Podcasts have become part of my life. Who knew what you could learn while stuck on the A38 between Branston and Burton?
I’ve learnt how to be Happier thanks to Gretchen and Elizabeth, I know all about the world of flying by listening to Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase and if Adnan Syed doesn’t get released after the massive hits of Serial and Undisclosed there is truly no justice in the world.
This morning I tuned in to the third episode of The Robert Peston Interview Show (with Eddie Mair). For those not familiar with this new podcast, Robert and Eddie choose a new person to interview for 30 minutes each week. The sting of the podcast is that they spring surprise guests on each other every week. This week it was Eddie’s turn to choose a surprise guest for Robert. He chose Denis Norden CBE.
If you’re too young to know who Denis is, he’s a TV presenter and comedy writer famous for things like It’ll be Alright on the Night which ran for 29 years. The show got over 20 million viewers every week. Last week, the top show on BBC was Eastenders with 7 million viewers.
Now 93, Denis has macular degeneration and relies greatly on the radio for entertainment. He still however works on new material in his head.
Denis has enjoyed a brilliant career thanks to the power of the written word. Words are king. They can make you laugh, they can make you cry. They can cause every single emotion known to man. Words are what all great PR people build their careers on.
In an era when new technology such as video, podcasts and social media are in everyday use for clients, it’s often forgotten that at the heart of all these are words. Words written by PR people to create content, whether it’s a script for a video or a 140 word post for Twitter.
My advice to students at universities across the UK who want a career that lasts well into your 90s, just like Denis’s, is to work hard on the words. They are your craft and your golden ticket.