The University Comms Podcast
The University Comms Podcast
Podcast Description
A podcast about the stories, strategy and occasional chaos behind how universities communicate.
The University Comms Podcast takes you inside the real work of higher education communications – from student campaigns and staff engagement to media relations, internal messaging, and crisis response.
Hosted by UK higher ed comms nerd Gareth Hughes, each episode features comms teams who are doing the job - talking honestly about what worked, what didn’t, and what we’re all still figuring out.
For higher education communications professionals, marketers, media teams and anyone trying to keep up.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers themes like media relations, student engagement, internal messaging, and crisis management. For example, an episode titled 'Positive Masculinity - How Do Universities Talk About It?' explores a campaign at UWE Bristol, emphasizing the complexities of masculinity, student involvement, and the creative processes of communication.
A podcast about the stories, strategy and occasional chaos behind how universities communicate.
The University Comms Podcast takes you inside the real work of higher education communications – from student campaigns and staff engagement to media relations, internal messaging, and crisis response.
Hosted by UK higher ed comms nerd Gareth Hughes, each episode features comms teams who are doing the job – talking honestly about what worked, what didn’t, and what we’re all still figuring out.
For higher education communications professionals, marketers, media teams and anyone trying to keep up.
In this episode, I’m joined by Emma Kelly, Communications and Marketing Officer in The University of Manchester's accommodation, to talk about she used Discord to rethink student induction.
Faced with low engagement on Facebook, rising comms fatigue, and inboxes receiving more than 400 emails a day, they trialled a new approach built around real-time, two-way communication.
We explore how the server was set up, how students actually used it, and what happened when thousands joined and started asking questions, sharing information, and supporting each other.
Emma also reflects on what worked, what didn’t, and what they’re changing for the next intake.
We cover:
- Why previous induction comms weren’t working
- Moving from one-way channels to two-way conversation
- Launching and managing a Discord server at scale
- The impact on student experience and staff workload
- Challenges around moderation, volume, and out-of-hours demand
- What’s next for 2026
Disclaimer
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