For Immediate Release Podcast #37: Must we now pitch news to Snapchat?

Today’s panel features Serena Ehrlich, director of social and evolving media at BusinessWire; Dave Fleet, executive vice president and national practice lead for digital at Edelman in Toronto; and Martin Waxman, president of Martin Waxman Communications in Toronto (and co-host of the Inside PR podcast here on the FIR Podcast Network). With three PR pros on the panel, we covered a mix of PR-related topics, including…

* New data from Pew Research shows most Americans get their news from social networks

* Who’s in the best position to manage social media: brand agencies, search agencies, marketing agencies, or PR agencies?

* Was the incident with the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus a crisis or an issue for Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres?

* Can Egypt Air really force the media to stick only to the facts presented in its press releases?

* The role of emotional intelligence (EQ) in public relations

* The podcast audience continues to grow, and it’s a highly desirable one, according to Edison Research

* Brands are becoming documentary filmmakers

* Can you apply a formula to content to make it go viral?

* Dan York reports on changes to Twitter and Periscope, Verizon’s efforts to become a content company, and Iran’s data demands

Connect with our panelists on Twitter at @Serena, @davefleet, and @martinwaxman

Links to the source material for this episode are on Delicious.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

About today’s panel:

Over the last 20 years, Serena Ehrlich has worked to provide guidance on investor relations, public relations and overall consumer behavior relations trends. Ehrlich started her career in advertising where she developed an understanding of branding from a large-scale perspective, but she credits her 17 years in the newswire industry for placing her at the forefront of the technical, sociological and influential revolution changing the face of today’s customer communications. Before rejoining Business Wire in 2013, Ehrlich designed and implemented successful local, national and international social, mobile and traditional marketing campaigns for brands including Kraft, Kohls, Avon, Mattel and more. A ’91 graduate of Brandeis University with a B.A. in History, Ehrlich was named one of the 2013 Top 25 Women in Mobile to Watch by Mobile Marketer.

Dave Fleet is Senior Vice President of Edelman Digital for the Canada East region, where he leads the practice with a team of more than 35 communicators who develop and implement innovative digital engagement strategies for brands like kraft, Mondelez, payPal, eBay, TELUS, Intuit, and a host of others. Before joining Edelman, Dave was Vice President and Account Director responsible for social media at Thornley Fallis Communications. He also co-organized Podcamp Toronto as a volunteer gig. Dave spent several years working in communication jobs for the Government of Ontario.

Martin Waxman has over 25 years of experience in creative and business writing, video and audio producing, public relations and journalism and can work with you and your team to help his clients discover, shape and develop their content marketing programs, set up online newsrooms, and identify and build relationships with influencers to amplify their stories via social PR. Based in Toronto, Martin is aa blogger and podcaster. He also speaks on social media trends at events around North America.