Five Good Ideas about podcasting with a purpose

In the session you’re about to hear, originally recorded on October 29, 2019, we look at podcasting as a tool for non-profits to reach and engage new audiences.

As we began to explore the medium of podcasting at Maytree, we reached out to Ausma Malik, Director of Social Engagement at the Atkinson Foundation and the host and producer of its popular Just Work It podcast. Ausma is a longtime podcast enthusiast, and has a background in policy, social justice, community organizing, and communications.

For the full transcript and the ideas, visit https://maytree.com/five-good-ideas/five-good-ideas-about-podcasting-with-a-purpose/

Podcasting is growing in popularity as a tool for reaching and engaging new audiences. But how can non-profits use it to fulfill their missions? Ausma shares her experience as the host-producer of Atkinson’s Just Work It podcast and offers five good ideas for getting your purpose into people’s heads, hearts, and action plans through a podcasting strategy.

Five Good Ideas

1. Lead with your story. Know your own experiences and beliefs.

2. Listen closely. Immerse yourself in your audience’s culture and realities.

3. Choose your collaborators wisely. Balance audience insight, content flair, and technical expertise.

4. Mine each story for gold. Give your audience something valuable and remarkable.

5. Love your topic for real. Trust your audience to perceive if you do – or don’t!

Resources

Ausma told us that she learned the most about podcasting from the podcasters and podcasts she loves. These examples have shown her what “podcasting with a purpose” can sound like.

1. Uncommon insider perspectives told brilliantly. On Ear Hustle, those who are living life inside prison share their daily realities.

2. The podcasters are on the same wavelength as their audience. Call Your Girlfriendis a fun and clever conversation between two long-distance friends who riff about politics, feminism, and pop culture weekly.

3. Dominant narratives are interrogated. The Secret Life of Canadais about “the country you know and the stories you don’t” and makes being a history buff cool.

4. Engages complexity and facilitates reflection. On Beingholds the ultimate and messy questions that animate our lives, and offers a platform for answering them at your own speed.

5. Tunes into the voices of people and the moments that define them. Every episode of Tell Them I Amis pure storytelling gold. Host Misha Euceph has created an excellent “How to Make a Podcast” guide.

About Ausma Malik

Ausma Malik joined Atkinson as Director of Social Engagement in May 2016. She brings a background in policy, community organizing and communication to the team, having worked at Queen’s Park and as the Director of Campaigns and Community Outreach at the Stephen Lewis Foundation. From 2014 – 2018, Ausma was a Toronto District School Board Trustee for Ward 10 (Trinity-Spadina). She is a lifelong human rights and social justice activist who has taken on a variety of leadership roles within the community over the years.