Classically trained PR pros are used to earn media. But today, the lines between earned, owned and paid are totally blurred - and for good reason. Each of these should be used together to distribute a cohesive message across in an increasingly saturated market. In this episode, we're talking about this and more with Michael Smart, a nationally-recognized media relations trainer and coach. We also discuss how the line between journalist and influencer is becoming thinner.

More than 15 years ago, The Motherhood organized one of the first influencer campaigns in partnership with a well-known amusement park brand. In this episode, we talk with Kami Watson Huyse, the award-winning CEO of Zoetica Media and Smart Social Secrets, about the scrappy, earliest days of influencer programming + how hard it was to get brands to buy in. We're also getting into what AI and the Metaverse could mean going forward for influencer marketing.

Early bloggers, which we now know as influencers, were predominantly women (moms, specifically). Sponsored content was earnest and straightforward in the best of ways. There were no filters, nor the bells and whistles of tech that impacts content we see today.  More than a decade and a half prior, content appeared basic by today’s standards. However, one thing remains the same - the duty to tell a brand story truthfully, and the value of rooting that storytelling in experience. Trust and transparency remain at the forefront of good influencer content. Someone who knows this well is Ad Age senior reporter Phoebe Bain. Phoebe founded Morning Brew's Marketing Brew vertical before joining Ad Age, and focuses heavily on influencer marketing. In this interview, we speak with her about the trends she's been covering with brands and creators, and the shift she's seen in the industry in the last five years.

Skeptics often perpetuate the idea that influencer marketing is simply Instagrammers who take pretty photos. Or they stage too-perfect-to-be-real content with pre-written captions sent to them. But this is not the case. Many influencers are using their voices and platforms to raise awareness for important public issues. One example of an influencer we have worked with on several occasions is Jamilla Svansson-Brown. She and her wife Que share hilarious and relatable content of their daily life as parents and have amassed eight million views (and counting!) on YouTube. They also share content that aligns with their values and personal experience with adoption and the LGBTQ+ community.  Join us as we dig into Jamilla's perspective on the responsibility she feels around using her voice and platform for content that matters.