How we expanded our podcast with correspondents
A step by step guide recapping the launch of our Get Together correspondent program.
Over two semesters in my senior year of college, I wrote and published a book about how communities form around live music experiences. I talked to leaders and creators of music experiences like Sofar Sounds, Airbnb Music, Sixthman Cruises, The Unknown Tour and Side Door.
My key takeaway was this: creating a community starts with collecting inspiration. It starts with noticing what resonates with the world and with you, then connecting the pieces.
One of the inspirations I heard about was Get Together. Sensing kindred spirits, I reached out to Bailey, Kevin, and Kai seeking guidance and inspiration as I dipped my toes in the unknown post-grad. They graciously responded and we continued to have conversations that resulted in me joining the team.
Last January at an empty restaurant in lower Manhattan, Bailey told me about a vision she had to share the “Get Together” podcast mic with others. She posed a question: what if we had people in different parts of the country and the world capturing stories of communities that mattered to them?
Bailey, Kevin, and Kai had a glimmer of what the podcast could if they collaborated with more people. Mia Quagliarello and Maggie Zhang were already jumping in and sharing stories on “Get Together” airwaves. The team asked if I would help build a program to share the podcast mic with others.
This inaugural podcast correspondent program became my beloved experiment.
In July 2020, we announced the “Get Together” correspondent program. Over three months, a podcast newbie passionate about communities would join our team to learn how to podcast and help expand the stories we tell. With the team’s coaching, the correspondent would source and lead three interviews to be broadcast on our airwaves. Correspondents would be compensated for their work and receive a microphone to keep.
We found ourselves flooded with 117 applications to review. Of that pool, we ended up choosing not one but two correspondents: Marjorie Anderson and Whitney Ogutu.
We kicked off the program in August and by November, they walked away producing interview-style podcasts with benevolent leaders like Jodianne Beckford leader of Noire Girls Plant and Onyango Otieno leader of Nyumbani.
We accomplished our goal of expanding the stories we tell on the “Get Together” podcast. And, the program opened the door to a community.
In this guide on People & Process, I share everything that went into launching the inaugural “Get Together” correspondent program. Think of this article as a roadmap for anyone looking to start a program that invites collaborators to expand the knowledge and impact of something you started.
The step-by-step guide covers:
The lesson I leave with: programs open the door to community.
We’ve talked to many communities that gather at meetups or in online forums. The invitations to these types of communities are open-ended. You can show up a few times and then fall off the radar.
To me, programs formalize the invitation to join, do something together, and stick around.
In carving out 3 months to host the corresponding program, we set out with a formal invitation for people curious about podcasting and community. We hoped that the constraints of the program would result in transformation, that correspondents would walk away with a new skill.
I have a hunch that when the door is always open, as it is with loosely structured groups, some people struggle with how to show up. There is a discomfort to committing indefinitely. There’s ambiguity around what will happen if you keep showing up.
Formal programs like a challenge, fellowship, or accelerator offer guardrails to kickstart a partnership and collaboration with people who care about what you care about. At the end, it’s your role to listen and invite them to continue to opt-in.
We’ve entered into a new relationship with Marjorie and Whitney. Both have raised their hand to continue on as collaborators, pitching stories for the podcast on themes exciting to them.
If you find yourself wondering how you might expand the impact of something you’re already creating, make one small step today: invite a few new people into the process.
If you're building a program that you are excited about check out the full guide and reach out, I'd love to meet you. Send me a note at katie@people-and.com.
More on all things People & Company and Get Together here.
We published a book, host a podcast, and we work with organizations like Nike, Porsche, Substack and Surfrider as strategy partners, bringing confidence to how they’re building communities.