Bite Size Comms

A few of my PR/communications apprentices are intending to introduce podcasts at their organisations. Some are purely for internal communication, while others are external, serving as a way to raise awareness of products and issues that are important to their respective organisations.

I therefore thought it might be timely to share my podcast journey, even though I do not podcast on behalf of an organisation. The story. Some years ago, undoubtedly over an evening beer in a pub, a friend said to me that I had so many fascinating stories from living and working in different countries that I should write a book. I rejected the idea. There is a significant difference between a brief beer and crisps snippet story and writing a full-length book that people enjoy. Then, in July 2022, we moved as a family to Latvia, my wife’s home country. All my work had moved online due to Covid, and it would be beneficial for our son to learn Latvian and understand his Latvian heritage.

I dislike winter. I can’t ski or ice-skate. Lack of balance. And Latvia has long winters. I needed something personal to do. Podcasting became my new beer and crisps snippets! The choice of topic was easy: my new home country of Latvia. I also had a good hook as I was the deputy British ambassador to Latvia in the 1990s, a really thrilling time to be working in the country (just after the end of the Soviet Union, folks). Maybe pepps would find my then and now commentary fascinating? A niche podcast. You never know!

I wanted the podcast to be in a storytelling narrative format. As my PR apprentices know, I can tell stories until the cows come home!

The first podcast was produced in November 2022. It is still my highest-viewed episode. Recorded using a simple USB microphone plugged into my MacBook and recorded on GarageBand. Apple makes some good free software if you own Apple products. GarageBand is really a music recording app, so I looked up online which settings to switch off. I also needed a host for my podcasts. There are free options, but these typically limit the life of your podcasts to around three months. I opted for a paid BuzzSprout subscription because it would provide me with a website, as well as intuitive ways to upload my episodes with intros and outros. All good.

After the first few episodes, I wanted a more sophisticated way of recording, without needing a course in audio engineering. I came across the radio journalist’s favourite tool, initially called Hindenburg Journalist and now known as Hindenburg Pro. Although this is a subscription service to add to the subscription hosting with BuzzSprout, it worked well. I still use Hindenburg Pro and BuzzSprout. I also invested in microphones and use a Shure mic for my desk setup, as well as a really small Shure one to plug into my iPhone for on-the-go interviews and recording sound effects.

A storytelling podcast requires extensive research. Quite often, I go somewhere in Latvia or arrange to meet someone. I also use Perplexity Pro for researching facts. For each episode, which is ideally produced every two weeks, I spend a good ten hours or more researching and writing. Apart from the occasional interview, I record by reading my podcast script. I tried an autocue programme but found that Apple’s Pages worked just as well for me. Then I edit, adding short clips of music and sound effects. Very easy to do on Hindenburg. To my PR apprentices, I warn them that producing each podcast takes a lot of time. They need to factor that capacity cost into their organisational plans.

Although my podcast is called “An Englishman in Latvia,” my largest audience is in the US, followed by the UK, Latvia, Australia, and Canada. I expect many have either a Latvian heritage from the past (those in the US, Australia, or Canada) or are planning a trip to Latvia on Ryanair (those in the UK and the rest of Europe). My achievable aim is to reach 25,000 downloads by the end of 2025. No promotional budget. Just what I hope are interesting beer and crisps snippets!

[Image is the podcast artwork for An Englishman in Latvia]