During the pandemic, Seattle’s downtown leaders fretted that media coverage about the district often focused on closed businesses, empty streets, and other reflections of a lagging recovery.
The Downtown Seattle Association decided to push back by taking matters into its own hands with a downtown podcast. The twice-monthly Seattle City Makers Podcast presents a conversational look at the people and issues affecting downtown Seattle.
An article in the November issue of Downtown Idea Exchange discusses the process and pitfalls of producing a weekly podcast.
The episodes are hosted by Downtown Seattle Association President and CEO Jon Scholes. During the podcast’s run, he has moderated conversations with a diverse set of guests who have told their stories and shared lessons from business and life.
The podcast provides a way to boost exposure for the Downtown Seattle Association, while doing the same for guests. The association promotes each podcast episode across communications channels with the organization’s membership, including newsletters, daily news digests, and website posts. The organization also promotes the show more broadly on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Producing a high-quality podcast requires some work, of course. The show is a joint effort of the Downtown Seattle Association’s Communications and Marketing team, a podcast producer, and an audio/video production company.
Lessons learned from the Seattle City Makers Podcast appear in the November issue of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.
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