Helen McGuire

One key piece of advice as a former broadcast professional I would give is do not over prepare. It’s great to have a bulleted list of directions and topics, but for goodness sake listen to your guest’s answers and respond in a human, authentic, empathetic fashion - just as you would if you were having a normal chat! Don’t be in a rush to ‘tick off’ your list of prepared ideas of how this is all going to go - we’re there to hear the story and learnings of the interviewee, let them guide you.

Create conversation around your topics - use highlights, tips & thoughtful points raised in your recordings in social media posts, your newsletter and in blogs, short videos or reels to invite connection with your audience. You can both drive curiosity ahead of an EP release and also push episodes slightly behind your release schedule so that the following episode auto plays to retain your audience. Always tag guests and invite those who have high impact and followings on your chosen social platforms. And don’t forget to request that they too share the episode to their networks!

Anchor is the professional choice here and gives the most efficient way to both broadcast and track listener analytics of your podcast.

This one’s pretty simple - Zoom allows for recording across two separate audio streams, which is essential when editing audio if you have a guest on your show. Ensure this is set up before you begin recording. I would also recommend recording the intro and outro to any show on a separate recording directly after you’ve interviewed your guest - keeps it fresh and relevant.

Find ways to connect with others who have your targets and mindset around your chosen SDGs. We not only post across our own channels, but also connect with relevant women, diversity and equity focussed groups to ensure that our messaging, content and calls to action are seen and heard as widely as possible.

Try to maintain a standard format for your blogs or guest blogs on your page, ensuring that: - the titles are about the same length and with a similar tonality (eg. '11 things recruiters need to know about inclusive hiring') - the length of the blog is similar with a clear intro, sections, outro and credit for whoever has written it - the tonality is also similar and meets the requirements of the audience - the image used is consistent (i.e do you want to use a photo, graphics, words?) with perhaps a logo to ensure your brand is recognised - and that you are consistent in your publishing window so people know when to expect content. SEO is also vital..but that's a whole other post!