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Podcasting for Health Equity: Tips on How to Start Your Own

Sarah Robinson, Tia Palermo, Schuyler Lawson, Grace Lazzara, Jessica S. Kruger

 

In 2021, faculty, staff, and students from the University at Buffalo’s (UB) School of Public Health and Health Professions launched a podcast, Buffalo HealthCast, on health equity. The first season focused on racism and health. The podcasters wanted to facilitate discussion on campus and in the broader community of how UB could help tackle racism to improve population health and how to make our campus, where approximately 50% of the student population is BIPOC or international (17% underrepresented minority), more inclusive of students, faculty, and staff of color. We aimed the podcast to facilitate discussions through a more engaging and democratic format to encourage our community to think about racism and equity beyond the typical avenues.

In the first semester, interviewees  included a reverend and co-convener of the African-American Health Equity Task Force, a first-generation African American graduate student pursuing a master’s in public health, an associate dean for faculty development who helped to diversify the Sociology Department in only five years, the founder of the African Heritage Food Co-op, and others. In the second semester, podcasts covered refugee health in Buffalo, breast cancer in Buffalo’s African American community, gender-based violence, and more. Not only has the podcast been a way for undergraduate and graduate students to meaningfully engage with faculty and staff on important issues, but it has been well received by the university community as well as the greater Buffalo community.

Events in recent years, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, have underscored both the needs and desires to address difficult issues related to structural racism, poverty, and other drivers and consequences of inequality in the US. Relatedly, the growth of podcasting over the past several years has been extensive.  We have found our experiences with podcasting to be an important resource in engaging discussions about population health in our community. Drawing on our experience at Buffalo HealthCast, we provide recommendations and some questions to ask yourself if you’re considering starting a podcast.

Getting Started

  1. What niche are you trying to fill? Are there podcasts out there that already cover the subject you’re hoping to cover? You need to find ways to make your podcast stand out to listeners, whether through unique guests or a new look at an already-covered subject.
  2. Who is your audience? Your listeners are the most important part of your podcast. What do your target listeners care about? Find ways to make your podcast relevant and relatable to your target audience so they will keep coming back for more.
  3. How will you produce and distribute your podcast? Whether you record in a professional studio or at home over Zoom, this is the time to figure out the best way to record with the resources you have. You don’t need a huge budget to produce a high-quality podcast, but if you’re hoping to purchase technology to improve the sound quality, plan for those costs.  Once you have your production plan, you’ll need to figure out the hosting platform (e.g., Buzzsprout, Podbean, etc.) and the distribution platforms/players you want it to appear on (e.g., Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc.).
  4. How will you promote your podcast? Promotion is arguably the most challenging part of a podcast. Which social media channels will help you reach the most people?  Who can you network with to help you advertise?  Are there newsletters or related podcasts that you can cross-promote with?

Tips for Success

  • Make it sustainable by creating a system and a structure. Have a checklist or workflow of tasks necessary to produce each episode.  This is an efficient way to save yourself time and make each episode seem less daunting to create.
  • Stick to deadlines, and release episodes on a schedule. Coordinating recording schedules can prove challenging if you have a co-host to coordinate with, guests to interview, or a recording studio to reserve, but planning ahead is key.
  • Remember your “why.” What motivated you to produce your podcast?  What are you hoping to get out of it personally or professionally?  Write this down, and remind yourself why you’re doing this whenever you encounter barriers or questions.
  • Building your audience and producing a high-quality podcast won’t happen overnight. Patience and motivation will help you to reach your goals: podcasting is a marathon, not a sprint.
  • Wherever you advertise, especially on social media, encourage your audience to like, share, subscribe and comment on your episodes.
  • Take control of your podcast (know your theme and objectives well) before you request feedback from your audience. Find your voice before you open up your forum to listeners.  Once you have a core audience, then ask them for suggestions. You’ll need to come up with fresh content often, so don’t be afraid to ask those around you or your listeners for new ideas.
  • A small budget doesn’t have to be a barrier to producing a successful podcast. You’ll find plenty of resources online (see resources at end of this article) on best practices for creating a great podcast without breaking the bank.

More Resources

https://www.thepodcasthost.com/planning/podcast-tips/

https://www.weeditpodcasts.com/the-10-must-dos-for-successful-podcasting/

https://www.weeditpodcasts.com/the-biggest-challenges-podcasters-face/

https://heliumradio.com/8-main-challenges-that-every-podcaster-will-face/

About the authors

Sarah Robinson
Sarah Robinson Sarah Robinson, B.S., is a Master of Public Health Student, studying in the Community Health and Health Behavior Department at the University at Buffalo (State University of New York). Sarah received her B.S. in Community Health Education from the University of Scranton. She currently works as a Production Assistant for Buffalo HealthCast at UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.

Grace Lazzara
Grace Lazzara Grace Lazzara, M.A., is the director of marketing, communications, and outreach at the University at Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions. A seasoned marketing communications professional, she has spent time in the agency, corporate and non-profit worlds. Among her previous roles, she has been an independent public-relations professional, director of Weber Shandwick Toronto’s technology PR practice, and marketing communications director for a software developer. Grace received a B.A. in English from the University of Rochester and an M.A. in English from Northeastern University. She has taught writing at the university level, in client workshops, at several literary centers.

Tia Palermo
Tia Palermo Tia Palermo, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University at Buffalo (State University of New York). Her research examines the effects of social policy on population health. She was formerly a researcher at the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti in Florence, Italy, where was actively engaged in facilitating evidence uptake in government decision-making. Previously, she also worked for Ipas. Tia holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an affiliate of the Transfer Project and a Faculty Fellow at the University at Buffalo’s Center for Global Health Equity, where she co-leads the Global Child Big Ideas Team.

Schuyler Lawson
Schuyler Lawson Schuyler Lawson, M.A., is a public health doctoral student at the University at Buffalo in the School of Public Health and Health Professions. His research examines health disparities in substance use and mental health with a particular focus on tobacco-related health disparities. He currently works as a project coordinator for a CDC-funded research study affiliated with the University at Buffalo and is one of the hosts of the Buffalo HealthCast podcast.

Jessica S. Kruger
Jessica S. Kruger Jessica S. Kruger, PhD, MCHES is a health educator whose research focuses on consumption and addictive behaviors, health behavior decision-making, and pedagogy in public health. She collaborates with a wide variety of community-based organizations and advises students at the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic and the Seneca-Babcock Community Center, both in the Buffalo area. Dr. Kruger is co-editor of the Journal of Student-Run clinics and continues to promote the importance of public health within free medical clinics, as well-being a member of the leadership team of Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice at UB. Most recently, Dr. Kruger has been named a 2021 SUNY Online Ambassador for her enthusiastic, effective virtual teaching and advocacy of online education in the SUNY community.

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