In the latest episode of the Pulse CommsCast, Pinstone managing director Catherine Linch speaks to Ben Eagle, founder and director of RuralPod Media, about why podcasts work for farming audiences and what organisations should consider before launching one. 

Pinstone Pulse Comms Cast

Ben has been podcasting for a decade. His first show, Meet the Farmers, was created to give farmers the space to tell their stories in their own voices.  

RuralPod Media now supports about a dozen brands, from podcast concept development and production to post-production and consultancy. 

Why podcasts work for farming audiences 

Ben says the practical appeal is clear, Farmers can listen while working, whether they are in a tractor cab or working around the farm. 

However, Ben says the value goes deeper.  

Farming has a strong sense of community, which podcasts can reinforce by building connections between hosts, guests and listeners. 

“It tackles that sense of isolation, but it’s also that sense of community that people are naturally drawn to – it makes you feel part of something,” says Ben. 

Podcasts can also serve highly specific interests, a broad label such as ‘farmers’ covers people working across different sectors, systems and business types, each with distinct interests and content needs. 

This makes understanding the audience essential.  

A tightly focused podcast may attract fewer people than a mainstream show, however, those listeners can be more relevant and engaged. 

Trust takes time 

Pinstone’s new podcast series was inspired by our latest insight project based on a survey of over 300 farmers, exploring how best to land a message with a farming audience and interrogating the most trustworthy voices.  

Ben says the Pinstone Pulse report provides communicators with an opportunity to step back and test what they think they know about their farming audiences against what farmers are saying. 

“As communicators, we are engaging with our audiences all the time, we talk with people, but actually to take a real step back and to quantify what we feel we know… and actually ask those questions and go out to the sample of farmers that you have is really, really useful,” says Ben. 

He points to peer-to-peer learning, the use of language and understanding farmers’ priorities as some of the report findings that particularly resonate from a podcasting perspective. 

The Pinstone Pulse report found that 45% of farmers view other farmers in their network as trusted voices on sustainability, followed by advisers at 43%. 
For Ben, this finding reinforces the importance of choosing voices that feel close and credible to the farming audience.  

“The closer a farmer is to that person, the more they trust them,” he says. 
Ben says this has a clear implication for podcast planning: choose hosts and guests who genuinely resonate with the intended audience, then give the relationship time to develop. 

“Podcasting is about the long term,” he adds. 

For brands, this means looking beyond a one-off launch. Consistency, credible voices and useful content help to build familiarity and trust over time. 

How to keep listeners engaged  

Ben says long-form content still needs an immediate reason to keep listening. 

“Engaging your listener or viewer in that first 30 seconds is absolutely vital,” says Ben. 

A clear hook should be supported by a strong story, chemistry between the host and guests, and a subject that is timely and relevant. 

Performance data can then show which topics and guests resonate, where listeners stop listening and what should be repeated or changed. 

Commercial objectives also need to be balanced with audience value. Rather than forcing corporate messages into a conversation, Ben advises brands to consider what useful expertise, insight or evidence they can contribute. 

Looking ahead, he expects video, artificial intelligence and live events to become increasingly connected with podcasting. 

“I think ultimately that your podcast needs to resonate by being relevant to your listeners and be sensitive to topics which farmers may find difficult,” he adds. 

“This way, farmers will develop trust with you and expect timely and topical conversations which grabs their attention.” 

Listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you find your podcast and subscribe for future episodes.

Sustainability: From Pressure to Partnership. 

< Back to news and blogs