Ben Thomson and James Allworth host this weekly session discussing the latest news from the tech industry, from what I’d call the “MBA” perspective.
That means considering areas like bundling and unbundling to create value, digging into the real incentives behind decisions made and just generally taking the analysis one step deeper than most other sources I find.
John Gruber continues his deep look at Apple from Daring Fireball — I think he describes this podcast as a kind of Director’s Commentary to the posts there.
What’s great about Gruber is I can’t think of many other writers who so fully get under the skin and mentality of a business. That can extend a little too far, to the point where he really can’t quite conceive why a company like Google takes a different direction — but that’s fine, because he doesn’t claim to be a journalist, he’s just a guy sharing how he sees the world.
Also a good pick because the podcast has timestamps throughout, letting you jump to the sections you are most interested in.
Each series has explored slightly different aspects of starting a business. Series 1 was the story of the company that publishes the podcast, it’s attempts to get funding and its eventual success. Series 2 mapped another business in a similar way. Since then, they seem to have moved into shorter series focusing on a wider variety of entrepreneurs.
Recommended for its easy listening tone and its acceptance that the startup world is not at all glamorous.
Interviews with thinkers, generally toward media and politics. Ezra seems as interested in process and productivity as we are — and interviews with the writer of Deep Work have provided recent inspiration for improving our workflow.
If you truly care about how editorial is created and where great writing comes from, this is a masterpiece. It speaks with some of the most influential and prolific writers of modern times, about the challenges of what they do, how they consider and piece together narrative.
Account Executives cranking out press releases, it is not.
A Radio 4 classic, but if you’re not familiar, a kind of magazine show that focuses on a particular topic each week with experts from the area. This is the kind of source that gets us thinking about tribes of “I vs We” in PR.
Politics is only ever a small hop from the PR world, and Private Eye continues to balance fearless scrutiny with casual humour as it considers the area. I find it a good reminder that the truth is not as far beneath the surface in society as it can sometimes feel.
I’m desperately trying to get outside my bubble and hear views that conflict with my own. I tried some Breitbart podcasts, but couldn’t bear it after a certain point — by contrast, I feel the Telegraph is just pro-Brexit enough to give me a taste of the other perspective without driving me mad.
It’s a useful reminder of the importance of seeing both sides.
“Augur exists to focus on strategic plans and implementation – above all else.
Everything we do is designed, and redesigned toward that priority. For us, it’s a more important core competency than any specific hands on skill or specialism, and that means there are many types of work and projects we choose not to do.
That means, despite the fact I’ve written for all sorts of publications and our team includes members trained by the BBC, we choose not to sell our time writing. Instead, we use that experience to be a great editor, and consider how an editor would generate great material.
That’s the thinking behind Augur Edits – instead of developing ideas that imitate journalists, we brief them and invite ideas they would normally pitch to top tier editors.
Similarly, we don’t believe the future of this industry is in high-pressure ‘sell-ins’ where you claim your value is being able to smash your way into the news agenda and justify every call and ‘did you get my press release?’ Instead, Augur Unbound is a programme by which we will pitch good stories to influencers, for free, from anyone who really needs it.”
https://www.augur.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/au_black-300x73.png00Max Tatton-Brownhttps://www.augur.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/au_black-300x73.pngMax Tatton-Brown2017-05-20 13:06:522017-10-25 12:42:48There’s no need to define PR — we must do different things.
With Augur Unbound, we pitch great stories, for companies that need it, at no cost.
The range of new, smart banks are great. Companies like Monzo are turning bank accounts into software. And, if you want to know you’re spending too much on sandwiches, that’s all well and good.
But if you apply the same kind of insight and mechanisms to a virtual payment card for business, you hit something much more interesting.
That’s Pleo.
You create an incredibly easy way for employees to manage expenses. Location, who you’re meeting, receipts can all be managed through notifications and smartphone sensors.
It’s the kind of thing that deserves more attention, right.
That’s what Augur Unbound is for. So we helped the burgeoning Danish fintech star introduce itself to the UK market with a few choice introductions.
They made a splash, they won Pioneers, they’re now hard at work on the next challenge.
https://i0.wp.com/augur.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/C8E-EygW0AAALjh.jpg?fit=420%2C420&ssl=1420420Max Tatton-Brownhttps://www.augur.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/au_black-300x73.pngMax Tatton-Brown2017-03-30 09:00:432024-02-05 10:17:28Augur talks to Notion Capital about SaaS PR
Augur: Desert Island Podcasts
AugurI feel like podcasts can be one of the most convenient ways to stay up to date on what smart people are talking about today.
As a result, a lot of our thinking is informed by this channel, playing to our interest in areas like writing, strategy and modern workflow.
It seemed about time we assembled some of these recommendations for anyone else looking to expand their selection.
Exponent
Ben Thomson and James Allworth host this weekly session discussing the latest news from the tech industry, from what I’d call the “MBA” perspective.
That means considering areas like bundling and unbundling to create value, digging into the real incentives behind decisions made and just generally taking the analysis one step deeper than most other sources I find.
The Talk Show
John Gruber continues his deep look at Apple from Daring Fireball — I think he describes this podcast as a kind of Director’s Commentary to the posts there.
What’s great about Gruber is I can’t think of many other writers who so fully get under the skin and mentality of a business. That can extend a little too far, to the point where he really can’t quite conceive why a company like Google takes a different direction — but that’s fine, because he doesn’t claim to be a journalist, he’s just a guy sharing how he sees the world.
Also a good pick because the podcast has timestamps throughout, letting you jump to the sections you are most interested in.
Startup
Each series has explored slightly different aspects of starting a business. Series 1 was the story of the company that publishes the podcast, it’s attempts to get funding and its eventual success. Series 2 mapped another business in a similar way. Since then, they seem to have moved into shorter series focusing on a wider variety of entrepreneurs.
Recommended for its easy listening tone and its acceptance that the startup world is not at all glamorous.
How I Built This
Like startup but each episode interviews a different founder, and across a broader range of industry.
The Ezra Klein Show
Interviews with thinkers, generally toward media and politics. Ezra seems as interested in process and productivity as we are — and interviews with the writer of Deep Work have provided recent inspiration for improving our workflow.
Longform
If you truly care about how editorial is created and where great writing comes from, this is a masterpiece. It speaks with some of the most influential and prolific writers of modern times, about the challenges of what they do, how they consider and piece together narrative.
Account Executives cranking out press releases, it is not.
Start the Week
A Radio 4 classic, but if you’re not familiar, a kind of magazine show that focuses on a particular topic each week with experts from the area. This is the kind of source that gets us thinking about tribes of “I vs We” in PR.
Page 94: Private Eye
Politics is only ever a small hop from the PR world, and Private Eye continues to balance fearless scrutiny with casual humour as it considers the area. I find it a good reminder that the truth is not as far beneath the surface in society as it can sometimes feel.
Chopper’s Brexit Podcast
I’m desperately trying to get outside my bubble and hear views that conflict with my own. I tried some Breitbart podcasts, but couldn’t bear it after a certain point — by contrast, I feel the Telegraph is just pro-Brexit enough to give me a taste of the other perspective without driving me mad.
It’s a useful reminder of the importance of seeing both sides.
BONUS App recommendation: Overcast.fm
This is my preferred podcast app, created by Marco Arment of Tumblr/ Instapaper fame.
Its SmartSpeed function accelerates a podcast by removing the silence between words, meaning you don’t end up with everyone sounding like chipmunks.
Apparently it has saved me 148 hours, so just excuse me while I decide what to do with all that spare time.
Image credit Gizmodo
There’s no need to define PR — we must do different things.
AugurFrom Max’s recent piece for Influence, the official publication of the CIPR:
“Augur exists to focus on strategic plans and implementation – above all else.
Everything we do is designed, and redesigned toward that priority. For us, it’s a more important core competency than any specific hands on skill or specialism, and that means there are many types of work and projects we choose not to do.
That means, despite the fact I’ve written for all sorts of publications and our team includes members trained by the BBC, we choose not to sell our time writing. Instead, we use that experience to be a great editor, and consider how an editor would generate great material.
That’s the thinking behind Augur Edits – instead of developing ideas that imitate journalists, we brief them and invite ideas they would normally pitch to top tier editors.
Similarly, we don’t believe the future of this industry is in high-pressure ‘sell-ins’ where you claim your value is being able to smash your way into the news agenda and justify every call and ‘did you get my press release?’ Instead, Augur Unbound is a programme by which we will pitch good stories to influencers, for free, from anyone who really needs it.”
Augur Unbound: Fintech PR for Pleo’s UK launch
Augur, NewsWith Augur Unbound, we pitch great stories, for companies that need it, at no cost.
The range of new, smart banks are great. Companies like Monzo are turning bank accounts into software. And, if you want to know you’re spending too much on sandwiches, that’s all well and good.
But if you apply the same kind of insight and mechanisms to a virtual payment card for business, you hit something much more interesting.
That’s Pleo.
You create an incredibly easy way for employees to manage expenses. Location, who you’re meeting, receipts can all be managed through notifications and smartphone sensors.
It’s the kind of thing that deserves more attention, right.
That’s what Augur Unbound is for. So we helped the burgeoning Danish fintech star introduce itself to the UK market with a few choice introductions.
They made a splash, they won Pioneers, they’re now hard at work on the next challenge.
It was a pleasure to be part of their journey.
Augur talks to Notion Capital about SaaS PR
PRNotion Capital asked us what makes great PR for B2B Software-as-a-Service businesses.
We tried to break it to them gently that most shouldn’t even think about it until they reach the right stage.
Listen in to learn more.