BuzzStream Digital PR and Link Building Podcast

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Jun 2026

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Join host Vince Nero as he interviews link building, SEO, and digital PR experts to bring you tips and tricks for better coverage and rankings.

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60 recent

June 11, 2026Episode 4545 min

How SEO and Digital PR Work Together | Kevin Gibbons & Darren Kingman

In this episode, SEO veteran Kevin Gibbons (founder of Resignal) and digital PR expert Darren Kingman (founder of Root Digital) share why they joined forces and how SEO and digital PR work better together. Discover practical insights on tying campaigns to products, proving ROI through revenue, building link reputation, and avoiding vanity metrics in the modern search landscape.⏰ Chapters[00:00] Introduction[01:24] Why Resignal Expanded Into Digital PR[05:46] Why Root Digital Joined Forces[06:45] The Synergy Between SEO and Digital PR[09:17] Surveying Clients: Why Digital PR Was the Fit[11:17] Links for Links' Sake vs. Brand-Led PR[14:54] Should Campaigns Be Tied to Specific Products?[17:28] Commercial Angle, PR Hook & SEO Value[18:43] Vanity Metrics and Client Pushback[20:57] The Paris Syndrome Campaign: A Case Study[23:07] Drawing the Through-Line From PR to Rankings[27:36] Why Revenue Is the KPI[32:02] The "1,000 Links a Month" Problem[34:11] When a Brand Doesn't Need Links[38:50] Merging Two Agencies: Navigating Differences[44:47] Where to Find Kevin & Darren🔗 LinksResignal - https://resignal.comRoot Digital - https://rootdigital.co.ukListIQ Media List Builder - https://buzzstream.com/listiq

June 3, 2026Episode 4453 min

Why Your PR Campaigns Flop Outside the UK (And How to Fix It)

International digital PR is something I don't have much experience with, so this was a fun one to record. I sat down with Libby Windle and Eirini Theodoridou of Connective3 to dig into what it actually takes to run digital PR across borders.We talk building a team, ideating for different markets, and pitching to journalists who all work differently depending on where they are.We also get into why native speakers are non-negotiable, why the city-index campaign is running out of road, what content lands in Europe versus the US, and how to keep up with trends across a dozen different media landscapes.🔗 Links and resourcesCheck out Connective3: https://connective3.com/Connect with Libby and Erini on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eirinitheodoridou/https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-windle-9497b486/Try List IQ, our AI-powered media list building tool:https://www.buzzstream.com/listiq/⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Intro02:16 – How Connective3 got into international PR08:09 – Building a team with native experts12:19 – Ideating & pitching for different markets16:54 – The tactical differences between countries25:30 – Starting from scratch: team & content strategy33:32 – Are city-index campaigns played out?39:18 – Where to expand first from the UK43:45 – Keeping up with trends across markets48:53 – Final advice for going internationalLike, subscribe, and share with your colleagues 🙏

May 27, 2026Episode 4353 min

What Can Digital PRs Learn From Journalists? W/ Jade Denby and Sam Forrester

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.⏰ Timestamps00:00 — Introduction01:42 — Meet Jade Denby and Sam Forrester04:06 — Sam's 15 years at Reach PLC06:14 — What digital PRs misunderstand about newsrooms10:32 — How Jade has adapted her digital PR strategy17:43 — A day in the life of a news editor22:23 — How to be more strategic with your pitching30:35 — The fake expert problem at Reach PLC35:30 — 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/

May 20, 2026Episode 4233 min

Beauty PR Masterclass: How to Build Real Relationships and Get Coverage

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.⏰ Chapters00:00 Introduction01:35 A Day in the Life of a Freelance Journalist05:48 The Shift from Print to Digital Media09:50 Challenges in the Beauty PR Industry11:56 Understanding Effective Pitches17:05 The Importance of Storytelling in Pitches20:55 Building Relationships with Journalists27:02 Effective Communication Strategies31:31 Consultancy and Substack Insights🔗 Links and Resources:https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/beauty-pr-podcast/https://www.clairecoleman.com/http://beautygeekery.substack.comhttps://www.buzzstream.com/listiq/

May 6, 2026Episode 4151 min

Scams, Spam, and the Future of Link Building with Lars Lofgren

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.⏰ Timestamps00:05 – Intro02:02 – The Highland cow scam09:08 – Why marketers should study the dark side of the internet14:25 – The Codesmith case30:38 – The Forbes Advisor35:36 – Old-school black hat tactics40:45 – How HCU flipped the equation47:43 – Why digital PR is having a renaissance51:49 – 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.comhttps://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/

April 29, 2026Episode 4041 min

Veteran Journalist shares the SECRET to Landing Media Coverage in 2026

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 misinformation06:51 – Are journalists using AI to generate story ideas?12:00 – UK vs. US PR: key differences in approach15:42 – How Rob uncovered the fake expert story (Barbara Santini)20:57 – What old-school newspaper journalism taught Rob about what makes a story25:58 – What PR pros should be pitching in 202630:36 – How to find the hook: always pitch the headline36:31 – 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/

April 22, 2026Episode 3942 min

How to Pitch Journalists Like a PR Pro with Carly Martinetti

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.⏰ Chapters0:00 – Intro4:54 – 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 zone26:29 – Creating an angle from nothing vs. piggybacking on a trend28:58 – What does a great pitch actually look like?34:11 – Breaking news vs. evergreen pitches — knowing the difference🐝 LinksConnect with Carly: linkedin.com/in/prcarly/Notably: notablypr.comTry List IQ free: buzzstream.com/listiq/

April 14, 2026Episode 3836 min

Is Google Really Killing the News Industry?

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.⏰ TIMESTAMPS0:00 — Introduction2:40 — What is "Google Zero"?7:46 — The problems with Chartbeat's traffic data11:29 — Which publishers are actually thriving — and why13:30 — AI overviews aren't new: a history of Google enriching results15:41 — The New York Times model: smart diversification vs. chasing traffic18:58 — How Americans are changing where they get their news25:59 — The multimodal content strategy: one story, many channels27:28 — What Google Zero means for digital PR29:48 — Why mentions matter as much as links in the AI era🔗 LINKS & RESOURCESFull 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/▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬📬 SUBSCRIBE for weekly episodes on digital PR, SEO, and media strategy.

April 7, 2026Episode 3745 min

The Secret to Building Links That Impact Revenue from Garrett French

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 – Intro02:26 – What are citable elements?07:23 – Decisioning efficiency11:16 – Friction-inducing, latent, unasked questions15:29 – Does traditional keyword research still have a place?18:29 – How customer research feeds your link building and PR strategy25:38 – Why Garrett started tracking link impact30:08 – AI overviews, LLMs, and what's actually changing33:51 – What "helpful content" actually means — and why it's scary43:55 – Where to find Garrett: Citation Labs, Zip Sprout, and Xofu🔗Links:Citation Labs: citationlabs.comZip Sprout: zipsprout.comXofu: xofu.comGarrett on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/garrettfrenchFull episode: https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/bottom-line-link-building-podcast/

March 31, 2026Episode 3634 min

Why You Don't Need to Panic About AI Citations

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.⏰ Timestamps0:00 – Intro1:53 – The LLM sources study that sparked the panic3:01 – Why you shouldn't overhaul your strategy6:20 – The problem with chasing Reddit citations9:20 – Why LLMs are giving PR people more buy-in for niche placements12:42 – Knowledge base vs. retrieval layer explained16:45 – Why brand mentions are finally winning the argument21:22 – Start with brand messaging before anything else28:25 – What "Citation Core" means for your niche30:44 – The bigger opportunity for PR and social🔗 Links and Resources mentioned:https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/llm-volatility-strategy-podcast/brandauthority.clubhttps://backlinko.com/llm-sourceshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amandamilligan/https://www.buzzstream.com/listiq