The History Magpie & DMCS: How the government works with influencers to engage younger audiences

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube

In this episode, we discuss:

•  How The History Magpie turned a passion for history into a thriving community.
• How creators balance what their audience enjoys with hitting a brief when working with organisations like the government.
• The challenges gov departments face when communicating important public interest messages.
•  What ACTUALLY makes a piece of content successful in 2026 (spoiler, it’s not just big reach numbers).
• The storytelling strategies behind The History Magpie’s most successful content.
• PLUS, the best historical period… ever?

🎙️ Hosted by:

• Jo Hughston: Head of Marketing, The Goat Agency
• Matt Wyatt, Senior Video Producer, The Goat Agency

Guests:

• Jessica Diges, Senior Digital Communications Officer, Department of Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS)
• Charlie Eve, The History Magpie’, Historian and Content Creator

Chapters:

• 00:00 – 05:58 – Introduction
• 05:58 – 10:18 – The best historical era
• 10:18 – 13:47 – VJ Day Campaign
• 13:47 – 18:19 – How Charlie Eve became The History Magpie
• 18:19 – 22:02 – The History Magpie’s Content Approach
• 22:02 – 23:15 – The History Magpie’s Brand Collaborations
• 23:15 – 24:48 – The Challenge with communicating government messaging
• 24:48 – 29:31 – DCMS’ Influencer Campaigns
• 29:31 – 32:43 – Content planning as a creator and an organisation
• 32:43 – 34:13 – Do we have brand fatigue?
• 43:13 – 36:34 – Trust and reputation building with creators
• 38:34 – 41:46 – Core pillars of their marketing strategies
• 41:46 – 47:10 – What makes a piece of content successful?
• 47:10 – 52:14 – Where is online content going over the next few years + final thoughts