10 Essential Podcasts for Community Managers
Podcasts can be a great way for community managers to explore changing attitudes, deep-dive into a new field of knowledge, or mentally reset after a demanding day. But with so many podcasts available, where do you start? Quiip has assembled a list of essential podcasts designed to inform and entertain.
Community Signal
Community Signal will help you get into the right frame of mind for community management. “There are plenty of social media and marketing podcasts out there,” says host Patrick O’Keefe, “That’s not what this is. Social media is set of tools. Community is a strategy you apply to those tools. Marketing brings new customers. Community helps you keep them.” Through interviews with leading CMs across the globe, the realities of professional community management are revealed, with each episode inspiring the listener to sharpen their toolbox. Patrick is chipper, self-effacing, and really listens to his guests – an audible example of great community management! This episode with Quiip CEO Alison Michalk is a great place to start.
Download on iTunes.
Download on Stitcher.
Download This Show
Indeed! Download it, subscribe to it, or listen as it goes to air on ABC Radio National each Friday. Download This Show is one of the most popular and recommended Australian podcasts for a reason, and it’s essential listening for community managers. Host Marc Fennell delivers the most important news in the digital world, with discussions between him and a rotating panel of industry-savvy guests. DTS leaves you with an understanding of how tech news affects your role and wider community management industry. It’s fun, moves fast, and it’s over before you even think about getting bored.
Download on iTunes.
Download on Stitcher.
Good Life Project
Self-care is essential for community managers. It’s important to include a few wellness-related podcasts on your playlist for that boost of positivity. Host Jonathan Fields is a former yoga teacher-turned entrepreneur, so the interviews are mindful while still being really grounded and accessible. Episodes vary in format and length, with riffs on personal development to in-depth interviews with thought leaders such as Seth Godin.
Download on iTunes.
Download on Stitcher.
The Collaboration Superpowers
An essential podcast for anyone who works from home, remotely or as part of a distributed team. Host Lisette Sutherland is an American living in the Netherlands, who interviews professionals all over the globe to uncover tips that help you find the Zen of remote work. The Collaboration Superpowers is a simple podcast done well, from Lisette’s calm and soothing voice, right down to a groovy theme song!
Download on iTunes.
Download on Stitcher.
The Allusionist
With an endless stream of words flowing in and out of our brains, desensitisation towards language can result. The Allusionist podcast is your cure! Another host with a wonderful speaking voice, Helen Zaltzman takes you on an journey into language that peels back the numbness of over-exposure to social media. Etymology never sounded quite so alluring, and this podcast will help breathe life into your use of language as a content creator. Incidentally, the Radiotopia network (of which The Allusionist is a part) is a great place to look for other great podcasts.
Download on iTunes.
Listen on Soundcloud.
All In The Mind
Empathy is an essential skill for community managers, so having some psychology-related podcasts in your arsenal is very useful. Since 2002, All In The Mind has been exploring all things mental; stitching together interviews with personal accounts from people who live with mental health conditions. With 520 episodes ready in the show’s archive, it’s a valuable research tool. Plus if you exhaust that supply, there’s a BBC version as well!
Download on iTunes.
Download on Android.
Mental Illness Happy Hour
One of the better podcast names out there. Personal, often harrowing, interviews about struggles with mental health. Host Paul Gilmartin has struggled with mental health issues himself, and is incredibly open, honest and funny. Guests range from actors, comedians and artists, to experts, authors and long-time listeners. It should be called the Mental Illness Happy (usually more than two) Hours.
Download on iTunes.
Download on Android.
Fourth Estate
Understated, nuanced and no-bull. Fourth Estate is an engaging breakdown of how the Australian media behaved during the week, and why. A rotating roster of hosts discuss how the national conversations taking place are affected by dynamics of power and politics. Essential listening for any CM who is active on the #auspol hashtag. Start with this episode taken from a live recording at The Walkey’s Storyology event.
Download on iTunes.
Listen on Soundcloud.
TED Radio Hour
It’s a wise move to have a popular podcasts like TED Radio Hour (or This American Life, or Radiolab) in your playlist. These are all great for overall perspective and big-picture thinking about the global themes that unite us all. With mind-blowing production and editing, TED Radio Hour delivers a sensory overload that can be exhilarating and truly immersive. It will demand your full attention, but will reward you in inspiration and newfound perspective.
Download on iTunes.
Download on Stitcher.
Tourism Upgrade with Holly G
Although strictly about tourism marketing, Holly Galbraith’s podcast often tackles social media, with Holly bringing her experience as a community manager into every episode. Tourism Tweetup began in 2014, and Tourism Upgrade took up where it left off in late 2015. Between the two, the back-catalogue is now over 70 episodes and growing. Worth going through with a fine-tooth comb for pearls of CM wisdom. A n excellent starting point is this episode featuring, yet again, Quiip’s Alison Michalk.
Download on iTunes.
Download on Stitcher.
Hungry for 10 more essentials for community managers? Check out these must-see documentaries.
Dave Gertler is a Community Manager at Quiip. He is also the founder of Australia’s first podcast awards, Cast Away. The inaugural event will take place in Sydney on March 25.