What makes a good museum podcast?

There is no denying that podcasts are experiencing a boom. What began as a relatively obscure audio-blogging format championed by Apple, is now a multimillion-pound industry with about 7.1 million people listening to podcasts each week in the UK alone, according to reports by communications regulator Ofcom. The growth has been rapid. UK audience figures have more than doubled in the past five years, with more than half of listeners joining the wave since 2018. As of January 2020, there were more than 900,000 shows and 30 million podcast episodes available worldwide, spanning everything from true-crime investigations to weekly political commentary. So, why is the format so popular, and how does this translate to the museum sector? Plenty of podcasters attribute their success to the intimacy that is fostered in listening to a few select voices, who often take on a more conversational tone than traditional radio. On-demand accessibility also allows audiences to decide when and how they tune in. That could be during a commute, taking exercise or doing chores. The listener gets to choose whether to binge an entire series, or pick and choose individual episodes. According to Hannah Hethmon, a producer who specialises in podcasts for cultural non-profits, the form’s storytelling capabilities are perfectly suited to museums: “Imagine you could take every single person on a private tour of your museum, with your most knowledgeable and enthusiastic experts. If we could all experience that, we’d immediately become super fans, right?” Hethmon launched the popular Museums in Strange Places podcast while undertaking a Fulbright Fellowship in Iceland, and has since gone on to work with the Smithsonian Institution in the US, the National Archives at Kew in Surry, and the Vagina Museum in London and she has advised lots of other institutions. Hethmon has also shared her expertise in a book – Your Museum Needs a Podcast – in which she stresses that technical concerns really should not be a barrier to any organisation because equipment can be sourced relatively cheaply, and editing and production ultimately comes down to time, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. “It’s accessible for museums who not only have low budgets, but are low on time,” Hethmon says. “You can present voices in a very simple and authentic way. If you have a sense of what is interesting about your museum and what your audience wants to hear, then you can make a good podcast.” It is also important to consider your prospective audience. Iain Wheeldon’s podcast Cultural Peeps was a direct response to requests from his students at the School of Arts and Cultures at Newcastle University, who wanted a more nuanced understanding of jobs in the cultural sector. “We have a lot of guest speakers on our programme but found that when they spoke about their careers it was always polished version, which doesn’t reveal circumstantial situations, life events and perhaps even crises and professional U-turns,” Wheeldon says. “Our students wanted to know more, but not necessarily in a lecture format, which is why I decided on a podcast.” The interest has since expanded to a more general audience from across the globe. Of course, it is also a great idea to conduct research on podcasts, not just in terms of subject, but style and tone. Hethmon has collated a directory of active podcasts run by cultural non-profits, available on her website BetterLemonAudio.com. Budget comes high on the list when deciding whether a podcast is viable. A key consideration is whether to employ a producer, or to take a DIY approach. While the former might seem more expensive, utilising these expertise and creative input can be more efficient and effective. For example, Sophie Frost, who created Voices of the Royal Pavilion & Museums podcast as part of her role as digital fellow on the One by One digital literacy project, led by the University of Leicester, worked with Chris Thorpe-Tracey from Lo-Fi Arts. “My producer really helped me creatively,” Frost says. “Everything from recording the jingle and the sound of seagulls to giving me confidence concerning different ideas for thematic episodes. Having a supportive and creative critic is really helpful in terms deciding what is of interest.” For those who decide to go it alone, the basics include:

• A microphone (or two if recording in the field)

• Pop filters for noise protection

• Studio-grade headphones

• A recorder (the Zoom H4n Pro Handy Recorder is highly recommended for its versatility and price.

High-tech studios are not essential, with a quiet, non-echoey meeting room serving as a great alternative. In terms of software, an audio web service such as Auphonic is advisable to refine the sound quality of recordings. For editing, Audacity is an excellent open-source and free software, while Hindenburg is a reasonably priced, slightly more user-friendly alternative. The real consideration regarding the DIY approach is time. Hethmon estimates that a single episode can take 10-20 hours to edit, which varies depending on complexity and length. This is one of the many reasons why she advises in favour of simplicity, with a conversational narrative and/or interview segments, complete with scripted introductions and conclusions. The tone of a podcast can be a deciding factor in terms of audience and accessibility. While some have chosen to use well-known broadcasters, such as the National Trust’s LGBTQ series Prejudice and Pride presented by broadcaster, journalist and author Clare Balding, it can be a great opportunity to harness the expertise and passion of staff and humanise an institution in the process. Frost explains that her goal in Brighton was to “use the podcast as an accessible platform to amplify as many voices as possible, from the chief executive to the volunteers, to the head gardener”. She adds: “Museums have famously been institutions where only a few people get to tell the story, but this is a way to challenge that hierarchical narrative.” A clear format is also a powerful tool. A consistent structure will mean audiences will know what to expect and will remain engaged, particularly if there are repeat segments or takeaways. Sushma Jansari, creator of The Wonder House podcast about decolonising museums, repeats the advice of her producer Nick Harris: “You tell people what they are going to listen to, they listen to it, and then you remind them of the key takeaways—that way you make it stick.” Wheeldon agrees: “If you are going to do a series, it’s useful for people to know what to expect. If you don’t want to hear me witter on for the first five minutes, you can skip through it!” Hethmon says there is no ideal length for a podcast, although she recommends 20 minutes as a good starting point, both in terms of editing labour and audience attention. She adds that working in series is a great way to combat limited budgets, and they can broadcast in consistent blocks. “Every other week is a good rule of thumb for museums, but it is best to think in seasons of six, just like traditional TV shows,” she says. “That way you can publish for 12 weeks and then refocus. You can always add mini-bonus episodes too, to keep your audience engaged.’ “Podcasts aren’t algorithmically delivered, and you need to get people to make that jump into listening, because it won’t happen by accident,” she says. Pithy wordplay such as the National Archives’ podcast On The Record as well as the self-explanatory The Vagina Museum Podcast are straightforward examples, while The Wonder House offers an imaginative and exploratory idea of museums with the name inspired by a line in Rudyard Kipling’s novel Kim. Social media remains key when it comes to marketing, with most listeners using multiple platforms to share and engage with their favourite podcasts via virtual word of mouth. Creators almost universally agree that getting a podcast onto every conceivable platform is essential for building an audience, which is achievable by using a hosting service such as Libsyn, Blubrry or Podbean. Plans cost from as little as $5 a month. These services can push your podcast to all major platforms via RSS feed, including Apple, which has about 60% of the market.   Trailers are also an effective tool for digital marketing. By offering a minute-long teaser, you not only have an asset to advertise your show concept on social media, e-newsletters and press releases long before you launch your first episode, but you can also iron out any problems with distribution. “You need to have a presence everywhere when you launch because people won’t switch apps to listen to your content,” Hethmon says. Most podcasters also advocate for a website presence to aid search engines and as a museum resource. Episodes can be embedded on to a page on an institution’s existing website, and although it will not account for much of overall listening figures, it is good practice to have episodes centralised for reference. While most hosting services and apps offer a variety of analytics concerning listening and download figures, they can be difficult to cross-reference. “Unless you have very sophisticated analytics is hard to tell what your engagement is, and a stream and a download signify different things,” Wheeldon says. Leeds Museum’s podcast was downloaded 2,500 times in its first month after launch. “Apparently, if you have more than 1,200 downloads within 30 days then you’re doing better than 80% of podcasts,” Jones says. “But you can’t compare yourself to the more general top performers, because they are always going to be by celebrities and comedians. It is hard to know what success is for our sector.” Data concerning where people listen from is a great indicator of not only popularity, but engagement that exist beyond what is possible from most bricks-and-mortar sites. Analysing listening patterns, particularly if episodes cover different topics, is also a great way of identifying areas of interest and informing subsequent seasons.