Highlights from The Sexted Factor: Building A Hit Multichannel Podcast at SXSW London

At SXSW London, Acast's Lizzy Pollott sat down with podcasters Jordan North and William Hanson, hosts of the hugely successful "Help I Sexted My Boss," to dive into the journey of their hit show. The duo, known for their contrasting personalities and infectious chemistry, shared insights into their humble beginnings, growth, and future aspirations.

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From Accidental Pairing to Podcasting Powerhouse

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Jordan and William's partnership began purely by chance during Jordan's work experience at the BBC. William, an etiquette expert, was a guest on a show, and Jordan was his "tea boy." Their initial encounter quickly turned into a friendship.

"I'd never met anyone like Jordan," William shared. "He just... made me laugh. You even admitted, latterly, that you thought I was then going home to my librarian wife."

The podcast, which launched in 2018, was an idea from their friend Stuart Morgan at Audio Always. Starting with mock dilemmas and a small audience of friends and family, the show quickly gained traction due to its unique premise: offering advice on "modern day problems and dilemmas," from etiquette to more unusual scenarios. William noted that "truth is often a lot better than fiction," highlighting the genuine nature of their listener-submitted questions. Jordan admitted, "we didn't think we'd do seven episodes, let alone seven years."

The podcast now boasts over 80 million listens and has expanded significantly from its initial modest setup in a Manchester studio to now encompassing a full production team and recording in professional studios.

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Nurturing Community and Embracing Video

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A key to their success is the strong sense of community they've fostered with their listeners. They actively encourage interaction through emails and even handwritten letters, which William diligently replies to.

William confessed, "Now, this is the bane of my life. So we said this in series one to encourage people, because I'm a big advocate of a handwritten note. So we said, look, if you write in, as long as you put your return address, I will write back to you. Just say thank you very much." 

He still does it, even as the volume of letters has soared, taking him months to get through.

This dedication to their audience ensures that the show remains listener-focused, a principle carried over from Jordan’s radio background.

Jordan explained, "We're all from a radio background, so we always had the listeners in mind, because when you are on the radio, that's the number one thing that you've got to put first - the listeners."

The panel also discussed the increasing role of video in podcasting. "Help I Sexted My Boss" initially ventured into video during the pandemic, filming on Zoom, and later expanded to full video episodes on YouTube in 2022. While they still believe in being "podcast first," the shift to video has been impactful.

William stated, "We came to video... as a way to grow the show’s discoverability. I still strongly believe in it as a podcast first, and then we do all the video stuff."

Jordan added, "It's created a different audience and increased our listens. So people see it on TikTok and 'oh, give a listen to that'...it's really helped grow our audience."

This strategy has introduced the podcast to a younger demographic who might not typically listen to podcasts, often leading them to become full-episode viewers or listeners.

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Brand Partnerships and Live Show Spectacles

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The podcast has also found success in working with brands that align with their authentic and often humorous style. Notable collaborations include taking 25 listeners to Benidorm with Amazon Music and a memorable partnership with Greggs, where William donned the shop uniform and learned to make pastries.

William shared, "I can do all the different crisscross shapes now at Greggs. I can can spot a vegan sausage roll at 20 paces now, because I was trained and it was great."

They are selective about their brand collaborations, prioritizing those that allow them to be creative and resonate with their audience, acknowledging that listeners are quick to provide feedback if a partnership feels inauthentic.

Jordan emphasized, "We get a lot of brands that come to us, and we want to work with them...if our listeners are going to love it and it's going to create content that we can be creative with, then we always usually nine times out of ten, go for it."

William highlighted the need for authenticity: "We don't want the listeners to think, ‘oh, do William and Jordan really care about HSBC's new stocks and shares ISA…?’ there does need to be authenticity."

Beyond audio and video, "Help I Sexted My Boss" has ventured into live shows, evolving from small comedy club gigs to selling out prestigious venues like The London Palladium. They adapt the podcast format into a full theatrical experience.

Jordan explained, "We've actually put a show on and we have dance routines, and songs that we compose!”

A significant milestone was becoming the first British podcast to live stream a show into cinemas, selling 22,000 tickets across 400+ cinemas in Britain and Europe.

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The Road Ahead

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Looking to the future, Jordan and William have plans for another tour, with the potential to take the show internationally.

Despite their individual busy schedules, they continue to adapt and expand, always keeping the listener experience at the forefront. Their journey is a testament to the power of authentic chemistry and a dedicated approach to engaging their audience in the ever-evolving world of podcasting.

As Jordan aptly put it, for aspiring podcasters, the key is: "The original and best thing for a podcast is if it's natural chemistry that having two friends, people are listening to it. So just go out and do it."