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Engage customers through storytelling. Harness network data. Create brand advocates. Focus on 360-degree marketing. Rebrand your utility. Move into a competitive area. The power of partnerships.
These are a handful of the ideas shared by Utility Pioneers in 2016, when “The StoryConnect Podcast” debuted. Sound familiar? Times have changed, but utility challenges remain the same. Why not learn from each other?
“I believed there was a place for a show that talked about the electric and telecommunications industries in a fun and engaging way,” said Pioneer’s VP of Strategy Stephen V. Smith, the podcast’s original host. “There’s nothing like the power of personal conversations, and I knew if we could bring on guests with interesting stories to tell about the industries we served, listeners in those industries would be drawn to it.”
The pod’s first guest was NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association VP of Strategic Communications Laura Withers — her title was different back then, but her ideas? Gold!
Eight years later the podcast published its 300th episode, focusing on how to add broadband labels to your marketing mix:
To mark the milestone, Pioneer gave a “I shared my story on ‘The StoryConnect Podcast’” metal pin to recent podcasts guests to keep the story going.
Ideas from Utility Pioneers — both fresh episodes and classics from the archives — were played more than 4,300 times in 2023, a 33% increase over 2022. Listeners have downloaded episodes more than 13,000 times since the podcast debuted in 2016.
When “The StoryConnect Podcast” top ten streamed episodes in 2023 were shared in December, listeners were quick to praise the show.
“This podcast provides such a wealth of information to communicators in our industry,” said Karrie Carnes, senior content strategist at Bonneville Power Administration (guest, Episode 242). “If you’re a communicator at an electric utility and you’re not familiar with ‘The StoryConnect Podcast,’ swipe on over to your podcast platform of choice and check it out! If you’re looking for tips, tricks and tools to enhance your utility communications, look no further.”
“[The podcast is] such a valuable resource to communicators across the utility world,” said Umatilla Electric Cooperative Manager of Public Relations Weston Putman (guest, Episode 293).
Each episode shares ideas from telco or electric utility communicators and industry leaders. Recent topics include:
- “Use Staff Leadership Programs to Grow Future Leaders,” with Chinelle Christensen
- “Recruitifications: Using Communications to Recruit Staff,” with Weston Putman
- “Transforming Communication Skills into Broadband Marketing Tactics,” with Bonnie Baty
- “How Can Culture Get Your Team Through the ‘Great Transition,’” with Ed Wolff
- “Making Your Marketing Campaigns Work,” with Lynn Hall
- “Building Your Story Into the Communities You Serve,” with James Ratterree
- “How Do You Know What People Think About You?” with Kelly Burns
- “Activating Your Members for Advocacy,” with Garrett Hylton
Meet The Podcast Team
“The StoryConnect Podcast” plays a critical role in Pioneer’s effort to turn pioneer.coop into a free, value-packed content resource for Utility Pioneers. The podcast won a gold NRECA Spotlight on Excellence Award for Most Innovative Use of Digital Engagement in 2024 and 2023, and first place in Cooperative Education from the Cooperative Communicators Association in 2023.
Since the podcast began in 2016, hosts Stephen and Andy Johns have interviewed industry thought leaders to spark ideas for Utility Pioneers. Brand Storyteller Megan McKoy-Noe joined the podcast as a host in 2022.
“The content of StoryConnect evolved,” said Stephen. “Since Andy permanently took the reins as host of the show in 2017 and brought the engaging and spirited Megan on board as co-host last year, the show features a broad range of voices sharing their experiences in serving their communities across America. It’s a rich listening experience and I couldn’t be more proud of the growth it’s seen.”
Behind the scenes, Associate Podcast Producer Sarah Wootten works with audio engineer Lucas Smith to edit the audio, write episode summaries and get the podcast published on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other audio outlets.
“The work Sarah and Lucas do for StoryConnect and the other podcasts we produce for utilities really makes the hosts sound good,” said Andy. “They clean up the audio and get it posted to all of the platforms so our guests’ stories can really shine. I really appreciate them and all of the folks who have come on as guests and I hope we’ve helped encourage other folks to keep telling their story.”
Video versions of some episodes were added to this mix this year, and Pioneer’s podcast production team wrote an in-depth guide, “How to Stream Stories with Podcasts,” on how to create, launch and promote audio storytelling, too.
Ready to tune in?
Search “StoryConnect” episodes by topic at pioneer.coop/podcasts, and follow the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in to your favorite podcasts.
Want to share your story on our podcast?
We’d love to hear from you! Send ideas to hello@pioneer.coop.
Want to create your OWN podcast? We can help there, too! Learn about our podcast production solutions, and schedule time to talk with us about how we can help you stream your story.
