Growing a rural audience by 900% with structure and cadence

THE ONE COUNTRY PROJECT

“Voxtopica combines expertise in public affairs and podcasting in a way that lets us focus on what we do best while providing a show that truly represents our mission.”

– Heidi Heitkamp, Former U.S. Senator and Co-founder of the One Country Project

Address rural Americans' concerns and issues at a national level.

Former Senators Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana created the One Country Project to ensure rural Americans’ priorities are heard and reflected in national policy. The show, Hot Dish, already existed, but it needed to become a real engine for engagement.

The Challenge

The podcast didn’t have a consistent schedule, and its role in the organization’s broader communications wasn’t clearly defined. This meant the audience couldn’t build a habit around the show, and the content strategy couldn’t evolve in response to listener feedback.

The Strategy

Voxtopica reimagined the show with the One Country Project to create a news and politics program designed specifically for rural Americans, anchored by three moves:

1) Make it feel like it belongs to the audience.

The renamed One Country Project’s Hot Dish worked nationally while keeping regional authenticity. (“Hot dish” signals warmth and community in the Upper Midwest and spirited conversation everywhere else.)

2) Build a repeatable episode structure.

Each episode was designed in three segments so listeners could drop in and still get value:

  • A monologue highlighting someone making a positive impact in rural communities

  • A substantive conversation with a guest expert on a key issue (rural health care, the Farm Bill, opioid epidemic, etc.)

  • A lighter, personal exchange between Heidi and her brother, Joel, who adds radio experience and an authentic rapport to the show

3) Create a predictable release cadence.

Voxtopica knew that for the show to be a success, audiences needed a release structure that they could depend on. Voxtopica implemented a release structure of a new episode every other Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. ET. 

No longer “when we can” sentiments. Instead, audiences received new episodes like clockwork.

Measureable Results

Top 20% of shows

The One Country Project’s Hot Dish podcast is consistently in the 80th percentile of all podcasts in its category. 

Every 2 Weeks

The show has consistently released a new episode every two weeks since Voxtopica assumed production responsibilities, while the workload for OCP staff has been substantially reduced.

Audience Reach

The audience includes listeners of all ages, who tend to be more educated but earn less than the average podcast listener — another indicator that the show is reaching rural and small town consumers.

The Results

If your goal is public policy education for a specific community, podcasting lets you design for their habits rather than the average media-buyer persona.

Over two and a half years, the show’s audience grew by more than 900%, with most growth driven organically.

Notably, that growth wasn’t powered by a massive marketing budget, but by:

  • Consistent publishing

  • Responsive content adjustments using audience data

  • Targeted guest selection that spoke directly to rural experiences

And critically, the show didn’t just grow, it reached who it was built for. Unlike many general audience podcasts, where ~one-third of downloads come from the five most populous states, Hot Dish had only 14% of downloads coming from those states, with a meaningful concentration in the most rural states.