IT’S A PR THING

My First PR Teacher -- Thank you, Mamma.

Today we celebrate the upcoming Mother's Day weekend with a tribute to Franny J, the OG relationship builder.

Franny J came from northern Alabama, knew no one of influence in Indianapolis, but her relationship-building skills earned her a client list that included some of the most prominent names in Central Indiana.

And she's my mom. The start-up queen before start ups were a thing!

She sta...

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 at some of the data points on what C-suite leaders think about their PR divisions an...

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, know what your relationship radar system is signalling, and help you to advise your C...

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 which practices separate the tactical from the strategic, and the outputs from resul...

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.

Of course, we don't leave you with a "do not" without also giving you a new "do".

M...

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 new survey confirms our own briefing whitepaper titled The State of DEI: A Reflection ...

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 DEI: A Reflection Point.

This briefing whitepaper is a compilation of information, f...

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 the insights lived experience provides.

This exercise in stakeholder analysis is not on...

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 with no PR experience. 

We'll dig into which branch of PR is the Big Wheel of t...

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 more content creation at the problem is fruitless. In fact, following that advice may...

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 down to one simple concept that appears to be missing in the public's relationship ...

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. perspective - and connect the dots so you can see this trust deficit is not simply due to a s...

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 the question: Should PR pros be pushing corporate activism? Today we play the game of...

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 digging into how to lead wit...

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 irritation on the ground escalate into something that went so wrong, so fast an...

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're going to apply an "inclusion check" to your company conversation and content --...

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 New Year's resolutions to help you become part of the solution by doing five things tha...

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 and president of the Sims Group, chats with our host Stephanie McFarland about PR st...

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 this business culture invade your organization and invite crisis or controversy. Be ...