The landscape of influence is constantly evolving, and understanding who’s shaping the conversation is key to crafting effective strategies. But how do you tap into this ever-shifting dynamic?

In this episode of Earning Your Seat, Nathan Carpenter, the visionary behind Atlas Lab, takes us inside the world of social media influence. With over 20 years of experience, Nathan has been at the forefront of studying how networks drive communication and how to listen beyond the surface noise to uncover the real drivers of change.

Nathan shares his insights on why traditional methods of social media tracking often miss the bigger picture, how influence is mapped in the digital age, and why understanding the ecosystem is essential for creating smarter, data-driven strategies.

This episode is perfect for marketers, communicators, and anyone looking to decode the complexities of influence in today’s digital world and use that knowledge to lead with purpose.

Earning Your Seat is a Meltwater podcast.

Episode Highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Earning Your Seat
(02:30) The challenge of understanding influence in today’s digital landscape
(06:15) How Nathan’s lab is mapping influence and what it reveals
(12:00) Why traditional social media listening methods fall short
(16:30) The importance of knowing the ecosystem, not just the data
(21:00) Why influence is more about networks than followers
(25:00) Practical steps to listen smarter and stay ahead of trends
(30:00) Nathan’s advice for communicators looking to stay relevant in an ever-evolving digital world

Connect with Nathan:

• Nathan Carpenter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-carpenter-phd-654140a
• Explore Atlas Lab: https://www.jou.ufl.edu/atlas-lab/
  
  

Take the Data-Driven Communications Free Assessment
Ready to see where you stand with Data-Driven Communications? Take the DDC Assessment and get your personalized report to explore the framework at https://bit.ly/meltwater-ddc-assessment

Follow Earning Your Seat:

• Dino Delic, Head of the Data-Driven Comms Research Lab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinodelic/
• Genevieve Brammall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-brammall/
• Stephanie Lerdall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesheppard/
• Join the Data-Driven Communications Community: https://community.meltwater.com/p/ddc
  
  

Get in Touch With Us
If you have any questions about this episode, email us at [email protected] 

Social media waits for no one. Social was the Wild West. Now, it’s one of the most powerful tools for business growth. The question is: how do you keep up and craft a social strategy that actually wins?

In this episode of Earning Your Seat, Kirsten Echeverry reflects on the unique challenges of running social media marketing globally. Kirsten is the Director of Social Media and Influence at IBM, a leading voice in B2B marketing for tech with a decade’s worth of experience in communications roles for consumer brands.

A successful social media strategy rests on finding the right balance between building brand equity and promoting products. Behind the scenes, marketers must learn how to navigate the friction between marketing and comms teams, translate executive vision into content that sticks, and manage corporate caution to drive creativity.

Kirsten comes with a wealth of valuable insights on the most effective social media plays today, from the professionalization of content creators to using social listening as a tool for building data-driven comms strategies and navigating crises.

This episode is for anyone who is looking to step into marketing leadership roles and build a playbook for owning social media in today’s fast-paced landscape.

Earning Your Seat is a Meltwater podcast.

Episode Highlights:

(00:00) Welcome to Earning Your Seat

(03:16) Balancing Marketing and Comms Priorities on Social Media

(07:16) Navigating Risk on Social

(12:30) Juggling the Different Pieces of a Corporate Social Media Strategy

(23:55) Driving the Conversation About Your Brand

(26:02) How Creators are Shaping Social

(45:23) The Science and Business of Social

(47:28) Using Data to Build a Social Media Strategy

(55:45) How Social Listening Insights are Driving a Different Marketing Strategy

Connect with Kirsten:

• Kirsten Echeverry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenmberg/
• Get a Glimpse of IBM’s Social Media Strategy: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibm/

Take the Data-Driven Communications Free Assessment
Ready to see where you stand with Data-Driven Communications? Take the DDC Assessment and get your personalized report to explore the framework at https://bit.ly/meltwater-ddc-assessment

Follow Earning Your Seat:

• Dino Delic, Head of the Data-Driven Comms Research Lab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinodelic/
• Genevieve Brammall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-brammall/
• Stephanie Lerdall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesheppard/
• Join the Data-Driven Communications Community: https://community.meltwater.com/p/ddc

Get in Touch With Us
If you have any questions about this episode, email us at [email protected] 

The success of a campaign or piece of content isn’t measured by how viral it goes. Real influence comes from crafting messages that appeal to emotion and stick to memory using an intentional data-driven approach.

In this episode of Earning Your Seat, Carmen Simon takes listeners behind the science of persuasive messaging. As Chief Science Officer at Enhancive, Carmen uses neuroscience to create memorable content and train teams to use the same principles in their own comms strategies.

For Carmen, effective messaging comes down to “controlling the 10%”, or anchoring a message on a simple core idea, then supporting it with more complex concepts. When done right, this deliberate balance between simple and complex messaging helps people remember the most important ideas, no matter how long or packed a piece of content might be.

Carmen also gives a crash course on the way the human brain works: how memories can be reshaped by talking about them, how ideas stick with us when we can apply them to other contexts, and how emotions help audiences connect with content.

This episode will leave you with actionable insights on communicating with intent, presenting new ideas through tried and tested techniques, and creating impact through emotion.

Earning Your Seat is a Meltwater podcast.

Connect with Carmen:

• Carmen Simon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarmensimon/

Take the Data-Driven Communications Free Assessment
Ready to see where you stand with Data-Driven Communications? Take the DDC Assessment and get your personalized report to explore the framework at https://bit.ly/meltwater-ddc-assessment

Follow Earning Your Seat:

• Dino Delic, Head of the Data-Driven Comms Research Lab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinodelic/
• Genevieve Brammall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-brammall/
• Stephanie Lerdall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesheppard/
• Subscribe to the Earning Your Seat Newsletter: https://bit.ly/newsletter-ddc
• Join the Data-Driven Communications Community: https://community.meltwater.com/p/ddc
  
  

Get in Touch With Us
If you have any questions about this interview, email us at [email protected] 

As a brand grows, driving and proving its impact becomes increasingly important. The challenge many marketers face is figuring out how their brand is currently seen and how exactly they want it to be seen.

In this episode of Earning Your Seat, Tim Marklein breaks down the key elements for pushing brand awareness, reputation, and demand. His expertise is the driving force behind Big Valley Marketing, a data-driven marketing and communications firm for tech companies.

Tim pinpoints a common roadblock for many brands looking to prove their impact: many of them seek to do so without an informed starting point or a clear objective. Additionally, the process can break down when cross-functional departments are not aligned on common goals, creating data silos.

On the other hand, he sheds light on low-cost ways for companies to gather data about their impact, the people every marketing and communications team needs to succeed, and the soft skills that help marketers win.

By the end of this episode, you’ll walk away with a clear roadmap for defining what impact looks like for your brand, finding data that paints a real picture of influence, and preparing your teams to work with data that defines the business.

Earning Your Seat is a Meltwater podcast.

Episode Highlights:

(00:00) Welcome to Earning Your Seat

(01:57) Building Awareness, Driving Demand, and Improving Reputation

(02:31) Defining Objectives in Proving Brand Impact

(08:23) Budget-Friendly Ways to Gather Data

(11:05) Navigating Data Silos in the Organization

(17:30) Why Marketing and Comms Teams Need Researchers and Analysts

(20:03) The Soft Skills Every Marketer Should Have

(22:41) The Experts Marketing and Comms Teams Need to Have

(26:12) Bringing AI Into the Comms Workflow

(28:59) How Alignment Makes the Work Easier

(19:54) Closing Thoughts: A Roadmap for Proving Brand Impact

Connect with Tim:

• Tim Marklein on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmarklein 
• Explore Big Valley Marketing: https://bigvalley.co/
  
  

Take the Data-Driven Communications Free Assessment
Ready to see where you stand with Data-Driven Communications? Take the DDC Assessment and get your personalized report to explore the framework at https://bit.ly/meltwater-ddc-assessment

Follow Earning Your Seat:

• Dino Delic, Head of the Data-Driven Comms Research Lab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinodelic/
• Genevieve Brammall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-brammall/
• Stephanie Lerdall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesheppard/
• Subscribe to the Earning Your Seat Newsletter: https://bit.ly/newsletter-ddc
• Join the Data-Driven Communications Community: https://community.meltwater.com/p/ddc

Get in Touch With Us
If you have any questions about this interview, email us at [email protected] 

There’s no denying that AI is in everything now, from countless LinkedIn posts on your feed to corporate workflows. But that doesn’t mean that it has to drive the conversation.

In this episode of Earning Your Seat—a Meltwater podcast, Dan Nestle gives us a practical approach to leveraging AI in communications. He’s a veteran communications strategist, the Founder and Chief Curiosity Officer of Inquisitive Communications, host of the podcast The Trending Communicator, and a leading voice in the discourse around AI.

Dan zooms in on the use of AI to drive thought leadership and how it has led to a rise in generic content. He cites Andy Crestodina’s definition of thought leadership as something that people can disagree with, stressing that high-quality work built on domain expertise will continue to stand out. 

From there, he urges AI users to go beyond automating menial tasks and instead leverage the tech to innovate and upskill.

Most importantly, Dan highlights the role of the human in managing AI use in high-stakes fields, like journalism. For Dan, the human can’t just be “in the loop”. The human must act as a manager for AI, seeing ideas through from start to finish and taking full accountability for the output.

You’ll hear Dan talk about the idea of AI as a “PhD in your pocket”, navigating AI visibility on search, and how teams in organizations can become AI-literate together.

Earning Your Seat is a Meltwater podcast.

Episode Highlights:

(00:00) Welcome to Earning Your Seat

(01:33) Thought Leadership and PR in the Age of AI

(05:15) How AI Changes the Way You Work

(09:27) Using AI to Surround Yourself With Expertise

(11:20) The Human as the Driver of AI

(13:52) Leveraging AI in Search

(17:36) How Teams Can Master AI Together

(19:54) Closing Thoughts: Making Sense of AI at Work and Our Lives

Connect with Dan:

• Dan Nestle on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nestle 
• Explore Inquisitive Communications: https://be-inquisitive.com/
• Listen to The Trending Communicator: https://www.trendingcommunicator.com/ 

Take the Data-Driven Communications Free Assessment

Ready to see where you stand with Data-Driven Communications? Take the DDC Assessment and get your personalized report to explore the framework at https://bit.ly/meltwater-ddc-assessment

Follow Earning Your Seat:

• Dino Delic, Head of the Data-Driven Comms Research Lab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinodelic/
• Genevieve Brammall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-brammall/
• Stephanie Lerdall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesheppard/
• Subscribe to the Earning Your Seat Newsletter: https://bit.ly/newsletter-ddc

Join the Data-Driven Communications Community: https://community.meltwater.com/p/ddc

In a world that is increasingly led by data-driven communications, how do you prove the true value of a story, a message, or a media hit?

In the first episode of Earning Your Seat — a Meltwater podcast, Johna Burke pulls back the curtain on an often-overlooked area of communications: measurement. As the CEO of AMEC (the Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication), Johna is at the forefront of redefining how we assess the impact of public relations, media coverage, and messaging.

Johna challenges us to rethink traditional metrics, like Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE), which have long been used to equate media value with advertising spend. Johna pulls no punches, explaining why AVE is a flawed metric that fails to capture the true essence of PR efforts.

What’s most refreshing about Johna is her humanity. While she’s an expert in metrics, she never loses sight of the fact that communications is about relationships, building trust, and creating value for audiences. 

You’ll hear Johna’s unique take on the intersection of communications and measurement, why she believes that "data leads" are more than just a trend, and how breaking down barriers in communications isn’t just about proving value, it’s about making real impact.

Earning Your Seat is a Meltwater podcast.

Episode Highlights:

(00:00) Welcome to Earning Your Seat

(02:30) Rethinking Communications Metrics

(06:10) The Trouble with AVE

(12:00) The Power of Data-Driven Insights

(16:40) "So What?" and "Now What?"

(21:15) The Art and Science of Measuring Impact

(25:30) Trust and Bias in Data

(31:50) How to Build Credibility Through Measurement

(37:00) The Pitfalls of Over-Solutioning
(41:30) Moving Beyond Outdated Metrics

(45:00) Closing Thoughts: Calibrating and Iterating Measurement

Connect with Johna:

• Johna Burke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gojohnab/
• Explore AMEC: https://amecorg.com/

Follow Earning Your Seat:

• Dino Delic, Head of the Data-Driven Comms Research Lab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinodelic/
• Genevieve Brammall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-brammall/?skipRedirect=true
• Stephanie Leradall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesheppard/
• Subscribe to the Earning Your Seat Newsletter: https://www.meltwater.com/
• Join the Data-Driven Comms Community: https://community.meltwater.com/p/ddc

This episode is the origin story for the Earning Your Seat podcast.

In this pilot episode, Dino Delic, Head of the Data-Driven Comms Research Lab at Meltwater, takes you behind the scenes of how Earning Your Seat came to life, and why it never really felt like a podcast. Along the way, you’ll meet the voices at the table: Genevieve Brammall, Head of PR at News Corp Australia, and Stephanie Lerdall, Head of Corporate Communications at Morningstar.

What started as a series of conversations about data-driven communication quickly became something else. A place to test ideas in real time. To ask questions without neat answers. To talk honestly about confidence, leadership, data, and what it actually means to show up in rooms where decisions get made.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing strong work but struggling to prove it, questioning your confidence, or wondering if you’ve truly earned your seat at the table, you’re not alone. This show is for you.

Welcome to Earning Your Seat, a Meltwater Podcast.

Follow Earning Your Seat:

• Dino Delic, Head of the Data-Driven Comms Research Lab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinodelic/
• Genevieve Brammall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-brammall/?skipRedirect=true
• Stephanie Lerdall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesheppard/
• Subscribe to Earning Your Seat Newsletter: https://www.meltwater.com/
• Join the Data-Driven Comms Community: https://community.meltwater.com/p/ddc

Communications leadership rarely comes with clear answers. Expectations shift, stakes rise. And at some point, the room starts looking to you.

Earning Your Seat is a podcast about learning how to lead in that moment.

Hosted by Dino Delic, who leads Meltwater’s Data Driven Communications Research Lab, alongside Genevieve Brammall, Head of PR at News Corp Australia, and Stephanie Lerdall, Head of Corporate Communications at Morningstar, the show brings together three distinct perspectives on modern communications leadership.

Each episode is built around real experience. The decisions that shape trust and the moments that test credibility. You can expect conversations with communications, marketing, and insights leaders who have earned their seat and are willing to share how they did it. What they learned the hard way. What they wish they had known sooner.

If you work in communications and want to show up prepared and credible when it matters most, this show is for you.

Listen to Earning Your Seat. Available now on all major streaming platforms.