The Talking Points Podcast

The alarming rise and influence of fake news tops the discussion by Arik and Kevin in this month’s episode. They explore what it means for PR pros in companies and brands. Also, bloggers are apparently spending more time writing fewer posts, and that’s a good thing. Plus, IBM launches an internal radio station, a push for “programming” to replace the infatuation with different kinds of “content,” mobile solutions for employee communications and more. Also, a new segment to close the show: the Talking Points “2 Cents.” It will be a chance for Arik and Kevin to sound off on some non-communications topics at the end of every episode (of course, the current Minnesota sports landscape dominates their discussion in the inaugural edition). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arik and Kevin took the show on the road, to PR students at Winona State University. This episode features interviews with two WSU students, plus a Q&A segment that shows what’s on the minds of soon-to-be PR pros. Before that, the topics up for discussion include a silly but thought-provoking piece by 60 Minutes about the rise of social media influencers, new data on the corporate use of social media and a report that said no one is paying attention to press releases, or are they? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arik and Kevin talk about improving the PR agency/client relationship, and a desire by some companies and brands to move from producing more content to working with influencers to be more relevant to culture. Plus, what global chief communications officers view as their top priority, what’s keeping businesses from podcasting, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview edition - Jeff O’Keefe, the manager of digital and social media at Richard Childress Racing, joins Kevin to talk about his role, RCR’s approach to social media and content creation, and his view on the evolution of social media in NASCAR and the sports world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should the brand exodus from Twitter begin? That’s one of the topics up for discussion by Arik and Kevin in this episode. Also, in Quick News & Quick Takes, what are reporters looking for in the subject line of your pitch? Plus, Walmart steals a page from James Corden. Is it the job of internal communications to monitor what employees are saying on your internal platforms? And, the PR strategy that only the NFL seems to be able to get away with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Companies and brands often ask, ‘Is our audience there?’ before deciding to try a new social media platform. Is that the right question? Arik and Kevin discuss that in this episode. Also, a new segment (“Quick News & Quick Takes”) debuts to highlight a few news items in the communications world since the last show, including LinkedIn’s new 30-second videos from LinkedIn Influencers. Other links discussed deal with “snackable” versus long-form content on the web, and why Pinterest is better than Snapchat for visual content in the months ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview edition - Tom Forsythe, who is about to retire as vice president and chief communications officer at General Mills after 25 years with the company, joins Arik and Kevin to reflect on his career, and the evolution of corporate communications and PR. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Influencer marketing is the hot topic in 2016. Arik and Kevin take it on in this episode, and the cost and value of an influencer. Also, what Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn means for corporate communications. Plus, a Pew study on what employees are doing on social media reignites concerns about employee productivity and why some companies block social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest co-host Martha Krueger - co-founder and CEO of The Social Lights - joins Kevin. They discuss a survey of brand social media activity about the most popular platforms, content types and the frequency of posts. Also, does the word “social” apply to all social media? Plus, why your next job might come your way because of your personal blog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview edition - Mike Pilarz, content marketing evangelist at LinkedIn, joins Arik and Kevin to discuss his work, trends in content marketing and some advice for individuals and businesses looking to make better use of LinkedIn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest co-host Becca Bijoch - senior publicist at Lola Red PR - joins Arik and Kevin. They discuss the rise of private messaging platforms and the implications for PR and marketing. Also, should brand and company social media leaders still spend some time on the tactical side, "in the trenches"? Plus, the key trends facing PR agencies, including billing and a push toward paid media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are the days of being slave to the page view coming to an end? Wishful thinking? Arik and Kevin discuss a story about the philosophical struggle that news websites - and companies for that matter - face when creating content. Also, it’s job hunting season for would-be marketers and PR pros. What digital skills are in demand? And, are we still looking for generalists or specialists? Plus, more momentum for corporate and brand publishers to adopt a more refined content strategy for all their channels, beyond their blogs, and to not necessarily obsess about driving traffic back to your site. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arik and Kevin kick off their discussion in this episode with the marketing lessons from a hip hop mixtape from Hamburger Helper. Also, an article that was passed around in the tech community recently questioned whether there’s still confusion over traditional vs. digital marketing. Plus, should a business do its own PR? Arik has a fun take on that one. And, the current state of the corporate website newsroom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview edition - Steve Lubetkin, managing partner of The Lubetkin Media Companies, joins Kevin to discuss podcasting. Lubetkin co-authored “The Business of Podcasting” with Donna Papacosta. The conversation address why a business, brand or organization should podcast, how to produce and host a show, and trends in podcast listening. And given his experience in PR and corporate communications, he also shares his perspective on how companies should structure their PR and comms teams for storytelling and content production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest co-host Susan Beatty - vice president of External Brand Communications at U.S. Bank - joins Arik and Kevin. They discuss a comprehensive new report on employee advocacy out this week from Altimeter Group. Also, just how prevalent is podcasting? Results from the latest Infinite Dial study should spark some ideas for communicators. Plus, a not too often thought about side effect of the increase in content from companies and brands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the assumed reach and influence of the major social platforms continues to be called into question, where should companies and brands invest their social time and resources? In this episode, Arik and Kevin consider the shift to messaging apps as one solution. Part of that discussion also involves the continued consumer distrust of anything that looks like advertising, so is the solution “Trust Content”? Also on the trust angle, a post that wonders if there are benefits to creating unbranded content or websites? Plus, the Mayo Clinic’s use of Periscope makes the Talking Points Spotlight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arik and Kevin discuss a content idea used by some mainstream media outlets, on their social channels, that should be copied by more companies and brands. Also, AVEs are soundly criticized by the PR industry, but what about impressions? And a study of content marketing output and engagement isn’t surprising - we should think about producing less content, right? - however customer service could be the answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Companies and brands might be assuming that their employees have a significant level of social media skills. Arik and Kevin talk about why social media training should be prioritized in 2016. A recent post ripped the notion of ’brands as publishers,’ saying the success of content should be judged on views, links and shares. Plus, the declining sales of newspapers and what it means for earned media and media relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many companies and brands are thinking about, or already are, producing podcasts. Arik and Kevin recap an event they participated in on the topic, and talk about the opportunities and challenges of business podcasting. Also, does PR now have a stronger place in the marketing mix? Plus, a communications or PR degree provides a solid foundation for a PR career, but is it necessary? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arik and Kevin discuss a new report on the state of corporate social media (and employee social media advocacy), how PR pros can and should interact with journalists, a decline in traffic for some of the web’s biggest publishers, and what companies/brands can learn from the mainstream media for promoting their content in social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices