How Culture Uncovered Created a Memorable Podcast Guest Experience with SwagUp
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In this article
Creating a More Personal Podcast Experience
For Jena Dunay, host of the Culture Uncovered podcast, creating meaningful conversations with HR and people leaders was always the priority. But after each episode wrapped, there was still something missing: a tangible way to thank guests and extend the experience beyond Zoom.
Before partnering with SwagUp, guest gifting felt overwhelming.
“We weren’t doing anything…and feeling guilty about it! I was so overwhelmed with all of the options and having the time to curate all the gifts and get them shipped. The shipping process overwhelmed me the most.”
With guests located all over the country and every recording happening virtually, manually coordinating addresses, products, packaging, and shipping simply wasn’t sustainable.
Jena wanted something that felt thoughtful, creative, and truly reflective of the Culture Uncovered brand, without adding more operational work to her plate.
Building an On-Brand Gifting Experience
For Jena, the goal was to create a memorable extension of the Culture Uncovered podcast experience.
“We send our swag packs to our podcast guests after they’ve recorded an episode. This is a very uncommon practice in this industry, but it has allowed us to differentiate ourselves and create another personal touchpoint.”
From the beginning, creating something unique was non-negotiable.
“I’m a design snob and very protective of our brand. Most organizations I tried to work with didn’t think outside the box and had very boring swag options.”
Working alongside the SwagUp team, Jena curated a swag pack that felt playful, memorable, and highly relevant to her audience of HR leaders and workplace culture professionals.
Instead of defaulting to generic merch, every product was intentionally designed around the audience and podcast brand:
- A custom dad hat featuring the phrase “Wearing Many Hats” — designed to resonate with her HR leader guests who are constantly balancing multiple roles.
- A branded popcorn popper with the phrase “Pop Culture (at work)” — a playful nod to Jena’s favorite snack and the podcast’s personality.
- A premium Moleskine journal — an elevated everyday item guests will actually use.
- Fully custom packaging and presentation — packaging that helped complete the overall unboxing experience.
“We didn’t do the typical T-shirt and a mug. Instead, we curated a pack and designed items that resonated with our HR leader guests. Every detail — from the products to the packaging was everything I could’ve hoped for.”
The result was a gifting experience that felt thoughtful, creative, and unmistakably on-brand.
Simplifying Nationwide Guest Gifting with Redeem Pages
One of the biggest challenges was distribution. Since podcast guests joined remotely from across the country, collecting shipping information and managing fulfillment manually would have quickly become a time-consuming process.
Using SwagUp redeem pages, Jena was able to easily send guests a personalized redemption link after each podcast recording, allowing recipients to enter their own shipping information directly.
Combined with SwagUp’s dashboard, warehousing, and automated fulfillment tools, the process became almost entirely hands-off.
“SwagUp makes it so easy to create these packs…and then they manage the warehousing and shipping portion. I can’t believe I put it off for so long. These personal details make all the difference.”
Instead of worrying about logistics, Jena could focus on creating a thoughtful guest experience while still making each recipient feel personally appreciated.
Creating Moments Guests Actually Remember
The response from podcast guests quickly reinforced the impact of the program.
Guests began sharing the packs organically online and incorporating the products into everyday life — exactly the kind of authentic engagement Jena hoped to create.
One guest even shared their pack on LinkedIn, writing:
The experience became an extension of the podcast itself and another meaningful touchpoint with guests long after recording ended.
A Better Guest Experience Without the Manual Work
What started as an idea Jena had postponed for years quickly became one of the most valuable parts of the Culture Uncovered guest experience.
By combining premium, on-brand products with SwagUp’s redeem pages, dashboard tools, warehousing, and automated fulfillment, Jena was able to create a scalable gifting program that still felt deeply personal.
And perhaps the best moment of all?
“Getting to open the swag pack with my daughter. She was so excited to see what was inside as well.” - Jena Dunay
Ready to Create a More Memorable Brand Experience?
From podcast guests and virtual events to employee gifting and client sends, SwagUp helps brands deliver thoughtful, on-brand experiences without the manual logistics.
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