The Edward Show

E899: Breaking down how earned media actually works - and how brands, founders, and creators can get press, podcast interviews, and brand mentions without paying influencers or agencies thousands of dollars. I'm joined by Bridget Sicsko and Lydia Bagarozza from Visibility on Purpose. We go deep into what journalists, podcast hosts, and writers are really looking for, why most pitches fail, and how to position yourself so third parties want to talk about your brand. This is a practical conversation focused on execution, not theory. What we cover in this episode: - What earned media is and why it compounds across SEO, branding, and conversions - How to pitch journalists and podcast hosts the right way - The biggest mistakes people make when trying to get press coverage - Why press releases are often misunderstood - and when they actually make sense - Cold outreach vs inbound media opportunities - How to follow up without annoying writers or hosts - How to write better email subject lines for media pitches - Why relevance matters more than credentials - How to research writers before pitching them - When to use press releases vs direct outreach - How journalists really use platforms like HARO-style requests - The role of niche publications in building authority - How to use brand mentions to get more brand mentions - Turning one media win into long-term credibility - How podcasts fit into an earned media strategy - How AI tools can help with editing and clarity (without replacing human judgment) About Visibility on Purpose, Bridget & Lydia's PR firm: Visibility on Purpose is a PR consulting studio helping small business owners get seen, featured, and remembered. Founded in 2023 by Publicist Lydia Bagarozza and Speaker Bridget Aileen Sicsko, the studio bridges the gap between DIY PR and expensive agencies - giving founders the strategy they need to confidently manage their own visibility. Together, they're improving modern PR by giving brands industry tools and publicist-level insights to tell their own stories and attract meaningful press. ⭐️ Bridget & Lydia's free Get Featured Class - https://www.visibilityonpurpose.com/getfeatured ⭐️ Visibility on Purpose - https://www.visibilityonpurpose.com/ ⭐️ Visibility on Purpose on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/visibilityonpurpose/ ⭐️ Visibility on Purpose on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/visibilityonpurpose ⭐️ Visibility on Purpose on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@visibilityonpurpose ⭐️ Visibility on Purpose on Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/visibilityonpurpose 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction to Earned Media 00:53 Meet the Experts: Bridget and Lydia 04:59 Common Mistakes in PR Outreach 10:53 Effective PR Tools and AI Integration 14:35 Press Release Best Practices 22:01 Exploring PR Distribution Services 24:19 Success Stories with PR Newswire 27:14 Strategies for Effective Media Outreach 29:06 Leveraging Brand Mentions for Growth 31:41 Building Relationships with Journalists 35:12 Creative PR Tactics and Social Proof 42:38 Final Thoughts The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #publicrelations #earnedmedia101 #linkbuilding #backlinks

E898: I sit down with Derek, founder of NapLab, to break down how he built one of the strongest authority sites in a hyper-competitive affiliate niche - without gray-hat tactics, automation spam, or short-term SEO plays. NapLab ranks for over 103,000 keywords, earns hundreds of thousands of organic clicks per month, and consistently wins Google core updates in a space where most sites get wiped out. This is a deep, tactical conversation about long-term SEO, brand trust, content systems, information architecture, and link building that actually holds up over time. Topics covered: - How NapLab grew from early traction to dominating mattress SERPs - Why most affiliate review sites fail after Google updates - The exact content system NapLab uses (data-driven testing, long-form reviews, reuse loops) - How information architecture and subfolders were planned from day one - Why "best of" pages became NapLab's strongest traffic drivers - How NapLab approaches internal linking at scale - What changed after the March Google Core Algorithm Update - How brand searches and trust factor into modern rankings - Link building strategies that still work (and what NapLab avoids entirely) - Why disavowing bad links was the right call in one specific case - How NapLab thinks about LLMs, AI search, and future visibility - The role of transparency, disclosures, and user trust in SEO - Why slow, brick-by-brick SEO compounds while shortcuts collapse Who this episode is for: - SEO professionals building authority sites - Affiliate SEOs tired of volatility and churn-and-burn tactics - Founders who want durable organic traffic, not spikes - Anyone trying to survive (and win) Google core updates ⭐️ Derek Hales on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhales/ ⭐️ NapLab - https://naplab.com/ ⭐️ NapLab's Best Mattress List - https://naplab.com/best-mattress/ ⭐️ NapLab's Mattress Finder Quiz - https://naplab.com/mattress-quiz/ (answer a few questions, get a personalized recommendation back within 24 hours) ⭐️ NapLab's Mattress Comparison Tool - https://naplab.com/mattress-comparisons/ (filter, sort, and compare all mattresses they've tested to date in a single place) 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 NapLab's Insane SEO Success 01:08 Derek's Journey into SEO 03:04 Founding and Growing NapLab 06:20 SEO Strategies and Success 08:49 Challenges and Setbacks 11:06 NapLab's Content and Testing Process 25:47 Monetization and Transparency 31:22 Information Architecture and Best Practices 41:18 Ahrefs and Keyword Strategies 42:42 WordPress Plugins and Custom Code 45:21 The Importance of the Mattress Quiz 46:08 Team Growth and Roles 47:37 Social Media and Content Strategy 54:52 Link Building and SEO Tactics 01:14:42 AI and Automation in Content Creation 01:16:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #affiliateseo #blogging #marketingsuccess

E897: Barry Schwartz (Search Engine Roundtable, Search Engine Land) and David Quaid join the show! We break down what SEO is turning into as we head toward 2026. We zero in on how Google search is changing with AI Mode and AI Overviews, why Reddit became such a dominant surface in the SERPs, what's happening with links and updates, and which fundamentals still hold up when attribution and visibility are getting harder to measure. This is a practical discussion about what's actually shifting, what's mostly noise, and what SEOs should stop chasing. Topics we cover - SEO in 2026 and how the job is changing - Google updates and why fewer are being confirmed - How updates are evaluated today versus earlier algorithm eras - Link spam in 2026 and how Google handles it now - Manual actions versus links simply not being counted - Why buying links can feel "safe" until it isn't - Why Reddit rose so quickly in search results - How parasite SEO cycles repeat across platforms - Whether Reddit can remain an SEO powerhouse through 2026 - The impact of low-moderation communities and automation - Writing for people versus writing for AI systems - When AI-friendly formatting conflicts with conversion - GEO versus SEO and where the confusion is coming from - Why SEO may remain the umbrella category - Measurement problems in AI-driven search - Why prompt data is unlikely to be fully visible - How reporting changes when clicks no longer match visibility - Whether AI Mode becomes the default Google experience - What this all means for small and new websites - Why bottom-of-funnel queries matter more than ever - HubSpot's traffic decline and the role of topical authority - Whether topical authority still matters in 2026 - Skills SEOs should focus on to stay relevant - Why critical thinking matters more than tactics - How to communicate SEO value with weaker attribution Key takeaways - Short-term SEO tactics tied to platform advantages repeat in cycles and eventually break. - Most "AI optimization" still depends on traditional search discovery and ranking. - Links may matter differently, but there is still no durable replacement signal. - The hardest part of SEO in 2026 may be measurement and explanation, not ranking. Guests - Barry Schwartz, Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Land - David Quaid, Primary Position ⭐️ Read Search Engine Roundtable: https://www.seroundtable.com/ ⭐️ Barry Schwartz on 𝕏: https://x.com/rustybrick ⭐️ Barry Schwartz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rustybrick/ ⭐️ Barry Schwartz on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rustybrick ⭐️ Barry Schwartz's agency: https://www.rustybrick.com/ ⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid ⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ ⭐️ David Quaid's agency - https://primaryposition.com/ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction to the Guests 00:40 Barry Schwartz on Google Updates 02:24 David Quaid's Insights on SEO Trends 10:51 Reddit's Role in SEO 20:15 Writing for AI vs. Humans 32:21 Improving Video Production 32:38 Challenges with YouTube Growth 33:11 SEO Strategies and Video Content 36:26 AI's Impact on SEO 52:03 HubSpot's Organic Traffic Decline 54:34 Skills for Future SEOs 56:52 Predictions for 2026 01:02:13 Conclusion and Farewell The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #linkbuilding #generativeengineoptimization

E896: I break down five practical moves that will make you a better marketer. These are things I personally do and use across my own sites, emails, and social channels. No theory. No motivation talk. Just tactics that actually move the needle. This is especially useful if you work in SEO, digital marketing, ecommerce, or content, but everything here applies broadly to anyone trying to grow traffic, trust, and conversions. What you'll learn: 🔥 The informational regex: ^(who|what|where|when|why|how|was|did|do|is|are|aren't|won't|does|if)[" "] 🔥 The ecommerce regex: ^(buy|order|purchase|get|best price|cheap|discount|deal|promo|offer|sale|where to buy|how much|cost of|price of)[" "] - How to use Google Search Console to find informational keywords your site is already showing up for - How to identify keywords ranking in positions 4 - 20 and turn them into traffic with simple on-page changes - When to expand an existing page vs creating a brand new page for a keyword - How adding a phone number to your site increases trust and conversions - How to add a phone number without exposing your real number or dealing with spam - Where to place a phone number on your site depending on your business model - How to find ecommerce and buyer-intent keywords using the same Google Search Console method - How to spot purchase-focused searches your site is already ranking for - How to improve Gmail open rates with a simple profile change almost no one is using - How to use a moving profile image or animated logo in Gmail - Why posting consistently on LinkedIn is one of the highest leverage marketing habits right now - How LinkedIn posts can rank on Google and drive compounding visibility - Why cross-posting the same content to LinkedIn, 𝕏, Facebook, and Threads works - Real examples of how fast impressions grow with consistent posting This is episode 896 of my daily digital marketing podcast. I've published an episode every single day for over two years, and everything I share here comes directly from what I'm testing and using in real time. 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction: 5 Tips to Become a Better Marketer 00:03 Tip 1: Google Search Console for Informational Keywords 02:18 Tip 2: Using Phone Numbers to Boost Customer Trust and Engagement 05:32 Tip 3: Finding and Targeting E-commerce Keywords 06:35 Tip 4: Increasing Gmail Open Rates with Animated Icons 09:21 Tip 5: Growing Your Presence on LinkedIn 12:01 Conclusion and Bonus Tip Number 6 The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #marketingtactics

E895: Most people do blog SEO wrong. I walk you through the exact process I use doing traditional blog SEO with ChatGPT - step by step - and why you have to be careful if you don't want to damage your brand, your voice, or your credibility. I also explain why I personally focus on bottom-of-funnel SEO instead, and when blog SEO actually makes sense. What I cover in this: - How to reverse-engineer the top 3 ranking posts - A real example keyword for blog SEO - How to build a better outline using H2s and H3s - How to write a page title that stands out in search results - Where your keyword should appear (title, URL, H1, first sentence) - How to use ChatGPT to fill in the outline without publishing generic content - How to humanize AI writing and remove common AI tells - Why real photos matter and why AI images hurt trust - How to add your own experience so your content feels authentic - Why I don't run AI blog SEO on my own site - When blog SEO is fine and when it's a waste of time - Why bottom-of-funnel SEO is usually a better strategy 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction to Blog SEO 00:16 Choosing and Researching Keywords 00:37 Creating an Effective Outline 02:06 Humanizing AI-Generated Content 02:34 Editing and Finalizing Your Blog Post 03:49 Internal Linking Strategies 04:14 What I Focus On Instead 05:35 Wrapping The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #backlinks #contentmarketing