Social PR Secrets: public relations podcast for entrepreneurs by Lisa Buyer Lisa Buyer

What exactly is influencer marketing? How have influencers evolved over the past ten years? As an agency owner, how can you start working with influencers? In this episode, Nicole Balistreri, Social Media Manager at USCCA, shares her experience with influencers.
In this new episode of the Social PR Podcast, host Lisa Buyer talks about all things influencers with Nicole Balistreri, a PR, and social media expert. Nicole currently works at USCCA as a social manager, a position that fuels her passion and dedication to social media and digital marketing. Listen to understand what influencer marketing really is about!
2010 vs. 2020
Ten years ago, influencers mostly meant bloggers. They were experts in their areas who put out long-form content. Influencer marketing was all about blogger outreach and blogger relations. In a sense, it was much closer to traditional PR. However, as Nicole explains, the maturation of social channels brought about different influencer groups. Whether they be moms, into fashion, business, tech, these groups self-formed. And the most successful of these experts became more influential. Some, like Pete Cashmore, CEO of Mashable, even grew into established media outlets.
A few years ago, modern influencer marketing really started to take shape. Brand deals became the norm, and influencers started replacing traditional media figures in the PR world. This all brings us to today. Nowadays, there are hundreds of thousands of micro-influencers. Some still write bylines, but others who have never written articles are still considered an authority in their space because of their social media presence. 
Influencers for PR
Why should an agency owner use influencers as part of their PR strategy? According to Nicole, as a business owner, you want to be seen as a thought leader in your space. Influencers can help you achieve that. Additionally, you can also become an influencer yourself. A good way of doing that is writing a book, for example. Nicole’s main tip is, “just get started.” Try to start with content creation; even if it’s not perfect, it’s the only way you’ll build a case for yourself as the influencer.
According to Nicole, the best way to find influencers in your area is through a two-step process. First, understand what your goal is. What are you looking for out of a relationship with an influencer? Second, find things you can provide the influencer that they can cover. For example, throw an event and invite key influencers from the local area. Or share a book you wrote with them. Influencer outreach is a mix of PR pitching and creating content for them to talk about.  
Start Your Influencer Strategy Today
Nicole explains that no tool will allow your influencer marketing strategy to work immediately. Most social media tools will help you track influencers, but none of them are truly made to work with influencers. Thus, you should go old fashion about it and really get out there looking for the content. In terms of engagement rate, Nicole recommends you ask your influencers to communicate their metrics with you so you can compare

What is the Joy of Missing Out? Christina Crook states JOMO is the joy of missing out on the right things. Things like toxic hustle, comparison, and digital drain. She is known as a pioneer in the field of digital well-being. Writer, speaker, and podcast host Christina has been studying the relationship between joy and technology for over a decade.
In this digital mindfulness episode of Social PR Secrets, Lisa Buyer and Christina Crook explore balancing the digital realm with the real world. The goal is building a life around real-world experiences that makes you want to check your phone less.
The Joy of Missing Out
Christina is the award-winning author of The Joy of Missing Out and the leader of the global #JOMO movement. JOMO is the joy of missing out to make space for life’s moments, people, and work that bring us meaning and happiness. Christina champions being deeply connected with the things we love to do and spending quality time with the people we love so the draw to being offline is stronger than being online.
The JOMO(cast) with Christina Crook
JOMO(cast) is a podcast for individuals who want to flourish in this digital age. Digital mindfulness experts, creators, and thought leaders talk about the joy of missing out to thrive in the rapidly changing digital world. Whether you’re seeking presence, peace, focus or productivity, Christina has designed tools and principles to reconnect your habits with your happiness as well as balance the digital realm with the real world.
Christina discusses mindful tech leaders embracing the joy of missing out on her podcast, JOMO(cast). In this episode, learn about Dr. Ellen Langer, Ph.D., a Harvard psychology professor who paved the way for digital mindfulness research and popularized the movement back in the 1970s. Christina’s first guest on the podcast was her friend Selema Abraham who is the co-founder of a startup called Artery. Artery lets people list places, whether it’s a loft or backyard, so anyone can bring their creative experiences to life. The mission of the startup is to decrease loneliness and increase connection locally for people. Listen to this episode and discover other mindful influencers who are transforming the experience of joy in our daily life.
31-Day Digital Detox

Can your business survive without Google? Does Facebook still work for marketing or is it just a jungle of politics and sensationalism? Is influencer marketing the new PR? Listen to this episode to hear Rand Fishkin’s hot and not takes on the digital marketing domain, start-up world, agency futures, mental health, and beyond.  
In the 100th episode of the Social PR Secrets Podcast, host Lisa Buyer interviewed Rand Fishkin, best-selling author, award-winning author of Lost and Founder and co-founder of  Spark Toro. He also happens to tweet about 30x a week on the topics of marketing, tech, and startups.
Rand was the founder and CEO of Moz, which he grew into the market’s biggest SEO suite, taking it from $800k to $29.3M in revenue. He is a hero in the marketing and Social PR Secrets world known for his transparency, keynotes, and strong opinions on the Silicon giants. His Whiteboard Friday series is watched by tens of thousands of marketers every week. His book, Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World is an eye-opener. Listen to find out everything Rand has to say about the ever-changing field of digital marketing.
What’s Up with SEO?
As digital PR professionals know, SEO is central to any successful strategy. According to Rand, the SEO field is still vibrant, but Google’s dominance is becoming a severe issue. Rand mentions the numerous statements put out by Google officials that inevitably end up disapproved. To him, the industry should stop treating these statements with such acceptance and so little skepticism. Additionally, he criticizes Google’s dominance in every digital field. Because of it, 12% of all Google searches end up taking users to another google site. 
Overall, Rand wishes Google was more focused on driving value to consumers and publishers rather than stealing from them. “Google is kind of like a default utility with a capitalistic model,” he said. Adding value to people’s lives is exactly what Rand does. After leaving Moz, which he founded and led for years, he started a new tool for digital marketers. SparkToro lets digital PR users know in a few seconds what any audience reads, engages with, follows, or shares online. Want to know what landscape architects in Canada are subscribing to on YouTube? SparkToro has the answer!
Everything Wrong with Influencer Marketing
Rand dislikes the term influencer marketing. A few years ago, influencer marketing meant finding publications and people of influence and marketing to them. That allowed businesses to reach their audience through influential third-parties. Nowadays, however, influencer marketing doesn’t mean much and doesn’t work for most businesses. If influencer marketing is defined as Instagram stars posing with a detox tea, then it doesn’t have a long life ahead, said

Since his days on the frontlines of crisis management on 9/11 for American Airlines to navigate the digital communications during Covid-19, Tony Wright has expertly positioned himself to be one of the most respected experts in reputation management in this digital era. 
Maintaining a brand’s online reputation is one the most valuable public relations assets; just ask Pubcon speaker and reputation management expert Tony Wright. 
Reputation Management Secrets During COVID-19
In this episode of Social PR Secrets, Lisa Buyer and Tony Wright explore reputation management strategies during a pandemic and discuss how perception is critical for your company to succeed online.
COVID-19 has single-handedly reshaped the world as we know it and has impacted all forms of businesses, large and small. Maintaining a positive reputation for your brand during a global health crisis is critical for short- and long-term success. It is essential to demonstrate to potential customers the strength and stability of your company. Tony recommends adding a note on your Google My Business listing regarding how your business handles the current pandemic. 
Also, protocol communication is of utmost importance to ensure staff and customers remain informed and safe. Tony discusses how businesses should have a crisis communication strategy and reiterate sanitization processes, increased cleansing and disinfecting efforts.  Brands should over-communicate other practical measures to protect staff and customers, such as face masks and providing hand sanitizing dispensers at your place of business. 
Safety is paramount, and a company’s reputation is more important than ever before. All in all, it is essential to monitor the situation daily, communicate with staff, and take action when necessary. Tune in to learn about additional COVID-19 reputation management strategies that will keep your business top of mind for your loyal customers. 
Reputation Management Secrets by Tony Wright
Reputation management is an essential component of any business venture. By definition, reputation management is the effort to influence or control how people perceive a brand or company. Tony discusses how bad reviews online impact small and medium-sized businesses more than larger enterprises.
“The littlest slip up on social media can turn into a PR or reputation management nightmare.” – Tony Wright
In this episode, Lisa and Tony dive into the different reputation management levels based on the company’s size. Discover how to combat a bad reputation to create a better one than ever before.
Protecting Your Company on Search Engine Results
Tune in for strategies and tactics that B2B companies can use to protect their website and brand in search results. Tony states the first approach is to monitor what’s going on accurately with your

How can you quickly get press coverage? What should PR agencies do to get PR for their own firm? Should you launch your own podcast? In this episode, Free PR author Adrian Salamunovic shares his tips and insights on how to get big press by spending little money. 
In this episode of the Social PR Secrets Podcast, host Lisa Buyer and PR genius Adrian Salamunovic sat down to discuss Free PR hacks. Adrian is a pro on the topic - his book, Free PR, is an Amazon #1 bestseller. Adrian is all about using the power of Free PR to bring businesses to the next level. His techniques generate millions of impressions and drive new revenue without spending money on outside firms. Listen to take your business to the next level without spending a dollar. 
FREE PR
Adrian’s book is a bible for any business. Whether you’re doing in-house PR or decide to leave it to the pros, you will get invaluable knowledge from it. Interestingly enough, Adrian says the book works best hand-in-hand with Lisa’s own book, Social PR Secrets. Andrew’s methods have helped grow businesses from zero to eight figures, using almost no ads. Free PR can help you if:
⭐️ You want to hire a PR agency. Having foundations is central to having a good relationship with your agency. If you’re educated about PR, you’re making it easier for both yourself and the agency. What’s more, it also allows you to hold the firm accountable!
⭐️ You decide to in-source PR. Adrian recommends finding a hustler in your company. They don’t have to know much about PR, but they should be driven. Making them read the book will ensure they get the best results for your business.
⭐️ You just launched your business. With very little money to spend, Free PR will be your ultimate bible. 
PR for PR
When asked how PR agencies can get press coverage for themselves, Adrian gave three main pieces of advice.
1. Become a contributing writer.
Building a relationship with a publication as a contributing writer gives you a regular source of credibility. You can target a specific audience by carefully choosing the publication, and it provides you clips to share.
2. Be a guest on podcasts.
Less time consuming, podcasts are a great source of free PR. You need a mic, and because you are an expert on your topic, you don’t even have to prepare! Once the episode is published, you can repurpose it and post it across your social channels. 
3. Write a book
This one is a labor of love and takes months in the making. But having your own book gives you an asset you can use. You can send it as gifts or make sure clients are aligned with your philosophy. Adrian says that when people r

How can small businesses thrive during COVID-19? Why are PR and digital marketing indispensable even when your business is small? In this episode, Andrew Seeley, the Small Business Champion, shares his insights on developing small businesses through strategic marketing any small business can master. Listen for tips that will help you grow your business in no time.
In this episode of the Social PR Secrets Podcast, host Lisa Buyer talks with Andrew Seeley, the Creatively Disruptive CEO. He and his team, who sometimes goes by as The Small Business Champions, help transform small businesses into money-making machines through social media and online advertising and marketing. When small businesses are struggling more than ever, listen to this episode to understand how small businesses can thrive, even amid a global pandemic.
Small Businesses Under COVID-19
According to Andrew, small businesses are “where hopes and dreams are made.” To him, when small businesses do well, the country and the world seem right. But when small businesses are struggling, the country and the world seem wrong. And right now, there is a lot of hurt in the small business community. Andrew knows this better than anyone else because he works with eighty small business owners. 
However, not all are having a hard time. Andrew says that the ones surviving, and sometimes even thriving, are the ones being flexible and thoughtful. When owners are willing to do things uncomfortable for them, that’s where the business can grow. One way to do that is focusing on online marketing, either with your strategy or by hiring experts like Andrew and his team.
Small Business Success Stories
Don’t get us wrong; being a small business owner right now is hard. But some are doing well. One example Andrew gives is his e-commerce clientele. Of course, now that the world has moved online, they get more customers than ever before. And with an effective marketing strategy, they will be sure to succeed. Another less obvious example is a gymnastics gym Andrew is working with. With the initial shutdown, they were forced to close down. But instead of giving up and cutting all costs, they doubled down on marketing. They hired Creatively Disruptive as well as a full-time salesperson. That way, the moment they were able to reopen, they bounced back. Andrew says the results are incredible. While the gym had lost 80% of its client base, they gained much more than that in new clients through marketing and sales.
If you own a retail business, Andrew says there is an easy way for you to become the next success story. Get on it right now, and don’t miss the fantastic opportunity coming up: Christmas. He explains there will be a magnitude more of people online looking for presents than there ever was. It’s simple: “Christmas will be online.” His main tip when it comes to online advertising for Christmas? Stay local. Doing business online comes with a big perk: you can reach the entire country. But the main drawback is that every other company can also reach the whole country, so