Ahead of the launch of our unLTD podcast, which will be broadcast monthly and bring the very best interviews and news from across Sheffield City Region, unLTD’s podcast producer James Marriott shares a few more details – and also turns the spotlight on a selection of his go-to SCR ‘must listens’
It’s hard to remember now, but once upon time, there was no unLTD magazine. Our days were less fulfilled and there was an B5 sized hole in each of our lives. They were sad, sad times.
Thankfully of course, the magazine came along, and the rest is history. unLTD provided something new and exciting for the ever-thriving Sheffield City Region (SCR) business world.
Now, we’re doing it again, only this time in audio form. The unLTD Podcast will feature exclusive interviews, conversations and features, as well as taking a look behind some of the stories in the magazine. We hope it’ll become one of your go-to podcasts, whatever you do within the SCR.
Over the last few weeks and months, we’ve been busy coming up with ideas to make sure it’s the very best podcast it can be. We can’t give too much away yet, but suffice to say we’re confident you won’t be disappointed.
In the next few weeks, you’ll see our first episode launch. We don’t do things on the quiet, so we’re going pretty big from the word go. Keep an eye out for more details and for the episode being released later in January 2021.
In the meantime, if you want to get ahead of the game, you’ll already be able to find the show in your favourite podcast app.
Just search for ‘unLTD’ and there we are – and if you hit the ‘subscribe’ or ‘follow’ button, you’ll get the first episode the moment it’s released.
And don’t worry, as you’d expect from unLTD, it’s completely free.
Podcast spotlight
Each month, we take a look at some of the amazing podcasts out there in the Sheffield City Region.
Womanthology
Womanthology is the brainchild of Sheffield-based Fiona Tatton. Now, the names of Womanthology and Fiona may already ring a bell with you because a few years back it was a hugely successful online magazine and community. Fiona had to put things on hold as she overcame some major challenges of her own – but now she’s back!
And not only is Womanthology a fortnightly online publication it’s now in podcast form, too. Each episode features two interviews and loads more content, centred on a key theme or issue. This brand is going to be huge in 2021 – if you’re not already a listener, it’s one to search out.
The Social Sanctuary
Harvey Morton’s featured on unLTD’s pages a few times before – and just a few weeks ago he launched his very own podcast. The Social Sanctuary is described as ‘Inspirational conversations for a digital world’.
Harvey’s work centres around social media – and his podcast is a unique exploration of that industry. The first season covered things like cyberbullying, youth unemployment and mental health.
Harvey recently did a special festive episode with a look back at his highlights from the first season, so an ideal starting point for a new listener.
Rochelle’s Real Property Podcast
You may recognise the name Rochelle Gilburn. Another familiar face to unLTD readers, she’s the founder of Gilburn Investment Group and Sell Your House South Yorkshire. Rochelle describes herself as a ‘property matchmaker’ and she has a truly unique and inspiring story. In November 2020 she launched her own podcast, having a look at the property industry through her own eyes. Her first episode was a fascinating journey through her own story, and I know she has big plans for some brilliant guests and plenty more on the show in 2021.
Branded podcasting
There’s an assumption that producing a podcast for your business means it has to be ABOUT your business.
“We just don’t have enough to fill episodes”… “No one would listen, what we do isn’t very interesting”… just a couple of the things I’ve heard time and time again.
What tends to get overlooked is the concept of branded content. That is – a podcast which has a connection to your business, but is actually telling a different story.
Here’s an example: General Electric isn’t especially well known here, but in the US it’s a huge brand in the power and healthcare spaces. Its podcast The Message has nothing to do with any of that – it’s actually a drama series about an alien transmission intercepted on earth. But the show centres on technology, perfectly in tune with GE being synonymous with invention and innovation.
It’s years old but another great example is eBay’s Open For Business series which interviews entrepreneurs all about their experience of building a small business from scratch. It isn’t about eBay, but you can immediately see the connection to a platform built around small businesses.
A lot of big brands are getting into this sort of content, and with the explosion in podcasting we’ve seen since the summer showing no signs of slowing down, I expect them to take off even more in 2021.
This isn’t something just for big brands. There’s no reason your business couldn’t have something similar.
So if you don’t feel a podcast about your business is right, maybe a branded podcast could work for you.
Your team might love creating it between them.
The ideas are endless and if it seems a daunting prospect, that’s understandable – but we can work together to formulate your concept and strategy, and ultimately make it a reality.
Podcasting Q&A
Every month on this page, we’ll answer some of your questions about podcasting – from something as simple as ‘how do I listen to a podcast?’ to more in-depth queries about growing an audience or monetising a show.
So if you have a question you’d like answering about podcasting or audio in general, drop us a line!
To contact me with any questions, or if you’d like to book in a discovery call to find out more about podcasting or how it could work for your business, drop me a line to james@unltdbusiness.com
Lend unLTD your ears!
Fancy a quick preview of what to expect from our forthcoming podcast? Course you do – here we reveal our first two guests as well as the format you can expect when you lend unLTD your ears and tune in!
As unLTD’s podcast producer James Marriott said earlier in this feature, we are indeed going pretty big from the word go with not one but two first guests, both big-hitters.
Greg Fell (above left) is Director of Public Health in Sheffield who has helped steer the city since the COVID-19 pandemic hit – his insight as we head into an uncertain new year will be invaluable and a must-listen.
Alexis Krachai is MD of Counter Context and, along with Benchmark’s Louisa Harrison-Walker, is interim executive director of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce.
Alexis and Louisa are on a mission to completely reboot how the Chamber engages with its membership as they look to build the strongest Chamber in the UK.
That message will be a familiar one to unLTD readers as Sheffield Chamber’s regular features have been updating us on their progress – read their latest feature on 38-39 in this issue where the new Council Board members reveal the progress of that transformation.
Get familiar with the format
In the unLTD podcast you’ll also be able to hear the voices behind the magazine as James will be chatting to members of the unLTD team issues affecting the Sheffield City Region business community and the forthcoming issue.
Editor Richard Fidler
Richard has been delivering his take on the latest news in The Diary since the very first issue of unLTD – his clear and decisive views on issues affecting the business community have made his columns a must-read.
A regular host of unLTD’s social events (both online and ’IRL’ pre-COVID), Richard has also chaired unLTD’s roundtable events with Ameresco on key industry themes and topics.
Head of sales Dan Laver
Is he the most connected (or Linked-In?) man in Sheffield?! Our Dan Laver is a very well-known face on the business and networking scenes – increasingly on Zoom, of late, of course! (Check out our feature with Exa on page 59 this issue!).
In our podcast, our popular head of sales will be bringing James and listeners up to speed on all the exciting businesses and companies getting involved in our magazine and how unLTD will be spreading the word about their success and showcasing their brands and business development.
Features writer Jill Theobald
Our features writer since issue one, Jill has plenty of unLTD cover stories and lead articles for the magazine under her belt, having interviewed a fair few of the city region’s leading business figures.
Jill will be chatting to James to tell him all her latest interview subjects and share a few hints about the key stories listeners can expect to hear more from in the upcoming issue.
