Creating an internal podcast to share the ‘tricks of the trade’

Howdens is the UK's leading trade kitchen supplier, with over 808 depots nationwide. What gives their business such a local feel is that each depot manager has full say over how they run their portion of the business.

One challenge of this model, however, is that it can sometimes lead to depot managers working in silos, with little opportunity to share best practice.

They came to us with a challenge: How can we share the best tips and tricks with our depot managers across the country?

We worked with them to create a branded podcast that in line with their internal comms strategy and really captured the essence of life in the depots.

The production process

We started off the production process with a content workshop. It was here that we shared a number of successful internal podcasts with the Howdens team. This helped them to get an idea of what they’d like to achieve with the show.

In our content workshops, we also worked with Howden’s to get a feel for their tone of voice. They wanted the show to sound engaging and, despite being an internal podcast, they wanted it to have a sense of familiarity and informality that is common among their depot teams.

We then worked together with the Howdens team to brainstorm exciting formats for each episode.

Challenges

Reaching their target audience

With any internal podcast, the challenge is always getting team members to tune in during their busy work day. Here’s how we helped Howdens reach depot staff:

• Choosing the right platform. We advised Howdens on the right platform for their needs. We chose Transistor, which allowed them to set up a private feed and also send email campaigns that aligned with new episode releases.

• Meeting the audience where they are. Depot managers are often out of their seats when working in the depots. In order to catch busy staff and help them listen while they work, we helped them to create posters with QR codes that linked to the podcast feed.

• Adding value. Our content strategist and producer worked with Howden’s to make sure that the episode topics added value for depot staff. This meant choosing relevant, engaging and interesting topics that held relevance for individual teams.

• Inviting listeners in. Together with Howdens’ comms team, we thought of fun and inventive ways of getting listeners involved such as listener call-ins and spotlighting personal stories.

Getting stakeholder buy-in

Stakeholders play a huge role in the success of an internal podcast. Howdens wanted their stakeholders to be involved at every step of the way.

• Inviting stakeholders to take part. We brought stakeholders into planning meetings to hear first-hand what they wanted to get out of the podcast. This has now become a vital part of the way that Howdens works.

• Collaborative process. We ensured stakeholders took part in brainstorming new ideas for episodes and felt like they were part of the content strategy process.

Impact

The show launched in December 2022 and was sent straight to the inbox of Howden’s depot managers. As word has spread, the podcast has grown and grown in popularity. And now, over 12% of the Howden’s entire workforce tunes into the bi-weekly episodes.

As more episodes have been released, listens have been on an upward curve and Howdens are seeing more instances of best practice sharing. For example, the story of one depot manager’s practice of ‘brochure dropping,’ where he drops brochures in the letterboxes of local residents, has gone viral among depot manager staff. More and more depot managers are now planning their own ‘brochure dropping’ days.

Howdens’ CEO, Andrew Livingston, is also a big fan of the show and is also planning on appearing as a guest. He’s planning to reflect on his five years at Howdens and how the company has evolved in that time. To the Howdens comms team, that’s a very clear sign that the podcast has become part of the company’s DNA.

Ready to launch a podcast to boost your internal comms strategy? Get in touch!