Host: Sean Barber – https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ – He/Him

In this episode of Search With Sean, I’m joined by a panel of experienced digital PR experts to discuss what makes a successful digital PR campaign today, how AI is changing the industry and how smaller brands can generate meaningful coverage without enormous budgets.

Joining me for this discussion are:

James Roach – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesroachpr/

Thomas Chivers – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomchivers/

Pat Ahern – https://www.linkedin.com/in/pahern/

The panel discuss:

- The digital PR campaigns delivering the strongest results right now

- Why reactive PR and expert commentary have become so effective

- How brands can create genuinely useful and newsworthy campaigns

- Using AI without losing authentic expert insight

- How to stand out in increasingly crowded journalist inboxes

- The growing problem of fake AI-generated experts

- Whether paywalls reduce the value of digital PR coverage

- How smaller brands can achieve results with limited budgets

Topics covered include:

- Why traditional “best cities for…” campaigns are losing their impact

- Combining different datasets to create useful and original stories

- Preparing expert commentary before major news events

- Building commentary banks through recorded client conversations

- Using Claude, NotebookLM and transcription tools to organise expert knowledge

- Keeping creativity and first-hand experience at the centre of PR

- Testing subject lines, pitches and expert credentials- Creating “proof of life” packs to verify genuine experts

- AI detection, watermarks and the risk of false positives

- Measuring brand awareness and SEO value beyond direct traffic

- Using reactive PR, Google Trends and proprietary data on smaller budgets

Thank you to our partners:

SEO Gets, the easy-to-use analytics and reporting tool for your GSC & GA4 data.

Be sure to check out the tool and use code search10 for 10% off: https://seogets.com/

Linkavista — A backlink marketplace built for SEOs who want more transparency. With access to thousands of websites, real traffic insights through Google Search Console connections, and an easier way to find relevant opportunities.

Use code SEAN10 for 10% extra credit on your first order:https://linkavista.com/

Host: Sean Barber – https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ – He/Him

In this episode of Search With Sean, I’m joined by a panel of experienced speakers, marketers and communications experts to discuss how to prepare for public speaking, manage nerves and deliver presentations that audiences genuinely remember.

Joining me for this discussion are:

Erica Anderson Rooney – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericarooney/

Molly St. Louis – https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-st-louis-4359bb55/

Jamie D’Alessandro – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jldalessandro/

Marjolein Schollaert – https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjoleinschollaert/

Joshua Squires – https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshsquiresrva/

The panel discuss:

- How to prepare effectively for a talk or presentation

- Rehearsal techniques that build confidence and improve delivery

- Whether speakers should memorise presentations or use cue cards

- Practical ways to manage nerves and anxiety

- Developing an authentic public-speaking style

- How storytelling, emotion and actionable advice make talks memorable

Topics covered include:

- Structuring presentations around a clear narrative

- Practising speeches aloud and identifying difficult phrases

- Personalising talks for a particular audience

- Memorising openings, closings and key transitions

- Using notes, slides and stage positions as prompts

- Reframing nerves as excitement

- Finding friendly faces within the audience

- Avoiding unhelpful comparisons with other speakers

- Combining personal stories with practical takeaways

- Creating emotional connections and memorable “aha” moments

Thank you to our partners:

SEO Gets, the easy-to-use analytics and reporting tool for your GSC & GA4 data.

Be sure to check out the tool and use code search10 for 10% off: https://seogets.com/

Linkavista — A backlink marketplace built for SEOs who want more transparency. With access to thousands of websites, real traffic insights through Google Search Console connections, and an easier way to find relevant opportunities.

Use code SEAN10 for 10% extra credit on your first order:https://linkavista.com/

Host: Sean Barber — https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ (He/Him)

In this Search With Sean panel episode, I’m joined by Chloe Meadows, James Brockbank, Amanda Walls, Vince Nero and Natalie Trice to discuss the changing role of digital PR and how it fits into the future of SEO, AI search and brand building.

We explore how digital PR has evolved beyond simply earning links, why brand mentions and authority are becoming increasingly important in an AI-driven search landscape, and what separates campaigns that create real business impact from those that simply generate coverage.

The panel also discusses campaign relevance, journalist relationships, measuring PR success, avoiding vanity metrics, and why digital PR needs to work alongside SEO, content and wider marketing teams.

My Guests:

Chloe Meadows — https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloemeadowspr/

James Brockbank — https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-brockbank/

Amanda Walls — https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandajwalls/

Vince Nero — https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinnero/

Natalie Trice — https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-trice/

Topics Covered:

- What Digital PR Means In 2026: How the discipline has evolved from link building into a broader brand authority and trust-building strategy

- Digital PR vs Link Building: Why digital PR should not simply be viewed as a way to earn links and why context, relevance and reputation matter more

- AI Search & Brand Authority: How digital PR can help search engines and AI models understand who brands are and what they are trusted for

- Building Entities & Trust Signals: Why mentions, expertise and third-party validation are becoming increasingly important

- The Relationship Between SEO & Digital PR: Why PR cannot operate in isolation and needs to align with SEO, content, product and wider marketing goals

- Why Relevance Matters More Than Ever: Moving away from generic campaigns and focusing on topics that genuinely connect with audiences and brands

- Creating Digital PR Campaigns That Stand Out: Why creativity, emotion, uniqueness and understanding your audience are critical to breaking through journalist inboxes

- The Changing Role Of Journalists: How media challenges, crowded inboxes and changing publishing models are impacting PR professionals

- Brand Building vs Vanity Metrics: Why coverage numbers, link counts and estimated reach are not enough without understanding the real impact

- Measuring Digital PR Success: Moving beyond awareness metrics and focusing on business outcomes, conversions and meaningful influence

- Can Digital PR Fix A Broken Brand?: Why PR cannot replace strong products, technical SEO, good content or customer experiences

- The Future Of Digital PR: How AI, search changes and evolving consumer behaviour will continue shaping the industry

Thank you to our partners:

SEO Gets, the easy-to-use analytics and reporting tool for your GSC & GA4 data. Be sure to check out the tool and use code search10 for 10% off: https://seogets.com/

Linkavista — A backlink marketplace built for SEOs who want more transparency. With access to thousands of websites, real traffic insights through Google Search Console connections, and an easier way to find relevant opportunities.

Use code SEARCH10 for 10% extra credit on your first order:https://linkavista.com/