The Critical Connections podcast has allowed BUILD to have different entry points for reaching state leaders. We are in the business of building leaders in state systems, and we have to account for changing demographics. With most podcast listeners between the ages of 18 and 34, we have targeted a younger demographic that absorbs information in a different format. Boomers are retiring and we know that we need to reach younger audiences where they are - whether in podcasts or social media.

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Through carefully crafted interviews, we are spotlighting the efforts of state leaders and their work on early childhood systems building, giving listeners an inside view of the hard work that happens at the state level.

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The communications team forged a partnership with an award-winning podcast production company to produce Critical Connections. All of BUILD's major contracted projects go through a rigorous process to ensure that our missions align: the podcast production company is minority- and woman-owned, places an emphasis on raising marginalized voices, and simply understood the importance of building leaders to support children, families, and community.  Communications worked closely with the production team to define the goals, message, and tone of the podcast seasons. BUILD context experts then worked directly with the interviewees and the production team to record each episode. 

 

The podcasts are distributed through all of the standard channels from BUILD: social media, email campaigns, and relevant distribution channels. We also work closely with the interviewees and their communications teams to distribute across their own channels. We provide branded graphics, social post content, social handles, newsletter content, and blog content to encourage interviewees to share content easily.