Deborah Meaden: Putting the message before the money

For many podcasts, achieving sustainable growth is one of their key objectives - and this applies just as much to audiences and listeners as it does to advertising revenues. There are countless theories on how best to achieve this ambition, but one of the most popular is to focus on a topic that you’re genuinely passionate about, and trust that like-minded listeners will come to you.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to be a household name with an established public profile, but for PodPod’s debut guest Deborah Meaden, it’s her enthusiasm and commitment to the subject matter of her podcast The Big Green Money Show which drives the most sustainable engagement. This week, the Dragon’s Den investor and business guru sits down with Rhianna Dhillon to discuss the different aspects of business sustainability, how to fund a podcast, and why she’s so passionate about learning from her guests. 

Key takeaways

Podcasting is an intimate medium
“I think the joy about podcasts is that it is a very intimate medium, you kind of do talk to people one to one,” she says.  “...it’s the intimacy that allows people to really concentrate on a subject in a really busy world when stuff is flying past us so fast.” 

It’s an easy learning tool
“It’s quite hard, I think, to attack the issues around the environment without sounding a little bit tub-thumbing and that can really switch people off,” she says. “...I kind of hope that in our journey and in our learning, people will join us instead of feeling that they’re being talked at.”  

It gives a voice to experts
“I think the important thing is I don’t sit there as an expert, I am genuinely interested,” she says. “...We’re getting experts and business leaders who are living with this all day, every day. We’re unpicking what they can do and what they are doing, what they’re not doing, and what they’re finding difficult to do.”

Footnotes 

• Sounds Profitable

• For F1’s Sake

• The Retrospectors

• The Rest Is Politics

• The Big Green Money Show: Hair and Beauty: With L'Oreal

• The Big Green Money Show: Energy bills and EVs, with Octopus CEO

• The Big Green Money Show: Carbon, Consoles and The Cloud, with Microsoft UK and Professor Mike Berners-Lee

• The Big Green Money Show: Energy Crisis Special: Warming Our Homes For Winter

• The Big Green Money Show: Emergency Episode: The Hottest UK Day Ever

• The Big Green Money Show: Going Nuclear with Rolls-Royce CEO

• The Big Green Money Show: Energy crisis special with British Gas CEO

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