AI Literacy for Entrepreneurs

Today I want to focus on the seven factors of my podcast planning process. And you are welcome to, as Neil Patel says, steal my process. In an ideal world, if you have less than 100 episodes, I suggest you go through this process once a quarter. As time goes on, this gets easier and easier and you can cut it down to a couple of times a year. Here are the seven factors to consider: ⭐️ Bandwidth ⭐️ Themes ⭐️ Market ⭐️ Your ideal client profile ⭐️ Editorial calendar ⭐️ Team Briefing ⭐️ Shadowing Listen in! 🎧

I want to talk to you about how to decide when it's time to take a break on your podcast. Often, people struggle with podcasting for a pretty key reason: bandwidth. When you're committing to your podcast, you're committing to a long term endeavour. In an ideal circumstance you're going to be doing this not just for months, but for years,. And that kind of consistency is what's going to get you to the top of the game. So we consider bandwidth…And we consider the the general state of the world right now… And the fact that most people are tired…And we're approaching halfway through the year…And accommodating a lot of consistent timelines is not easy… So say you're a podcaster with 25+ episodes. You've gotten used to the idea of journalistic deadlines and are great at publishing consistently and punctually (whether or not anyone's listening). How do you decide when to take a break? I want to give you a framework that involves three ways to decide. Listen in 🎧

Today I'm going through how it is that you must specifically cater your podcast for your business goals, and I've covered off the five types of business goals that this could be serving. 1) Selling a product 2) Selling high ticket services, or enterprise level deals 3) Partnerships, collaborations and recruitment 4) Funding 5) Fundraising We also talk about calendaring with intention Listen in! 🎧

If you've been following along with this series (and we sure hope you have been), this is the final in a series or four emails on the subject of using your podcasts to up your publishing on your website. So far we've talked about the following: 1) Making it count in the writing medium, because that's what the search engine Gods recognize 2) Using different formats, and making sure that they're published on your website with writing support 3) Cross populate. If you're putting out strong pieces in emails and on social, think about how you can bring that together and publish on your website as well Today I want to talk about the pitfalls of this method of publishing. Listen in 🎧

So you want to be publishing way more on your website, and you want to use your podcast to accomplish that. We've already covered how to uplevel podcast material to powerful writing, and we're not just talking show notes. We also tackled how to use different formats for publishing goals. Because a blog is not just written - a blog can mean any format, really. So, finally, I want to talk about cross populating. Pretty much every brand, whether it's a small business or larger business, has got a sh!t ton of material going out in different formats. Think about what you're sending out on email. Think about what you're sending out on social. Listen in 🎧

Do you find yourself in a situation where you're only publishing 1-2X a month, based solely on content that you're creating from scratch, like 500 word blog posts? Well, if you have a podcast - or if there's one on your horizon - you should really think about how the publishing possibilities stemming from a podcast can massively uplevel your website SEO. Last week we talked about how everything in podcasting needs to be translated in some way to writing. You use material that originates out of your podcast in multiple pieces of writing, not just one. Now let's focus on formats. Listen in 🎧

Let's talk about how to up your publishing on your website, using a podcast, shall we? Here's what I often see: You have a podcast that you're regularly publishing. You're also creating material out of your podcast, likely for heavy social use. Good job 👏 Meanwhile, you're also offering blogs on your website that are often created from scratch. So what happens? Your blog publishing goals are not necessarily met, because it's hard to create blogs from scratch 🤷‍♀️ If you are creating some level of show-notes or writing out of your podcast, you want to consider how to amplify your creation efforts and make them count towards the SEO goals of your website. Because here's what I can tell you with absolute certainty: One of the best ways in which to optimize your SEO as a small to medium business is to publish quality content more frequently on your website. Listen in 🎧

Has your webinar/bootcamp/masterclass stopped working as effectively as it once did? Why? What has changed? These days people are stretched on a number of levels. Nobody has the bandwidth to come to five or six hours of you telling them why you are the solution and thinly-veiled self-congratulatory sequences. People ALSO don't have the headspace to process a whole lot of information. And they certainly don't have the budgets to come to the things that you're trying to qualify, which is likely a five or six-figure service package 🤷‍♀️ If that's not going to work, what can you do instead? Listen in 🎧

Who remembers fireside chats? Who remembers large scale events where it was all overwhelming and people were in all kinds of rooms? But then you found this one space where people were having a fireside chat about a topic of interest when you went there, and it felt like some sort of respite from the rest of the chaos. With the loss of large scale events, to some degree we've lost the fireside chat. And I, for one, definitely think that is still capturable. Bring back the fireside chat,.Bring back the fireside chat in a podcasting medium.

Spring has sprung 🌷 And it brings with it a deeper dive into what you can do with a podcast, especially if you plan to stick around for 25 episodes or more, or already have over 25 episodes under your belt. Now you may wonder why I'm putting both of those into the same category. The reason is that there really are under 3 million podcasts in the world. And of all these, only 7% of all podcasters have more than 7 episodes. If you have more than 25 episodes, or you have a firm plan to do so, you should be thinking about panels, cohorts, masterminds, or whatever version of the small group/community that you want to think about. Panels are an extremely good idea for a couple of reasons. Listen in 🎧

Congratulations 🎉 You've stuck around for the third in a three-part arc about the types of episodes that you can employ for podcasting. Listen up especially carefully if podcasting is on your mandate for 2022 and you're trying to put together a plan! We've talked about teaching podcasts, and show-and-tell podcast episodes. And today we're discussing a method of podcasting that will probably only come in once you have been podcasting for a few months, and are able to take stock of your comfort with the medium. The third type of podcast episode that challenges the hero's journey is what I like to call the 'fast-and-efficient' type. Listen in 🎙

This is the second in a three episode arc about the types of episodes that you can employ within podcasting. And these types of episodes will give the hero's journey a little bit of run for its money. If we're being honest, the hero's journey has been consistently executed by almost every podcaster BUT not everyone is an expert at drawing out that story, and it can get a little boring for listeners. So with that in mind, today, we're going to dive a little bit deeper into the second bucket of podcast episode types, which I will broadly categorize as a show and tell type of episode. And what should you be doing within a show and tell episode? These fall into three types: Case Study episodes, Behind the Scenes, and Panel. Listen in for more!

Is wonderful Hero's Journey storytelling possible? Heck, yes. Does the average business podcaster know how to masterfully storytell by asking the right questions of a guest? I would argue not. So in its place, what are the types of things that you can do? What is it other than the one-on-one interview style that you can think about to fill your podcasting calendar. There are three possibilities broadly, and during the course of this arc we're going to break it down into three different types of episodes: Teaching episodes Show and Tell episodes Fast turnaround episodes, either because you want to speak about news or because you're creating efficiency and bandwidth within your team. Today let's talk about the first of the podcast episode types that are an alternative to the Hero's Journey, and I am going to broadly categorize it as Teaching. Listen in 🎙

Does looking into your podcast stats and seeing little numbers make you sad and stressed out? Should you even care about the number of downloads and listens you get? Short answer, no. To really get an idea of the effect your podcast is really having, we thought of a little model we like to call the domino effect. Think of it like a line-up of dominoes - you knock over one piece, and then from there comes a series of connected things that happen that can include: 1) Current clients hearing your podcast and wanting to work with you on a different scope or level. 2) Dark social - people who aren't active on your social front, who don't comment at all or seem to have even seen what you've done, but have really been following you all along and who now want to work with you 3) Recommendations and affiliates So measure your podcasting RIO, based on actual dollars in the bank and equity created as opposed to downloads and listens.

Podcasting is changing at warp speed. That said, there are some myths that you can safely dispel. Podcasting is NOT over indexed. We are far from the oversaturation issues that you might read about in the headlines! When you compare podcasts to blogs and videos, you're at least 10, if not 100 times lower in terms of market saturation. YouTube has 50 million videos.There's really only 2 million podcasts. Are there universal truths you can apply to dispel universal myths? Listen to this episode for the details 🎧

Joe Rogan, Spotify's million dollar baby There's just so much to say about the ongoing saga of what Spotify should be and is or isn't doing with Joe Rogan and his podcast The Misinformation Station The Joe Rogan Experience. Despite a few "Sorry, but..."s and the removal of 75-80 episodes containing inappropriate language, Joe is still on the air and Spotify has definitely taken sides. The silver lining is that this experience has forced Spotify to clarify their rules of conduct and promise to do a better job of policing the content on their site. This gives us a lot to think about in the freedom of speech discussion. Who's deciding where the line is? Where even is the line? We've followed the full rise of Spotify and respect that quick growth but it might come back to bite them. The beginning of the end of facebook? You may not have noticed thanks to the huge distraction that is facebook's rebrand to Meta, but for the first time ever, Facebook use is going down. Way down. Not the visionary they once were, they have been having stock declines as large as 25%. Briefly it seemed like they would win us over with the paradise that is the Metaverse, but survey says if facebook is the face of Metaverse the people are not interested thankyouverymuch. We're secretly waiting with popcorn for the inevitable crumble. Pedalling away from Peloton The pandemic may be nearing something that looks like a maybe-sorta-end-ish type thing, and evidently our love affair with Peloton is tied to the Covid case count. Due to a lack of demand for their equipment, Peloton is cutting many jobs, replacing their CEO, and potentially getting sold. One more story of crazy quick growth and the question of whether it's sustainable in the long run. We do think it's a great idea for them to partner with a big visionary company to maintain their momentum and take them to the next level. 5 letters to rule them all Forget Peloton. Forget sourdough. And forget Tiger King, even though that mullet may be permanently imprinted on your brain. The new pandemic craze is Wordle, a only-one-a-day game where you have 6 chances to guess a 5 letter word. The little yellow and green squares are popping up on social feeds, along with articles arguing the best starting words (among the current nominees are the vowel filled ADIEU, as well as CRANE, and SAMEY). We love the simplicity. It's a straight URL. Free. No app. No fee. No ads. No weird signup through Facebook. So basic and so beautiful 👏👏 Olympic TikTok Olympic TikTok is back and better than ever. The athletes involved are at the perfect age to share exactly what their audience wants to see - the behind the scenes action like where they're training, what they're eating, where they're staying. It's so much fun to get a look at what's going on in a less formal way than we're used to. Even the "official" stations like NBC have TikToks and are leaning into the memes and humour that you wouldn't normally see in their buttoned up broadcasts. Listen in for these stories, plus news about Whoopi Goldberg on the View and some Metaverse musings.

Last week we talked about how to take an episode and break it up into multiple smaller pieces - micro podcasts. So how do you spin that around and take a bunch of podcasts and consolidate them into larger pieces that convert? Combining four or five episodes into a monthly email Publishing a quarterly e-book or BOOK-book 📕 These tips and tricks have worked for us (our podcast is the gift that keeps on giving!), and they WILL work for you! Grab a drink, kick back, relax and enjoy!

From 1 podcast episode, you should expect to mine no less than 10 pieces of content for distribution. This will multiply the reach of the average content calendar manifold. What are the 10 pieces? 1 x blog post 3 x social posts (written - snippets of the blog post ) 3 x social posts (visual cards - quote and visualization of key points) 1 x video promo (atleast) 1 x email (NOT a 'please listen to my podcast' email - a proper tip or teaching email) And that's just the start. For deeper learning, listen to this week's episode.

This week Susan is joined by Andrew Jenkins, founder and CEO of Volterra and host of the Low Production High Value Show. What's hot this week? Is Joe Rogan a public health menace? A recent open letter from scientists, public health professionals, and professors urged Spotify to take a stand against misinformation on Joe Rogan's hugely popular podcast. Joe's controversial guests, anti-vax rhetoric, and conspiracy theories could be considered a risk to public health as his audience is so huge. Spotify is naturally hesitant to muzzle their star, as they exclusively stream the podcast and it has made them (and continues to make) huge dollars. TikTok for B2B? TikTok is the ultimate modern rabbit hole for entertaining, thought-provoking, and engaging material (with a fair bit of crap thrown in for good measure). With 689 million users, it's also THE hot spot for the under-35 crowd, but is it the next big space for B2B? Like anything else in marketing, the key is to research thoroughly, know your audience, and dip your toe in the water before taking the big plunge. Claim an account in your name, take a good look around, and engage with people before getting your TikTok video vibe on. Metaverse Musings It was recently announced that Microsoft will be buying the gaming publisher Activision (of Call of Duty fame), leading Susan and Andrew to muse about how the virtual world is not just sneaking up on us, but is already becoming part of our lives. Naturally, the bridge to the metaverse is in gaming, as we know many a person that spends more time out of reality than in it. Something that is very appealing to people is that anonymity that the metaverse allows, and while that's good for some things, having a trusted commercial relationship is not one them. *** Watch the full episode here for a new 5 question segment with co-hosts on podcasting. Only on the LIVE video format, not the podcast!

What makes someone actually get brave enough to rant about something? And if the something you're ranting about is the workplace approach to diversity, does it get even more loaded as a subject? Nita Tandon, Founder of Dalcini Stainless, award-winning sustainable housewares, is here for the inaugural issue of 'Founders Rant'. What keeps her up at night is the one dimensional approach to diversity. Does the media equate 'diversity' with color? Are employers, in an attempt to "do good", hoping to just hire BIPOC, pat themselves on the back and say they are a "diverse and inclusive" employer? What made Nita say, "Okay, this is a rant, and I want to tell you about it." When you encounter racism or racist microgressions, you know it clearly. When you are denied something, because of your colour, or because of your gender, you know that it's because of those things! So when someone tells you, 'No, you're just seeing it wrong', it's frustrating. (psst: At the risk of calling it out brutally, if you tell me that I'm, if I'm not feeling what I'm feeling, that's what you call gaslighting. ) Here's a fun look into the mind of a social impact founder

To kick off a fresh year's dishing sessions on marketing news, Susan is joined by mindset mentor and performance coach Megan O'Neill. What's hot this week? 👇 New Day's Lyric One of our favourite rising stars, poet Amanda Gorman, made 2021 her own in a whirlwind of events from the US presidential inauguration, to the Met Gala, to the Superbowl, all while snagging a groundbreaking contract with Estée Lauder and penning 3 number 1 bestselling books. Now to ring in the new year, in partnership with Instagram, Amanda has released her latest poem, 'New Day's Lyric' in beautiful video form. The poem speaks of hope, love, and connection. Pizza Hut Canada decides to make the decision to get decisive about roasting Premier Ford After yet another lockdown announcement that left us with many many SMH moments, many people took to social media to air their grievances with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. As we love to see happening these days, we caught on to a little bit of Twitter newsjacking brought to us by none other than Pizza Hut, who cheekily took a popular term from the speech that one clever and entertaining step further. 2021 takes our Golden Girl As if 2021 didn't already take our sanity, on the last day of the year the legend Betty White passed away at the age of 99. She has touched every generation from her start in show biz. If there was anyone that should have lived forever, based solely on the fact that she was so universally loved, it was Betty. Knowing how wonderful she was, she probably just didn't want to sully the new year with such sad news 😢 We'll miss you, Betty! The science of climate humour The movie Don't Look Up has been popular thanks to its cast of big stars, but it's also raised some questions about its satirical coverage of climate change and politics. Since the topic of climate change is so serious, is it really appropriate to joke about it? In short, yes! We are all about the EQ (Entertainment Quotient) around here, and agree with Canadian comic Leonard Chan who believes that the closer the humour is to crisis or upheaval, the better the humour has to be. Write well, use your common sense, and have some fun!

We've reached the end of 2021, yo. The last few days of the year. It's been a mixed bag for many people. That said, the one big thing that emerged this year is a deep need for self-care. A deep need to renew, rejuvenate, take care of yourself, take care of your mind, your body, and your spirit. In this episode, we have tips from three awesome specialists in the health and wellness space, who will speak to different aspects of taking care of the mind, body, and spirit. Pick a practice, and focus on building it in 2022. Good luck! The art of mindful doodling to relieve stress Melissa Lloyd, founder and chief doodler at DoodleBreaks points out, we are all born with creativity. And yet, many if not most of us lose that natural urge to doodle. Allow your mind to float, and your anxiety settle. 🧠 🧠 🧠 The art of slow motion multitasking ​​Zannat Reza is a registered dietician and ambassador in the healthy aging space. She spends her waking hours helping organizations strategize and create memorable food & health content that inspires, educates, and empowers people to live their best lives. She delves into Slow Motion Multitasking. 🧠 🧠 🧠 The art of good sleep Lydia Di Francesco is the CEO and Wellness Consultant at Fit + Healthy 365. As a workplace wellness consultant, she helps companies understand the connection between well-being and mental health, and employee productivity and retention. 👏👏👏 She advises: 💫 Setting boundaries.💫 Building what she calls "stress resilience."💫 Exercise and healthy eating to equal better sleep.

This week, we round up the short episode-arc in which we're spotlighting trends that really dug deep roots into 2021, and will certainly be around to play with in 2022 and beyond. Our source of input (delicious at that!) is our weekly live roundup of marketing news, which I co-host with various industry leaders on what's happening in the marketing world, and what we can learn from it. That live round-up is what becomes the podcast, here, for your fine folx! Through doing that every week on Thursdays, we uncovered some stuff that came up over and over again. And among those are NFTs. An NFT, for the uninitiated, is a non-fungible token, which is a kind of digital asset to which a cryptocurrency value is assigned. It's an asset that you definitively own in the digital space. And, broadly, there are a couple of things to know in the space, regardless of your familiarity with the subject. Know that there's an origin story that comes with an NFT. This means that if you have an NFT, it belongs to you. You can clearly trace who the thing belongs to via blockchain. And therefore it has huge implications for intellectual property and for creators. If NFTs are not something that you want to directly think about right away, don't forget to educate yourself for when you need it. Whether or not you are getting into the world of NFTs right this second, do educate yourself because there's room to get involved in discussions. There's room to get into collaborations. There's room to see how this all works for your industry, and still be among the early adopters, even if your brand isn't cracking open an NFT right away. Happy new year 2022! We can't wait to see what the year brings. 🎧Tune in to hear more!🎧 If you're a repeat visitor to our podcast, please drop us a 5 star review. Thank you!

We continue this mini episode-arc, focusing on some of the key themes that ruled this year on the marketing front, and will reign in 2022. We draw your attention to 2 phenomena that are noteworthy, to inspire you as you head into a whole new year of marketing ahead of you. The first is #freebritney - keep reading! The Free Britney movement was created by Britney Spears' fans. What started as a hashtag eventually freed Britney from the conservatorship of her father this year! The story is compelling. The phenomenon that will rule amongst the masses in 2022 is TikTok. Some trends that dominated in 2021 were feta pasta and true crime. How does this break down to B2B? We tell you how to incorporate TikTok even if you 'don't dance'. As well as how to really clue into music and think like a creator (or just hire one 😁) 🎧Tune in. Listen up!🎧 If you're a repeat visitor to our podcast, please drop us a 5 star review. Thank you!

We continue this week with our episode arc around what we can learn from winning examples of marketing in 2021 as we head into 2022. The categories and channels of marketing have changed.Where's your innovation going to come from? Today, we wanted to dive deeper into the subject of newsjacking. One of the things that has proved successful for brands over and over again during the pandemic is newsjacking. Marketing is no longer a one-way, broadcast-only model. What really gets noticed is agility - being able to get involved in conversations, and do it fast. It's certainly the only thing that stands out on social media! In 2021 brands excelled at newsjacking.It's easy to assume that the brands in question are always like the big enterprises and the B2C brands - like the fast food chains certainly do it. That said, those are not the only brands that have newsjacked effectively; that have made it their purpose to get out there and get social. There was Bernie Sanders and the mittens from the US presidential inauguration. Every brand used that meme eventually! Senator Sanders' own team got involved and used the traction to raise funds for charity. That said, special mention to one of the Canadian geniused in this category! Ottawa Public Health! They created the character 'Bruce' And it went viral. Even Ryan Reynolds got involved! They are small municipal level government account, and they've done some amazing work in newsjacking. What can you learn from those examples? Take a listen!

This week Susan is joined by Colleen O'Connell-Campbell, Wealth Advisor at RBC Dominion Securities, and host of 'I'm a millionaire. So, now what?' 🎙 Budweiser NFT sells out If you've been wondering 'wassuuuuup' with Budweiser lately, you'll be excited to hear that they've moved into the metaverse, releasing a brand new collection of limited edition digital art known as the 'Heritage Collection'. 1,900 "Core Heritage Cans" at $499 each and 36 "Gold Heritage Cans" at $999 each sold out within an hour. Hiring in the metaverse No longer just for gamers, the metaverse is now beginning to be used by companies like Hyundai and Siemens to help hire people in an immersive environment. Thanks to Facebook changing its name to Meta, people are now really paying attention to the metaverse and accepting that this new world is going to become mainstream. Governor General's awards for some of our fave stars Proudly Canadian actors Catherine O'Hara and Ryan Reynolds were recently awarded Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. Thanks to the miracle of YouTube we were able to share in their reactions as they were honoured via serenade, Ryan by singer Steven Page, and Catherine by her Schitt's Creek costar Noah Reid. Their genuine reactions are so adorable we promise you'll get something in your eye if you give them a watch. Twitter Transforms Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, resigned earlier this week and will be replaced by former CTO Parag Agrawal. Some changes were immediate. A huge can of worms was opened with the announcement of new privacy policies relating to the sharing of unowned images and we're really having hard time believing this will be sustainable for Twitter. Shopify tops the pack for sales The post Black Friday/Cyber Monday stats are in and it looks like shopping is down all across the board - except on Shopify. Colleen's take is that people are really trying to find that balance between supporting small businesses while also having it be convenient. As consumers, where we spend our money is the way we express how we want to shop, so we're seeing consumers empowered to support local and smaller business. For these stories and more, including what's happening in the business world after Black Friday, listen to the whole episode.

In this episode arc, we're going to focus on some specific trends and learnings that you can take with you going into 2022 in your marketing. This is a significant inflexion point in the evolution of the way we communicate, market, and sell. Things have changed a lot during the pandemic with a whole new virtual world open. The things we thought to be the vehicles or tools of marketing distribution have changed. What's getting attention? What is really cutting the scroll? We break down 2 key things to focus on. The categories of distribution of content marketing New examples to be inspired by that you won't find traditional marketing books because things are moving so fast. Take a listen. We are joined by 6 guest judges. Andrea Henry, founder of Henry business law. We have Darien Kovacs, founder of jelly marketing. We have Megan O'Neill, performance coach. We've got Martin Waxman, instructor at University of Toronto and PR expert. Mohit Rajhans, media commentator and founder of thinkstartAnd Rohini Mukherji, Vice President at narrative PR If you're a return listener, please leave us a 5-star review? Thanks 💫

Today we're extolling the virtues of a co-host format! Susan Diaz and Will Lamont have been the resident co-hosts of The 4am Report for 2.5 years and nearly 150 episodes! Typical episodes were either both of them with a guest, or the two of them presenting marketing advice in a teaching format. And we think 150 is a good time to switch things up a little bit. So after Episode 150, we'll be moving to a news-based format, leaning all the way into our Thirst for what's new and happening in the marketing and entertainment space, and what we can learn from that. But first! Here are 7 lessons from co-hosting 150 podcast episodes. There's an energy that comes from wing(wo)man. Having a co-host bring different strengths to the table Co-hosting is, makes you lot braver as a publisher Co-hosts bring a wider network Having a co-host brings a lot more accountability Having a co-host truly makes podcasting fun. Co-hosting with a collective goal on efficient content creation results in masses of content and engagement Listen to the full episode. And if you're a repeat visitor, drop us a 5 star review, pretty please! And thank you.

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture? This week Susan is joined by Jackie Porter, award-winning financial planner who has been in the financial industry for the past 23 years serving thousands of families, established businesses, and professionals in the Greater Toronto Area. We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday. ** Team Ted Lasso markets their way to the top In the last few weeks there have been a lot of awards given out and Ted Lasso's marketing has repeatedly been getting kudos. They really do go the distance. Their twitter account is legit "Ted Lasso" who comments. Even on April fools the governor of Kansas issued a proclamation that recognizes Ted Lasso. So why is this working well? The feel-good subject of the show really lends itself to this type of marketing and they've done really well for a subject that translates and are getting a lot of attention and recognition for it. Are NFTs here to stay? As marketers we've been playing with NFTs on a gimmick level right now, but after thirsting over them week after week, we're realizing that there's really nothing that has disrupted the market quite like them. They may be a little difficult to understand, but there's definitely a niche market for them. It also puts a really interesting spotlight on the value of intellectual property. Acting Good A new comedy show is coming out from Anishinaabe comedian Paul Rabliauskas. "Acting Good" will come out in 10 parts and will star Paul himself. The show is loosely based on Paul's actual experiences and follows a failed attempt at living in a big city. If there was ever a time to come together with humour and realize we're not that different and need to treat each other fairly, this is it. Uber Pricing Fail Uber recently announced some changes to their pricing plan for their ride share option. They've taken a simple concept that evidently was not sustainable and complicated it to the point of our utter boredom. Honestly let's just keep things simple! Simplicity means you can scale which is never a bad thing. We realize that they're just trying to keep people happy but you can't please everyone! Taylor's songs Belong with her After a bout of Bad Blood and losing the rights to most of her early music which was bought out by an ex-manager with a shady reputation, Taylor Swift saw Red and will not be just Shaking it Off. She has re-recorded the albums Fear and Red with the subtitle (Taylor's Version) and is reclaiming what is rightfully hers. In a big win, several large radio stations including iHeart Radio have vowed only to play Taylor's version from now on. For these stories and more, including Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year, listen to the whole episode.

Let's talk about crisis communications. Pre-pandemic, it was the bastion of very large enterprise, with trained teams of PR leaders to man the desk. Post-pandemic, crisis communication is much more mainstream. We all navigate a time of tricky socio-political nuance that is the 2020s. How do you respond to social justice authentically as a business? If you decide to speak, how do you not say the wrong thing? Is it even possible to always be prepared to step in with the perfect statement in response to something? The questions are heavy! Even if you have a thorough crisis communication plan you can still be inadvertently tone deaf if something comes into play that's well outside of your lived experience and frame of reference. Modern marketing teams need to be prepared to make sound decisions in the moment. In this episode we break down Two key concepts that will help 👇 Master the idea of "Stop, drop and roll" When something that requires sensitivity hits the news cycles, whether it's a major issue that affects the world at large (ie: pandemic), or something that affects your company (ie: announcements of layoffs), you want to think like you're catching fire. To contain it, you stop, drop and roll. Master a graceful apology Despite your best efforts, and despite multiple plans, you're going to get some things wrong, And when you get things wrong, the best course is a good apology. Discover what a good apology looks like. Tune in to listen to the full episode!

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture? This week Susan is joined by Angelique Binet, social media marketing consultant specialized in paid traffic and client acquisition for 6-figure women entrepreneurs and founder of Social Media Love. We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday. ** Marcus Rashford's MBE Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has made the Thirst List before, unfortunately because of some horrible racism he suffered after the World Cup loss. We're happy to report some great news, however, as he has just been awarded the MBE for his work with underprivileged children during the pandemic. This honour was awarded by Prince William and Rashford has since created a taskforce working with supermarkets and food banks to make sure kids across the UK are fed. Knitted Tribute For Remembrance Day, London's anonymous Knitting Banxy (not to be confused with London's anonymous graffiti artist Banksy) created a life sized knitted soldier and surreptitiously dropped it off at the War Memorial Clock Tower in honour of the day. As Angelique says beautifully, "bringing softness to something that is not soft". Sexiest Man Alive - we're still doing this? Paul Rudd was recently announced as People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 2021. Now we do think he most certainly is an attractive man, and are fascinated by his apparent lack of aging. However, as Susan says, aren't we past the times of judging someone's merit based on their appearance? We've made so much movement towards knowing that there's more to people than just how they look, so let's move on to better things, People. No, nobody is planting trees because you posted a picture of your pet (and why that went viral) If you were on Instagram in the past few days, you may have seen a post telling you to share a picture of your pet using their new feature Add Yours stickers. In return, for every pic the poster, Plant a Tree, would plant a tree. This would be a fairly normal post looking for engagement for a small business, but the unexpected virality of this post to the tune 4 million stickers before the post was quickly taken down has left the company in a bit of a quandary, since it can't actually follow through with its promise. Scrambling ensued, making for a good lesson in social media and accountability. Newsjacking in the comments Sometimes it doesn't take an expensive advertising campaign to get noticed. All it really takes is as little as a witty and entertaining comment on someone else's post. The smartest companies are using young, TikTok-loving and savvy social media teams to use their brand voice to hijack posts via clever comments. Remember, one powerful comment on someone else's post can be worth more than countless pieces of your own content. For these stories and more, including TikTok's dropped ball on the Astroworld Tragedy and Reese's Puffs partnership with Kaws, listen to the whole episode below.

Brands have been using stories to attract their audience and retain customers for centuries. At the same time, it's never been harder to be seen and heard as brands compete for attention in today's busy online channels (TMI much?). So, how should brands go about increasing their content publishing so that their audience finds and engages with their content? In this Publishing Masterclass, your hosts Susan Diaz and Will Lamont hone in on the ways you can become your own publishing guru in 2022, without extending your bandwidth too much or creating extra stress ☺. 🎧Tune in to up your publishing in 2022!🎧

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture? We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday. Happy Diwali to those celebrating! This week Susan is joined by Shelagh Cummins, founder and CEO of The Road to Seven. Apple x BBC podcast subscription service This week Apple is in the news for its subscription podcast service. They are partnering with BBC studios to bring exclusive content to North America - a channel that will give listeners access to shows that were previously only available in the UK. Generally the big companies are wary of putting a price on something that's so readily available and free so we're interested to see how this plays out. It comes down to knowing the purpose of your podcast - if your podcast is made for lead generation, you don't want to create a barrier to the listener. Or maybe the actual podcast subscription is the goal itself, so really think about where your podcast fits into your funnel. It could be a low cost way of delivering a very intimate experience to your audience. Remember the flywheel - always take it up to the next level! Oprah is one of our favourite things This time of year is Oprah territory - the Favourite Things list for 2021 . This year has not let us down with a delicious list of awesome things, categorized by the type of gift and, for the first time, presented by Amazon. So while this isn't really helping the small business owner, good on Amazon for stepping in and creating that partnership. Sometimes you have to knock on the doors of the big guys - take a chance and see where you get! Putting lipstick on a pig? We wouldn't want to spare Shelagh some Facebook talk! The big announcement last week was the rebranding of Facebook to the new name Meta, and the new all-in approach to the Metaverse. They have also decided to shut down facial recognition program, which many of us didn't even know about. Something that we feel should have been switched up is the leadership. Out with Zuck! Mark Zuckerberg has broken our trust over and over and should no longer be the face of the company. Facebook has forgotten that they are in business because of people and they have been putting dollars ahead of the people that support their platform. Microsoft jumps on the Metaverse bandwagon Microsoft making moves in the metaverse direction - Microsoft Teams is now including avatars. Shelagh wonders if this trend is based on new technology or simply laziness. Her thought is that anyone masking a part of themselves - be it a different background covering up a messy office or leaving your camera off because you're not appropriately dressed for the meeting - is just hiding. This undermines the purpose of the meeting if it is to create connection with another human being. If you're choosing to connect "face to face", why not give them the true you? Disney Diversity Disney's new holiday ad is out and continues the story of Lola's granddaughter Nicole from last year's ad as a grownup. It's a very realistic and relatable story in our society, and discusses the integration of a stepdad into his new family, which happens to be biracial. This stepdad has to find his place within old and new traditions. We love that Disney has made some decisions to be front facing with the diversity in the ad but we want to make sure they're also looking behind the scenes, following up, and making sure that there is also diversity on their leadership team and backing up their message. Black Wall Street Market The new Black Wall Street Market in Stonecrest, Georgia has opened up in an homage to the righting of wrongs that occurred when the original market in Tulsa, Oklahoma was destroyed by white mobs 100 years ago. People travelled miles and miles to show support and celebrate the moment. Wares ranged from books to clothes to arts to food with over 10,000 people showing up for the incredibly successful grand opening. **** For these stories and more including Netflix Mobile games and Pinterest TV, listen to the full episode.

Are you one of the many marketers and business owners who actively hate sales? If you're awkward or embarrassed about making a sale or closing a deal, or you regularly get ghosted as soon as you talk about pricing, you need this masterclass in sales planning. It'll help you align your 2022 sales plan with your marketing strategy so you can fulfill your brand's vision and get ahead of the unexpected. With Catherine Watkin bringing her expertise in heart-centred sales and Niraj Kapur sharing his sales coaching strategies, this episode overfloweth with sales wisdom. 🎧Tune in to master sales in 2022!🎧

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture? This week Susan is joined by Wealth Coach Wendy Brookhouse of Blackstar Wealth. We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday. ~~~ Podcasts 2 Ways 1) Toronto Raptor Fred VanVleet now has a podcast, and he's not just giving us dunking tips. "Bet on Yourself", which is his own life mantra, is geared towards BIPOC entrepreneurs and gives realistic tips on how anyone can succeed in life. 2) We love spinning content into as many pieces as we can, so we were thrilled to hear that Stephen Colbert and the Late Show are taking a page out of the Thirsty Thursday playbook and repurposing their shows into podcast episodes. Not everyone prefers the visual medium, so it's important to make your content available to anyone who might want to consume it! Real life Canadian 'Succession' No matter how awkward your holiday dinner might get, it likely won't beat the Rogers family get together this year. The telecom giant is dealing with serious family infighting in the company, causing their stocks to drop and soap opera-like stories to be splashed across the news. We've learned two things for sure from this story: the lawyers are the real winners in this, and we all need to watch out for errant butt-dials. Spanx founder catching attention for all the right reasons Sara Blakely, CEO of Spanx is having a pretty sweet week with the sale of a majority share of her company to a private equity firm. Never one to keep the wealth all to herself, she rewarded each of her employees with 2 first class tickets anywhere in the world as well as $10,000. We've been following Sara's moves for a while and think she's super inspirational and sets an amazing example of vision and perseverance for women everywhere. Cabinet Upgrade Justin Trudeau did a little shuffle after the elections with a new cabinet containing many women. While he's been called performative and shallow and accused of tokenism, we think it looks great on he government, especially since with the new very qualified minister of defence, being not only a women, but a child of immigrants, Anita Anand. What we DON'T love is the now-erased headline announcing that previous minister of defense Harjit Sajjan was "being replaced by a woman". Roblox X Chipotle Chipotle is hosting a 3 day "Halloween-themed 'Boorito' experience" via the game Roblox, where people can virtually trick or treat in the online restaurant and earn coupons towards actual in-restaurant food. It's only natural that companies like Chipotle are experimenting with new forms of marketing in the metaverse, with their audience getting less tuned in to typical marketing and more into gamification. ~~~ For these stories, and more including Elizabeth Holmes, Adobe's 'Convert to NFT' option, and the Calgary transport department's use of humour in signs, listen to the whole episode!

If you are thinking of doing something for the year end, and haven't quite nailed it, now's the time. Whether it's a report, or a workshop the best way to get it in the bag is to start with a recording to plan it. Come behind the scenes with co-host Susan Diaz and Will Lamont as they plan c+p digitals year-end Marketing Thirst Awards In this power-packed 30 minute episode they walk you through How to choose an event category that is fun, relevant to your brand, and takes the opportunity to repurpose various content properties you have already created. The value of repurposing, especially when your bandwidth is stretched. How a panel of contributors will not just add energy and bring credibility to your event, but also bring you their audiences. The categories How to make your process transparent The logistics to make it easier We break down the methodology of an award show (if that's your jam) How to pick some fun theming and an entertainment quotient to your event to prevent it from becoming a Zoom-box-snoozefest And finally the marketing plan we will be focussing on for 5 weeks ahead of the event If you've heard us before and don't hate us, drop us a 5 star review? Please and thank you!

The year's end is nigh and most of us are thinking: Whaaaat just happened? As 2022 looms before us like an Apocalypse horseman (Pestilence? Just kidding, we're not that dire), us marketers, CEOs and business owners need to think about strategic goal setting. This episode is all about helping you plan so you can get where you want your company or team to be in the next three years (instead of worrying about how you'll get there). Here's some of what we discuss: Audit your content – and your team Keep your curiosity aflame Draft your vivid vision Take a closer look at the numbers 🎧Tune in for more planning cheats!🎧

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture? This week Susan is joined by Workplace Wellness Consultant, Speaker, Published Writer, and Personal Trainer Lydia DiFrancesco, MBA. We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday. *** Podcast listeners talk back The trend abroad, particularly in Chinese podcast apps, is that podcast platforms are getting more interactive, with ways to pull audience online and get them to talk back to you. This involves integrating reactions like hand gestures and nodding into platforms so we can actually see reactions. This concept is much newer here in North America, with only Spotify using Anchor to post polls that get their listeners a little more engaged. Why isn't this already a mainstream thing? As marketers, we really want to hear that feedback since the worst thing you could do as is talk about things that nobody cares about. So is it possible, or does it make sense to have interactions like this? It seems like it might be a popular idea, but we're wondering whether it would actually fly in practice. Our take? Start with polls and commenting (which happens to be the one of the highest forms of engagements in content of all types) and see how things go from there. Lego Nixes Gender Bias In a huge move, Lego has announced that they are doing away with gender bias in all their designs and marketing of their products. No more marketing specifically to boys or girls or both. This move has come after research with parents and some of the facts that came out are surprising; turns out only 24% of girl parents would think about Lego as an option for a girls toy. The Lego website is already gender neutral, with their products organized by themes. This obviously isn't the answer to all the world's gender problems, but taking away some of that forced conditioning that people have is a great first step. "Come on in, we're all vaxxed!" Some Canadian businesses, especially restaurants, are beginning to use their staff's Covid-19 vaccination status as a marketing tool and it's making a big wave. And why not? As marketers we know that you always want to position yourself with your strengths at the forefront. Of course, these businesses respectfully asked the staff if it was ok to share their status. So many people are asking why they have to be vaccinated in order to go into a store or restaurant, but can then be served by someone who isn't. It's awesome that these businesses can set their customers' minds at ease and make them feel comfortable in a settings that is still feeling kinda new again to us all! Netflix x Walmart (less Squid Game) Netflix has finally gotten its own merchandising plan underway with a collaboration with Walmart. The hub is going to be on the Walmart site and will feature such products as Stranger Things and Cocomelon. It only makes sense that they're going to jump on merchandising bandwagon as they see things like the white Vans from Squid Game flying off the shelves. (And yes, Squid Game t-shirts are coming soon!) They're not quite Disney yet, but they're on their way to hopping on that playing field! A-meow-zing Halloween marketing It wouldn't be October without talking about the Halloween marketing that's beginning to show up in our feeds. Jumping out at us is a commercial by the cat treat brand Temptations, who is offering up a "human" flavoured treat for the season. As non-cat-people, Susan and Lydia were a bit perplexed, but in a true case of "Know your audience", our resident c+p crazy cat lady Lindsay can confirm that this product is totally hilarious and will absolutely be part of her next Walmart haul. If you want a slightly less disturbing treat for your feline friends, Temptations is also selling a more appetizing "Creepy Catnip" flavour. *** For these stories, and more including ownership of intellectual property re: Substack's URL repossessions, and a pandemic-approved Halloween costume that dispenses wine, listen to the whole episode!

Let's talk about the death of the broadcast-only model; you need two-way communication to build relationships. This abridged episode (the CliffsNotes version) of 🎙The 4am Report🎙 is for busy marketers who need to free up ⏰ to plan and strategize. We share how the Anchor Theory of Content Marketing can help you foster two-way communication and contribute to your sales pipeline. First you need to: Expand your network and keep in touch with the people you want to work with Navigate the (fine) line between sh*t tonnes of content, spammy content and content people want Know thy customer, so you can share content they'll appreciate. 🎧Tune in for more great tips and tricks🎧

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture? We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday. Podcast Wars - Spotify Overtakes Apple Spotify is set to take over as leader of podcasting. We're so excited - it's not brand new news but now it's official. We're also not surprised - we've talked a lot lately about companies like Spotify and iHeartRadio who are taking strides towards getting bigger and better, while Apple has really just sat back and stayed the same. No time to get complacent Apple, the podcast wars are here to stay. We really do love podcasting and podcasting drama. Good thing it's what we do for a living. Is this the tipping point? Facebook's reputation has been on the rocks for the last few years, and this week has seen more than its share of drama. Whisteblowers, the great outage of 2021, government hearings, the secrecy, the conspiracy theories. But really, Facebook has so much control over all of our lives. And while we all agree that there's a problem, we can't come to a consensus on the solution. And what about all the smaller businesses that use Facebook and Instagram as part of their infrastructure? (Shout out to Eleanor Beaton at 4:37 and a previous chat we've had about businesses who rely on and FB and oversimplistic solutions like "move it all' won't cut it) Squid Game The new number 1 show on Netflix in 90 countries is the phenomenon know as Squid Game. While we haven't watched yet (and maybe we're a little scared to??) we've definitely read a ton about reactions people are having and the big stories coming out of this show. First, we chat about how Netflix accidentally used a woman's real phone number in the show and she was inundated with calls. (They have since edited it out and we approve. When you mess up, over-correct!) Finally, we talk the value of translation - many Korean viewers respectfully say that the captions in English don't even begin to cut it (Shout out to Vatché Iskedjian at 12:33 - The value of proper translations; not just making them an afterthought or artificially generated.) Merchtainment - Beyond a fashion show Staying in the Squid Game space… Vans is reporting a 7800% spike in sales of the white slip-on shoes featured in Squid Game. This new trend even has spin-offs, like people making videos about how to clean their white shoes. Once you hit that right chord, creators will pick up your stuff and really run with it. We also talk about how modern companies aren't brands, they're entire universes of experience. But is merchtainment just a trendy buzzword? Maybe not - even Kim and Kanye are taking it to the level - they don't just have Balenciaga clothing - they have an entire Balenciaga saga that somehow includes The Simpsons, remarriages and face coverings. Britney - 1, Dad - 0 Big win for Britney Spears and for the #FreeBritney crowd as judge has now ruled that she is no longer under the conservatorship of her father. She has put out a statement thanking her lawyer and her fans for basically saving her life, and the next step is freeing her totally from a conservatorship. She's already making waves, flashing a big engagement ring from her longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari. The power of a hashtag! Seems like a frivolous thing but we're glad it's made a difference to Britney! For these stories and more on Lewis Hamilton's move for teachers, YouTube's Twitch-like makeover, Dave Chappelle taking comedy too far, and Netflix's secrets on how to grab you with an image, listen to the full episode!

We hope you know we practice what we preach (by now!). We're repurposing some highlights from the show around how you can get explosive with your content – freeing you up for that all-important planning stuff as we roll into the fourth quarter and 2022 starts breathing down our necks🐲. Yes, this episode is about spinning your anchor content into as many pieces of content as you can👏 by reframing it for the four formats: ❶ Written format❷ Audio format❸ Video format❹ And, the graphic or image format And how this frees up your time to focus on the strategy and planning! Let's avoid the 3 B's holding us back (aka Budget, Bandwidth, and Burnout) and embrace the three R's instead (reduce, reuse and recycle). 🎧Tune in for more great tips and tricks🎧. Here's to getting ahead of 2022! 🥂

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture? We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday. Podcast Wars - The Rise of the Rewatch The cult hit TV show, Friday Night Lights, is the focus of a new 'rewatch' podcast, hosted by two of its stars Derek Phillips and Stacey Oristano, where they'll be sharing the juicy scoop, dishing out the gossip and revealing previously unknown behind-the-scenes moments. This format of podcast - where stars of a show literally rewatch each episode then press record and chat - isn't new. In fact versions of it are popping up everywhere. So why are they so popular? Well, we get to hear about the fun and scandalous stuff we didn't know (and didn't know we needed to know), and it feeds the fans' love and nostalgia for the show. So what's the point for the creators? Streaming, people. It's all about getting the fans to go rewatch too...and make more money. We're here for it - you know we are obsessed with the repurpose! The Leafs try to turn over a new...you know. (Does writing a lot about sports make us sportier? We think so. It's called osmosis, people.) This year, opening day for the Toronto Maple Leafs was newly coined Marketing Day in an attempt to change the narrative after yet another disappointing post-season (which last spring, when the Leafs exited after the first round of playoffs there was more than usual social media trolling / burning of jerseys). Now the Leafs are always going to be able to fill seats - this is Canada, after all - but as stated in this article, "The team is not worried about selling jerseys or tickets; it is selling a message; the key points are hope, optimism and belief." Hopefully there will be a lot of believers out there - but there should be plenty of Beliebers, anyway, as Justin and his new clothing line, Drew, are collaborating with the team to create some truly Canadian designs. Don't get the vaccine Marketing win of the week: on Sunday outside a stadium in Charlotte, NC where the Carolina Panthers were playing, a truck drove around with a stark message: "Don't get vaccinated!" At first glance this looked like a typical anti-vaxxer ploy, until you looked closer and realized the sponsor of this message was "Wilmore Funeral Home". Turns out there's no such place. And of if you went to the advertised website, you found a single page with the text "Get vaccinated now. If not, see you soon" linking to a vaccine appointment registry and FAQ page. It turns out this stunt was pulled off by a local marketing agency and any actual effect this will have on getting anti-vaxxers to change their minds is questionable. But like us, they are sick of the false narratives and want to make a statement (and maybe have some fun trolling the anti-v crowd!) Missing White Woman Syndrome The internet and the media has been in a frenzy the last couple of weeks about the story of Gabby Petito's disappearance and murder...a fever known as "Missing White Woman Syndrome". The term was coined by PBS news anchor Gwen Ifill in the early 2000s about the obsession and attention given to white women who go missing or are murdered, while there are thousands of POC and indigenous women also missing. In fact, did you know that murder is the 3rd leading cause of death of indigenous women in the US? Meanwhile we all know the tragic stories and names of murdered white women like Laci Peterson and Natalee Holloway thanks to the huge amount of media surrounding the cases. Not to diminish what has happened to Gabby and other white women, but it's very unfair that so many other women have been murdered and we haven't batted an eye. We're so glad to see this vital conversation happening. Annie Murphy's private parts go pubic. I mean public. After famously playing ditzy Alexis Rose in Schitt's Creek, then delving into something a little darker in Kevin Can F**ck Himself, Annie Murphy is taking us on a journey to a much deeper place. Partnering with Phexxi, a brand new hormone-free birth control gel, Annie stars in an hilarious, innuendo-filled commercial that happens to be set, well…inside her vagina. This happens to be a luxurious place where ain't nobody got time for traditional, hormonal, mood-swing-inducing birth control. We're not surprised to find out this genius ad was thought up by an all-female creative team, checking all the boxes for female empowerment. For these stories and more on Facebook's sketchy moves, the unfair demonization of the lovely Rosemary Barton, and Joan Rivers, who lives rent-free in our heads, listen to the full episode!

Are you falling out of love with your podcast because you're not seeing results or not using it to the full? Or maybe you're just bored of the same old, same old. In the words of Bobby McFerrin: 🎵Don't worry, be happy🎵, because we've got four plays to get your podcasting mojo back: Get your podcast seen and heard by integrating it on your website Utilize good writing (and spin that podcast into as many pieces as you can) Change up your format (how about a panel?) Use the material from your pipeline 🎧Tune in for more great tips and get that podcast mojo going 🎧

Podcast Wars - The Next Great Podcast iHeart Radio has launched a contest to find the best idea for a new podcast. Anyone can pitch their idea, and 10 semi-finalists will receive funding for a 10 minute pilot episode that will be voted on by people worldwide. The winner will get to work with the company to develop their show. Think your idea will be music to their ears? Better jump on it quick - the submission deadline is today at noon! Madonna's A$$ Madonna set tongues wagging and memes flying at the VMAs when she tossed off a trench coat and walked away, revealing most of her perky-af-holy-crap-how-is-she-63-behind to all the world. Speculation abounded about whether she had gotten implants, and also whether a woman of her age should be wearing something so skimpy. But who needs all that Material, Girl? If you've got it (and you know every single one of you has it), flaunt it if you want to. Be like Madge. Don't let anyone tell you how you can or can't Express Yourself. Met Memes Arguably the best celebrity fashion event of the year, the Met Gala did not disappoint us with its theme of "American Independence". From Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's "Tax the rich" dress (designed by a Torontonian) to Kim K's black 100% full coverage "t-shirt", we loved seeing not only the looks, but also the hilarious memes they spawned. And can we just talk about the men this year, who have seriously upped their game with some wild and expressive outfits. Royally Influential Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were recently named in Time Magazine as two of the 100 most influential people in the world. Despite tons of controversy from their wedding, leaving the royal family, and settling in the US, they've finally found their place and are using their celebrity to work for organizations and causes that are working to change the world for the better. We're happy to see them being recognized for all the good they do after so much drama. Nuts to you, Nicki Nicki Minaj made just about every medical professional nuts over the weekend when she tweeted about her reluctance to get a Covid vaccine after her Trinidadian cousin's friend apparently became impotent and developed swollen testicles (NOT a recognized side effect) after receiving one. Nicki was widely criticized for spreading disinformation, even by the head of Trinidad and Tobago's minister of health, who made it clear that time had been wasted confirming that the story was, in fact, complete and utter balls. Bill 8 Ain't Great According to Salesforce Salesforce did not shy aware from the political arena this week when, after the passing of anti-abortion law Bill 8, they sent out a message to thousands of Texan employees offering to help them relocate if they're concerned about their access to reproductive care. Other companies like Uber have also offered to pay legal fees for any drivers sued for driving someone to an abortion clinic. Good on them for taking a stand and stepping into the ring. Peg the Patriarchy AKA an Intellectual Property Drama A little bit of controversy at the Met Gala when Cara Delevingne showed up in a Dior bodysuit with "Peg the Patriarchy" written across the front. Basically it's 'Stick it to the man.', but go ahead and google if you're not familiar with the NSFW term. Someone who DOES know this term very well - i.e- Luna Matatas, the woman who coined the term - was shocked that her trademarked saying was splashed across the internet without her consent. Um can you say appropriation by the priviledged themselves? What's going to happen now that Dior is getting called out? You'll have to stay tuned...

We kid ye not. There really is an international "Talk like a Pirate Day" on the 19th of September, so we decided to honour this as we introduce our latest episode of 🎙The 4am Report🎙. Being the kind, caring and salty duo we are (self-titled of course), this episode shares the five things ye need for a successful podcast launch. Take a glimpse at what we discuss: Why ye need a solid content calendar with your content mapped out What makes your podcast stand out (yes, that hook we keep harping on about and a few other treasures that may or may not be pirate-related🦜) The tech suite ye choose and why it matters Good writing ✏ (underestimate it at ye peril) Great relationships and how to foster them🤲 🎧Tune in for more sound and sage podcasting advice🎧

She. Was. 21. If you're of a certain age, even if you're not American, you most likely remember THE presidential scandal of the 90s and have heard of Monica Lewinski. Considered the home wrecker of the century, the then-21 year old's name was dragged through the mud after being groomed by a much older, powerful man, in a way that would be totally unacceptable these days. Fast forward to now, the 48 year old has not only used her platform to advocate for anti-bullying measures, she's producing her very own American Crime Story episode on the subject of the presidential impeachment. We love seeing the strength she has to rise above after years and years of abuse from the media. Extreme Contract Makeover When it comes to being the spokesperson of a brand, the contracts end of things isn't always easy, breezy, or even beautiful. At least not until poet and activist Amanda Gorman came to the bargaining table and gave the whole deal a makeover. Now known as the "Global Changemaker" of 75-year-old and woman-founded Estée Lauder, Amanda says "I'm never just lending my body or my face. They are getting my spirit, my breath, my brain." Over the 3 year contract, Estée Lauder companies have pledged to donate $3 million to support writing and equality initiatives. Yassss! Superbowl ad spots are going...going...almost gone If you've got a cool $6.5 million just hanging around, you'd better move quickly to grab your advertising spot during the Super Bowl. Despite a lackadaisical response to the game in February, including a huge advertiser backing out in favour of supporting vaccination initiatives, this year spots are at a premium and going fast. While we're not super crazy into the world of athletics (Go Sports!), we're obviously not going to miss out on the epic commercials that just happen to come along with those big guys pushing each around over a ball. The birth of an album Lil Nas X has been delighting us with his fearless marketing ever since he tossed in some red contacts, put blood into shoes, and killed the devil in one of the most controversial videos of the year. Now, in the leadup to the "birth" of his debut album, he's taking the pregnancy theme to the next level. On top of posting many photos of his very realistic baby bump and counting down to his September 17th due date, he has now released a "baby registry" - a list of 15 charitable organizations (each matched to one of the 15 tracks on the album) people can donate to, including the Transinclusive Group and The Bail Project. That is one classy baby daddy. Even Obama got involved. Listen to the podcast if you want the deets. It's the most wonderful time of the year Also possibly the most stressful time of this year, with parents wondering about how back to school is going to look once again with a potential 4th wave of covid on the horizon. Megan O'Neill (who subbed for resident host Will Lamont, who's on a much needed break) is closely watching the Twitter bets on if and when schools will shut down again, sending her kids back to virtual learning, while Susan's family has opted for virtual schooling. They can both agree that this is a huge topic on everybody's minds right now.

Hey, content creator. This episode of 🎙The 4am Report🎙 we're telling you to: 🛑 Stop creating new content! 🛑 Yes, we know those words feel like a knife going into the creator's heart. It's controversial, it's hard-hitting, but ultimately, we just share a different, fun way to be creative. Learn all about the mixed-media artist metaphor and how it applies to you. And how repurposing is a bit like creating different invitations to the same party🥳. So how do you repurpose? Reclaim something with a successful lifespan and give it some more play Reimagine how you present or promote that content Nobody's telling you not to create. Just create in a different way. 🎧Tune in for more!🎧

Did somebody say podcast cohort? We were excited to hear the news that ABC announced that they're doing a special podcast series called Behind The Table, based on The View. They will have past View cohosts talking about their time on The View, with behind the scenes stories and the hosts spilling the tea on the many controversies over the years. Obviously ABC is doing this because we have recently been thirsting for our View-like podcast panel services, where we bring together experts who share a similar audience to speak panel style, like a fireside chat. September 14th - check it out if you want to catch Meredith Vieira, Lisa Ling, and all your other faves! Riot if not McPizza McDonalds Canada recently posted a teaser saying they were bringing back a fan favourite, immediately leading the nostalgic internet to assume they were reviving the popular McPizza from the 80s. Turns out this was not the case, and what ensued was a hilarious thread of disappointed people, great (slightly panicked) marketing from McD's, and a lot of newsjacking from other companies. Oh yeah, and it's actually spicy McNuggets coming back. On another spicy note? Mountain Dew and Flaming Hot Cheetos have teamed up to make a spicy monstrosity of a beverage. As Will says, Mountain Dew? More like Mountain Don't. Pearl Milling Company Pearl Milling Company, previously known as Aunt Jemima, has released their first ad since their huge rebranding from a long-time look that really smacked of racism. This ad features several black families enjoying the food they've made. No word on how sales have been, but we're watching closely to see how this works out for them. Zoom Doom DYK that since remote working has been the norm, 1 in 4 bosses have had to fire someone for some kind of inappropriate Zoom behaviour, and most have had to dole out some discipline over poor Zoom etiquette? While things have been a bit more relaxed in general considering the circumstances (who really wears "hard pants" on these calls, amiright?), some people have slipped a little too far and execs and clients aren't digging it. Not only that, evidently the higher ups don't totally trust that work is getting done effectively enough at home either. Take it from some remote working experts - stay professional, stay on task, and just wear something - anything, please - on your bottom half. Empowering or demeaning? If you've been around for a while, you've definitely heard the term "girl boss". Love it or hate it, it's been the war cry of women everywhere who have worked to be seen as equal to men in the same situations. Head over to this interesting article in Nymag's 'The Cut' column and let us know your take. Adaptive Fashion for the win In the leadup to New York Fashion Week, we're seeing a great trend of designers showcasing their inclusive designs. It's not just about race and religion either. These designers are also creating "adaptive fashion" - clothes that are accessible to those with physical disabilities.

So, you've got a podcast brand and you want to develop the visual side of it? On this episode of 🎙The 4am Report🎙 we share how you can grab your audience through your podcast promo visuals: Think beyond cover art – get tactical Use visual storytelling – and change it up often Keep your video on 🎧Tune in for more!🎧

With birthday boy Will off celebrating, Susan is joined this week by Global Marketing Director of Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON), Dionne Vaz for this week's #ThirstList **** AirBnB and Afghanistan The news cycle has been heavy the last little while and we've seen individuals and brands reacting to the situation in Afghanistan. One of the companies that is really stepping up is AirBnB, who are planning on paying for 20000 Afghan refugees to be housed in host homes. This is fantastic, but not surprising, as this is super on brand for AirBnB. From Hurricane Sandy to the Pulse Nightclub shooting, they have been great in times of crisis. One thing that bothered Susan just a little was that the story was rushed out with no real meat to it. So how are they going to go about doing this? What are the next steps? When you release things that are purpose-driven, make sure you include all the details in one spot so people get the dirt without all the digging. Want to help out in Afghanistan but not sure where to start? Check out this link for a list of curated and verified GoFundMe campaigns. Podcast Wars - Spotify's on our radar again At Spotify, after some beta testing, they have opened up Podcasts Subscriptions service to all US creators. Some of the highlight points: 1) No more FOMO - you want in, you got it! 2) Lots of detail on the pricing - we appreciate that they noted that creators like more flexibility in prices. 3) The ability to use RSS feeds Apple already jumped on the podcast subscription bandwagon a while back, but Spotify, an Apple critic in the antitrust fight, is so far keeping their prices more affordable. #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt While we're still swimming around in the realm of Creator Economy, we had some news this week about how TikTok is expanding its ecommerce efforts in a partnership with Shopify and are allowing creators the ability to affiliate with brands. Users will be able to shop right from their favourite TikTokker's account. We heart a good UX. Instagram has used this feature well, so why not? OnlyFans tries to pull out, but there's a happy ending This week OnlyFans, under pressure from banks and financial services companies, announced that they were banning sexually explicit content from the site. This decision was quickly reversed after a huge uproar from both fans and creators, many of whom are relying on their content as a main source of income. Talk about failure to identify both their target audience and target creators, but good on them for supporting their peeps in the end. Curry is not a spice! Padma Lakshmi, Indian author, actor, model, and tv presenter, took on The Washington Post and one uber-annoying opinionated writer who ranted about how much he disliked Indian food. Ok that's totally fine, right? Not when you do it in a lazy, racist, and frankly non-factual way, claiming it's the only ethnic food completely based on one spice - curry. Um, what? Ugh. Padma fairly kindly Instagram-shamed him whilst also cleverly plugging her new book, "The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs" Hello, newsjacking! We love it, Padma! Sort of Thirsting in T.O. From right here in the hood, a story of a new tv series called Sort Of, created by and starring Bilal Baig, who is the first queer south asian Muslim playing the lead of a primetime show. How freaking amazing that we get to live in this wonderful diverse city and now it is going to be showcased all over mainstream TV!