In this episode of the Social PR Secrets Podcast, host Lisa Buyer sits down with Robyn Lindars, founder of GrillGirl, a website where she shares tips, recipes, classes, and more. Like many of us PR pros, Robyn went to journalism school before starting her career at Marketwire where she learned the art of digital PR, SEO, and distribution.

At the same time she discovered grilling, she started a small blog that then morphed into GrillGirl. She realized: why do the guys get to have all the fun? She used the website as an opportunity to share her growing passion for grilling. Along the way, she has learned how to build a social presence and run a widely successful website. Want to know how she did it? Listen to this episode to find out!

Robyn has appeared on the Today Show, the Food Network, and featured in USA Today, The Miami Herald, and more. Despite what most people think, high-end produced videos aren’t necessarily what catches people’s attention, she says. Instead, home-grown content can get you the best press opportunities. For example, the Today Show found her through videos of herself grilling lamb in her backyard. She also started her Women’s Grilling Clinics, understanding that events are a great way to get press.

Robyn also explains that finding a niche that sets you apart makes it much easier to get featured in a story. For her, being a woman in a male-dominated field allowed her to cut through a lot of noise. To that, Lisa adds that entrepreneurs shouldn’t be afraid of starting with local media mentions to start the momentum before aiming at bigger publications. She also recommends doing paid distribution of your news releases to make sure journalists find you when they research-related topics. In short, “take the extra step and think outside the box,” says Robyn.

#1. Social listening is for everyone

You don’t need a big budget to use social listening to your advantage. While paid tools like NetBase are great, a simple look at Google Trends can help you. Robyn even sets Google alerts for topics she wants to keep a pulse on.

#2. Any brand, big or small can benefit from social listening

Small companies can actually be more nimble, they can implement changes based on social listening more quickly.

#3. Don’t focus on your brand only

Businesses should look at their brand as well as the larger universe around it. You shouldn’t have a me-centric perspective when doing social listening, exp...