IT’S A PR THING

Welcome back to IT'S A PR THING, where we help you build relationships that build business.

Today’s episode is straight talk for PR pros who want to do the work better. We’ll cover 10 strategies that help retool your thought process, load you up with practical approaches and transform your PR function into a relationship-building machine!

This is a mini-course – building from the basics while escalating to the more expert skills t...

Welcome back to IT'S A PR THING, where we help you build relationships that build business.

In today's episode we challenge the idea that public relations is about telling your story. Instead, the stories that matter most come from the people you serve.

Today you’ll learn how to shift focus from pushing messages and content to creating experiences that develop and maintain relationships across your organization's stakeholder spect...

NOTE: THIS RECORDING WAS PREVIOUSLY RELEASED ON OCT. 13, 2025. 

 

THE ISRAEL / GAZA DEAL: A MASTER CLASS IN GLOBAL RELATIONSHIP CAPITAL

The peace deal between Israel and Gaza isn’t just a diplomatic headline—it’s a global master-class in relationship capital. As the remaining 20 living hostages are now released and reuniting with their families, we break down the five ways this moment proves that buil...

For those of us in public relations, Charlie Kirk’s death should ring our bell. Without freedom of speech, there is no PR profession. That’s a fact.

Today’s episode breaks down this point into four key areas where freedom of speech is vital to the existence of our profession – and in how PR is effectively practiced.

We’ll also cover insights from international students studying PR in the United States, and tackle the question about...

So how much does it cost you when your logo flops? And is it the what or the how that brings on the flop? And did our reigning grand champion of logo flops – Cracker Barrel – miss a real opportunity to leverage a branding change?

Join me today as we learn what a logo flop can cost you in hard dollars and cents, the lessons from Cracker Barrel’s recent experience, and most importantly, an alternative approach that could have involve...

Poor customer experience is driving poor mental health -- and that's a PR thing and a brand destroyer. 

Join me today as we hear what studies and experts have to say, and how a U.S. culture of poor customer service and experiences is damaging the public's mental health in several ways. 

As we wave our banners about being compassionate, empathetic, kind and caring -- we as a U.S. business culture across all industries are missing th...

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...