The Telegraph's head of social, Beth Ashton, on news in a multi-platform age

Hi everyone!

T-3 days until live recording!!

I regret to inform you that there are now Freelance Pod stickers:

Suchandrika @SuchandrikaC

I mean, who wouldn't want to win one of these stickers?!

September 2nd 2019

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My apologies. Still, better than the mask, right?

So onto this week’s podcast episode then!

I spoke to Beth Ashton, head of social media at The Telegraph, former head of audience at the Manchester Evening News and visiting lecturer at City University.

Listen now!

Beth and I both used to work at Trinity Mirror / Reach Plc. While at the MEN, Beth was part of the award-winning team who covered the Manchester Arena attack in 2017.

I popped over to The Telegraph’s lovely office in Victoria to catch up with Beth on her career, the lessons she learned at the MEN, and how social works with The Telegraph’s metered paywall and Premium content.

It’s a great episode with loads of insight into how a legacy media brand is using social to bring in a new, younger demographic. They’ve done well on Snapchat and WhatsApp.

Beth spoke to Digiday the day after the pod came out, and it’s a useful piece for more context.

freelancepod

Here she is, @BethAsht0n, head of social at @Telegraph, on the #podcast!
We talk about her time @manchestereveningnews, #paywalls and the pitfalls of dealing with the ever-changing algorithms of social media.
Available on all pod platforms and apps! If you enjoy this episode, please do rate, review and subscribe on @applepodcasts, tell a friend or ten, release a dove into the sky with the pod logo, whisper the URL to a pigeon, you know, all the usual ways to share. Ta!
I'll be writing a bit more about this episode in the next edition of my #newsletter, which you can sign up for over at suchandrika.substack.com.

September 3, 2019

Listen now!

What I’m up to

• Well, you know about this one

• Pleased to get a mention in this London Podcast Festival round-up (number 16)

• I’m giving a workshop at this November’s Newsrewired conference

• Here’s some background on the ‘Grow your audience by hosting a live podcast recording’ workshop

• Why put learners in charge of their training? - for The Times yesterday / Raconteur

  

Photo [That Will Come To Define This Era Of British Politics] Of The Week

I’m watching

Me, last week:

That didn’t last.

So nice to be back with the gang!!

I’m watching the news again, and Succession the rest of the time, and I’m intending to get into Stath Lets Flats when I have 22 minutes spare.

I’m listening to

• I’m now subscribed to two (2) Succession podcasts: RoyCast and The Sweet Smell of Succession

• Last night’s Brexitcast arrived just in time for those of us who couldn’t get to sleep after all that politics

• This episode of The Media Insider with Helen Croydon, in which Ella Dove, commissioning editor of Red, Good Housekeeping and Prima gives out loads of useful advice for pitching her

• Can’t wait to start this: “The year is 2218. Ageing has been cured. Society is not what it used to be. Money as we know it, no longer exists. Lesedi Ndaba is about to become the first person to celebrate their 200th birthday.”

I’m reading

• The Best Value Restaurants in Central London - I dream of going to every single one of these

• How Kieran Culkin Survived Childhood and Made Peace with the Family Profession - this has resurfaced thanks to Succession’s, er, success. Warning: extremely strong 90s nostalgia energy

• What’s the Deal With AOC’s Retro-Style GND Posters? - I love this aesthetic

  

• The Syndrome That Made Me Question My Femininity - it’s rare to see such a thoughtful, personal take on Polycycstic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

• The Five Millennials (Actually) Changing the World - this is an extremely funny but also deeply, deeply concerning look at the biggest [male] names of my generation [so far], plus, what an image!

  

That’s all for this week - I’ll report back on the live show next time - wish me luck! x