The news isn't good. CEOs and C-suite members have low confidence in their PR departments. In fact, the confidence rating for Congress at this moment is higher -- almost double -- compared to how C-suite members rate their PR teams. YIKES! Houston, we have a problem! And waking up to it is our first step to resolving it. Today IT'S A PR THING looks…

Just like your financials need to be regularly reviewed and audited, so do your stakeholder relationships. In fact, not having a finger on the pulse of your relationship capital can impact your organization's financial health. This is another next level PR management practice that helps you know the relationship landscape across your organization, …

NEWS ALERT FeedSpot named IT'S A PR THING among its top 70 PR podcasts "on the planet" you must follow in 2025. Read more. EPISODE 33 - SUMMARY Today we dive into the five practices that can take your PR efforts from a content-creating, output-producing function to a value-creating, outcome-delivering operation. This episode hits the high notes of …

Don't 'Stay on Message' Yes, you read today's title right. Don't "stay on message". We hear it a lot in our field, the directive to "stay on message". And, for the most part, it's bad advice. Today you'll hear for yourself what it actually sounds like put into practice. And we talk about what those receiving the "message" think about its delivery. …

Don't just take our word for it, learn what this new study has revealed about where organizations are taking their DEI programs. This new survey published recently by the Littler Mendelson firm (labor- and employment-law experts) adds some new quantitative data to the ongoing conversation on whether DEI is ending or evolving. SPOILER ALERT: This ne…

DOES DEI HAVE A FUTURE? Today I share the highlights from our latest market-voice briefing whitepaper on the current state of DEI in the United States. Have DEI programs in the workplace come to the end of the road, or will DEI evolve and endure? Tune in today to catch the highlights of what we found in our briefing whitepaper titled The State of D…

Why is Gen X battling a beat down online currently? Join me today as we explore what's happening through the practice of stakeholder analysis. You'll learn how to "seek first to understand" about the smallest of the adult living generations, and you'll get to "know thy stakeholder" through the lens of historical, social and cultural shaping, and th…

PR Mail Bag Q&A (with Bonus Recipes!) After that heavy helping of trust problems we've dished out over the past three weeks, today's episode is going light and a bit random with our mail-bag format. Today we dive into a cornucopia of common questions we get from clients, podcast listeners, new professionals, students and sometimes business leaders …

THE NATIONAL TRUST DEFICIT - PART III The U.S. trust deficit is permeating across all of our most-influential American institutions, from government to big business to public health to education and the news media. And there are some valuable lessons to learn in studying this wide-spread deficit. But throwing more storytelling, more messaging and m…

Welcome to this episode of IT'S A PR THING, where we tackle Part II of our series on the U.S. National Trust Deficit. In Part I, we learned the data that's defining the national trust deficit, but this week we dive into the reasons why -- straight from the public -- and how their lack of trust is impacting and reshaping American life. And it boils …

The National Trust Deficit - Part I Today we’re starting a series on TRUST. If you've have been following the public discussion, you know we have a trust deficit in high gear right now. It's actually a global issue, aggravated by the public’s perception of how the pandemic was handled. But we're going to cover the trust deficit from a U.S. perspect…

The Anheuser-Busch recent marketing campaign stirred up a lot of conversation and action from consumers -- on both sides of the issue. Now company marketing executives are on "leave," consumers across the board are angry, a boycott is in progress, sales and stocks are down, and other Anheuser brands are feeling the impact as well. All of this begs …

Tanner tackles the tougher side of being a new PR professional Leading without authority, imposter syndrome, and more Tanner Sizemore hosts today's episode of IT'S A PR THING and tackles the hurdles and quandaries inherent in being a new PR pro who's working to grow personally and professionally. Today Tanner is asking the questions, and he's diggi…

EAST PALESTINE DERAILMENT How to host an arrest-free news briefing. On February 8, a NewsNation reporter was arrested at a news briefing in East Palestine, Ohio, where a train derailment had occurred, resulting in the burning of toxic chemicals that created havoc for the small Ohio community. What led to this arrest, and how could frustrations and …

Are you operating inclusively in how you communicate, or is your organization unintentionally fostering an atmosphere of exclusion? Are you spouting the word "inclusion" but actually delivering exclusivity? Or does your organization unintentionally set up barriers so only a select or limited segment can truly connect and interact with you? Today we…

So many companies today say they want a kinder, more unified society. That's an admirable goal. But how do we get there, and still respect diversity of thought, experiences, beliefs, etc.? And is company and/or legislative policy the way to get there? Or is it our collective behaviors and actions that make up the real answer? Today we share five Ne…

If you want to be successful in your public-relations efforts, then you must have a PR strategic plan. Whether you're planning for the organization's reputation, or for a specific initiative or campaign, you must have a thorough and documented PR strategy. Today, Sam Sims, PRSA incoming board member and Fellow, podcast host of PR for the Rest of Us…

Today on the series finale of Corporate Cultures That Court Crisis, we cover the "Blissfully Oblivious" culture. This culture usually takes one of two forms: Either the organization doesn't want to be aware of anything detrimental brewing in its bowels OR the organization is genuinely naive to the risks its unknowingly taking or facing. Don't let t…

Happy Thanksgiving week! I love this time of year . . . because it's cool to be thankful, to reach out and share gratitude and count our blessings. Did you know that Harvard and Berkley have some great data on what gratitude can do for your business? Well, we're going to hit the highlights of that data today -- and focus on how to integrate gratitu…

'Hair on Fire' Thank you for joining us today for IT'S A PR THING -- where today we're on Part III of a four-part series on Corporate Cultures That Court Crisis. Again, these are business cultures that invite crisis and controversy, putting the organization at risk. Today's episode focuses on the "Hair on Fire" culture, and gives us a robust taste …

It's not deficient publicity that lands companies and organizations in hot water -- it's the management decisions they make. And today we're continuing our series on business cultures that invite crisis or controversy. This is the second episode in a four-part series that helps you identify businesses with a "tone at the top" that's problematic -- …

Today we're starting a new series called Corporate Cultures That Court Crisis. Is your business culture setting your organization up for disruption, public backlash, lost revenue, damaged relationships, etc.? Is your culture Too Big for Its Britches? Is it All About the Bennies? Is it operating Cowboy Style, or Blissfully Oblivious? Join us today a…

Don't let the title fool you, our more seasoned PR pros -- this episode is for all of us! Today we're talking with Tanner Sizemore, who gives us insights into what it's like for a new professional entering the PR field, how it's different from the world of academia, how relationships play into a new professional's experience, and what kind of cultu…

Today we're going to reveal the key influences that drive stakeholder engagement. If you're scratching your head about why your million-dollar plus ad campaign isn't driving people to purchase, vote, participate, etc. . . . well there is a reason for that. You're going to see why advertising and news releases, or “earned media” have a short lifespa…

Can you still get ahead of the story in today's media environment? And if so, how do you do that? Schmooze the media? Press release your way out of it? "Reframe" the situation and set the record straight? In today's episode, we get all up in these questions. And we lay some hard reality on you in the form of three crucial tips to help you get ahead…

Thank you for tuning into IT’S A PR THING. Today we're going to cover 14 resources and tools available to help you manage and improve your public-relations function within your organization. THAT’S 14! One to check out everyday for two weeks! These tools and resources come from a breadth of organizations and experts AND many of them are free or acc…

Thank you again for tuning into to IT'S A PR THING. Today we talk about content outputs versus PR outcomes. Is your content creation really creating communication? Is it moving you to dialogue that creates relationships? Or is it just announcing, notifying and informing? We see a lot of information floating around about how content is king, and cat…

Thanks so much for joining us today on IT'S A PR THING. Today we're going to cover four pro tips that are crucial regarding any media interview. Most people go into a media interview thinking they just need talking points. But there's a lot more you need to think about than parroting messages. First and foremost, you need to have a strategy, you ne…

Thank you so much for joining us today for the Tuesday Tip here on IT'S A PR THING. Today we're going to talk about 10 key tools that can help you build better relationships with the news media. Building a relationship with the news media takes more that just a solid contact list and blasting out news releases. You need to not only help journalists…

THE POWER OF PR IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE YES! Public relations tactics and techniques played a major role in the birth of the United States as a nation. Today you're going to learn about the first-viral share in American history -- before Facebook or Twitter. You're going to learn about the first branding campaign -- before the first…

Ever feel like no matter how hard you're pushing your message, how much you're communicating (because you can't over communicate, right?) and how much market splash you're making, you still don't seem to be moving the needle on progress? Well, today we're going to dive into the practice of "decrease to increase" -- where sometimes pulling back and …

So you want to be an influencer? Got your YouTube channel set up, your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social in place, your podcast in production and your blog in final draft? Today everyone wants to be an influencer -- and with all of the channels listed above, it's really easy to set up your own "network" to get your opinion, reactions, and agen…

Spin. How does that word make you feel as a PR professional? Do you like the way that television shows and movies portray our profession? Do you call your work "spin" or yourself a "spin doctor?" Or do you wish people wouldn't refer to you in that way? Well, today we're going to talk about what spin is, how it is very different from ethical PR prac…

As a PR pro, you are the steward of your organization's relationship capital. (Finance handles the fiscal capital, PR handles the relationship capital.) And today we'll discuss the three crucial practices that make up the business process to shepherd and drive that RC. Today you'll have ah-ha moments, deja vu moments, and some eye-rolling I've-been…

Want to be an influencer in your organization? Want a seat at the table? Want to be a trusted advisor? Then you MUST know how to measure public relations -- and we have the formula to help you do that. It's bigger than tracking gross impressions and "earned" media placement. It's all about measuring relationship movement. Grab a pen, grab a pad of …

Welcome to the Tuesday Tip, where today students, interns, new professionals and hiring managers hear about Tanner, a former intern who leveraged the power of relationship capital to land an internship, and keep a relationship going that generated additional freelance work and a full-time job in a PR firm. Grab a pen, grab a pad of paper, and join …

Audience vs. stakeholder? It's just tomato tomahto, right? Oh no! There is a significant difference between the two. By formal definition they are different terms -- and, most importantly, there is a different mindset that is manifested in your PR outcomes depending on which you ascribe to. Today we're going to explore the two terms and how they pl…

Your most powerful professional lever, your valuable ticket to get you “to the table” is knowing thy stakeholders. Having that intel and understanding enables you to rise above the tactical “story teller” role and elevate you to the trusted advisor. And not knowing your stakeholders is one of the BIGGEST mistakes your organization can make. Today S…

In today's inaugural Tuesday Tip I share my most treasured go-to tactic -- taught to me by Colin Powell's former chief of staff, Col. Bill Smullen. This tactic will help you herd the cats so your organization can have a unified and consistent conversation across divisions and partners who will be public facing on an issue, initiative, product, etc.…

This episode digs down into what relationship capital is, and how it's a PR deliverable that is much more robust than messaging and communication output can deliver. And how relationship capital delivers connection, collaboration and creates opportunity, progress and prosperity for communities.By Stephanie McFarland

In today's episode we're spilling the beans on the five limiting beliefs about PR. These hold-over, antiquated mindsets are still defining how organizations implement PR, and they don't align with EFFECTIVE public-relationship management needed in today's world.By Stephanie McFarland

COVID 19 has really upset the applecart with event planning. Events have been off limits to the masses, affecting fans and the companies that rely on revenue from events. In this episode, we talk with Vanessa Stiles, an event-planning expert who can tell us what's happening behind the curtain in the event industry, and how organizations can shift a…

About 50 percent of U.S. companies are operating without a business-continuity plan (BCP). Businesses direly need a BCP to help them successfully navigate real business threats – including a possible second wave of COVID this fall. Today's show covers everything you need to know about BC planning. Don't miss this episode -- the life of your busines…