little listens, big ideas
Bite-sized Berliners, fresh food for thought for your coffee break
Project Overview
Brand: Berlin School of Creative Leadership
Objective: A new scalable podcast mini-series
My Role: Creative Strategist, Director and Project Manager
The Challenge
We didn’t have the in-house resources to consistently produce long-form “Meet the Experts” podcast episodes, which took weeks from concept to promotion. When the pandemic hit, we also had to pause selling our Executive MBA program and rethink how to engage our global community. Instead of going quiet, we needed a fresh and agile way to keep our audience connected, spotlight their stories and maintain brand visibility during uncertain times.
The Creative Strategy
We needed a low-lift, high-impact way to keep our community engaged—without the heavy production demands of our long-form podcast. Enter Bite-sized Berliners, a fun, snappy spin-off I conceived and creatively directed.
The concept? Fresh, under-10-minute soundbites of insight, perfect for a coffee break. We invited students and alumni—our Berliners (yes, like the jelly donut!)—to share their juicy takes on creative leadership in a changing world. It was a win-win: they got a platform to showcase their ideas and initiatives, and we kept the Berlin School top-of-mind.
Beyond engagement, this was a stealthy marketing move. The Berlin School’s global community is stacked with industry powerhouses, and by spotlighting them, we organically attracted more creative leaders eager to join their ranks.
Execution
We put out a call to our community, inviting self-made podcasters to take the mic and share their stories on our platform. The response? Instant enthusiasm. Berliners jumped at the chance to amplify their voices, turning Bite-sized Berliners into a buzzing hub of insights and ideas.
To keep production smooth (and brand cohesion tight), I armed our podcasters with easy-to-follow recording guidelines—pro tip: no screaming kids, and yes, recording under a duvet works wonders. I also provided a script template for intros and outros, ensuring every episode felt polished and on-brand.
Once recorded, we rolled out each episode across social channels and bundled the best bites into our bi-monthly newsletter, keeping engagement high and the conversation flowing.
Results & Impact
The launch of Bite-sized Berliners sparked exactly what we aimed for—more engagement, more conversations and more visibility for the Berlin School.
Community interaction doubled as listeners tuned in to hear (and share) fresh perspectives from their peers. The series kept the Berlin School top-of-mind during a time when investing €53K in an Executive MBA—one that required global travel—was a tough sell. By spotlighting the creative leaders within our network, we not only drove buzz but also nurtured leads, proving that connection and credibility were just as powerful as traditional marketing.
Reflections & Takeaways
Bite-sized Berliners was proof that sometimes, less is more. By simplifying the production process and giving our community the mic, we created something that was not only scalable but also deeply engaging. The biggest lesson? Authenticity wins. People connected with real voices, real stories—no overproduction needed. Just a fun, donut-shop-inspired sonic jingle to set the mood, and we were good to go!
If I did it again, I’d explore ways to make it even more interactive—maybe live Q&As or listener-submitted topics to deepen engagement. An unexpected win? The sheer enthusiasm from our Berliners. What started as a content experiment quickly became a powerful tool for networking, visibility and brand love. Sometimes, the best ideas are the bite-sized ones.