Your staff are not reading
the all-staff email.
Internal communications podcast production for Scottish public sector and corporate organisations. Reach your dispersed, desk-free, and frontline workforce with something they will actually listen to — on their commute, on the ward, and in the field.
More than a third of your staff are not opening
your all-staff email. Here is what replaces it.
The channel is broken. Not the audience.
Email is still the dominant internal communications tool. But the average internal email open rate sits at around 64% — which means more than a third of your workforce is not reading your communications at all. For organisations with frontline, field-based, or dispersed staff, the gap is wider.
The problem is not that people are disengaged. It is that email asks employees to read at a desk, during work hours, competing with every other demand on their attention. The community nurse on a home visit, the engineer on site, the social worker between appointments — none of them are opening intranet updates.
An internal podcast episode downloads once and plays anywhere. It works on a commute. It works during a task that does not require full attention. It reaches the people your email does not — in the moments your email cannot.
NHS Education Scotland and Scottish Water are already doing this. We produce their podcast content at the studio in Glasgow's East End. We can do the same for your organisation.
Scotland's organisations face specific challenges
that internal podcasting is built to address.
The arguments for internal comms podcasting apply everywhere. But they are particularly strong for Scottish public sector and corporate organisations.
Geographic dispersal
NHS Highland covers 12,000 square miles. Scottish Water operates from Shetland to the Borders. Local councils communicate with staff across rural areas with limited connectivity. Audio content plays anywhere, on any device, without a fast connection.
Frontline workforces
Healthcare workers, field engineers, social care staff — these are the people who most need to feel connected to their organisation, and the people least reached by desk-based communications. A podcast reaches them in their working day.
Organisational change
Restructuring, budget pressures, service redesign — Scottish public sector organisations are managing significant change. Audio communications outperform written ones in change contexts because they sound human. That matters when trust is under pressure.
Leadership trust deficits
Public sector employee surveys consistently flag communication from senior leadership as a weak area. An unedited leadership podcast episode — recorded honestly, without a PR team's polish — addresses this directly in a way that written statements cannot.
Four internal comms podcast formats.
Each one serves a different communication goal.
An internal podcast is not a consumer podcast. The format priorities are different: authenticity and clarity over production polish, consistency over growth, reach over downloads.
A monthly 20-minute episode where the CEO or director speaks directly and unscripted about what is happening in the organisation — why a decision was made, what the next quarter looks like, what they are hearing from staff. The format that builds trust fastest. Unedited voice conveys authenticity that no written statement can match.
When an organisation is going through restructuring, a merger, a significant policy shift, or a period of uncertainty, a dedicated podcast series carries the message consistently across a dispersed workforce. Staff can listen in their own time, replay sections, and share with colleagues.
Short episodes featuring a different team, department, or project each month. Particularly effective in NHS and public sector contexts where interdepartmental awareness is low, silos are a real problem, and staff rarely see what colleagues in other parts of the organisation do.
A short-form five to ten minute regular update — equivalent to the weekly team brief but in audio form. Works on a commute, in a car between sites, or during any task that does not require full cognitive attention. The format that most directly replaces the email that was not being opened.
From brief to inbox in four steps.
We have produced internal communications content for Scottish organisations including NHS Education Scotland. This is the process that works.
Before anyone records anything, we work with your communications team to agree on format, frequency, audience, and hosting. Who presents? Where do staff access it? What does the first series cover? Half a day. Saves months of confusion.
Most internal comms podcasts are recorded in a half-day session at our Glasgow studio. For organisations that need to record on-site — a board meeting, a staff event, a site visit — we can bring a mobile recording kit to your location.
We edit each episode, remove any sections that do not serve the final cut, add intro and outro music if required, and deliver a finished audio and video file. Transcripts are included as standard for accessibility compliance.
Private podcast platforms (Podbean for Business, Spotify for Podcasters) allow password-protected episodes accessible only to your workforce. Staff listen on any podcast app they already use. No new software. No new login systems for your IT team to manage.
Three arrangements for internal comms teams
Whether you want to test the format with a single series or build a long-term internal communications channel, we have a production arrangement that fits.
A four-episode pilot to test the format, the presenter, and the staff response before committing to a regular production schedule.
- Strategy and format session included
- 4 episodes recorded in one half-day session
- Full edit and audio mix
- Transcripts for accessibility
- Private hosting setup and guidance
A regularly produced internal podcast series. Two episodes per month, fully produced and delivered ready to publish to your staff channels.
- 2 episodes per month (up to 30 mins each)
- Studio recording or mobile on-site
- Full edit, audio mix, and transcript
- Private platform distribution
- Quarterly listener engagement report
- Minimum 3-month initial term
For large organisations running multiple internal series, seasonal change comms, or hybrid internal and external podcast programmes.
- Multiple series or episode formats
- Dedicated producer allocation
- Mobile recording for on-site events
- Staff conference and away day coverage
- Full transcript and accessibility support
- Strategic communications consultancy