Hope & Anchor;
The Methodist Church

Co-hosted by Trey Hall & Jaz Ampaw-farr
HAVE A LISTEN

Using the power of video podcasting to grow the Hope & Anchor community

The Methodist Church's mission was to build a community where people felt truly included. The earlier series of the Hope & Anchor podcast were filled with an unapologetic honesty, openness, and vibrancy. What made the it unique was that it championed humour and spirituality. The podcast content and conversations existed to challenge existing perceptions of The Methodist Church.
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When the team approached us, they had a singular hope - to share this content with a wider audience.

We partnered up with their existing audio team to work out how, together, we could elevate this to new heights. The plan ultimately was to drive real change and make people feel heard. In order to do that, we had to get in front of more people and grow their listener base. We believed the best way to do this was by growing their online presence. Our strategy involved growing the podcast by posting and promoting engaging short-form video snippets across social media.

Our efforts resulted in a dramatic increase in listener downloads from series 2 to series 3. The social media content also grew 329,000 new engagements with the Hope & Anchor community across all social media content/platforms in series 3. In essence, our journey was all about expanding horizons, embracing diversity, and giving a voice to those who had stories to share. We aimed to create a podcast where boundaries were shattered, and everyone had a place at the table, and through these strategies, we've brought our vision to life.
@hopeandanchorcrew The Hope & Anchor Podcast is back! 🕊️ ⚓ 🎙️ ⠀ ⠀ Another season will be hitting the audio waves very soon, and we're delighted to announce that Trey will be joined by new co-host - @Jaz Ampaw-Farr ⠀ Make sure you follow on your favourite podcasting platform to be the first to know when new episodes drop ⬇️⠀ ⠀ #hopeandanchorpodcast #podcast #faithpodcast #hopeandanchorcrew #podtok #faith #christianity #spirituality #inclusion #treyhall #jazampawfarr #themethodistchurch #community #connection #realconversations #honesty #methodist #methodist_church #realstories #storytelling #religion ♬ original sound - HopeandAnchorCrew
@hopeandanchorcrew If you haven’t yet discovered our podcast Hope & Anchor, now is the time to catch up as the next season is on its way, with hosts Trey Hall and Jaz Ampaw-Farr. Listen to the last series via your fav podcast platform! 🎙#hopeandanchorcrew #hopeandanchorpodcast #podtok #podcast #faithpodcast #christianpodcast #spiritualitytiktok #spiritualitypodcast #faith #beliefs #christian #christiantiktok #christiantiktokcomunity #methodist #methodistchurch ♬ original sound - HopeandAnchorCrew
Our Services Include
✅ Podcast Review
✅ Strategy & Launch
✅ Introducing Video
✅ Rebranded All Podcast Artwork
✅ Focused on short-form video content
✅ Started TikTok & Instagram
✅ Implemented a social media promotional plan
✅ Ran TikTok & Instagram Accounts
Strategy and Launch
Our strategy and launch phase involved a comprehensive podcast review, audience research, competitor analysis, a complete repositioning of the podcast and a strong social media strategy.

We facilitated an in-depth 10 person strategy session including the Methodist Church team and contracted audio team. This was a great way to collaborate and join forces.

The new podcast tagline became “Expect the unexpected; This is the podcast where nothing is off limits, and where everyone is included.” We felt this summarised the intention and the vibe perfectly. Another core element to the strategy was attracting the right guests. We knew that big celebrity guests would help to elevate the Hope & Anchor social media presence. Being well known was not enough on its own. The guests needed to be diverse, confident to talk openly about life. Spirituality and everything else in between. This resulted in some truly authentic conversations from a wide range of people including addiction, cancer, trauma, drag queen etc.
Introduced Video
We really understood the power of visuals in today's social age. The style of conversations that the guests and hosts were having were often extremely funny or deeply personal. Video was imperative in helping capture this emotion.

The best snippets of conversation were carefully selected to provide listeners with enough information to make them want to listen to the full episode. By integrating video content, we made the podcast conversations even more captivating, accessible, and shareable.
A Complete Rebrand
We underwent a complete rebranding to align our image with our evolving content. Each new episode would had a vibrant graphic in one of the Hope & Anchor colour palettes as a way of keeping the grid and social media content dynamic and different each time. Reel covers were designed to include an image of the guest and a quote from the clip as another way of capturing attention.
Engaging Social Media Content
We produced engaging social media video clips and audiograms to give audiences an honest glimpse into the episode. We spend time selecting the best clips, the snippets of conversation with the greatest value. The content is carefully selected to align with the podcasts ethos and value to their audience. Furthermore, each clip is tailor made to the platform. Including copy and covers.
The Results
By combining these strategies and actions, we were able to add over 329,000 new engagements with the Hope & Anchor community across all social media platforms. Our dedication to enhancing the podcast experience and connecting with our audience on multiple fronts was pivotal in achieving this remarkable result. We look forward to continuing this journey of growth and engagement for their upcoming series!
TESTIMONIAL

“Podcast Labs brought in great skills and expertise to enable us to relaunch Hope & Anchor in a fresh and exciting way. We’ve seen continued growth across the online community and have really enjoyed working with the team.”

Ben Hollebon | Director of Digital Engagement - The Methodist Church
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