THE BLOG.
Topic
- Adventure 1
- BBC Radio 1
- BBC Radio 3 Essay 1
- BBC Radio Scotland 3
- Breast Cancer 1
- Breast Cancer Awareness 1
- Cancer Recovery 1
- Charity 1
- ChatGPT 1
- Christmas 1
- Communications Skills 5
- Darkness 1
- Diversity 1
- Glasgow Life 1
- Highlands 4
- History 1
- Inclusivity 1
- Kayaking 1
- Landscape 1
- Life by Loch Ness 4
- Listening 2
- Masterclass 10
- Media training 6
- Nativity 1
- Out of Doors 2
- Passion 1
- Podcasting 10
- Presenting Skills 4
- Professional Production 2
- Quality Podcasting 2
- RNLI 1
- Radio Production 1
- Scotland 5
- Scottish Clearances 1
- Scottish history 1
- Seasons 1
- Spring 1
- Storytelling 11
- Ullapool 1
- Volunteer 1
- Wilderness 1
- artificial intelligence 1
- audience 1
- imperfection 1
- mastectomy 1
- success 2
7 reasons knowing your audience is key
Why we keep banging on about AUDIENCE AUDIENCE AUDIENCE!
Stories have the ability to engage, inform, and inspire, but to truly harness that power, you need to know who you’re telling the story to. Understanding your audience is not just a good idea, it’s essential. Without this understanding, even the most compelling story can fall flat.
Here’s 7 reasons how knowing your audience will help you create better content…
Why depth not downloads is the true measure of success
If you’re measuring the success of your branded podcast purely by download figures, you might be missing the bigger picture. Depth of connection with your audience is a far more meaningful measure of success than simply chasing bigger download numbers…
Fun fact: If it ain’t fun you won’t do it!
When it comes to generating social media content, for years I’ve behaved like a screaming toddler being strapped into a car seat on a hot and sweaty day. I’ve sulked and scowled my way through every meeting that even nudges me towards some kind of communications strategy, it just hasn’t been for me, even when I pedal the art of communication. The good news is, I genuinely don’t think it has to be such a ball ache, we can change…
Proud to be perfectly imperfect
It’s easy to think of imperfection as a negative trait. We’re conditioned to strive for flawlessness: in our work, our appearance, and even in our relationships. But as much as we might admire perfection, there’s growing evidence that imperfection is not only natural, it’s valuable. So read on in celebration of the power of being perfectly imperfect…
The art of storytelling - Part 2: How to make your stories more effective
Powerful storytelling is an art and requires careful thought, structure and narrative. Here’s 4 tips on how to make your storytelling more effective and connect better with your audience.
The art of storytelling - Part 1: What makes a story stick?
When was the last time you started listening to a podcast and ended up sitting in the carpark outside Tesco unable to leave before you’d heard the end? I LOVE it when that happens. That weird magic which just sucks you up then plunges you eye-brow deep into the guts of someone else’s life and experiences. So what’s the key to a cracking story…?
What happens when you ask AI to tell you why AI isn’t as good when it comes to podcasting…
Off the back of recent discussion on LinkedIn about why quality matters when it comes to podcasting the debate turned to the issue of whether the future lay in AI generated content. Pen couldn’t resist paying ChatGPT a quick visit to ask it to generate a blog post about why AI might not be as good when it comes to podcasting, you can read its response below!
6 reasons quality matters when it comes to podcast production
Podcasts are a powerful tool for businesses looking to connect with their audience, build authority, and share their message. The surge in podcast consumption has made it clear: businesses that tap into this medium can unlock substantial benefits. But just before you go galumphing down the DIY route read on…
7 reasons why listening is a podcasting superpower
7 reasons why listening, really listening, will supercharge your podcast enriching the conversation for you, your guest and your audience.
Shhhh…stop talking and listen
I recently had the extraordinary privilege of bearing witness to some of a friend’s few remaining words. I was visiting her in the Highland Hospice in-patient unit, she looked and was as fragile as a bird, perched at the edge of life. She turned and said in her soft Geordie accent, “I’ve no idea why I’m still alive, maybe I’ve just got more to say?”
After a cracking narrative? Pennie thinks the Christmas Story offers up the perfect masterclass!
At first glance, it might seem like a simple religious narrative, but dig a little deeper, and you'll see that the Christmas Story offers up a masterclass in powerful storytelling. So, festive spirit in hand, Pen has been having a rummage around in the guts of the story, taking a bit of time to appreciate what we can learn from the Christmas Story which might supercharge our own storytelling skills be it in business, personal life or any other creative endeavour.
After all, great story telling isn’t just for Christmas…
Everywhere and Nowhere - why are single breasted women hidden from sight?
On the most part, as a middleclass, middle-aged, educated white woman, when it comes to the media and pop culture, I’m everywhere...so really, you’d have thought I’d bump into me every day, but that’s just the point, I don’t. Until this moment I honestly didn’t understand the true value of being able to see yourself reflected back at you, the power of stumbling across your own image and feeling that warm wash of validation...I didn’t understand how “other” you feel when images like yourself simply don’t exist, until they do.
Spring in the Great Glen
For me the first signs of spring is the joy of being woken by sunlight pouring itself over the hill opposite above Aldourie Castle and bouncing back up off the loch. I will never grow tired of that Spring sun bursting into the sky and my consciousness each morning. So much better than the sound of the alarm. I understand the desire, need, for seedlings to start to unfurl so they can bask in that light and warmth, it makes me want to unfurl each day too…
Falling in love for the first time
I watched the lifeboat being launched down the steep slipway and across the beach (It was the Oakley class, Will and Fanny Kirby for the RNLI enthusiasts). As it punched through the waves out of North Landing, I turned to my mother and said “I want to do that. One day I will”, she smiled and bought me a t-shirt from the lifeboat station shop. I wore it everyday, bursting pride, until it fell apart.
Wildroots - time to re-wild your soul!
Packs abandoned by the side of the stony track, a soft south westerly raising the surface of Loch Ossian into wrinkles, we come to circle a great slab of grey granite. With our senses newly sharpened, shaped and tuned to this landscape, we’re each of us drawn to the curious forest of lichen covering the stone…
The secret to a great podcast? Passion!
Whenever I start listening to a piece of audio I ask the question ‘why should I care?’, if I don’t know the answer within about 60 seconds, I don’t keep listening. Its that simple…
Seduced by Sound
Memories from when Pen first became seduced by sound and fell in love with the power of radio…