Sheelagh Caygill and Mariya Delano , CEO of Kalyna Marketing , explore the evolving role of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing and creativity. Mariya discusses how she integrates AI into workflows. Kalyna Marketing uses AI for streamlining admin tasks, automating repetitive processes, and enhancing efficiency in areas such as data analysis, scheduling, and customer segmentation. But Mariya warns that marketers and content creators who rely too heavily on AI for content creation...
Jul 02, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In the first full episode of season two of the Communicate Influence podcast, I have an engaging conversation with Bob Pickard , public relations counsel to names in the news and leadership communication authority, on the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in PR and communications. Bob, a seasoned PR professional, shares insights from his lecture late last year at Boston University, emphasizing that while AI is revolutionizing PR practices with tools like ChatGPT, the core princ...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Hi, we're excited to announce that after a long break, the Communicate Influence podcast returns. The first five or so episodes of season two will focus on artificial intelligence from all angles. Be sure to listen and sign-up for our newsletter to avoid missed a guest who matters in your industry. Transcript: Welcome to the Communicate Influence podcast. It's been about two or three years since I released the last episode of this podcast show. And I know it's never a good idea to start a podcas...
Apr 08, 2025•2 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Even though the podcasting landscape is getting increasingly more crowded, the amount of people listening continues to grow too, which means that podcasts are still one of the most effective ways to get your message out there. If you’re looking to create and launch an independent podcast of your own, or even if you’re just an animal lover, today’s episode is a must-listen! Tuning in, you’ll hear from the creator and host of The Animal Guide for Curious Humans Podcast, Maureen Armstrong, as she s...
Apr 07, 2022•47 min
It's still early days in the world of voice tech, but already PR and marketing professionals are exploring what it can do for brands and audiences. Carl Robinson, a podcast consultant and voice tech pro based in France. He owns a podcast consulting agency called Tizz Tech . Carl explains that lots of brands are experimenting with voice technologies in different ways to determine what works, and to discover, define best practices, and share that information. Rumble Studio Carl explains that there...
Oct 05, 2021•19 min
Eli Schwartz is an SEO expert and the author of the new book, Product-Led SEO . Eli has more than a decade of experience driving successful SEO and growth programs for leading B2B and B2C companies. He helps clients like WordPress, Shutterstock, BlueNile, Quora, Getaround, Mixpanel, and Zendesk build and execute Global SEO strategies that dramatically increase their organic visibility at scale. In this interview with Communicate Influence, we discuss SEO from a content writer's perspective, as w...
Aug 24, 2021•30 min
Imagine giving an important presentation and suddenly hearing a strange noise coming from the back of the room. It takes only moments to discover that the sound is loud snoring from a man who's dozed off. Yes, someone has fallen asleep during your presentation. Any presenter would feel badly. But only a handful would feel so affected y the experience that they'd eventually go on to write a book about storytelling, and the importance of storytelling in business. Why storytelling in business matte...
Jun 21, 2021•54 min
Alain Hunkins is a leadership expert who sits at the intersection of the science and the art of leadership. He has a deep understanding of the psychology of leadership, and his new book, Cracking The Leadership Code, reveals the in valuable principles and practices that Alain has developed and refined during the 20+ years he's worked with leaders. In this episode, you will discover Alain's gift for translating complex concepts from psychology, neuroscience, and organizational behavior into simpl...
May 14, 2021•37 min
This episode is sponsored by Podthreads - a new online clothing store for podcast fans! When regular host Sheelagh Caygill was in England last year, Karen Unland and Mack Male - both seasoned podcasters - kindly produced an episode for Communicate Influence listeners. Karen and Mack are the the co-founders of Taproot Publishing , an Edmonton-based media company whose mission is to help communities understand themselves better. Karen was a newspaper journalist; Mack was a software developer and b...
Feb 18, 2021•30 min
In last week's episode, Kim Scaravelli discussed managing Twitter in 30 minutes a day . This week, Kim, founder of Trust Communications, looks at how to select the right social media platform for your business. That's right, you don't have to have a presence on every platform, only the ones that will perform for your organization. Kim says the first thing that you should do is consider social media as another part of your marketing, which is part of your business plan, which is part of your stra...
Feb 10, 2021•32 min
In this week's episode, we have an incredibly valuable conversation with Kim Scaravelli, about how to manage your Twitter account in just 30 minutes a day. Kim, a communications pro and owner of trust communications in Halifax, Canada, is an expert when it comes to social media. She shares tremendous value in this episode. In fact, it's almost like a free Twitter management class! If you're new to social media, or feeling overwhelmed, and spending too much time on Twitter, you'll definitely get ...
Feb 04, 2021•23 min
Despite the pandemic, the podcasting industry had a good year in 2021, with lots of new content, and a record in advertising spend. Podcasting and radio industry expert James Cridland is today's guest on this episode of The Communicate Influence Podcast. He takes a look at some of the emerging trends already visible in the first few weeks of this new year, and looks at what may lie ahead. He foresees a robust year, with more exciting and diverse content on the horizon. Key areas of focus in this...
Jan 12, 2021•31 min
It's hard to believe that not every leader is a good communicator. Our guest Nick Meir explains that this is because we think of communication as mostly spoken. But in Nick's view, communication is essentially the "movement of information" and so body language and micro-expressions are part of that movement of information. With this definition, it's easy to see how a leader's body language can impact a workplace culture and even subjugate people. Leaders have to be aware of their blind spots and...
Sep 17, 2020•45 min
Every year across the world, hundreds of journalists move from the newsroom or the classroom into the world of PR, communications, or marketing. The good ones possess great storytelling skills, and know how to get information out of people. However, communications and marketing are very different worlds form journalism, and journalists must develop a whole new set of traits to succeed in these industries. For example, patience, diplomacy, likability, and teamwork are highly valued in comms and m...
Sep 03, 2020•39 min
Influencer marketing is fast replacing many marketing tactics. It's such a flexible option that can be used on many levels. Small and large agencies can employ it, as can businesses and individuals. In fact, the chances are that you've already used influencer marketing and don't realize it. For example, having a contact share your content with their Twitter following of thousands, or receiving a LinkedIn recommendation from someone with a greater profile than yours, are both forms of influencer ...
Aug 26, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Podcasting is significantly changing journalism, which has been affected a great deal by lack of investment and a declining audience in recent years. In this episode we speak with Toronto podcast producer and journalist Kathleen Goldhar on the impact podcasting continues to have on journalism "I don't think you can do anything without a podcast anymore," Kathleen observes. "Every news organization has one, CBC has one . . . whether it's an original podcast where they do a lot of an amazing work ...
Aug 19, 2020•29 min
This episode sees host Sheelagh Caygill talk to branding pro Jack Fussell. He's worked with hundreds of businesses on brand strategy, and knows what makes a brand great. Branding is so much bigger than a logo, website, or business card. Jack says at the end of the day, the most simple version of understanding what a brand is, is what your customers feel about you. "When they, when you say the name of your company, or you say the name of your brand, or you say the name of, you know, if your indiv...
Aug 06, 2020•51 min
Many podcast transcripts are uploaded to podcast websites with the belief that they benefit search engine optimization. But is this true? Carl Robinson, founder of Tizz Tech and host of the Voice Tech podcast, has used and then removed transcripts, and saw no difference in traffic figures. I had a similar experience. The issue could come down to the quality of transcriptions generated by platforms such as Otter and Descript. They need improvement - a human has to remove errors while adding speak...
Jul 22, 2020•22 min
Fernando Angulo is Fernando is Head of Communications with SEMRush. In this episode, Fernando gives an in-depth discussion about how to market an e-commerce website. He takes listeners through all the essentials, including SEO, advertising, Google Tools, paid-for options, and social media. This is the second and final part of our series on e-commerce platforms and marketing. You can find episode one with Kevin McCall here . How to market your e-commerce store Key takeaways from this episode incl...
Jul 14, 2020•35 min
COVID-19 impacted thousands of businesses globally, and a lot of smaller businesses had never made the jump to an online presence. Suddenly, they were without sales, and had to scramble to get online. Some businesses are still dealing with the transition to ecommerce, especially smaller businesses and bricks and mortar stores. In this episode, Kevin McCall, founder and technology lead with Podmotion.co, discusses the best solutions and what to look at when integrating ecommerce. Key consdieratio...
Jul 08, 2020•28 min
Voice technology is set to have a significant impact on the podcasting work flow in the coming months. This episode is actually created with voice technology in the form of a new mobile and web app call Rumble Studio. Developed by Carl Robinson, Rumble Studio lets any organization create and publish audio content for a number of uses, including interviews, content marketing, and audio content projects. Episode transcript This is Sheelagh with Communicate Influence. This episode has a flavour of ...
Jul 03, 2020•26 min
A diversified agency with the ability to pivot Linda Andross and Ken Evans, partners at APEX Public Relations and Ruckus Digital in Toronto, discuss the impact of the global pandemic on PR and marketing agencies. APEX is a fairly diversified agency, and Ken and Linda observe that agencies that are diversified and can pivot quickly have done reasonably well, while specialist boutique agencies, such as event mangement consultancies, have struggled. Preparing to leave the office when the pandemic a...
Jul 01, 2020•48 min
We all face procrastination at some point in our lives. That conscious and perhaps deliberate process employed to bring about failure - according to psychologists. Procrastination is employed for various reasons - we don't like the task at hand, there's something better on offer, or we're not sure how to proceed. Some people say they procrastinate because they're tired - although other's aren't convinced that's a case of procrastination. More just a case that someone needs a break or even a good...
Jun 24, 2020•29 min
Rapidly changing public and employee expectations mean CEOs must start using social media to ensure they express the right sentiment at the right moment. The West has gone from a situation whre most executives were afraid of using social media for fear they might make some kind of mistake. "In recent times, especially since Trump and particularly since COVID-19, we've reached the point where fear of being absent from social media -especially if something goes wrong with their company - that fear...
Jun 17, 2020•40 min
There are two ways to find new clients - building an audience and prospecting. And to do the first, you need to know who your clients are and where you can find them. That's what marketing consultant Paul Davis always tells his clients. Of course, most clients have plenty of choice when it comes to suppliers. So if a customer is going to select you, you need to differentiate yourself and highlight what makes you different and better than your competitor. Find your clients first You have to figur...
Jun 10, 2020•42 min
There are some secrets to writing great email newsletters. Well, they're not secrets anymore. Even so, more newsletter writers could take note of them and then we'd have way better newsletters to read! Tyler McCune, a copywriter who specializes in email newsletter writing, is this week's guest. Tyler has studied email newsletter writing closely, and follows all the masters, such as Marcella Allison, Matt Furey, and Ben Settle. Tyler shares email newsletter tactics to massively improve engagement...
Jun 02, 2020•44 min
We’ve all heard about people who’ve left successful careers to pursue work that imbues their life with much deeper meaning. Dena Jackson is one of those people. Dena moved from public relations to become a comedian, a speaker, and a teacher of yoga. It wasn’t until something tragic happened in my life that I felt I needed meditation “When my dad got sick and passed away that was the first time someone very close to me died. At that time I got into meditation because I realized how important it w...
May 27, 2020•46 min
The role of an internal communications team varies greatly from business to business. But Ben Baker, an employee engagement specialist based near Vancouver, believes that every internal communications team hashares one important task - disseminating an organization's narrative, and making sure that employees understand it. Says Ben: “This is everyone’s job. Is not a job title. It really needs to start with how the culture of the organization evolves.” Role of internal comms “For me, internal com...
May 21, 2020•23 min
Lachlan Kirkwood is a digital marketing pro with half a decade in the online world. He works with tech companies, start-ups, and agencies - helping them use digital marketing to have a powerful impact on the bottom line. In this week's episode, he talks to Communicate Influence about this work, how to create a brand online, and the growth of TikTok. Use this model and share Lachlan says his journey as a digital marketer began with him documenting his experiences in the industry. Any business can...
May 13, 2020•31 min
It's time for something much lighter during these challenging days. This week, This Communicate Influence Podcast episode has nothing to do with communications or marketing. Instead, we release our blooper episode! You'll get to hear how Sheelagh's co-host interrupted interviews with Josh Stimelie, Bob Pickard, and Fiona Fenwick. And you'll also get a look into the challenges some independent podcasters face when they have a full-time job and various other projects on the go. Enjoy this episode,...
May 06, 2020•5 min
