Listen to the Red Chair Series Podcast

On May 13, 2021, after months of planning, experts on a range of topics converged at AH’s Mount Laurel, New Jersey, office to bring a long-awaited project to fruition: it was recording day for AH’s Red Chair Series Podcast.

“Podcasting had been on AH’s want-to-do list for a while, and we had been building up to recording day for months,” said Sarah Black, AH’s Director of Content and Creative.

Podcasts are having an incredible moment of expansion; 28% of the total U.S. population—an estimated 80 million Americans—listen to podcasts weekly, while 41% of the population over age 12 are monthly podcast listeners. While the medium has been around for decades, the resurgence can be attributed to the demand for more on-the-go content that allows listeners to engage anytime, anywhere.

“We’ve been publishing incredibly strong written content and had metrics that helped us understand what resonated with our audience,” said Black. “Our vision for the podcast was, how can we further that conversation just a little bit more? There’s always information that gets left on the cutting room floor, so to speak, during the editing process of a written piece. Podcasting would allow us to finish telling the story.”

That vision became the Red Chair Series, a short-format podcast with episodes that discuss important topics affecting associations and non-profits, including diversity and inclusion, ASAE ForesightWorks, virtual and hybrid events planning, and more.

While AH is adding podcasting to its content mix, associations have been adopting the platform in droves. What do associations have to gain from podcasting?

Benefits of a Podcast

For the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society^TM (WOCN®), podcasting has been a vital tool for showcasing thought leadership and delivering educational content to members in an accessible format.

“Sometimes, members are completely burned out at the end of the day,” said Megan Ramirez, director of marketing for the WOCN Society and guest on episode 1 of AH’s Red Chair Series. “Watching or reading something physically is just too much. So, digesting something in an audio format is just an easier way to get them that education, to have them take a moment to take a breather from their day.”

The value of podcasting goes beyond the ability to share expertise, however. The spoken words from a podcast resonate differently and are perceived as more authoritative. Considering that information shared as part of a narrative is up to 22 times more memorable than facts alone, it's clear that podcasts have the upper hand when it comes to content.

Joining the Podcast Movement

While many associations opt to make their podcasts a members-only benefit, others may go the route of the WOCN Society, which chose to make its podcasts available to anyone. This kind of open access creates immense awareness opportunities, expanding the reach of the organization.

With a low overall cost of production, the benefits of producing a podcast make it a recommended content delivery platform for organizations of all types and sizes.

“Our clients have some really fascinating stories to tell,” said Black. “The podcast is one way to give those stories a voice and bring new depth to the topics we cover.”

Subscribe to the Red Chair Series

Watch or listen to AH's Red Chair Series Podcast anytime, anywhere. Click here to find the complete series!