BuzzStream Digital PR and Link Building Podcast

BuzzStream
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Semiweekly

Join host Vince Nero as he interviews link building, SEO, and digital PR experts to bring you tips and tricks for better coverage and rankings.

  1. Why Your PR Campaigns Flop Outside the UK (And How to Fix It)

    1d ago

    Why Your PR Campaigns Flop Outside the UK (And How to Fix It)

    International digital PR is something I don't have much experience with, so this was a fun one to record. I sat down with Libby Windle and Eirini Theodoridou of Connective3 to dig into what it actually takes to run digital PR across borders. We talk building a team, ideating for different markets, and pitching to journalists who all work differently depending on where they are. We also get into why native speakers are non-negotiable, why the city-index campaign is running out of road, what content lands in Europe versus the US, and how to keep up with trends across a dozen different media landscapes.🔗 Links and resources Check out Connective3: https://connective3.com/ Connect with Libby and Erini on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eirinitheodoridou/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-windle-9497b486/ Try List IQ, our AI-powered media list building tool: https://www.buzzstream.com/listiq/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro 02:16 – How Connective3 got into international PR 08:09 – Building a team with native experts 12:19 – Ideating & pitching for different markets 16:54 – The tactical differences between countries 25:30 – Starting from scratch: team & content strategy 33:32 – Are city-index campaigns played out? 39:18 – Where to expand first from the UK 43:45 – Keeping up with trends across markets 48:53 – Final advice for going international Like, subscribe, and share with your colleagues 🙏

    53 min
  2. What Can Digital PRs Learn From Journalists? W/ Jade Denby and Sam Forrester

    May 27

    What Can Digital PRs Learn From Journalists? W/ Jade Denby and Sam Forrester

    Most digital PR professionals have never sat inside a newsroom. That gap in understanding is where many great campaigns quietly die. In this episode, Vince sits down with Jade Denby (Head of Digital PR, Marketing Signals) and Sam Forrester (former news editor at Reach PLC, now acting Head of Content at Marketing Signals) for one of the most honest conversations we've had about the journalist-PR relationship — and what digital PR teams can do differently. Sam spent over 15 years inside Reach PLC, one of the UK's biggest regional news networks. Jade has been leading digital PR teams on the agency side for over 15 years. They now work together — and the insights that come out of that combination are the kind you really can't Google. ⏰ Timestamps 00:00 — Introduction 01:42 — Meet Jade Denby and Sam Forrester 04:06 — Sam's 15 years at Reach PLC 06:14 — What digital PRs misunderstand about newsrooms 10:32 — How Jade has adapted her digital PR strategy 17:43 — A day in the life of a news editor 22:23 — How to be more strategic with your pitching 30:35 — The fake expert problem at Reach PLC 35:30 — Should digital PRs be doing more localization? 40:49 — Do newsrooms understand SEO? 49:01 — Where journalism and digital PR are heading 🔔 Subscribe for more digital PR tips, newsroom insights, and outreach strategy every week. 🛠 Try List IQ — our AI-powered media list builder: https://www.buzzstream.com/listiq/ 📩 Connect with Jade Denby on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jadedenby 📩 Connect with Sam Forrester on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-forrester-62836493/ 📩 Learn more about Marketing Signals: marketingsignals.com 📩 Check out the full episode: https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/digital-prs-vs-journalists-podcast/

    53 min
  3. Beauty PR Masterclass: How to Build Real Relationships and Get Coverage

    May 20

    Beauty PR Masterclass: How to Build Real Relationships and Get Coverage

    If you're in the beauty industry and want to get coverage, listen up! In this episode, Claire Coleman, a seasoned freelance editor and journalist in the beauty industry, shares insights on PR strategies, relationship building, pitching techniques, and the evolving media landscape. Discover how to craft compelling stories, understand media rhythms, and leverage relationships for successful media coverage. ⏰ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:35 A Day in the Life of a Freelance Journalist 05:48 The Shift from Print to Digital Media 09:50 Challenges in the Beauty PR Industry 11:56 Understanding Effective Pitches 17:05 The Importance of Storytelling in Pitches 20:55 Building Relationships with Journalists 27:02 Effective Communication Strategies 31:31 Consultancy and Substack Insights 🔗 Links and Resources: https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/beauty-pr-podcast/ https://www.clairecoleman.com/ http://beautygeekery.substack.com https://www.buzzstream.com/listiq/

    34 min
  4. Scams, Spam, and the Future of Link Building with Lars Lofgren

    May 6

    Scams, Spam, and the Future of Link Building with Lars Lofgren

    Lars Lofgren joins the BuzzStream podcast to pull back the curtain on some of the shadiest corners of the modern web — from e-commerce scams to Reddit reputation attacks to the link building tactics making a comeback. ⏰ Timestamps 00:05 – Intro 02:02 – The Highland cow scam 09:08 – Why marketers should study the dark side of the internet 14:25 – The Codesmith case 30:38 – The Forbes Advisor 35:36 – Old-school black hat tactics 40:45 – How HCU flipped the equation 47:43 – Why digital PR is having a renaissance 51:49 – How to think about risk 🐝 Check out the full post: https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/scams-spam-podcast/ 🛠️ Try List IQ — build targeted media lists from Google News in seconds: https://www.buzzstream.com/listiq/ 📬 Connect with Lars: LarsLofgren.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/larslofgren 🔗Links mentioned — https://larslofgren.com/forbes-marketplace/https://larslofgren.com/codesmith-reddit-reputation-attack/https://larslofgren.com/highland-cow-scam/

    52 min
  5. Veteran Journalist shares the SECRET to Landing Media Coverage in 2026

    Apr 29

    Veteran Journalist shares the SECRET to Landing Media Coverage in 2026

    Veteran journalist and freelancer Rob Waugh joins Vince Nero to pull back the curtain on what's really happening in media and digital PR right now. With nearly 30 years in the industry — from the Daily Mail to The Telegraph to Yahoo News — Rob has a uniquely sharp perspective on the fake expert epidemic, AI-generated pitches, and what it actually takes to get coverage in 2026. If you're in digital PR, this one is required listening. ⏱ Timestamps: 00:05 – Intro 02:05 – Are fake experts a new problem, or just a bigger one? 04:34 – The real danger: AI hallucinations spreading misinformation 06:51 – Are journalists using AI to generate story ideas? 12:00 – UK vs. US PR: key differences in approach 15:42 – How Rob uncovered the fake expert story (Barbara Santini) 20:57 – What old-school newspaper journalism taught Rob about what makes a story 25:58 – What PR pros should be pitching in 2026 30:36 – How to find the hook: always pitch the headline 36:31 – If Rob ran a digital PR agency, here's what he'd do 🔔 Subscribe for more digital PR insights, tips, and interviews: Here's a link to the full post: https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/fake-experts-podcast/🛠 Try List IQ — our free AI-powered media list building tool: https://www.buzzstream.com/listiq/🔗 Connect with Rob Waugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-waugh-38731a23/📰 Read Rob's work on Press Gazette: https://pressgazette.co.uk/author/robwaugh/

    42 min
  6. How to Pitch Journalists Like a PR Pro with Carly Martinetti

    Apr 22

    How to Pitch Journalists Like a PR Pro with Carly Martinetti

    Traditional PR pro Carly Martinetti (co-founder of Notably) joins Vince to break down what good PR actually looks like — and what digital PR practitioners can learn from it. They get into the real differences between traditional and digital PR, why spray-and-pray pitching is killing your reputation, and how to find the "Goldilocks zone" journalist that makes every pitch count. ⏰ Chapters 0:00 – Intro4:54 – How is traditional PR different from digital PR?9:11 – Are clients asking about AI citations and LLM mentions?12:44 – How do you measure PR success and tie it to business goals?19:43 – How do you build a media list? Tools, process, and the Goldilocks zone26:29 – Creating an angle from nothing vs. piggybacking on a trend28:58 – What does a great pitch actually look like?34:11 – Breaking news vs. evergreen pitches — knowing the difference 🐝 Links Connect with Carly: linkedin.com/in/prcarly/Notably: notablypr.comTry List IQ free: buzzstream.com/listiq/

    43 min
  7. Is Google *Really* Killing the News Industry?

    Apr 14

    Is Google *Really* Killing the News Industry?

    Is Google killing the news industry — or are publishers doing it to themselves? SEO veteran Barry Adams (Polemic Digital, FT Strategies) joins Vince Nero to challenge the "Google Zero" narrative: the growing belief among publishers that Google traffic is heading to zero. Barry argues the real story is more complicated — and more actionable — than the panic suggests. We get into why some publishers are quietly thriving while others spiral, what the Chartbeat data actually shows (and doesn't), how AI overviews fit into a much longer pattern of Google enriching its results, and why digital PR may be entering a boom era even as the media landscape shifts. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 — Introduction2:40 — What is "Google Zero"?7:46 — The problems with Chartbeat's traffic data11:29 — Which publishers are actually thriving — and why13:30 — AI overviews aren't new: a history of Google enriching results15:41 — The New York Times model: smart diversification vs. chasing traffic18:58 — How Americans are changing where they get their news25:59 — The multimodal content strategy: one story, many channels27:28 — What Google Zero means for digital PR29:48 — Why mentions matter as much as links in the AI era 🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES Full post → https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/google-zero-podcast/Barry Adams on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/barryadams/SEO for Google News (Substack) → https://seoforgooglenews.substack.com/Polemic Digital → https://polemicdigital.com/List IQ (media list building tool) → https://www.buzzstream.com/listiq/ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 📬 SUBSCRIBE for weekly episodes on digital PR, SEO, and media strategy.

    36 min
  8. The Secret to Building Links That Impact Revenue from Garrett French

    Apr 7

    The Secret to Building Links That Impact Revenue from Garrett French

    Garrett French has been in the SEO game for 25+ years and is the founder of Citation Labs, Zip Sprout, and Xofu. In this episode, Garrett breaks down why chasing links and vanity metrics is a losing game — and what to do instead. We dig into citable elements on product pages, link impact reporting , and how AI is changing the way we think about content and citations. If you're an SEO, link builder, or agency owner trying to prove ROI and keep your clients (and your job), this one's for you. ⏰ Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 02:26 – What are citable elements? 07:23 – Decisioning efficiency 11:16 – Friction-inducing, latent, unasked questions 15:29 – Does traditional keyword research still have a place? 18:29 – How customer research feeds your link building and PR strategy 25:38 – Why Garrett started tracking link impact 30:08 – AI overviews, LLMs, and what's actually changing 33:51 – What "helpful content" actually means — and why it's scary 43:55 – Where to find Garrett: Citation Labs, Zip Sprout, and Xofu 🔗Links: Citation Labs: citationlabs.comZip Sprout: zipsprout.comXofu: xofu.comGarrett on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/garrettfrenchFull episode: https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/bottom-line-link-building-podcast/

    45 min
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Join host Vince Nero as he interviews link building, SEO, and digital PR experts to bring you tips and tricks for better coverage and rankings.

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