Aston business podcast achieves top UK ranking
A Birmingham media company has helped Aston Business School succeed with its monthly podcast series, resulting in a top national ranking.
The 'Aston means business ' podcast was launched in 2019 by Dyson Media, a company run by Midland journalist Steve Dyson (pictured), who has since researched, presented and delivered 45 episodes.
The series has now been ranked at number three in a list of the best UK business school podcasts by podcast blog FeedSpot.com, which analyses the traffic, social media followers, domain authority and “freshness ” of thousands of podcasts.
Dyson explained that 'Aston means business ' allows “unfettered access ” to top academics at Aston Business School, enabling the podcast to focus on any topical subject with authority and expertise.
He said: “Some of my favourite episodes came during Covid-19, when we focused on heroes such as community supermarkets continuing to serve inner city areas and a festival business which flipped operations to help set up mobile NHS vaccination centres.
“The regular series is also fascinating, with recent episodes ranging from 'How rejection should be treated as a stepping stone to success ' to 'How small businesses are helping to solve the energy crisis '. ”
Paul Hebron, head of marketing at Aston Business School, said: “The detailed structure, planning, precision and journalistic input from Dyson Media has helped every step of the series ' development.
“From an initial workshop Steve held to set up the blog in mid-2019, through to what 's now 45 episodes across five series and counting, the support has been both unstinting and of a consistent quality. ”
Dyson 's original background was newspaper journalism, and his last role in that sector was editor of the Birmingham Mail before he set up Dyson Media in 2009.
The company has since delivered hundreds of face-to-face media training courses for businesses, charities and universities, with clients as far away as London, Glasgow, Cardiff, Brussels and Zurich.
Dyson Media also diversified into broadcasting, with Dyson himself regularly hosting BBC chat shows and HARDtalk interviews before focusing on podcasts.
He added: “As a former industrial correspondent on the Birmingham Mail, I 've always loved reporting the human side of business, so I really enjoy this podcast outlet with Aston Business School. ”
Dyson also runs the 'Society matters ' podcast for Aston University 's School of Social Sciences and Humanities, and has delivered several one-off series for the university on subjects as varied as the Euro 2020 tournament and challenges faced by urban youths. Dyson Media is also producing a podcast series aimed at simplifying family law for Thursfields Solicitors.
As well as podcasts and training , Dyson Media has ongoing retainers to deliver business journalism for ASAP PR and media operations for Westside Business Improvement District, plus it handles crisis media for various other clients.