In 2024, Samaritans Ireland was facing a record number of calls to its 24-hour emotional support helpline, particularly in Dublin, while also struggling to recruit enough listening volunteers - people who’d be able to listen for 26 minutes, or the average length of a call to the charity. To reach those people, we created The 26th Minute - a series of hyper-targeted media moments across multiple audio platforms, from podcasts to live events to Premier League broadcasts, that spoke directly to people who could listen for that vital length of time, just when they were doing exactly that. In just two weeks, with a spend of only two thousand five hundred euros, volunteer enquiries increased by more than 250%, with more than enough people - people who were ready to listen when needed most - to fill every training class.