Pulse Comms-Cast

Hosted by Pinstone, Catherine Linch

Business Marketing Entrepreneurship

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Oct 2026

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About the show

The Pulse Comms Cast will help you communicate effectively with farmers and rural audiences. It’s a Pinstone podcast exploring how people, brands and organisations can cut through, build trust and land messages, using the latest insight from Pinstone Pulse and our 21 years of PR agency experience. www.pinstone.co.uk

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42 recent

October 19, 202631 min

Built to last: how an iconic farming brand stays relevant

How does a brand with nearly 150 years of history stay relevant to modern farmers while protecting its reputation? In this episode of the Pulse CommsCast, Pinstone’s Catherine Linch speaks to Robert Gilchrist, CEO of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society, about the importance of heritage, trusted voices and evidence-led communication. Drawing on the Society's history, Robert explores how farmer-to-farmer influence has evolved from livestock shows in the 1800s to today's digital platforms and why recommendations from fellow farmers remain so powerful. Catherine and Robert also discuss findings from Pinstone's Pulse report, Sustainability: From Pressure to Partnership, including how language influences farmers' engagement with sustainability. Robert explains why communications need to focus on practical benefits, profitability and long-term business resilience rather than relying on broad terminology. He also shares how the Society is balancing the heritage message with one of innovation, with advancements in DNA testing, genomics and performance recording to support the breed's future. From protecting brand authenticity to understanding what consumers will want years ahead, Robert highlights why organisations need to build trust with farmers through credible evidence and real farmer experiences. This episode offers valuable insights into building trust, communicating effectively and maintaining a brand's relevance across generations.

October 5, 202630 min

What makes farmers tune in: trust, attention and the power of podcasting

What makes farmers tune in and what keeps them listening? In this episode of the Pulse CommsCast, Pinstone managing director Catherine Linch speaks to Ben Eagle, founder and director of RuralPod Media, about the power of podcasting to engage farming audiences. Ben shares lessons from a decade of producing rural podcasts, including Meet the Farmers and explains why the format works well in agriculture. Hearing from trusted farming peers sharing their experiences, Ben explained how the channel of podcasting offers more than knowledge, with connection and a valuable sense of community key to gaining audience loyalty. Drawing on findings from our Pinstone Pulse report, Catherine and Ben explore the importance of understanding different farming audiences, speaking their language and choosing trusted voices. They also discuss how to capture attention in the first 30 seconds, balance commercial objectives with genuine listener value and use performance data to strengthen future episodes. This episode offers practical insight into creating content people will trust, value and return to.

August 3, 2026Episode 128 min

From journalism to comms and communicating with farmers in a changing world

Hosted by Pinstone MD Catherine Linch, former Farmers Guardian editor and publisher Ben Briggs shares his journey from agricultural journalism to PR and comms, exploring how social media and AI have fundamentally changed the way we communicate with farmers and rural communities. Ben and Catherine also discuss the results of a recent Pulse report, which sheds light on how farmers think and feel, and who they trust to communicate on sustainability.

August 7, 2020Episode 834 min

Brand crisis comms and social strategies

The Agri Food Comms-Cast, coined the ‘AFCC’, delves into the ‘story behind the story’ of PR and marketing campaigns surrounding the UK food and farming industry. In episode eight, freelance writer and former managing editor at The Grocer, Julia Glotz provides insight into how the top consumer facing brands in the food sector handled their external communications in the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic. Then Karl Pendlebury, senior manager at the AHDB Beef and Lamb, describes how the strategy behind the #MakeItBeef and #MakeItLamb campaigns involving football stadiums, chefs and consumers came to fruition and how results from Twitter exceeded all expectations. And finally, NFU combinable crops board chair, Matt Culley, describes how with the help of UK farmers, this year’s video-based #YourHarvest social media campaign aims to show policy makers and consumers just what goes into producing our nation’s food after such a challenging year. The Bees' Knees Comms-Cast is brought to you by Pinstone, a B Corp award-winning PR and marketing agency specialising in food, farming and the environment. Speak to us if you want to engage your audience authentically on your sustainability story. www.pinstone.co.uk

May 29, 2020Episode 323 min

From crisis to creative solutions in retail, processing and in delivering National BBQ Week

The story behind the story A bite-size take and insight into the communications surrounding the biggest news stories in the agricultural and food sectors. From a crisis reaction, to the sparking of creative new marketing tactics; in this week’s episode, we hear from Sophie Throup, on how Morrisons has adapted its offer since the start of lockdown. We then go on to hear from Claire Donoghue, of food solutions provider OSI, who talks about how their beef processing operation took up the challenge of diverting supplies from food service to retail and how, despite the current pressure, they remain focused on the pre-Covid industry issue of climate change and how they won’t be ducking the issue, despite an apparent recent reprieve. Finally, with the UK celebrating National Barbecue Week, we caught up with the founder, Brian George, to find out how the campaign has been running in the face of current restrictions – and how you can get involved! The Bees' Knees Comms-Cast is brought to you by Pinstone, a B Corp award-winning PR and marketing agency specialising in food, farming and the environment. Speak to us if you want to engage your audience authentically on your sustainability story. www.pinstone.co.uk

May 27, 2022Episode 429 min

Top tips for podcasting

In this month’s episode of the Agri Food Comms-Cast , we’re delving into the audio channel of podcasting; two years on from launching the Agri-Food Comms Cast. Host Catherine Linch welcomes Johann Tasker , chief reporter at Farmers Weekly and co-host of the Farmers Weekly Podcast . Johann joins us to discuss how their podcast is structured and its range of focus, format, and frequency. Alongside them is marketing director at The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and sustainable marketer Gemma Butler who is also host of the ‘Can Marketing Save the Planet?’ podcast, who explains the role for podcasting within a wider content strategy. They also explore the techniques for captivating an audience and we even get an insight into some of their favourite podcasts. Definitely worth a listen for anyone considering producing their own podcast. The Bees' Knees Comms-Cast is brought to you by Pinstone, a B Corp award-winning PR and marketing agency specialising in food, farming and the environment. Speak to us if you want to engage your audience authentically on your sustainability story. www.pinstone.co.uk

June 26, 2020Episode 438 min

Food assurance and farming awards

The Agri Food Comms-Cast delves into the ‘story behind the story’ of the biggest news reports and campaigns in the agricultural and food sectors. In this episode, we explore what's behind the Red Tractor logo facelift, before moving on to hearing about the challenges and opportunities for the British Farming Awards as they embark on a digital format for the ceremony this year. We feature Red Tractor's head of communications, Rebecca Miller; John Kirkpatrick, Tesco's agriculture manager for poultry and eggs; and Ben Briggs, the editor of Farmers Guardian. The Bees' Knees Comms-Cast is brought to you by Pinstone, a B Corp award-winning PR and marketing agency specialising in food, farming and the environment. Speak to us if you want to engage your audience authentically on your sustainability story. www.pinstone.co.uk

May 28, 2021Episode 522 min

#FarmingCAN: Connecting the public to the facts about farming

Episode five of season two of the Agri Food Comms-Cast welcomes Farmers Guardian and Morrisons to delve into the new, consumer facing #FarmingCAN , a year-long marketing campaign. Creating conversations and strengthening the messages about what British farming can, and does, do for the public beyond producing food for the nation is the bold ambition. Farmers Guardian’s marketing manager, Hannah Carrick , and head of news and business, Olivia Midgley , join Catherine Linch to discuss how they are structuring the campaign and leveraging the public’s appetite for farm stories that was demonstrated by their annual 24-hour social media blitz #Farm24 . Seeking to reach out to farmers and policy makers, as well as the general public, each month is themed to promote what farming delivers to society, such as tackling climate change; the career opportunities; and the positive impact on our countryside. Celebrity endorsement is promising to dramatically extend the reach. The campaign is backed by some big names in the agri-food industry and countryside sector who are engaging their audiences and networks. This includes retailer Morrisons. To round up this month’s episode of the AFCC, Sophie Throup, head of agriculture at Morrisons, explains how they are getting involved and supporting the cementing relationships between consumers and farmers. The Bees' Knees Comms-Cast is brought to you by Pinstone, a B Corp award-winning PR and marketing agency specialising in food, farming and the environment. Speak to us if you want to engage your audience authentically on your sustainability story. www.pinstone.co.uk

September 30, 2021Episode 2417 min

A career in ag: a special edition podcast

A returning sense of normality has been highlighted with the kids heading back for a new school year. So, in keeping with the theme of new beginnings, this special episode of the Agri-Food Comms Cast explores the numerous routes to taking the leap into #AgCareers. A career in agriculture can entail much more than working on a farm, with the #FarmToFork initiative demonstrating just that. There is a vast range of careers throughout the food supply chain with numerous industries supporting the farming sector such as science, finance, policy and, of course, communications! Christine Tacon CBE , chair of Red Tractor and the MDS scheme , joins our host Catherine Linch to discuss the wealth of opportunities available to those who want to climb the ag career ladder. These include the well-known MDS graduate scheme. This dedicated two-year programme delivers first-hand experience through diverse work placements to give candidates broader experience and insight into what the sector can offer. Christine highlights the challenges that agricultural employers are up against when promoting their vacancies to fresh-faced graduates. Many are oblivious to the diversity and dynamism of roles within the agricultural sector. She says big-name brands often take the lead when it comes to graduate employment, due to students’ lack of knowledge about the scope of the sector. A shining example of how graduates can get ahead in ag, is our second podcast guest. Pinstone account manager and face of NFU campaigns – Ali Parker . Ali gives us an insight into her personal career journey from graduating from The University of Reading , to how the NFU graduate scheme paved the way for her career in comms at Pinstone . Ali is part-way through the Tesco Future Farmer Foundation programme and explains to us how these initiatives have advanced her knowledge of the sector, and encourages others to explore the various routes available. At Pinstone, we’re passionate about career progression and providing opportunities to climb the career ladder is something that really resonates with us. If you haven’t already, check out our Pinstone Ladder blog series where you can read more about Ali’s journey with Pinstone and the Tesco Future Farmer Foundation scheme. The Bees' Knees Comms-Cast is brought to you by Pinstone, a B Corp award-winning PR and marketing agency specialising in food, farming and the environment. Speak to us if you want to engage your audience authentically on your sustainability story. www.pinstone.co.uk

June 19, 2025Episode 1025 min

Soil, science and the art of storytelling

In this episode we speak to Professor Lorna Dawson CBE, head of the Centre for Forensic Soil Science at the James Hutton Institute and discuss forensic applications of soil, food provenance, rural crime, science communication, regenerative farming, soil health, and public engagement and why storytelling is key to making science relatable. In this instance, this is to ensure the role and importance of soil gets the attention it deserves in our food systems, legal structures, and public policy. The Bees' Knees Comms-Cast is brought to you by Pinstone, a B Corp award-winning PR and marketing agency specialising in food, farming and the environment. Speak to us if you want to engage your audience authentically on your sustainability story. www.pinstone.co.uk