Dr. Brown illustrated this point by considering a medication that most rheumatologists have heard of—allopurinol—and asking: How was it discovered that allopurinol should not be combined with azathioprine? He explained that in the mid-20th Century, 6-mercapatopurine (6-MP) was found to be effective for treating patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. To enhance the action of 6-MP, researchers found that 6-MP could be combined with allopurinol. Although this finding was helpful in the world of oncology, this drug combination can be dangerous when used to treat diseases other than cancer.1
Dr. Brown explained that rheumatologists are warned not to combine allopurinol and azathioprine because azathioprine is the prodrug that breaks down into 6-MP. Combining the two may result in high levels of 6-MP, which can cause blood dyscrasias in some patients.2 By demonstrating the power of historical context and storytelling, Dr. Brown showed the audience how podcasters can both teach and entertain at the same time.
Audience Engagement
The next speaker, Cheryl Crow, MOT, OTR/L, an occupational therapist from Bellevue, Wash., is the founder and the host of the Arthritis Life podcast. She is a health professional living with rheumatoid arthritis and has drawn from this aspect of her life to create a podcast series with more than 130,000 downloads.
Mrs. Crow spoke about how to amplify podcast content. Her approach relies on three steps:
- Know your audience;
- Create compelling content; and
- Connect and follow through.
In terms of knowing your audience, podcasters should ask themselves: Where does my audience hang out online (i.e., Instagram, TikTok, Facebook)? What problems does my audience have that they would want to see addressed?
Mrs. Crow said her most popular podcast episode to date is titled, What’s It Like to Be on Methotrexate? The episode’s popularity surprised Mrs. Crow because she thought that its title wasn’t particularly creative and that the topic would not lure in listeners. However, she learned that a simple title goes a long way if it aligns with the phrases (i.e., search terms) people type into Google. She also discovered that a topic that might seems banal to her—she has been on methotrexate for 20 years—may be highly relevant to people starting this medication.
Producing compelling content can be done by creating static images, audiograms, short video excerpts and promo videos, long form videos and hosting live chats. Each of these content formats helps to attract and engage an audience so that they will explore related content from the same producer.
