Not all podcasts need to be heard by everybody. Increasingly the team at Charlotte Foster Podcasts is working with organisations to produce private or internal podcasts which are designed to be heard by a select and invited group of people.
Of course this is a great tool for internal communications, but actually a private podcast is much more than just a replacement for the monthly email from the CEO (or HR or whoever). It's a whole other platform with great potential internally and externally to your charity.
First off let's look at how your charity can use a private podcast for fundraising.
A podcast that people donate to listen to
Get people to pay a set amount or sign up to be regular donors, whatever suits your charity best and in return you give them access to an exclusive podcast series. You can create a special series for people to listen to such as a behind the scenes special, a series of special guest interviews that won't be heard anywhere else or something completely different to what you normally put out. The sky's the limit and the key is getting people to donate to hear it.
Alternatively if your charity has or is planning to put out an ongoing podcast then you can offer subscriptions to listeners for extra content that relates to the podcast that goes to the public. This could be an extended interview, an extra interview or a bonus episode each week.
Podcast for fundraisers taking part in challenges
If you send off dozens of runners to take part in events such as the London Marathon, the Great North Run or Manchester Marathon to name just three of the many running events out there you can use a private podcast to support them.
A dedicated podcast offering training advice, motivational interviews for when the going gets tough, examples of how their money is helping the charity as well as fundraising tips and anything else you want to throw in there will help strengthen your charity's relationship with the person taking on the challenge. Many runners will listen to podcasts whilst out running so it's a great way to deepen those good feelings towards your charity so that the fundraising and donations don't stop when the marathon finish line has been crossed.
And this works for all types of challenges, those that are your own charity challenges or those that are events where people take part for you.
Next up let's take the private podcast for internal communications.
Updates from Head Office
Many of our clients at Charlotte Foster Podcasts have staff and volunteers who work remotely across all parts of the UK (and even beyond). Volunteers in particular have trouble keeping up to date with what's going on at HQ because they don't always have access to internal communications systems. A regular podcast sharing the latest updates is a useful way to help them feel connected to what's happening. Hearing words being spoken makes a big impact. One word of warning though, your update from Head Office podcast should absolutely not be a replacement or worse a recreation of written newsletters. Instead think of it as your "red button" or "director's commentary" version. You want to share the essentials but also give depth and context otherwise it will be dull. Nobody listens to dull.
Project Evaluations and annual reports
We recently worked with a charity to record a series of podcasts summing up the work and achievements of a project around increasing volunteers. They knew they had gained huge insights but were worried people might not get the benefits if they were only shared through the official reports they had to produce to deliver to the funders.
The podcast series identified 6 key lessons and the hosts of the podcast were joined in each episode by a guest who could talk about the impact of the project and the wisdom they gained from it. The informal nature of the podcasts means that members will find it easier to listen and they are signposted to where to get more information.
A lot of work goes into producing end of project evaluations and annual reports. A huge amount of data and knowledge is generated, but how often do they get skimmed? A podcast allows you to share this key information in a much easier to digest way.
Learning and Development
A quick glance at the podcast charts shows that podcast listeners are keen to learn new things, whether that's how the news affects them, how to deal with life as parents or simply improving well being.
And having a podcast in your L&D toolkit is a great way to reach staff and help them develop in their roles within your charity. There are many ways you can approach this, but I recommend you don't go too heavy or too deep because most people tend to listen to podcasts while doing something else. They're less likely to have a pen and paper with them and more likely to be driving. Again think of this as red button material to compliment your core training.
If this has made you think and you'd like to know more about how an internal or private podcast can help your charity then get in touch and we'll set up a meeting.
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