Editorial guidelines

Policy Unstuck is a weekly interview series focused on the mechanics of policy influence. 

We interview people from across the ideological spectrum, both insiders and outsiders, and we ask how they influence or are influenced, what frustrates them, and what they think needs to change. Our interviews are regularly cited in national political media titles like Politico and The Telegraph.

What you can expect from Policy Unstuck

The series exists to challenge norms, including ours. We hope you find that regular challenge as useful as we do.

We choose guests for what they reveal about how influence works; whether we agree with their political philosophy or their approach to influencing is not a factor in guest selection. Quite the opposite: we strive to blend a mix of political philosophies and approaches to influencing. One week you may find yourself reading the thoughts of a FTSE100 head of policy, the next an ardent anti-corporate campaigner. Or maybe a government minister, followed by someone who wants their job.

This newsletter does not exist to convince you of a specific set of ideas or ideals. That does not mean that it is free from politics: inevitably a guest’s ideas will come through in their interviews, some more than others. This does not mean we agree with them. The Cast from Clay team is a politically diverse team, and in most interviews, at least one of us will disagree with something a guest has said.

Whose words?

The main body copy of an interview is the interviewee’s own words and can be attributed to them.

The subject line, headers, and (if any) introductory text are our words.

Newsletter subject lines are intended to draw you into the content. We prefer punchy, provocative titles, because it means more people engage. Where quotation marks are used in a subject line, it is a direct quote from the interview.

We add headings throughout an interview in bolded text; headings are our words to help situate a guest’s point or emphasise something they have said. Again, where quotation marks are used in headings, it is a direct quote from the interview.

Where there is an introduction to an interview, that can be attributed to the Cast from Clay colleague who wrote it, normally Tom Hashemi.

If a subject line or heading has annoyed you, please tell us. However, please judge our guests based on what they actually said in the body copy of the interview, not what we added (you can judge us for that).

How we choose guests and edit them

We choose guests based on a mix of factors: Are they a thinker? Have they done something interesting or have an unusual background? Will they challenge (y)our thinking? If there is someone you think would make for a good interviewee, please reply to any newsletter and tell us. We have interviewed several guests that were recommended by Policy Unstuck readers.

Guests do not pay to appear, nor do we pay them. If a guest appears on the series to promote a book, we do not earn commission if you choose to buy it. Any positive praise towards a book is real. On the very rare occasion we allow an anonymous interviewee, we will explain why we agreed to do so.

Process-wise, guests see the questions a day or two before we speak with them. The interview is exploratory, not challenging; this publication is not here to hold political figures to account. Our goal is to understand how guests practice their craft, or what they think needs to change and why.

We edit the interviews for length and clarity, but never to change what someone meant, or the way they framed an argument. We hold the pen on the edit, though guests are allowed to remove or tweak any sections they are not comfortable with before publication–we are not trying to catch people out, but reflect how they think.

Who is the publisher?

Policy Unstuck is published by Cast from Clay, a strategy and positioning consultancy for policy-focused nonprofits. You can find out more about our services on our website.