BuzzStream Digital PR and Link Building Podcast

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/

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/

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.com
• https://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/
  

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/

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 – Intro
4:54 – 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 zone
26:29 – Creating an angle from nothing vs. piggybacking on a trend
28:58 – 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.com
Try List IQ free: buzzstream.com/listiq/

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 — Introduction
2:40 — What is "Google Zero"?
7:46 — The problems with Chartbeat's traffic data
11:29 — Which publishers are actually thriving — and why
13:30 — AI overviews aren't new: a history of Google enriching results
15:41 — The New York Times model: smart diversification vs. chasing traffic
18:58 — How Americans are changing where they get their news
25:59 — The multimodal content strategy: one story, many channels
27:28 — What Google Zero means for digital PR
29:48 — 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/

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📬 SUBSCRIBE for weekly episodes on digital PR, SEO, and media strategy.

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.com
• Zip Sprout: zipsprout.com
• Xofu: xofu.com
• Garrett on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/garrettfrench
• Full episode: https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/bottom-line-link-building-podcast/

LLM source data is shifting fast — and if you've been watching the studies, you might be wondering if your entire digital PR strategy needs a rethink.

Spoiler: it doesn't.

In this episode, Vince sits down with content and growth manager with Semrush, Amanda Milligan, (founder of Brand Authority Club, formerly of Fractl, Stacker, and iPull Rank) to break down what's actually happening with LLM citations, why the volatility shouldn't send you into panic mode, and what digital PR professionals should really be focused on right now.

Whether you're deep in digital PR or just trying to figure out how AI fits into your marketing strategy, this one is worth a listen.

⏰ Timestamps

0:00 – Intro

1:53 – The LLM sources study that sparked the panic

3:01 – Why you shouldn't overhaul your strategy

6:20 – The problem with chasing Reddit citations

9:20 – Why LLMs are giving PR people more buy-in for niche placements

12:42 – Knowledge base vs. retrieval layer explained

16:45 – Why brand mentions are finally winning the argument

21:22 – Start with brand messaging before anything else

28:25 – What "Citation Core" means for your niche

30:44 – The bigger opportunity for PR and social

🔗 Links and Resources mentioned:

• https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/llm-volatility-strategy-podcast/
• brandauthority.club
• https://backlinko.com/llm-sources
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandamilligan/
• https://www.buzzstream.com/listiq

This panel discussion explores the impact of AI on digital PR, citations, and brand visibility.

Agency experts Beth Nunnington, Will Hobson, and Kelsey Libert share insights on how AI influences media coverage, their citation strategies, and the future of brand authority across platforms.

⏰ Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:10 The Rise of AI in Digital PR

09:58 Industry Insights: The Impact of Content Freshness

17:28 Storytelling in the Age of AI

21:20 Understanding Citations: Earned vs. Owned

22:23 The Role of Syndication in Digital PR

25:05 Syndication Networks vs. Earned Distribution

27:57 Quality vs. Quantity in Syndication

33:03 Leveraging Social Media in PR Strategies

39:31 Building Brand Authority Across Platforms

42:39 Debunking Myths: AI Partnerships and Citations

44:49 Strategies for Brands to Show Up in AI

50:19 Sustainable Practices in AI Citations

51:43 Tools for Tracking AI Visibility

🔗 Resources and Sites

• Main study - https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/news-publications-ai-citations/
• BuzzStream - https://buzzstream.com
• Fractl - https://frac.tl
• Rise At Seven - https://riseatseven.com
• Journey Further - https://journeyfurther.com
• Citation Labs - https://citationlabs.com
• SparkToro - https://sparktoro.com
• Ahrefs - https://ahrefs.com
• SEMrush - https://semrush.com
• SimilarWeb - https://similarweb.com

😀 Connect with our guests:

• Kelsey - https://linkedin.com/in/kelsey-libert
• Beth - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethenynunnington
• Will - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hobsonwilliam/

In this insightful interview, journalist and PR expert Joni Sweet shares her unique perspective on pitching stories, building relationships with journalists, and navigating the modern media landscape.

Discover practical tips for crafting compelling pitches, understanding editorial calendars, and leveraging data to increase media coverage.

⏰ Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:42 A Day in the Life of a Freelance Journalist

08:41 The Art of Pitching: Insights for PR Professionals

11:28 Understanding Editorial Calendars and Trends

16:09 Quality vs. Quantity in PR Coverage

22:48 Impact of Coverage: Quality vs. Quantity

26:05 Aligning PR Strategies with Client Objectives

27:19 Building Relationships with Journalists

31:20 The Challenge of Fake Experts

34:26 Quick Questions

37:35 Pitch Fix Live Workshop Announcement

🔗 Links

• Joni Sweet Website - https://jonimsweet.comJoni Sweet
• Substack Newsletter - https://jonisweet.substack.com
• List IQ Media List Builder - https://buzzstream.com/listiq