Stop The Scroll with Brianna Doe

The internet never forgets, and that means every public mistake becomes a reputation test.
In this episode, I sit down with Tiffany Knighten, Founder and PR Consultant at Brand Curators, to challenge the conventional playbook for crisis PR. We dig into why some brands and public figures recover from backlash while others make it infinitely worse.
From Notes app apologies to reality TV scandals, we get into what audiences actually expect when things go wrong and how online narratives spiral out of a brand's control. Because more often than not, your response ends up more memorable than the mistake itself.

Highlights:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:57) Meet Tiffany Knighten: PR strategist and founder of Brand Curators
(02:38) Why audiences have stopped believing public apologies
(08:32) What makes a good apology—and when silence makes things worse
(17:34) Why every apology gets picked apart online
(19:17) Why owning your mistakes matters more than being right
(29:07) Apologies aren’t like checking a box. What happens after?
(35:00) What happens when creators avoid accountability
(38:29) What's really at stake behind every public apology

Resources:
Hear more from me in the Stop the Scroll Newsletter: https://briannadoe.substack.com/
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-doe/ 

Tiffany’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyknighten/ 
Brand Curators  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brand-curators/ 
Brand Curators Website: https://www.brandcurators.co/

Creator marketing shouldn’t be becoming more transactional. It should be becoming more collaborative.
In this episode, I sit down with Jay Schwedelson, Founder and CEO of GURU Media Hub and SubjectLine.com, to unpack what separates successful creator partnerships from disappointing ones.
We discuss why so many campaigns fall short, how brands and creators can build stronger relationships, and what it takes to create partnerships that drive real business results. From campaign strategy and creative freedom to AI, affiliate marketing, contracts, and measuring success, this conversation explores what creator marketing looks like today and where it's headed.
Highlights:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:43) Meet Jay Schwedelson
(01:42) The biggest mistakes brands make with creators
(04:07) Why long-term partnerships outperform one-off campaigns
(06:25) Why creators can't fix bad marketing
(11:01) How to build creator partnerships that drive better results
(16:01) Do sponsored partnerships build or break audience trust?
(23:45) Why brands need to give creators more creative freedom
(32:11) Common creator marketing mistakes brands should avoid
(43:21) How AI is changing the future of creator marketing
Resources:
Hear more from me in the Stop the Scroll Newsletter: https://briannadoe.substack.com/
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-doe/ 
Jay’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/
GURU Media Hub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gurumediahub/
GURU Media Hub Website: https://gurumediahub.com/
SubjectLine.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/subjectline.com/
SubjectLine.com Website: https://www.subjectline.com/ 
Learn more about Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/
Order Jay’s New Book: a.co/d/05xWKnfN

Social media has changed how we consume content, but has it also changed how we connect with people?
In this episode, Gabriel Gomez, Head of Social & Creators at MCOBeauty, joins me for an honest conversation about the internet through the eyes of someone who is both a marketer and a consumer. 
We get into fan edits and creator culture, parasocial relationships, and why people behave differently online than they do in person. We also talk about why some content makes us feel more involved in a stranger's life than we realize, and what that means for brands trying to earn genuine attention.
If you've ever caught yourself feeling like you actually know a creator you've never met (been there), this one will help you get why.

Highlights:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:19) Meet Gabriel as both consumer & marketer
(03:44) Fan Edit Culture: Why it’s a huge opportunity for brands
(06:17) Balancing entertainment and information
(10:30) Shiny object marketing
(11:46) Why brands need a face, not just a logo
(16:41) How parasocial bonds make audiences care
(21:22) How LinkedIn reshaped Gabriel’s creative approach
(23:56) The Myth of “Easy” Social Marketing

Resources:
Hear more from me in the Stop the Scroll Newsletter: https://briannadoe.substack.com/
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-doe/ 

Gabriel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegomezdigital 
Gabriel’s Substack: https://makeitmakesensegabe.substack.com/ 
MCOBeauty’s LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/mcobeauty 
MCOBeauty Website: https://mcobeauty.com/

Most creator marketing advice is about going viral, but real impact comes from how brands and creators actually work together.
In this episode of Stop the Scroll, Roo Yeshpaul Johnson, Head of Creator Marketing at Figma, and I are talking about what’s shaping the creator economy right now — from the myth of unlimited brand budgets to why “great creator partnerships” often come down to something much less glamorous: reliability, negotiation, and whether the math still works.
We also get into the tension no one wants to say out loud: creators are getting more expensive, brands are getting more selective, and long-term partnerships are not as guaranteed as the internet makes them sound.
And underneath all of it is a bigger question — if everyone is a creator now, what actually makes someone worth paying attention to?

Highlights:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:18) Meet Roo Yeshpaul Johnson
(03:41) Why Marketers Still Need a Seat in the Room
(07:14) What Creator Activations Look Like Without Marketers
(08:48) The Myth of Unlimited Creator Budgets
(15:30) What Makes a Creator Easy to Work With
(19:45) The Coming Tiered Creator Economy
(25:17) What Will Feel Weird About Creator Culture Soon
(27:42) Rise of the Practitioner Creator
(30:10) Why Creator-Brand Relationships Break or Scale
(32:23) What Every Marketer Should Know

Resources:
Hear more from me in the Stop the Scroll Newsletter: https://briannadoe.substack.com/
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-doe/ 
Roo’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rooyj
Figma LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/figma
Figma Website: https://www.figma.com/

Most creators have an audience. Far fewer have influence.
In this episode, Aneesh Lal, also known as The Jerry Maguire of LinkedIn, the Founder of The Wishly Group, joins me to unpack what actually drives trust, attention, and buying behavior in the creator economy.
From why some creators convert while others don't, to the difference between being relatable versus aspirational, we explore the hidden dynamics behind audience growth, brand partnerships, dark social, and influence itself. We also get into why vanity metrics matter more than most marketers admit, what brands consistently get wrong about creators, and why attention alone isn't enough to change behavior.
Highlights:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:06) Meet Aneesh Lal and why he’s the Jerry Maguire of LinkedIn
(02:33) Brands are rushing the funnel
(04:46) The dream creator campaign
(06:12) The deals worth rejecting
(07:47) Pay gaps in creator marketing
(11:13) Does the label matter?
(15:13) Engagement doesn't equal sales
(17:13) Why creators need video
(18:18) Where creators should expand
(19:18) Everyone cares about followers
(24:43) The dark social problem
(27:57) Why expertise matters
(30:03) Losing connection with audiences
(32:53)  To the creators who want to start partnering with brands 
(34:11) Depth over short-form skills

Resources:
Hear more from me in the Stop the Scroll Newsletter: https://briannadoe.substack.com/
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-doe/ 

Aneesh’’s LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/aneeshlal 
The Wishly Group  LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/thewishlygroup 
The Wishly Group Website: https://www.wishlygroup.ca/