What We’ve Learnt After 4 Seasons of the Digital PR Podcast 

The Digital PR Podcast has just wrapped its fourth season, so I sat down with co-host Steve Baker to look back on what’s changed, what’s stuck, and what he’s learnt from four seasons of brilliant guests. From the rise of AI as a talking point to advice he’d give season-1 Steve, here’s what he had to say.

What’s changed most about digital PR since season 1, based on what guests have told you?

Undoubtedly the rise of AI. It was barely a talking point when we started and now every single episode either focuses solely on how AI is changing our industry or touches on it in some way. 

Has anything a guest said changed how you work day-to-day?

Absolutely, it actually happens a fair bit which is definitely an added bonus from speaking to such brilliant minds and experienced professionals on a regular basis. There are lots of examples but the one that comes to mind immediately is changing how we write job ads based on our conversation with Lauren Spearman. We were doing plenty of things in the right way but there were some things I hadn’t considered that changed my day-to-day instantly  

Is there a topic that used to dominate episodes early on that barely comes up anymore – or vice versa?

I wouldn’t say it dominated early episodes but it did come up a fair bit and we did a whole episode on it – remote working. When we started we weren’t long out of the pandemic and the return to the office (or not) was on everyone’s minds. It’s definitely not as much of a talking point anymore 

What do you know now about hosting/interviewing that you didn’t in season 1?

I have always been confident in mine and Lou’s ability to ask interesting questions and make our guests feel comfortable but it’s definitely become easier and more natural for me and Lou to engage with each other during the episodes rather than solely the guests. We love working together and speak all the time but, initially, we relied heavily on scripted questions and so the benefit of having two hosts was a little lost. I’ve also realised, and worked very hard at, not talking too much and letting the guests showcase their knowledge and answer a question fully. 

Has your prep process changed at all over 4 seasons?

It has – we used to be over-prepared and now I think we’tre better-prepared. We know how many questions tends to make for a good episode and which topics generate talking points and intrigue. We have finally learned how to record a decent outro as well!

What’s still the hardest part of making the podcast, even after this many episodes?

I genuinely love all aspects of making the podcast but the hardest part is the admin side of things such as booking guests and studio time. Diaries are often a nightmare so there can be several rounds of emails to get to the right date and time before we can start planning an episode properly 

Any surprises about what listeners actually respond to vs. what you expected?

Not really no – working in the industry as we do, we’re really up to date with industry trends, what’s being talked about and what others might find interesting 

If you had to sum up 4 seasons in one sentence, what would it be?

The digital PR industry is full of brilliant, opinionated and fascinating people 

What’s one thing you’d tell season-1 Steve and Lou before they started?

Plan what you’re going to say at the end of an episode as much as you do for the intro to an episode 

What are you excited for in season 5?

I’d usually say the guests (which is still true) but this season is different as Lou is on maternity leave and will of course be sorely missed but i’m very excited about co-hosting alongside the marvellous Steph Finch

Season 5 is officially under way, with Steve now co-hosting alongside Steph Finch while Lou is on maternity leave. You can check out the latest episode with Thierry Ngutegure here.

If you’re figuring out where digital PR is heading next, get in touch, or check out more of our Insights below. You can also catch all episodes of the Digital PR Podcast here.