You likely know Steve Pratt's name from his days as founder of Pacific Content. The company that created stories about brands set the bar for branded podcasts in the late 2010's. The company was later sold to Rogers in 2019 and just recently sold to Lower Street in the UK. Unlike our interview with (former Pacific Content Director of Audience developement) Dan Misener, we are going to ask Steve about his thoughts when it was announced Rogers would be mothballing the company he started.
In this episode, we discussed Steve's career evolution from television to podcasting. He highlighted his work at YTV where he was in charge of "The Zone", CBC Radio 3, and later Pacific Content, emphasizing the importance of creating unique, audience-focused content. Steve shared insights on the challenges and successes of branded podcasts, such as Slack's "Customer Success Podcast", Charles Schwab's "Choiceology" and Red Hat's "Open Source," which avoided direct brand promotion. He also discussed the impact of AI on content creation and the need for high-quality, differentiated content.
Steve's new book, "Earn It: Unconventional Strategies for Brave Marketers" offers strategies for earning audience engagement through creative storytelling.
If you are not into reading but would prefer to listen to the book, you can do so here. Of note - the audio book is voiced by Steve and co-produced by Gaetan Harris who produced podcasts at Pacific Content and also had the (mis)fortune of working with me in Winnipeg at Power 97 where he did evenings on air.
Anyhow here is what you are in for:
In a world where content is everywhere, consumer attention is a valuable commodity. Every marketer, creator, and communication professional is vying to get eyes on their brand. But the old marketing techniques—paying for ad space and trying to pop up on the “right” platforms—aren’t cutting it to get the attention you require to grow your business. If this sounds familiar, you need to shake up your process and start earning the attention you’re asking for.
In Earn It, entrepreneur and innovator Steve Pratt delivers his forward-thinking approach with passion and humour to help you see why your marketing strategy needs to be as unique as your business. Drawing on his own expertise as well as insights from other leading experts in creativity, marketing, and media, Steve outlines the reasons you need to abandon the status-quo and get creative. He warns that there is no shortcut and no hack, but if you’re ready to do the work and find the sweet spot between your Commitment and Creative Bravery then your audience is waiting.
The strategies in this book may surprise you. The thinking and the techniques are unconventional. But if you embrace them, you will change the way you market your brand and your business, creating value for your consumers and reaping the benefits.