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In this solocast episode, On Top of PR host Jason Mudd discusses why “guaranteed media” isn’t earned and how to protect yourself from misleading PR firms.

Tune in to learn more!

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. What “guaranteed media coverage” really means — and why it’s rarely earned

2. The differences between earned, placed, contributed, and sponsored content

3. How deceptive firms use fake credibility and vanity metrics to lure clients

4. The true cost of falling for pay-to-play PR, including damaged trust and wasted budgets

5. What questions you must ask before hiring a PR partner to protect your investment

Quotables

“If it’s guaranteed, it’s not earned. And if it’s not earned, it’s not PR — it’s advertising.” — @JasonMudd9

“You’re not being pitched to journalists. You’re being pitched to a payment processor.” — @JasonMudd9

“Too many firms are ghostwriting puff pieces and calling it earned coverage. It’s not.” — @JasonMudd9

“Earned media is hard to win, and that’s exactly why it works.” — @JasonMudd9

“You deserve real answers, not marketing spin.” — @JasonMudd9

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About Jason Mudd, Axia Public Relations

Jason Mudd is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he’s worked with brands including American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon.

Jason founded Axia Public Relations in 2002. Forbes named Axia one of America’s Best PR Agencies. At Axia, Jason oversees strategic communications for national clients and leads top PR talent. Clients love his passion, innovation, candor, commitment, and award-winning team. He consults with leadership teams at billion-dollar global business-to-business and business-to-consumer brands, advising them on spokesperson training, crisis communications, analytics, social media, online reputation management, and more.

In an increasingly tech-forward world, Jason’s grasp of the technological demands companies face helps his multiple-sector clients reach their target audiences. After teaching himself HTML in 1994, Jason helped pioneer internet marketing strategies as an early adopter of e-commerce, search engine optimization, and social media, inspiring tech giants like Yahoo. He speaks to corporations and industry groups and writes about PR trends and best practices for American City Business Journals and other national outlets.

Guest’s contact info and resources:

Jason Mudd on X

Jason Mudd on LinkedIn

Axia Public Relations

1:1 consultations and training with

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.