Episodes

PR and SEO have been converging for many years. While each has large areas that are distinct to that discipline, there is a huge crossover in goals and skills. And yet many communications professionals still struggle with the concept of authority link building and with the language and challenges that SEO presents. In this episode of the Digital Download Podcast, Head of Content at digital agency Aira Shannon McGuirk, discusses her switch from traditional PR to SEO. She talks about getting up t...

Smart speakers are the fastest adopted consumer technology in history. Faster even than smartphones. The current use case is around routine activities like voice calling, playing music and accessing news headlines, but digital voice assistants are widely expected to take on more and more complex tasks as the technology advances rapidly. In this episode of the Digital Download Podcast, co-founder of voice first consultancy Vixen Labs, James Poulter, talks about how voice technology is already im...

UK high street retailer Lush’s announcement that it is to close its branded social media accounts was met with reasoned agreement from some industry professionals and by relentless incredulity from others. It is a decision that has proved highly controversial in marketing communications circles. In this episode of the Digital Download Podcast, social media consultant Helen Reynolds and I debate whether Lush’s shuttering of its branded social media channels is sensible given the rise of dark soc...

ASMR, or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response to give it its full name, has been gaining lots of attention from marketers over the last few months. But what are opportunities? Are ASMR artists influential? And what actually is it? In this episode of the Digital Download Podcast I talk to ASMR artists Creative Calm and Scottish Murmurs, who between them have 400,000 YouTube subscribers. We discuss how ASMR is perceived, what sorts of people watch the videos, what the opportunities are for market...

Both podcasting and blogging have been around for nearly thirty years. But whereas the former has undergone a huge resurgence due to developments in mobile technology and 4G, the latter is in decline as readers switch to more immersive forms of content. Both still hold significant benefits for marketing communications, but which is better? In this episode of the Digital Download Podcast I debate the issue with Darryl Sparey, Business Development Director at Hotwire UK. Darryl believes that blog...

A year ago I wrote a rather controversial blog post titled ‘The Four Horsemen of the PR-Pocalypse’ that outlined four key threats to the communications industry. I asserted that the prevalence of fake news, an influencer bubble, declining content visibility in both social and traditional media, and the evolution of artificial intelligence are coming together to form a perfect storm around public relations. In this episode of the Digital Download Podcast I revisit that blog post to look at how t...

As users turn away from public social networks to using private groups and dark social media, reaching those people with branded messages is becoming more and more difficult. In accordance with this, employee advocacy is on the rise, with an increasing number of companies focusing on their own staff to spread their messages far and wide. In this episode of the Digital Download Podcast I talk to Keith Lewis, Social Media Manager at Zurich Insurance UK, about the organisation’s journey over the l...

Artificial intelligence has been variously painted as the next big thing, the technology that will all-but-kill communications and the development that will increase efficiency and productivity exponentially. But where does the truth lie? Is AI all just hype? Do we really need to bother with it yet when no-one else is? Katie King is a digital transformation and management consultant, and was recently appointed to the UK Government All-Party Parliamentary Group task force for the enterprise adop...

Facebook has taken a battering in the last few months from the media, from marketers and from legislators. And yet on the face of it, users don’t seem to care that much. Or do they? In the opening episode of Season Four of the Digital Download podcast, MD of Third City PR Chris Blackwood and I debate one of the big issues of the digital marketing industry at the current time. Can Facebook survive an increasing torrent of criticism and falling user engagement? Is it already too late when it come...

In the final episode of the Digital Download Podcast of the year, I welcome back Arment Dietrich CEO and Spin Sucks head honcho Gini Dietrich to review the last 12 months and look ahead to the next year. We analyse some of the predictions we made back in January on S1E1 of the podcast, and we try to project where we believe the digital communications industry is headed over the next 12 months. We cover areas including influencers, voice recognition, Facebook marketing, artificial intelligence, ...

The public relations industry is one of the most insecure professions around. They might be universally despised, but traffic wardens believe in themselves more than PR people. In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I address some of the conversations driving the industry over the last month and take the opportunity to voice some frustrations that have been building recently. It’s a very honest and forthright show containing some potentially divisive views. The intention is to help you...

Every year the PRCA Digital PR report throws up some unexpected findings from the world of digital communications, and this year is no different. Among the headlines are that although PR teams are controlling more social and digital media activity, they’re less confident in measuring it! In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I talk to Danny Whatmough, Chair of the PRCA Digital Group and MD for Integrated Media at Weber Shandwick, about some of the findings and what the implications ar...

Diversity is a hot topic in the public relations and communications industry. But while issues such as the gender pay gap and mental health receive a lot of attention, other issues such as racial equality, sexual orientation and disability do not. In addition, the industry does not appear to be making much, if any progress. In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I talk to Sara Hawthorn, hard of hearing owner of InFusion Comms and diversity campaigner, about how the industry can better ...

The convergence of public relations, social media and SEO is nearly complete, and one area where the lines are now completely blurred is that of authority link building. And yet PR professionals still question their ability to build links that impact search rankings and are confused by how to go about it. In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I talk to Andy Barr, owner of 10 Yetis, to address some of the key questions that public relations and communications people commonly ask about ...

Advances in digital communications technology over the last few years have made the ability to work from anywhere at any time a reality. Whether it’s automated processes or a greater ability to share information quickly and effectively, the world of PR work is changing rapidly before our eyes. In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I talk to Rich Leigh, founder of Radioactive PR, about his decision to switch his agency to a four day work week without cutting pay. We discuss what prompt...

It’s no secret that the media has changed beyond all recognition in the last ten years, with print circulations down by 50% and digital news sites struggling to turn a profit. As a result, the symbiotic relationship between journalists and public relations professionals has become even more strained. In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I talk to veteran tech and business journalist Guy Clapperton about how digital has changed journalism and about how journalists now operate. We also...

There are good PR stunts and there are bad PR stunts. The good ones create a massive groundswell of publicity and awareness that can help to propel a brand’s fame and reputation to a new level. The bad ones float something large down the Thames… In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I chat to co-founder of Young in Spirit Camilla Brown about Collagin, the collagen-infused gin that she and business partner Liz Beswick dreamed up as a PR stunt but that is now on sale in John Lewis and O...

There is no escaping the march of technology and the impact it is having on our professional lives. And yet some more senior PR and communications professionals are running scared when the simple fact is that we all have to embrace change to remain relevant. In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I chat to author and founder of Zude PR, David Sawyer, about the journey he’s gone through in the last five years from digital dullard to writing a book about future proofing your career using...

Last week Brewdog came under fire for a story that turned out not only to be untrue, but that came from a hard-to-identify source. It is the perfect example of the challenges facing brands in a post-Trump, post-Brexit world where misinformation holds as much if not more weight than the truth. In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I discuss the phenomenon of fake news with Alex Myers, CEO of Brewdog’s PR agency, Manifest. He candidly opens up about the circumstances surrounding the sto...

When Nike published its latest advertisement featuring racial injustice campaigner Colin Kaepernick, it sparked a torrent of abuse for the brand from those who disagree with Kaepernick’s stance. It also prompted an outpouring of admiration from supportive consumers and marketers alike. To say it is controversial is an understatement. In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I discuss Nike’s approach with Stephen Houraghan, who runs Australian branding agency Iconic Fox. We talk about how...

In the opening episode of Season Three of the Digital Download podcast, we take a look at some of the emerging technologies that digital communications professionals need to start paying attention to. Using Gartner’s Hype Cycle as a reference point, communications technology expert Neville Hobson and I discuss what’s predicted to hit the mainstream within the next two to three years. Through the lens of public relations and marketing communications, we analyse the impact that these might have an...

In the final episode of Season Two of the Digital Download podcast, we take a look at some of the major themes to have emerged from the show during the last three months. MD of Carrot Communications and co-founder of Polpeo Kate Hartley and I discuss how, despite the podcast being primarily about how digital technology is impacting the communications industry, the outstanding message to come through is one of humanity. We talk about what this means in terms of technologies including social media...

Hard rock band Halestorm won a Grammy Award in 2013 and is about to release its fourth album in nine years on Atlantic Records. Lead singer Lzzy Hale is one of the most popular and likeable frontwomen (or men) on social media, where she is pretty much ever-present on Twitter and Instagram. But does popularity pay? I caught up with Lzzy and guitarist Joe Hottinger (who, incidentally, are two of the nicest people you could wish to meet) on a recent media trip to London to promote their new record...

The word ‘community’ is often misused by communications professionals, many of whom fail to grasp the fundamental nature of community and how to leverage it. But when deployed strategically, with a clear purpose and focus on the members not the administrator, online communities can provide huge business value. In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I talk to Gemma Went, a digital strategist who has built a successful mentoring business by building a vibrant online community. We discuss...