MIC Thoughts Not for profits! 3 places to find podcast content…
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 ⬇️
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 ⬇️
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 ⬇️
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.