The Future of Digital PR with Vince Nero | Cited by OpenLens

Vince Nero, Director of Content Marketing at BuzzStream, joins Cameron and Anna from OpenLens to break down how AI is changing digital PR, media list building, pitching, and the role of junior PR talent.  Cameron and Anna ask Vince about how AI is changing digital PR, media list building, pitching, and the role of junior PR talent. They also discuss what still matters most when everyone has similar tools: story quality, timing, and real human judgment. Vince shares why he thinks AI may automate parts of outreach but not replace the craft of choosing the right story, reading the room, and understanding journalist fit. He also offers a sharp take on where PR (and the internet at large) may be heading by 2031.  Join the OpenLens community: https://discord.gg/8GC7tuGQV Try OpenLens for free: https://openlens.com Listen to Vince’s podcast:    / @buzzstream   Connect with Vincent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinnero/ OpenLens on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/openlens-... TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction to Cited 00:29 - Vince Nero introduced: BuzzStream, Siege Media, and digital PR background 01:15 - From jazz saxophone to marketing and link building 02:22 - Can AI build media lists better than humans? 03:58 - Why story fit matters more than relationship alone 06:10 - What actually goes into evaluating a journalist 08:08 - Timely commentary and reactive PR opportunities 10:03 - Why agencies may still accept noisy outreach risks 11:35 - How many pitches journalists say are irrelevant 12:03 - What junior PR roles may look like in 2031 13:44 - Generalist PR roles, AI tools, and strategic learning 16:18 - Journalists can spot AI-written pitches instantly 18:14 - Will brands start marketing themselves as AI-free? 19:20 - AI’s limits in ideation and strategy 21:47 - Building better media lists with richer inputs 22:45 - When relationships matter again in an AI-heavy world 24:15 - Links, unlinked mentions, and AI visibility 26:06 - Why links still matter for ranking and corpus training 28:09 - How pitching may shift toward platforms and journalist request systems 30:29 - Why journalists are overloaded and time-poor 32:28 - The future of coverage in an agentic web 34:02 - Local news, clicks, and the move toward more siloed news consumption 36:52 - Biggest hot take: the internet swings back toward human creatives 38:05 - Quality over quantity as AI limitations become obvious