Episodes
How to Be Your Own PR Boss
Dec. 11, 2020
Is it time for you to become your own PR Boss? Maybe you’re tired of working for a PR agency or in-house for an organization. Perhaps you’ve lost your job due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Whatever the reason, if you’re thinking now might be the right time to work for yourself, then you’ll want to hear…
Virtual Parades and Sloppy Writing
Nov. 24, 2020
When Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade organizers announced the event this year would be produced as a television show rather than a live experience, we decided it was time to talk turkey – about going virtual and the best way to ensure your production is successful. Strategist John Wall has evaluated…
Thinking Like a Journalist
Nov. 13, 2020
Reporters who’ve jumped from news to PR use those journalism skills to tell stories from another perspective, but PR pros can think like journalists too, even if they’ve never worked in a newsroom. Ani Vahradyan is new to PR, having already worked as a journalist. Robert talks with her about a blog…
How to Tell Better Stories
Nov. 6, 2020
Almost everyone in PR thinks they are awesome storytellers, but are they? Really? It’s one thing to say you’re a good storyteller. It’s quite another to be a good storyteller. That’s where Lindsay Graham can help. He’s an expert at the craft of finding new approaches to old stories. He joins Robert…
Storytelling That’s Out of This World!
Oct. 31, 2020
Everyone loves a good story, but what happens when the story is so good that it sends people into a panic? We celebrate Halloween Eve with the story behind the story of a Martian invasion that terrified American radio listeners this night in 1938. Robert breaks down Orson Welles’ radio drama “War o…
Managing Media Lists During COVID
Oct. 16, 2020
Managing media lists got tougher when the COVID-19 virus sent all of us, including journalists, home to ride out the pandemic. Fewer reporters can be reached through newsroom phone lines, and the number of emails they’re getting now has likely skyrocketed. How can you overcome this challenge? Rober…
PR Diversity & Inclusion Checklist
Oct. 2, 2020
Improve the diversity of your PR teams and campaigns with advice from two experts on DE&I issues. Robert is joined by Dr. Gina Luttrell, an assistant professor of public relations and social media at Syracuse University, and Natalia Flores, President of Inspire PR, in Charlotte, NC. The three discu…
Young Pros Defy the Virus
Sept. 19, 2020
The pandemic has been tough on people everywhere. In public relations shops across the world, people have lost their jobs, graduates have seen offers evaporate, and students watched internships vanish. But that hasn’t stopped some young pros from pushing back on the virus. Maya Malekian, Geneve Lau…
PR Students Get Agency Ready
Sept. 4, 2020
The pandemic continues to frustrate recent PR graduates looking to land their first job and still challenges students who watched summer and fall internships evaporate when the virus attacked. Yet from the rubble of the 2020 PR job market emerged this summer the PR Council’s Agency-Ready program gi…
Making Effective Word Choices
Aug. 21, 2020
Struggling to find the right word? Repeatedly pulling from overused phrases? As communicators, words are the foundation of our work. With that in mind, consulting a dictionary to reevaluate our word choices might not be a bad idea. This week, Robert speaks with Laura Petrolino, Chief Marketing Offi…
Wear the Dang Mask!
Aug. 7, 2020
We launch our COVID Case Study series with a conversation about one of many mask campaigns now playing across the United States. The most recent public health models predict 300,000 Americans will die from the virus by the end of the year – if people don’t start wearing masks. The same models say 7…
PR Job Search Tips
July 24, 2020
The pandemic has left millions of Americans looking for a job. PR people are among them. If you’ve been furloughed, fired, or had your internship cancelled, recruiter Jamie McLaughlin, an expert in connecting companies with top PR talent, may be able to help you fine-tune your job search. He talks …
Make Great PR Videos with a Smartphone
July 10, 2020
Just because you have a powerful camera built into your smartphone doesn’t mean it's easy to create content that people will want to watch. The smartphone has revolutionized videomaking. With a little instruction and practice, you can use it to transform the videos in your communications program. T…
Expecting More From Brands
June 26, 2020
It’s hard to imagine any brand with a logo showing a slave woman on its food products, but the Aunt Jemima imagery has been appearing on its breakfast packaging for more than one hundred years. Now, Aunt Jemima is finally being retired, along with several other black representations of cooks and se…
How Activists Use PR
June 12, 2020
Activists are all over the news these days. But how are they organizing? What PR tactics are they using to communicate their positions and drive lasting policy change? The University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for Public Relations is out with its 2020 Global Communication Report expl…
Media Training Tips
May 29, 2020
Do you like giving media interviews? Are you good at it? Some people loathe talking to reporters on the record. Others can’t get enough airtime. But does experience make you better? And even if you are good at it, could media training help? Rich Dubek is a journalist and media trainer in Phoenix. R…
2020 AP Stylebook Changes
May 15, 2020
May flowers aren’t the only thing that we look forward to this time of year. It’s also when the Associated Press announces all of its changes to the AP Stylebook. We love the AP Stylebook and look forward to a fresh copy arriving in our mailbox every spring. Robert explores all of the 2020 revision…
Moms, Comms, and Niche Audiences
May 1, 2020
In an early celebration of Mother’s Day, PR Nation’s #CommsMoms discuss the importance of communicating with niche audiences. Summer talks with social media’s Comms Mom and PR Nation contributor, Dr. Amanda Holdsworth, about reaching niche audiences, like moms in PR. From mommy bloggers to parent i…