Urban’s communications team is always on the lookout for new messaging platforms to spread news about our work and elevate the debate. In January 2018, we took a big leap to a new platform — podcasting — with the launch of Critical Value.
We’ve produced Critical Value for two years, and we’ve learned a few things along the way. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how Urban’s podcast team works and how nonprofits and research institutions like Urban can reach new audiences.
Who’s on the team?
The team includes Justin Milner, host and associate vice president for the Research to Action Lab, producers Kate Villarreal, Katie Smith, Robert Abare, and Jacinth Jones, who are all members of Urban’s communications department, and sound editor Riley Byrne from podigy.co. One producer takes the lead on researching, writing, and editing each episode. Jacinth does the heavy lifting and pulls each episode together by coordinating, scheduling, and recording interviews. Then, another producer takes a first rough cut at editing the audio files before sending them off to Riley for final editing.
What’s Urban’s podcast about?
When we’re looking for ideas for our biweekly episodes, we’ve learned it’s best to go beyond just recapping and repackaging Urban’s research. (Note: this goes for other communications products beyond just podcasts!) Critical Value’s most popular episodes aim to help the listener think through the intersection of research and relevant and interesting policy questions, such as the passage of the First Step Act, the far-reaching effects of shifting immigration policies, and accurate data collection for reflecting our nation’s increasing Hispanic/Latinx population.
Podcast episodes are about 20 to 25 minutes — short enough for many people’s commutes and long enough to insightfully and thoroughly dive into a policy issue. Each episode closes with three key takeaways that sum up what listeners need to know. The podcast aims to reach “policy-curious” audiences who may not be experts but are interested in learning how policies and programs impact real people.
How do we produce each show?
Production of Critical Value follows a seven-step process.
1. Pick a timely and compelling policy topic
Jacinth maintains and updates an editorial calendar in Microsoft Excel that catalogs various potential episode ideas that balance timely and evergreen content. The editorial calendar is synced with Airtable, a spreadsheet app designed to help with collaborative dissemination plans and project planning within the communications department. During our biweekly meetings, the team will do a quick review of the calendar to help solidify each episode’s theme.
2. Identify guests who can provide a range of evidence-based perspectives on the topic
Our guests include both internal Urban Institute researchers and external guests who are laying the groundwork for policy change. Highlighting multiple voices helps bring different information, opinions, and perspectives. External guests bring valuable insight to our research. For example, we interviewed Kevin Yonker, winner of west central Georgia’s Youth Apprenticeship Program, who discussed how the apprenticeship program changed his career trajectory. We also interviewed Mary’s Center president and CEO Maria Gomez, who talked about how immigration policies affect the people who walk through her organization’s doors.
3. Make sure everyone is ready when you press “record”
After we identify our guests, Jacinth schedules a short preinterview, which helps us learn specific questions to ask and key points to discuss during the taped interview with Justin.
For in-person interviews, Urban invested in two XLR microphones and a Zoom H6 six-track portable recorder. When Justin sits down with a guest, he reminds them to sit close to the microphone and to try not to make noise during interviews. For remote or phone interviews, we use 8x8 Virtual Office, a call-recording service, and the iPhone voice memo app as backup.
We also have a soundproof studio for interviews that includes an On-Air sign to signal colleagues and others passing by to not disturb.
4. Lower the stakes to raise the quality
Speaking into a microphone can be awkward. Because our interviews are unscripted, casual conversations and not everything a guest says during taping is used, we make sure to tell guests not to worry about getting it perfect. But it’s helpful for interviewees to prepare key takeaways in advance by thinking through their most interesting findings, surprising insights, and recommendations on how their findings could impact policy.
We’ve learned that one of the most important ways to record a great interview is to have a guest speak from experience. We’ve talked to a housing finance policy expert about buying her first home and a workforce development expert about her first job. Often, the best ways to communicate complicated policy ideas are through analogies and storytelling. We also find it especially useful when guests take some time and practice potential responses before the actual interview.
5. Move from audio to paper to craft a compelling narrative
Jacinth sends the raw audio files to Rev for transcription and reads and highlights the best sound bites from each guest. Pulling out these key quotes helps the lead producer (who varies from project to project) structure the show.
Since our very first podcast episode, we’ve stuck to the same intro and closing language in every episode, and we have consistently used key sound bites from interviews to guide the show. But we’ve moved from simply editing down a one-on-one conversation between Justin and a guest to a more narrative format. In the narrative format, Justin guides the listener through a story featuring multiple voices and short, relevant news and audio clips and sound effects. Ultimately, we find the narrative format is more engaging and meaningful for our audience.
6. Move from paper back to audio to make sure it sounds sweet
Once the script is finalized, Jacinth assembles a rough cut of the episode on Descript, uploads all the audio files, and combines the transcribed files into a single file that matches the script. Riley then transforms our rough cut into the final product. He edits the sound, cuts out extraneous speech (the “uhs” and “ums”), and stitches the interview segments together with other audio snippets.
7. Post the podcast, and then promote, promote, promote
After we receive the final audio, we upload the file, show notes, and related links to Libsyn, a podcast hosting service, and post the episode on the Urban website.
Dissemination is where we still feel like we are learning. After we finalize the episode, how do we make sure people can find it? Currently, Jacinth and Rob write an Urban Wire blog post in association with each episode, create audiograms via Headliner that we post to our various social media channels, and conduct stakeholder and external outreach to people we think may be interested. This brings awareness to the show and, we hope, increases downloads and ratings.
Wrapping up
We hope you’ve found our process and lessons learned producing Critical Value useful. We’ve found the show to be valuable in engaging new audiences with Urban’s work over the airwaves.
Most importantly: go listen to our finished products. Listen, rate the show, and subscribe and tell your friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, frenemies, enemies, and beloved pets to do the same. And keep reading here on Data@Urban to learn more about Urban’s processes and innovations.
