Social Pros Podcast

In the world of podcasting, the most important element is the story you’re trying to tell. You can have all the best equipment at hand, but it’s the story that makes it. We’re getting a little meta this week with a podcast episode about podcast episodes and storytelling with Elaine Appleton Grant, CEO of Podcast Allies and Host of the Sound Judgment podcast. Full Episode Details Now, we’re no strangers to sharing great stories on this podcast. But this episode is a little different. We peek behind the curtain and look at what it takes to unravel these stories in a podcast. And it all begins with the host. The host of Sound Judgment and CEO of Podcast Allies, Elaine Appleton Grant, gives us a masterclass on how to tell a great story by asking great questions and being curious above all.  Elaine shares plenty of anecdotes from her career and the brilliant public speakers and podcasters she’s met along the way, including the former host of this very podcast, Jay Baer. In each of these stories, Elaine breaks down

Joseph Galbo, Social Media Specialist at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is a certified friend of the Social Pros podcast! We’re thrilled to have him back as a third-time guest on the show to talk about his work at CPSC and his tips for making safety content fun and engaging. Full Episode Details How do you take something like product safety information and turn it into a library of fun, interesting, and entertaining content? Well, Joseph Galbo, Social Media Specialist at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, shares his secrets in this episode. We hear a rundown of what social is like at CSPC, how it’s changed since we last spoke, and Joseph’s creative approach to getting important information out there. Joseph shares stories of unique social campaigns he’s worked on, from the CPSC album drop to its Marvel-like universe of characters, including Potato the Dog, Copernicus Jackson the Cat, and Quinn the Quarantine Fox, who all share important messages with the public. Aside from talking abou

This episode with Fractional VP of Social Media at Social Proof Agency, Robyn Nissim, is a masterclass in social media. Hear about her journey from in-house roles to fractional work, the importance of investing in social media, and much more.  Full Episode Details This episode welcomes Robyn Nissim, who shares her journey from Head of Social at big brands such as Alo Yoga and Anastasia Beverly Hills to her current role as Fractional VP of Social Media for a variety of brands. Robyn reflects on the pivotal shift towards a digital-first approach and emphasizes the importance of adapting in the dynamic social landscape. Host Leanna Pham and guest co-host Sunny Hunt talk to Robyn about how vital it is to invest properly in social, and she highlights the percentage of online users that are influenced by brand social media—a compelling stat that shows just how important it is for brands to be engaging effectively. They talk about the value of tracking impressions, click-through rates, and cultural impact, emphasizi

How does an Ivy League school manage its social media with a small team? We asked Maya Wesby, Social Media Manager at Harvard Graduate School of Education, for some insider insights into her role on this week’s Social Pros. Full Episode Details With a small social media team consisting of Maya Wesby (Social Media Manager) and a student intern, a key part of Maya’s role is wearing many different hats. While challenging, Maya’s realm of responsibility includes creating social-first content for multiple platforms, videos, editorial content for the website, and even a podcast on top of it all. Maya joins this episode of Social Pros to share her secrets to balancing it all and creating engaging content for students, alumni, faculty members, and anyone else interested in learning about the school. In this episode, we hear how Maya has become a master at prioritizing the best content to work on, how she jumps on opportunities to create new content, and where she gets inspiration from. We also hear a bit about her pe

HeyOrca, the uniquely named social media scheduler, is one to keep an eye on for some community-driven content inspiration. Their CEO, Joe Teo joins this episode of Social Pros to share his vision behind collaborative work, building a community, and the story behind the name HeyOrca. Full Episode Details Joe Teo is the CEO, aka “Chief Executive Orca,” at HeyOrca, a social media scheduler built to make collaboration between social teams simpler. He joins the Social Pros podcast to share his philosophy on a community-first approach to social media and advice for social pros to lean into the communities they want to build. Joe explains where the idea behind HeyOrca came from and how important it was to build a tool that makes collaboration easier within social and marketing teams. He talks about customer feedback and how that’s helped HeyOrca to evolve, optimizing video content for social, and the important question you should ask yourself before you post something. In This Episode: 2:04 - A little background o

Social media for brands has evolved and a big driver of the shift has been the emergence of the creator economy. Audiences resonate with organic, user-generated content on a level rarely seen with other strategies. To talk more about how creators can evolve on social, we welcomed Katelyn Sorensen, the CEO of Planoly. Full Episode Details Planoly is the first social media management tool built by creators, for creators, and CEO Katelyn Sorensen shares her story on the podcast. In this episode, we hear how Planoly helps creators manage their content more effectively and how it partners with many creators to promote the tool. Katelyn is a big fan of the supportive nature of the creator economy, and Planoly’s partnership program makes it easier to connect with creators who want to tell the world how much they love Planoly. We discuss the realities of being a creator and how consistency can pay off in a field with a low barrier to entry but a huge mountain to climb to reach success. Katelyn talks a bit about the

Are you ready to build a brand and become a creator? Then this episode of Social Pros is for you. We revisited one of our favorite episodes from 2023 with DoctorJonPaul. They are the Executive Producer of the BFF: Black, Fat, Femme Podcast, a writer, media critic, speaker, educator…and the list goes on. Hear their secrets to balancing it all while staying grounded.  Full Episode Details  It’s hard to explain everything DoctorJonPaul, Executive Producer of the BFF: Black, Fat, Femme Podcast, achieves with their content, but it’s an inspirational feat. DoctorJonPaul somehow manages to balance writing, creating, podcasting, public speaking, educating, and everything in between and has built a brand that people stop and take notice of.  We hear how they got their start on X originally but expanded to create a web of content and a strong personal brand that goes beyond just one platform. DoctorJonPaul explains why they decided to experiment with different platforms, and we hear about the origin story behind

Higher education may have been slower to adopt modern marketing practices and technology like AI, but higher ed marketer Bart Caylor is on a mission to change that. As President and Founder of Caylor Solutions and The Higher Ed Marketer, Bart joins the Social Pros podcast to share his lessons on the best marketing practices for higher ed.   Full Episode Details  Bart Caylor, President and Founder of Caylor Solutions and The Higher Ed Marketer, predicts a declining demand for higher ed in the future, meaning schools will face greater competition for a smaller pool of potential students. So, it’s more important than ever that higher ed invests in great marketing practices.  In this episode, Bart shares his predictions for the future of higher ed marketing, what he tries to teach institutions that have been slower to adapt to modern marketing practices, and how schools can utilize AI effectively. Bart believes that AI is often underused, but the trick is learning how to train the AI to give you the result

Brands and agencies are increasingly using influencers and creators to collaborate on social media content, but it’s still a brand new world for many in the social media space. Nathan Jun Poekert, Fractional Head of Social & Consultant, Founder of JUN Social, joins us on the Social Pros podcast to share his take on the current landscape of influencer marketing and collaborating with creators.   Full Episode Details   For influencers/creators and agencies to work in harmony, both sides may need to evolve in one way or another. This is one of the top takeaways from Nathan Jun Poekert, Fractional Head of Social & Consultant, Founder of JUN Social, in this episode of Social Pros.   As someone who’s collaborated with creators many times, Nathan shares his experiences and why he always prefers to work with creators who treat their work like a business, not just a creative venture. He gives his thoughts on influencer pay, how to attribute success the right way, and why timeliness is the golden ticket

Content creators each have their own journeys and secrets to success, but for Justin Tse, content creator and CEO of Feature Media, it’s all about staying focused and consistently creating content that you love.  Full Episode Details   Two years since he was last on the show, Justin Tse, content creator and CEO of Feature Media, joins us on this episode of Social Pros to share some insights into how to succeed in content creation.  Justin explains how he’s able to stay focused and invested in his own work while maintaining a healthy audience in multiple niches. Starting out as a tech channel, Justin has branched out into lifestyle, travel, and car content, and this has proven to be beneficial in many ways, especially when it comes to brand partnerships.   We hear Justin’s advice on finding inspiration versus copying what others are creating and why it’s so important to build your own formula for success. Justin also shares his advice for new content creators and explains what he would focus on if he

If you're in the market for career advice, this is the episode of Social Pros you need. We speak to Eric Stark, co-founder and President at Slate who provides some excellent reminders on how to be a decent human being, a great colleague and ultimately progress in your career.   Full Episode Details  This week’s guest is Eric Stark, Co-founder and President at Slate, and previously with the NFL in several different capacities. He joins this episode to tell us about his transition from working in social for a massive organization like the NFL to launching and running his own successful start-up.   He opens up about his own career progression and how he believes social pros, wherever they are in their career, can set themselves up for success. Eric has a deep understanding of what it’s like to manage the expectations of multiple teams when it comes to social and provides his thoughts on how to get your wins acknowledged and appreciated by your organization. Plus, why it’s important not to be too precious

If you want to showcase the experience of being a student, who better to ask than the students themselves? We shine the spotlight on Boston University’s student creator program with Director of Social Media Dave McDonald. Much like with user-generated content, student creators bring authenticity, creativity, and expert knowledge to their audience.  Full Episode Details   Dave McDonald, Boston University’s Director of Social Media, joins Social Pros to talk about his Terrier Creator Program - a program for student social media creators to produce content about student life.   The program has been a huge success since its launch. BU’s social media content is fresh, engaging, and highly targeted to its audience because student creators have in-depth knowledge of what the target audience wants to see and engage with.   Dave explains how the program operates, his approach to coaching students, and why he prefers to let the students flex their creativity rather than restrict them with formal creative brief

Animal pics brighten our day here at Convince & Convert. We’re sure you can relate! But we’ve found out that there’s so much more to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s social than animal pics. We’re thrilled to welcome their Senior Social Media Manager, Taylor Moore, onto Social Pros to tell us more.   Full Episode Details   Everyone loves animal content on social feeds, right? But what goes into the marketing behind animal content for San Diego Zoo, and how do they tap into humanity’s love for animals and garner meaningful results in the process?  On this episode of Social Pros, Taylor explores why wildlife conservation sits at the very heart of their content strategy and tells us the importance of storytelling on social.  Plus, she shares the story of how she posted a certain viral ‘dik dik pic’ and why great content can be cheeky as long as it’s relevant to your cause.  In This Episode:  2:14 - Taylor explains what the San Diego Zoo is and stands for 2:40 – The difference between San Dieg

If you feel like your social strategy has plateaued, Michael Corcoran, Ex-Head of Social at Ryanair and Managing Partner of Frankly, has some bold suggestions for how you can refresh your approach on this episode of Social Pros.  Full Episode Details   Do you ever feel like you’re posting the same type of content over and over, but not getting the reach or ROI you once were? It can be easy to get stuck in a rut when you’re making risk-free decisions. This is why Michael Corcoran believes it’s time to be bold and question your choices.  In this episode of Social Pros, Michael tells us how brands can pull themselves out of the “sea of sameness” by re-evaluating their priorities on social. He shares how he helped transform Ryanair’s content marketing strategy as their Head of Social and gives us three foundations for a successful strategy.  Michael believes social media is “the biggest pyramid scheme since Tupperware” and in this episode, he tells us why!   In This Episode:  2:07 – Michael’s time

Cut through the noise on LinkedIn with expert advice from Social Media Strategist and Brand Marketer, Jacqueline Joyner, as she joins this episode of Social Pros.  Full Episode Details   When it comes to creating and consuming B2B content, LinkedIn is the place to be. But with content saturation placing obstacles in your way, how can you create the content that gets your message heard?  Joining Social Pros to share her expert insights, predictions and expertise is Social Media Strategist and Brand Marketer, Jacqueline Joyner. She explains why there’s no secret sauce for social and why she champions experimentation, gut feeling and demonstrating value.  Don’t get her wrong though - there are some best practices she swears by! Jacqueline explains why leveraging data is essential to running a successful social media strategy.  In This Episode:  1:44 – Discussing Jacqueline’s career  5:33 – Why evolution is vital for sustained success on social  6:20 – What to bear in mind when approaching soci

Some brands are built for social media, and FIBA 3x3 is certainly one of them. Their Digital Content Manager, Esteban Gonzalez, shares how their community-led strategy transcends borders on the Social Pros podcast.  Full Episode Details   FIBA 3x3 is a sporting discipline that is just perfect for social. But how do they keep their community spirit alive with a global audience?  Esteban Gonzalez favors a rare tactic – opening the organization’s DMs to the public. This allows him to take suggestions, leverage UGC and foster a “family atmosphere,” as he explains on this episode of Social Pros.  Esteban tells us how his team keeps community front of mind, whether it’s creating regular content or being on-site at events. He shares how FIBA 3x3 adds spontaneity to their content and how they welcome new fans into their community.  Plus, he shares why, if you’re passionate about content, you just need to create it and the opportunities will come.  In This Episode:  1:33 – Esteban introduces FIBA 3x3 

If there’s one message social pros should live by, it’s to trust ourselves. Find out why as Jay Acunzo, Host of Unthinkable and Co-Founder of Creative Kitchen, returns to Social Pros.    Full Episode Details   When it comes to social, it’s not always easy to trust your instincts. But the most authentic content that resonates with the most people comes when social pros believe in themselves. Jay Acunzo, Host of Unthinkable and Co-Founder of Creative Kitchen, tells us why as he kicks off 2024 with a bang.  We’ve all felt the weight of bosses’ expectations, brand guidelines and our own insecurities, but it’s time we flexed our creative muscles and felt empowered to share innovative ideas.  As Jay explains, audiences love marketing that feels human, and trusting your instincts allows you to share raw insights that no-one else can. He explains why trying new things, telling engaging and unique stories and making the content you really want to make is the key to success on social.   In This Episode: 

Social media is bursting full of all sorts of creator content. But what lessons can social media marketers take from influencers? We ask Eric Gray, founder of Maverick Content Studio, on Social Pros. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week:  ICUC  Full Episode Details   When you believe in the power of engagement and connection, there are tremendous opportunities for success on social.  That’s why Maverick Content Studio founder Eric Gray says it’s time marketers learn valuable lessons from creators and start making simpler, more compelling content.  Creator-style content is not only easy to make, but unlike some content that brings in big numbers chased by CEOs, it fosters a deeper audience connection. Eric shares how entrepreneurs are creating simple yet effective videos, and tells us why social pros should fight their fears and showcase their personalities.   And here’s some more good news… yo

Join us for another deep dive into social media’s burning questions as we welcome Sammy Lent and Zach Fitch to the latest edition of Social Pros Unfiltered. Hear their insights on fandom, why Gen-Z’s pulling back from social and their top predictions for 2024.  Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week:  ICUC  Full Episode Details   In 2024, Amazon will become the next big social media platform, brands will return to in-person community building and fans will become our greatest influencers.  Now, you may be wondering how we can predict the future. We can’t! But the closest we can do is ask our Social Pros Unfiltered guests, Sammy Lent and Zach Fitch, for their biggest predictions ahead of 2024.  Zach shares why he forecasts a rise in Amazon influencers (and how it could even create a little beef with TikTok), while Sammy explains why brands will start to leverage fandom to tell authentic stories to

Have you heard of Notion? You’ve probably already been asked that question…and there’s a good chance that it’s already your “second brain.” Like all great products, it’s the community and the users who make it, so we sat down with Notion’s Head of Influencer Marketing, Lexie Barnhorn, to hear all about it.  Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: ICUC  Full Episode Details   Deemed by many users as their “second brain,” Notion is the go-to place for people to jot down thoughts, ideas, collaborate on business ideas, and create templates for organizing your entire life. If you’ve not already tried it out, this episode with Notion’s Head of Influencer Marketing, Lexie Barnhorn, may just convince you…  Lexie gives us a window into why everyone’s talking about Notion. It doesn’t matter whether you’re following productivity influencers or your favorite D&D DM, the beauty of Notion is you can make it wha