report to your funders, could a podcast capture some of the project’s values, outcomes or stories? Could an audio piece, bring your project to life and in turn, added some real value to the money you or your funders invested in the project too?

You can read more about how podcasts can create a lasting legacy for your not-for-profit in our blog post here.

Post by Vic Elizabeth Turnbull, founder, MIC media

Could a podcast serve your not-for-profit?

MIC media specialises in working with the not-for-profit sector and podcasts. Contact us to discuss your podcast idea or if you’d like to deliver podcast training to your team or beneficiaries.

MIC Thoughts

Here’s our 2022 highlights!

January 2, 2023January 2, 2023
by Vic

Happy new year! As we start 2023 we fancied a bit of reflection. 2022 was a massive year for us and we wanted to share with you our 2022 highlights!

⭐ Grab The MIC

We started Grab The MIC: Live, to shout about all of the brilliant and diverse podcasts out there being produced by not-for-profits

We want to inspire more third-sector organisations to harness the power of podcasts!

Grab The MIC: Live is a series of live conversations with not-for-profit podcasters. It’s all about how they make their podcasters, their impact and how they’ve overcome any challenges.

We’ve spoken to the likes of the Legacy Fundraising Chat podcast, The Log Books podcast by the Switchboard charity, Manc Spirit Charity, Children’s University Trust and Made by Mortals.

👀To watch the series to date, head over to our YouTube channel ⬇️

Grab The MIC: Live
Conversations with podcasters from across the not-for-profit world to inspire you too to Grab The MIC and get podcasting!

⭐ MIC’s Podcast Club

MIC’s Podcast Club, the community for podcasters that helps each other make brilliant podcasts, hit some ace milestones this year.

– we hit 1,000 global members
– celebrated our 4th birthday
– delivered 15 events – taking us up to 47 in-person and online helpful meetups for podcasters!

We already have our next virtual meetup live and ready to RSVP to and also our next in-person meetup in March 2023.

To join and attend the ace community simply head over to our meetup page www.meetup.com/micpod

We’ve got more exciting things planned for 2023 too – all simply with the aim of helping folk make great podcasts.

Thank-you to everyone who’s been a MIC’s Podcast Club superstar this year!

⭐ Audio Production Award – Silver winner!

In November, our year started to round up in the best way possible by bagging a Silver place at the audio industry’s Audio Production Awards.

We’re still buzzing our little socks off to receive this recognition in the Grassroots category and to receive this industry kudos.

Thank-you to AudioUK, the APA judging panel and all of the nominees and winners.

We wanged on more about our win here.

Learn more about our podcast production services here.

⭐ Podcasting workshops

This year we loved teaching 100’s of people how to podcast, from getting started and interview techniques to editing and ideas development.

We passed on our podcasting skills and knowledge to start-ups, school kids, academics, comms teams, community groups, young community producers, female VCSE leaders and many more!

Our Vic was also made Podcast Expert in Residence at Greater Manchester’s BIPC centre – where we continue to deliver our roster of podcasting workshops.

We’re so looking forward to helping more people start, develop and sustain their podcasts through our podcasting workshops in 2023!

More about our podcast training here.

⭐ Manchester Culture Awards

We were so chuffed to be able to fly the flag for podcasting at this year’s Manchester Culture Awards. We were nominated in the Developing Talent and Leadership category.

We didn’t win on the night, but as always, with any recognition of this kind, it’s just so amazing to be recognised isn’t it?

Especially in the city where MIC was born 😊

A big well done to all the winners of this year’s awards. 🤜🤛

⭐ Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise

This year our Vic was included in the WISE 100 List!

It’s Pioneers Post & Natwest’s selection of the Top 100 women in social enterprise.

Such a brilliant recognition of our work in the sector and Vic’s in some absolutely stellar company.

Here’s the full list of awesomeness ⬇️

NatWest WISE100 2022: Top women in social enterprise revealed
Who’s in the top 100? The annual NatWest WISE100 recognises the most inspiring and influential women in social enterprise, impact investment and mission-driven business – and the 2022 list is announced today.

⭐ Media recognition as a podcast expert

In September we were featured as a podcast expert in an article in The Guardian about ‘How To Start Your Own Podcast’.

We were chuffed to bits that nuggets of our advice featured heavily in the piece.

We’re especially proud that they kept our ‘we got our first microphone at cash convertors’ quote in there. We’re absolute bargain queens.

📰 You can read the full, online article here ⬇️

How to start your own podcast
veryone, they say, has a story to tell, and increasingly those stories are being told directly into the ears of podcast listeners – which, according to Ofcom, was about 25% of the adult population in the UK in 2021. If you have something to say, podcasting provides an easy, accessible and low-cost way to say it.

In October we then featured on the Third Sector Podcast to chat about how charities can reap the benefits of podcasting.

🎧 Listen to the podcast episode here

We were also delighted to be invited to be a judge for the International Women’s Podcast Awards, the British Podcast Awards and the MPA awards.

⭐ GM Moving

This year we hooked up with Greater Sport’s GM Moving initiative – it’s Greater Manchester’s movement for movement.

We produced series 2 of their podcast – which took you on a tour of Greater Manchester. We spoke with the people and partners who are working on the ground to increase activity levels in that area.

It’s a real insight into the work that’s going on in GM and a source of huge inspiration for wider partners across the UK who are looking to do the same.

We love an opportunity to learn new things as well, and boy did we through this project! It was fascinating to learn the ins and outs of this important work and mostly the local, place-based barriers that people face to move more.

🎧 Listen to the podcast here

⭐ Quite Unsuitable for Females

a graphic that shows logos of media platforms like the guardian, the times and bbc

To coincide with the women’s euros, we worked with the National Football Museu m and a team of their awesome community producers to create a podcast about their experiences of women’s football.

‘Quite Unsuitable for Females’ explores women’s football past, present and future. From iconic stars of the 1920’s, the FA ban, kit, representation and those huge crowds the women’s game attracts.

The podcast went down a storm, it was #1 on Apple podcasts new and noteworthy and received coverage on BBC R4, The Guardian, The Times, Podbible and Great British Podcasts!

You don’t need to be a footy fan to thoroughly enjoy this one.

A big shout out to Rosy, Uma, Debs and Meg for being production superstars,

🎧 Listen here

⭐ Stories of Strength

We worked with Action Together for a truly collaborative podcast.

We trained members of their Rochdale Women’s Services network to help them to create a podcast that featured real stories from the women who use their services.

The resulting series is a collection of inspiring stories told by women from across Rochdale. We launched the podcast on International Women’s Day and in December 2022 they released their 22nd episode!

The stories are honest accounts of overcoming adversity including tales about friendship, loss, abuse, relationships, illness and migration.

🎧 Listen here

⭐That Inspire Feeling

This year we had a ball work working with the awesome ladies at Inspire Oldham.

As part of a media project with pals Yellow Jigsaw, we guided the group to create their own podcast to support other women who are experiencing the same ups and downs as the group have.

The whole project, from the training to the podcast recording sessions was all completed online!

This was no easy feat, as most of the team had never heard of a podcast before, let alone made one.

The resulting 5-part series explores how crafting, gardening and holistics have played a huge part in bettering the lives of the women from Inspire. Each episode is full of stories, advice and experience sharing – with a good smattering of northern humour.

🎧 Listen to the podcast here

Thanks to everyone who’s made our 2022 proper top.

Here’s to more podcast fun in 2023!

MIC Thoughts

We’re on the Third Sector podcast!

October 28, 2022October 28, 2022
by Vic

Our Vic talks podcasting for charities and the third sector on the Third Sector podcast!

MIC had a rare moment of being on the other side of the mic this week, as our founder Vic was a guest on the Third Sector’s podcast. Third Sector is the UK’s leading publication for everyone who needs to know what’s going on in the charity and voluntary sector.

On their weekly podcast, Vic joins hosts Lucinda and Russ to discuss how charities can make use of the flourishing medium.

Our Vic looking deep in thought recording the Third Sector podcast with Lucinda and Russ

We chat

about the various ways charities can use podcasts, from awareness-raising to educating service users.
practical guidance for charities looking to start a podcast of their own, from considerations of purpose, audience and content to funding options and utilising in-house talent.
demystifying the technical aspect of podcast production and demonstrating the ease of creating high-quality audio content on a shoestring.

You’ll also hear two extracts from two very different award-winning charity podcasts: The Log Books from the LGBT+ helpline Switchboard, and Made By Mortals’ children’s podcast Armchair Adventures.

Listen here ⬇️

Podcasting for charities
Listen to this episode from Third Sector on Spotify. Lucinda and Russ speak to Vic Turnbull, founder of the podcast production and training company MIC Media, about the various ways charities can use podcasts, from awareness-raising to educating service users.Vic provides practical guidance for charities looking to start a podcast of their own, from considerations of purpose, audience and content to funding options and utilising in-house talent.

A big thanks to Third Sector podcast for inviting us to be a part of your series. You can listen to more episodes here or on their website – where you can also read all of the latest Third Sector news.

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Do you host a podcast about charities or the third sector, perhaps you have a podcast about podcasting (how very meta!) – and you’re looking for guests to chat podcast creation or podcasting for the third sector? Well, Contact MIC here and let’s have a chat about how we can be a guest on your podcast too!

MIC Thoughts

The FOUR things you need to make a podcast

May 18, 2022August 28, 2023
by Vic

**What if I told you, you only need 4 things to make a podcast. Yes! Just 4, and you walk around with at least 2 of them in your pocket every day!**

In fact, by the end of reading this blog post, most of you will only need to buy ONE thing – the rest you’ll already have or you can get for free!

Before you go on a mad mission to research and buy kit though, figure out exactly what you need for the podcast you’re making. If it’s an interview-based show where it’s just you chatting to folk over the internet, you’re not going to need a load of kit, just a microphone. They’ll be more about ‘just buying what you need’ in a future blog post!

FYI’s

For the purposes of this blog post, we’re talking about traditional podcasts aka audio-only. I’m also not going to recommend specific brands or name-drop models of kit here as there are plenty of websites doing this very well. This is a simple, practical guide to what you need. So, once I arm you with this info – go forth and get the kit that matches your requirements and of course budget!

So what are the 4 things you need to make a podcast?

1. Something to capture a noise

a photo of a microphone that sits on a white desk

You, your guest or something makes a noise. You need something to capture this.

This is going to be a microphone and they mainly come in the following ways,

Stand-alone mic’s:

USB – A mic that has a USB connection that plugs straight into the USB port of your laptop / desktop computer

Analog mic – with an XLR connection that either a) plugs onto a laptop/computer via an interface b) connects to a portable recording device (if it has the inputs)

(you can get some mics that have both a USB and an XLR connection)

A wired, handsfree mic/earphone set – like the ones you used to get with your phone before fancy wireless / AirPods / earbuds happened

or something with a microphone(s) inbuilt into it

Smart phone
Portable recording device

(I’m not listing / recommending a laptop or tablets built-in microphone here because they sound bobbins)

2. Something to hear that noise

If there’s just one thing you remember from this blog post then please let it be this

“Wear headphones please”

There’s a very simple reason why. So you can hear what you’re recording.

Over the years and evolution and that, our ears and brain work together to filter out certain noises, to make them less noticeable to us. For example, you’re in a room with a fridge, you’ll not notice that it’s buzzing. However, if you listen out for it, you’ll hear it.

Try it now.

Close your eyes.

What different noises can you hear?

Maybe there’s a projector in your office that’s got a well noisy fan, the window’s open and there’s roadworks or the aircon keeps clicking on and off…

Microphones will pick up every noise in that room without even having to think about it. If you put a microphone in that room with a fridge and listen back to the recording, the buzz will be clearly audible.

So, wearing headphones will enable you to hear the exact sound your microphone is picking up.

It’s easier to move away / eliminate rough sound at the source than to try and remove it in the edit. Trust me it can be a pain in the arse. More importantly, trying to fix bad sound in post-production can badly affect the audio. The ‘noise reduction’ filters on editing software should be approached with caution, sadly it’s not a magic wand – although I wish it was sometimes *sigh*

The same goes for when you’re editing your podcast – wear the same headphones. They can help your ears hear the detail, minimise the external sound around you so you can focus on your audio, and can let you work in public places. Also and interestingly lots of people listen to podcasts with headphones in, so wouldn’t you want to hear what it’s going to sound like to those listeners too?

3. Something to store that recording

That recording the microphone did – you’re going to need to save that somewhere. So this will depend on what you’ve used to record it and what device you’re going to use to edit it.

Smartphone – if you’ve recorded it on your phone, you can save it there if you’re going to edit it on your phone or send it to the device you’re going to edit the audio on. You can do this by:
- emailing it yourself from the device – if the file size is too big it might not send
- using an online file transfer website like we transfer – great for big files you can’t email
- save it on a cloud drive like google drive or dropbox
Laptop / desktop computer – if you’ve recorded it straight into your computer you can save it directly on that hard drive, or transfer it to the device you’re going to edit onto
- you can use the options above,
- or use an external hard drive / usb stick to move it to the device you’re going to be editing the audio on

If you’re anything like me, sometimes you delete stuff by mistake. So I always save a copy of my original, unedited files. This way, if you fluff up, lose a drive, or press delete by accident, you’ll have the original files! Hurrah! Podcast saved!

4. Something to edit that recording

That recording you’ve just saved? You’re going to want to edit this – or put together the other bits you’ve recorded and saved or other people in your team (if you have one you lucky devil) have recorded.

This is most likely going to take the form of a Digital Audio Workspace, or a DAW for short. Now that’s its posh name – what we’re talking about here is some audio editing software. There are a number of ways you can edit audio, it’s up to you how you do it – ask yourself what are you comfortable using?

You can edit audio

on your laptop /computer using an audio editing program (there are free and paid for DAWs out there), something you’re already used to using whether that’s an inbuilt program on your device or even a video editing program if you’re comfortable using that!
on your phone / tablet using an app – personally, I find mobile or tablets far too fiddly and small to do any intricate editing.
By using someone else! You might be reading this thinking, ‘there is no way I have time to learn a new program, never mind editing a blumming podcast!’. Pay someone to do it for you, if you can (you lucky devil)

So there you have it – just need these 4 things to make a podcast,

A microphone to record noise
Headphones to hear the recording
Something to store recording on
Something to edit the recording

There’s so much more kit you could buy, but these are the basics – this is your starting point. Work this out during the planning stage of your podcast and then only buy what you need.

Just to revisit what I said right at the very start, you probably have 2 of these in your pocket right now (phone and headphones!) and most of you will only need to go out and buy a mic – the rest you already have.

So, you now have zero excuses not to get cracking!

This post is by Vic Elizabeth Turnbull, founder of MIC Media and MIC’s Podcast Club

Looking for support to produce your podcast? Contact MIC here, and let’s have a chat about your podcast ideas.

MIC Thoughts

6 surprising ways a podcast can benefit your business

October 7, 2021June 5, 2024
by MIC Media

How often do you think about starting that podcast? You know, that podcast. The one you’ve been umming and ahhing over for what seems like years. Maybe it has been years! (it took TWO years from my initial idea to actually releasing my first podcast! ssshhhh!) This blog post shares ways a podcast can benefit your business.

I bet one of the biggest reasons that you’ve not made any progress on that podcast yet is because you’re not sure if it’s going to be ‘worth it’.

I totally get it, you want to know what the perks are to having a podcast – especially the ways a podcast can benefit your business – all before you part with your valuable time, team resources, cash, or funding and not to forget your brain power!

In the following blog post, I want to reveal some surprising ways that having a podcast can benefit your business, freelance adventures or side hustle – with some actual real-life examples from our clients and buddies across the social good and podcast world.

I want to help you move from dithering about whether you should make that podcast, to actually, actually, actually making it. (or getting someone else to make it!)

Let’s go! Here’s 6 surprising ways a podcast can benefit your business

1. You’re The Expert

Men and women sat around a long table looking towards a woman at the front of the room pointing at the board

Your podcast can help to position you as a respected voice of authority in your niche. Dare we say influencer! Ooo fancy!

As a result, you become a trusted voice in your field, which in turn can attract more opportunities for you and your business. These could include more speaking gigs, guests on other podcasts and make you a more attractive prospect for new clients, supporters, sponsors, funders, or investors.

For Natalie Silverman, this is exactly what her podcast The Fertility Podcast has done for her. She continues,

My podcast has certainly helped position me as a voice in the fertility world, which has definitely led to other opportunities for me. I’ve hosted panel discussions for the government regulator as well as regularly being invited to host panels and seminars at leading industry events. I’ve also been invited to speak and host panel discussions in the corporate and academic world both in real life (when we could!) and in webinars. I’ve also contributed to conversations within the mainstream media both in print and broadcast. So my podcast really has created an exciting range of opportunities for me.

Are the other experts in your field podcasting? This leads me to the next benefit…

2. You stand-out from the competition

Image of three woman sat around a table laughing with laptops on a wood table

Podcasts are a current, popular modern form of communication. They’re a relatively new way for businesses to speak directly to their clients, prospects, and stakeholders. A podcast can help you to stand out over those that don’t have one. It can help position you as an expert as we’ve mentioned previously, and also show you as a forward-thinking organisation.

A bit of competitor analysis is important during the planning stages of your podcast – much like you will have done with your business. Have you had a chance to see if any of your competitors are podcasting? If so, what are they doing? How often are they releasing stuff and who’s their audience. This can help you to figure out what your podcast will be about, are things they’re not doing that you could – is there a gap you can fill or things you can do better?

For Andy Smith, co-Founder of our clients Made By Mortals, a not-for-profit theatre company from Manchester, their podcast helped them to stand out from similar theatre groups. Particularly handy when it came to applying for funding. He continues,

Our funders see the success of our Armchair Adventures podcast and they recognise that our direct competitors don’t have this amazing and growing reach like we do. So we’re positioning ourselves as experts in creating immersive, community-led musical theatre. Plus as a gateway to a potential, international audience of thousands. That exposure is massive.

So a podcast is making you stand-out, giving you authority, and at the same time…a voice. Look, I know you already have a voice, but hear me out in the next way a podcast can benefit your business…

3. Gives you an authentic voice

Image of a woman with headphones on and black vest top and microphone with a laptop in the background

Businesses don’t tend to have voices, do they? But humans do. And, humans connect really well with other humans (especially the ones we like). Now, what if your business had a voice? Well, yes you guessed what’s coming, it’d connect well with other humans!

It’s all about the personal connection. Ask any podcast listener, they’ll tell you that they love the personable nature of podcasts. Don’t forget we rarely listen to podcasts with others!

A podcast can give your business an authentic voice that can connect with your stakeholders, clients or prospects in a meaningful way. It’s a real window into your brand, much better than any 2D blog or about page can convey. And, certainly more than any advert can display.

Nic Redman is a voiceover coach who co-presents the Voice Over Social podcast and The Voice Coach Podcast, she told us that her podcast helps prospective clients to try before they buy. She goes on to explain,

As a coach, my podcasts introduce people to me and my work for free so they can get a feel for who I am and whether they’d like to work with me – which is great. It saves everyone time and money and unsatisfactory experiences. It’s like a wee preview!

This human connection is something that brands LOVE, this is why we’re seeing so many more companies using podcasts as a way to give them a voice. This authentic approach and a direct line to the customer or prospect is hard to achieve – well that was until podcasts came along.

Alright, you’re thinking, this all sounds marvelous, but it’s going to cost me right? WRONG, podcasting can actually be cost-effective and dead accessible too. Shall we move on to the next benefit dear reader?

4. Share your stories in a cost-effective, accessible way

Podcasts can be cheaper to produce than video. This includes equipment, people, and resources. What makes podcasts super cost-effective is the portability of the content you produce too. Your listener can consume it on the move or whilst they’re doing something else. You simply can’t do this with video or blogs. For example, you can listen to a podcast whilst cooking, cleaning, driving, jogging, and walking the dog. You probably couldn’t do any of these whilst reading a blog or watching a video (hella dangerous, unsafe, silly, etc).

Podcasts are therefore easier to consume and your audience will love you for that. This then means more engagement for your content – instead of archives of videos that are never watched or blogs that go unread.

This is exactly what our client Children’s University values about their podcast Children’s University: Live. Their first series was made up of audio we’d recorded at their annual conference. Liam Nolan their Communications Manager continues,

To have people access our conference without having to come along in person is of great value for us. That’s where podcasting is great because it takes just 20 minutes or so to listen to while you’re on your way to the canteen. It’s a way for people to digest our messaging without having to disrupt their busy day job.

Wooo! We love being cost-effective and adding value! Talking of value, podcasts can complement the stuff you’ve already got going on. Here’s how, in another way, a podcast can benefit your business…

5. Added-value, extra content

blog letters on brown wood — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Your podcast doesn’t stop at your podcast. Let me break this down for you. Your podcast can serve a myriad of purposes. For example, if your podcast features episodes around a particular subject or skill you could bunch them together to form some online learning resources. On the same ilk, an episode or series could contribute to a course or programme that you deliver.

Another idea is using specific episodes around your website, for example alongside your about page for an authentic take of who you are. You can also eke out lots of stuff for your marketing channels from 1 single episode of your podcast. Things like blogs and extra social media content.

For our clients Flourish Together CIC their podcast helps them to make the best use of their time. Their Director Nickala Torkington explains,

By having our podcast, we’ve now got this great library of support that we can signpost people to. They really compliment our training and learning offer too. For example, the women on our Resilient Leaders Programme and the start-ups on our Time to Grow Programme are listening to them.
It’s also helping us to reach and engage more people than we could otherwise reach with just our physical events. They help busy changemakers gain inspiration and connections. Finally it helps showcase and promote women in social enterprise. It really is making the best use of our time!

There’s something inevitable that’s going to happen when all of the above come together, and it might be why some of you are thinking of getting into the podcast game… Let’s delve into the last way a podcast can benefit your business.

6. Makes you more attractive

a photo of a chocolate cake with sauce dripping down the side

Sorry, I should be a bit more clear. A podcast is not a Death Becomes Her-esq (niche popular reference, but if you know, you know) magical elixir to make YOU more attractive – sorry. I’m talking about your business here…

Through the combination of what we’ve covered already, (expert positioning, standing out from the competition, giving you an authentic voice, providing you with added-value and extra content) your podcast will boost your and your business’s profile – to the people that matter. I.e the folk who could help bring in income.

Now, please don’t get a podcast with the sole purpose of making a quick buck. Podcast audiences can see straight through a pitch for business, sponsor ask, or a fundraising campaign. However, it can be a nice consequence of having one.

A podcast could make you look like a more attractive prospect for donors, funders, or sponsors, you could sell advertising slots in your episodes, or use the ad spots to offer exclusive deals to your listener or attract new fans who may eventually turn into customers or funders!

For Charles Commins, producer of the football podcast ‘It’s All Cobblers to Me’ and community manager at our MIC’s Podcast Club, says that his podcast has brought him a surprise new income stream, he continues,

My podcast has brought me work! One of my latest clients contacted me because they listen to it every week and wanted me to help them make theirs!

Charles certainly didn’t expect to be offered work as a result of his footy podcast. I wonder what surprises are in store for you when you launch your podcast?

Wowsers, there are so many different ways that a podcast can benefit your business! In fact, loads more than we’ve listed here. Perhaps we’ll have to do a Part 2 blog post soon!

In the meantime, do you already have a podcast? If so, how does it benefit your business? Tell us and our reader, by commenting below, no win is too small – we’d ❤️ to hear from you!

This article is by Vic Elizabeth Turnbull, MIC Media’s CEO

Looking for support to produce your podcast? Contact MIC here, and let’s have a chat about your podcast ideas.

MIC Thoughts

The secret to making a great podcast

August 23, 2021February 21, 2024
by MIC Media

What’s the secret to making a great podcast? It’s one of the most popular questions that we get asked. So we thought we’d reveal all about how you can turn your podcast from ‘meh’ to ‘great’!

We all want our podcasts to be a success right? (and how you define what podcast ‘success’ is to you is probably a future blog post!). So naturally, we want to know how to make a great podcast to ensure that success – you get me? What is the magical formula to increase your chances that your listener comes back for the next episode and the one after that and the one after…you get the picture.

We also asked our podcaster community over at MIC’s Podcast Club their secret to making a great podcast. It then quickly became very clear there wasn’t just one big secret – but FOUR. This quadruple whammy of secrets is all centered around your listener, who is the most important person involved with your podcast.

And between you and me… they’re not secret at all, just straight-forward common sense – but shhh don’t tell anyone or everyone will be making great podcasts…

1. Quality Audio

Put simply, if your audio sounds shit and you wang on, people will switch off and not come back.

Think about it, how do you react when something horrible sounding gets in your ears? You try and get as far away as possible from it!

There are simple things that you can put in place to help you to record good audio – and you don’t have to make it expensive. Stuff like making sure you’re in a room with soft furnishings and your mic placement is bang on. Look, you could buy the most dreamiest, beautifully crafted mic, some real top-of-the-range stuff, but if you use it wrong it will sound rubbish. Guaranteed.

Also, if you are recording with guests, especially if they’re online, make sure you brief them so that they can get the best audio too. So ask them to be in a room with soft furnishings, that they wear headphones etc.

Having said that, over the last year people have become more used to audio that sounds ‘zoom’ recorded. But don’t make that the whole of your content.

I often say that if the start and finish of your podcast is of good quality, your listener will be more forgiving if the middle bit is not as sharp. If this is the case own it – explain to your listener that the next bit was recorded online, your guest was caught in a blizzard, it was bin day…whatever – give your listener a heads up. You don’t have to make a big deal of it, but it shows you’re aware of it, you’re addressing it and you want your listener to know too. They’ll be pleased you did. Especially if there’s a marked difference in audio quality.

An example of quality audio from MIC Media

We’ve addressed this very simply in the episodes we recorded online for our podcast ‘Supporting Women in Social Enterprise Podcast’ that we make for Flourish Together CIC. We’ve asked the ladies who voice the intro’s to simply say the content was recorded online. So for example,

‘Coming up, we caught up online with Jo Wells about financing your social enterprise’.

Just a simple, but effective addition, that keeps your listener informed and guide their listening experience.

2. Engaging and Relevant Content

[Image of a lady in a grey jumper with brown hair smiling with headphones on]

Could you tell me who your listener is?

Or, if you’ve not started podcasting yet, who is your ideal listener?

What do they like, what job do they have, how do they get to work? Ok, so it might not be as granular as that…but you’ll find many great podcasts know their listeners (if they’ve been going enough to learn who their listener is) or they know who they want to reach. (we talk more about the audience in this post ‘3 things you need to know before starting a podcast’

News flash though, sorry but your podcast isn’t for everyone – Meredith Hill sums it up in one of my favourite quotes, “if you speak to everybody, you speak to no one.”

When you know the answer to these questions, you can create content, book guests, pick topics to discuss, basically craft your podcast around your listener. You can then design your marketing and messaging to your listener – and attract more of your listener. This is how you create engaging, relevant content.

Content’s not often high on the list of priorities for some though. You’ll find that lots of podcasters are stuck in a growth mentality; “we must have lots of listeners, we need thousands… we need to attract, grow, grow..” Well, what about flipping this and serving the ones you have better, and making the growth of listeners less important? Think about this for a second, how can engage and serve your existing community of listeners with your content so they keep coming back?

Our podcast for Children’s University is a great example of this

Liam Nolan, the charity’s Communications Manager says having a podcast for them, is all about reaching the right people,

Podcasting is using the unique format to get your message to the right people. If the right people a small handful of people who may open doors for you or help start partnerships, be able to put you in the right direction, vouch for you, introduce you funders…you only need it to be heard by 10 people, as long as those 10 people are the right people. It’s not all about the number of listeners. That’s the joy, that’s the magic of podcasting for charities.

3. Audience journey

[Image of hands in the air in a crowd and lights in the background on the stage]

We’ve already mentioned the listener is the most important person involved in your podcast, so have you thought about their path through your podcast episode? Including how they find you, when they start listening, right to the very end, even when they switch off; how do you want them to feel or what action do you want them to take? We like to call this, ‘easy-in, easy-out’.

When we asked podcaster Neil Bruce what he thought made a great podcast – it was all about the #feels, he loves podcasts that make him laugh out loud, has a narrative that’s so engaging “you sit in your car on your driveway or walk the long way home,”, or inspires him, “whether that’s a comment, advice or tip that makes me want to go and do something straight away.”

Podcast editor Alex Bennett loves those ‘lightbulb’ moments, he says “a great podcast I think, is when new or complicated ideas are talked about in a way that makes them super approachable and understandable.”

In this case, we’re allowing for the fact that our listener might not be an expert and so we craft scripts and the content delivery around this.

Rupert Cornford heads up Story Publishing and for him as a podcast listener, he loves the little additions that can boost the content, he adds “like the use of music, to change the pace and mood is very cool”.

This is another way you can enhance the content of your podcast how the content. Are there other elements, as well as voice, that can help your listener understand, imagine or be guided through your storytelling / narrative?

On top of this, think about the edit of your content. Don’t make your episodes longer or shorter than it needs to be! Again, this is about you knowing your listener and what will makes them yawn or be begging for more!

4. Consistency

We’re creatures of habit, aren’t we? Sporadic release schedules aren’t ideal for building a community of listeners. For example, releasing your episodes on different days, or with no pattern as to when they’re released. Much of the wild nature of posting episodes, comes down to the simple fact that life has got in the way. Lots of us set out with all intent and purposes to do a weekly podcast. After six or seven episodes the fatigue sets in, there’s no way you can keep this up – argh!

I know all about this – I’m a podfader! My first podcast hasn’t released an episode since 2019 – as I just don’t have the time to make it. Massive sad face.

Ways to avoid podfading

Be realistic about your time when you start a podcast. If you can only do something fortnightly, do that. You can always increase later. You could also release your podcast by series, so you don’t have the pressure to release something weekly forever and ever amen.

Oh, and if you’re doing it with people, make sure they can defo, defo, defo commit the time. There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t read a post on a podcast facebook group, about someone looking for a co-presenter because their buddy has thrown their podcasting towel in.

Consistency shouldn’t stop at the production of your podcast neither, you also need to continue this across your content and marketing too.

For our Strong Manchester Women podcast – we released a weekly episode for 14 weeks. To get one step ahead of ourselves we made sure we’d recorded about 80% of the interviews before we went live. We’d also made 5 episodes in advance. All this prep was so we didn’t find ourselves chasing our tails every week. I don’t think I could have coped with the stress!

We also had a promo checklist, so for each episode we wrote and published a blog post, produced a transcript, an audiogram and social media activity around these. We planned this activity in advance so a) we knew what we were in for b) we could allocate the time in advance!

Consistency is slick and professional. You don’t see Coronation Street having a week off because they didn’t get the episodes edited in time. Jo Wiley doesn’t just turn up to Radio 2 HQ when she likes and flicks the ‘on-air’ button on.

So what impression do you want to give your listener and your community?

One final, extra secret to making a great podcast is to ask yourself –

Why do you keep returning to your favourite podcast?

Written by Vic Elizabeth Turnbull, MIC Media founder & CEO

Looking for support to produce your podcast? Contact MIC here, and let’s have a chat about your podcast ideas.

Podcast Advice

Podcasting hacks from BBC Sounds Commissioner Louise Kattenhorn

August 2, 2021February 21, 2024
by MIC Media

At July’s MIC’S Podcast Club our Vic and Charles welcomed Louise Kattenhorn who commissions podcasts for BBC Sounds. She is responsible for commissioning content for young audiences for the BBC Sounds podcast element of the platform.

Louise came to talk to the community all about BBC Sounds and podcasting. Here’s what went down in case you missed it. We learned about podcasts that feature on BBC Sounds, the brand new BBC Audiolab program and plenty of fab advice from Louise. Including her top tips on what keeps people listening to a podcast!

We’ve put it in an easy-to-digest QnA style low-down for you below! 👇

[Image of July's MIC's podcast club with Vic on the left and Louise Kattenhorn on the right] — **The Lovely Louise Kattenhorn at our July MIC Podcast Club**

We kicked off talking about a question that was hot on the lips of our Podcast Club community, just what does the podcast commissioning process look like for the BBC? And most importantly, how do you get your podcast on BBC Sounds?

BBC Sounds commissioning is open to ideas from people, Lousie explains,

“… [although] we don’t take submissions from individuals, if we did have an idea from an individual that we thought we’d like to commission, we would support that individual to find the right place [to do so]. And that might be a small, independent production company or that might be a bigger production company. It could be a BBC in-house team depending on what type of content is and kind of where you’re at in your career.”

BBC Sounds only takes commissions from certified suppliers. You can find more about this here! Louise goes onto explain what that means for DIY podcast producers,

“What we do is ask that if you do have an idea, you find a production company to partner with so that you get the support, you need to make the content well, and you can deliver it to the specification that BBC Sounds needs.”

Have you ever wondered what are the big differences between the podcasts they commission vs the radio? Well, we asked Louise…

“‘Commission to sound like a podcast’ means the podcast was created with an on-demand audience in mind, with the presenter saying words like ‘subscribe’ and ‘Listen’ in the podcast. This helps the content to sit comfortably in the on-demand space and audience – this makes it distinctive from radio content.”

Louise goes onto explain how they repurpose a radio show into on-demand audio aka a podcast…

“They won’t have time references or references to the day or when the show was broadcast. They will hopefully be using more ‘podcasty’ language, so they won’t be saying ‘tune in’ they will be saying ‘subscribe’ and ‘listen’. Making sure that although it was broadcast, if you take it out of that broadcasting context it still fits comfortably in the on-demand space.”

An example of this is the ‘Radio 1 Best Bits’ and ‘Scott Mills Daily’ podcasts where BBC Sounds pull out all the speech for the podcast’s content. Louise describes how these podcasts work well,

“Scott Mills even though there is a lot of music in his show, there is also a lot of speech in the three hours. And that podcast is brilliant because if you concertina it up and take out all the music, you don’t realise that there was supposed to be music in it because of the way he crafts the show is to think about a narrative across the three hours.”

Did you know, you don’t have to have a podcast on BBC Sounds to get recognised?

Louise explained that having your podcast hosted on an alternative platform could work better for you than BBC Sounds and help you reach your target audience better! Louise explained further,

“I am very mindful that the podcast ecosystem is huge, there are hugely experienced people out there making podcasts, sometimes, those podcasts could absolutely fly without a commission from the BBC and I don’t think the BBC is necessarily an end goal for every creator, not because they shouldn’t be on the BBC but because the BBC isn’t right for them.

They can be more successful through other channels and making their work independently because there are a lot of things you can’t do in the BBC. For example, you can’t monetise your content, because we pay a flat fee per episode and that’s great if you’re a producer that wants to make a regular income, but if you have a great idea and there’s an opportunity to get revenue from that idea and build it and become a massive title. As a commissioner, I am aware that as exciting as it is to have your work on the BBC, it’s not always the right platform for creators.”

You may wonder how many content ideas does a BBC Sounds Commissioner get?

Well, Louise reveals it’s quite a few…

“I usually get a couple of ideas in a day and a stream of ideas coming in each week!”

So, BBC Sounds have been around for a few years now, we wanted to know if even the BBC had challenges reaching audiences….

Louise explains that yes, they certainly do, and it’s the younger spectrum that they have a challenge with. Lousie continues…

“The BBC has a challenge with reaching younger audiences, reaching audiences outside of London, and reaching Black and Asian audiences. There are a lot of audiences that we call ‘under-served’ audiences that don’t feel they get value from the BBC, with all the content we are making. There are the set mainstream shows but some people feel they only have one touchpoint with the BBC and that thinking plays into what we are commissioning as well.

Sometimes when you’re pitching ideas and you’ve got a great idea and you’re thinking, god, why isn’t a commissioner picking up on this? Quite often it’s because we know that piece of content won’t be successful on the platform. And it doesn’t mean that content isn’t going to reach an audience elsewhere, but we know that it won’t do the job we need it to do in terms of reaching audiences. There are strategies in the content we publish.”

Talking about getting your podcast on BBC Sounds, here’s a way that you can! The BBC has just launched BBC Audio Lab.

So what is Audiolab?

Lousie explains that BBC Audio Lab is a podcaster accelerator programme from BBC Sounds. It’s a pilot program established this year, where the BBC will select 6 – 8 people to develop their podcast idea into an actual podcast!

Audiolab is all about supporting new creators, people who have great ideas, and then helping them to make it into a podcast that’ll be on BBC Sounds. It’s all about increasing representation and nurturing new ideas and talent.

Find out more here

Application closes Sunday 29th August at Midnight

Finally, we couldn’t finish our time with Lousie without asking her some of her top podcasting tips to help you make brilliant podcasts,

Here are Louise’s Top Tips on what keeps your listeners, listening to your podcast

Really good storytelling – cliffhanger storytelling! Either an eight to ten part series or really interesting stories/ fresh angles in an episode.
The relationship with the host – if the hosts are good at speaking to the audience, making them feel welcome, making them feel part of a club/ community around that podcast.
Think about your podcast voice – think about your relationship to your audience, what you want to say to your audience, and how you build a rapport with them. Make them feel valued as a listener. Simple things like thank you for listening at the end of the podcast, we really appreciate you.
Reaching audiences and building a community around a podcast.

Whilst we were at it, we wanted to pick her brains about her advice for podcast producers to get noticed by networks/commissioners…

Have a really strong platform where you can showcase your portfolio work. For example Soundcloud or your own website.

2. Showcase your work in a way that works best for your personality and the type of work you are doing.

Finally here’s a super helpful resource Louise suggested you have a gander at if you want to pitch a podcast idea to someone, a network, or a beeb producer!

It’s this fantastic article ‘How to define (and refine) your podcast with a show bible’ by Doug Fraser

A big thank you to our guest, BBC Sounds Commissioner Louise Kattenhorn for sharing all her tips on podcasting.

This has been a guest blog post by MIC’s Podcast Club member and podcaster Kate Mardon