Episodes

When a business faces a crisis, it can use a variety of crisis communication tactics, but changing its name may not be the best option. On today's episode, we'll examine if changing a business name will help if that name has become too much of a reputational liability. Plus, examples of successful company name changes following crises, as well as examples of where the name change may not have worked as expected. Mentioned in this episode: Facebook Changes Name to Meta: Mark Zuckerberg announce...

Public relations campaigns can work wonders when it comes to generating awareness and interest in your business, but they can also be expensive without any guarantee of success. Geofence advertising may offer an effective PR boost that’s more affordable than traditional forms of advertising. Jeff Swartz, the founder and CEO of Ethic Advertising Agency, shares how it works and why it could be the next big thing in PR campaigns today. Mentioned in this episode: 9 Reasons Why Advertising Doesn't ...

Actor, writer, and director Ben Affleck recently went on a promotion tour for his film The Tender Bar. One line from Affleck's over two-hour interview with Howard Stern went viral, causing even bigger problems for him and the filmmakers. To repair the damage caused by his comments regarding his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, Affleck must spend the rest of the publicity tour in damage control mode. In this episode, we discuss three key lessons for anyone preparing for an important media interview. ...

The key to managing a digital crisis is to unlock the cause of the crisis in the first place. Critical data and information can be found in conversations and traffic on social media and websites. Zack Condry, President of Everest Communications, knows how to interpret this information and strategize how to use it to manage the situation. He specializes in developing and executing digital communications strategies to help organizations tackle critical public affairs issues, major crises, regulat...

The story of Alec Baldwin in the aftermath of the tragic shooting death of Halyana Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust" is worth following if you follow public relations and crisis communication. From the first news stories from the Albequeque filmset to the "pop-up" press conference Baldwin held on a busy road in Vermont, we have been following Baldwin's media interactions over his involvement in the tragedy. Baldwin's latest public relations strategies were revealed in his sitdown intervie...

The actor Jake Gyllenhall knows all too well that bad publicity may not be the best publicity when your name is trending because you broke up with a girlfriend more than ten years ago. Having this ex-girlfriend record a song about the breakup and then upload a 10-minute video to YouTube is the sort of negative publicity that will never disappear. Especially if the video has over 17 million views. The Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde once said, "The only thing worse than being talked about...

Media trainer Warren Weeks joined me in a webinar to discuss the top mistakes he sees many spokespeople make and how to fix them. Our episode discusses how to overcome these common media interview challenges straight from the webinar. Make sure you don't damage your reputation by saying the wrong thing during a nerve-wracking conversation that will likely live online for years to come. Learn three techniques prepared speakers use during a media interview. --- Listen + Subscribe on Stitcher or...

A media interview could lead to one of three outcomes: You nail it. You get through it. Your poor performance creates its own crisis. Knowing how to prepare for a media interview increases the likelihood of a positive outcome. Listen to a few of the mistakes we found in recent media interviews and livestreams to learn how to succeed in your next media interview. The guffaw that turned a serious message from a member of the U.S. Cabinet into a joke. Don't call your own press conference on ...

If an employee causes a crisis for his employer due to actions that go viral, the company needs an immediate response. Case in point, Southwest Airlines pilot, who used the phrase "Let's go, Brandon," a euphemism considered to be a vulgar phrase aimed at President Joe Biden, over the plane's PA system. On this week's podcast, the best PR response for a rogue employee who makes bad news for your brand. Learn the immediate steps communicators can take to manage reputation by dissociating the br...

Making news for the wrong reasons is simple. Just screw up publicly, and you're on your way to going viral. Bad news spreads fast, especially on social media. To make a positive story newsworthy, you have to cut through a lot of noise to become a leading authority. Discover how to make your story newsworthy and become famous the right way. My guest on the podcast is former television journalist Kristi Piehl. She is the Founder & CEO of Media Minefield and the host of the Flip Your Script Pod...

Here's what we know about the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin's movie set. Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that struck cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in the chest, and the director, Joel Souza, in the shoulder. Baldwin is cooperating with the investigation and (as of now) in contact with Hutchins' family. Earlier, some crew members reportedly walked off set over working conditions. Alec Baldwin described the shooting as a "tragic accident." What we don't know? How will this traged...

Vaccines are on the minds of many businesses, especially small and midsize employers. About two-thirds of small employers believe their employees should be vaccinated, and more than half receive questions about vaccinations. If you want to learn how to communicate vaccination mandates externally, this episode is for you. No politics. No position. Just one PR tip for when vaccine compliance is 100%. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts © Molly McPherson 2021 Join Molly on Patreon f...

It only takes a few moments for people to form an opinion about you when they see you speak in public. If you nail it, your reputation is boosted. Bungle it - your reputation is at stake. If you want to appear confident on stage, you have to actually be confident in yourself. A challenge for nervous speakers. However, there are some tricks to help. Speaking coach Kerri Garbis discusses three effortless methods for capturing confidence on stage. Mentioned on the podcast: Kerri Garbis from Ova...

In the week since an Amtrak train derailed in rural Montana, killing three people and injuring dozens more, federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused the derailment. Despite the rarity of situations such as these, Amtrak needed a crisis plan to be ready at any moment. In this episode, we explore the first 48 hours of Amtrak's response to the Empire Builder derailment near Joplin, Montana. What communicators can learn from the rapid response of Amtrak and how they leverag...

What happens when an army of people begins to dig to solve a mystery? They quickly find answers. The intense interest in the Gabby Petito missing case (now murder) also led to an intense interest in discovering why the case became such a sensational news story. The answer: social media sleuthing Young, social media-savvy women used TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to desperately get to the bottom of what happened to the 22-year-old who documented her travels to state and national parks with h...

We've all done it. The email is written. The email is sent. The email is WRONG. Even though sending a mistake via email is a universal problem, the feeling of having an entire distribution list open that email and see your error will always feel like a kick in the gut. But it doesn't have to. What if there was a way to turn that slip into an opportunity to make you look even better? On the podcast, three quick and straightforward steps of recovery for backtracking when you sent the wrong ema...

In this episode, how to use the backpedal in a PR response - but only if you really need to. Exploring the use of this response tactic as a communication for self-defense. This tactic is used as a result of an incident in which a person's character is called into question or a perceived wrongdoing. Listen to four examples from the last few weeks and the rating given for their reputation outcome: a thumbs up or thumbs down. We'll look at the response tactic, as it refers to the restoration and...

From time to time, it is normal to be anxious when you are in front of a group of people. Whether it's in a group of people gathered at a work conference social hour or speaking alone on stage, being able to calm yourself in the moment is often easier said than done. If the body decides to show external signs of anxiety from being front to center, you need quick and simple tricks to calm it down. On the podcast, useful and actionable tips that you can test next time you need to calm down quic...

Interviewing someone for a news story, video, or podcast can be extremely stressful. As an interviewer, part of your job - after you conducted your research - is knowing how to ask the right questions to get your source talking, while keeping them comfortable. To do that, an interviewer needs to understand how to listen well. The trick is listening in a way that gets your subject talking and sharing. Before you jot down your notes or hit record on the conversation with your source, use these ...

Are you someone who thinks Twitter is a waste of time? Or are you someone who understands the value of a social media platform with nearly 200 million active daily users, but feel the overwhlem of the site and don't know where to start? This episode will help you adapt your conversations in a way that can strengthen your authority and influence as a thought leader by using Twitter beyond just likes and retweets. In this episode, 10 ways to crush it on Twitter. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or ...

According to guest Jordan Berman, leadership is about cultivating and maintaining the trust of others. In this episode, exploring three winning leadership characteristics that are key-drivers in high-trust organizations. Berman calls it The Trust Trifecta: All hail authenticity Transparency lives here Consistency is critical Jordan Berman is a global corporate affairs executive and has worked with and trained hundreds of leaders, helping them lead with trust and impact. With expertise in reputa...

It was inevitable. On August 10, 2021, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced he was stepping down from his position after an investigation found he sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo's announcement was his chance to respond directly to allegations of sexual harassment against him, and to covertly address his rep for being a bully and thug. Governor Cuomo used his resignation speech to repair his reputation and legacy. Did it work? In this episode, discussing three strategic tactics Cuomo used in hi...

Have you ever had to work around an issue where your leadership did not want to own up to the truth? We all know that sometimes, the truth can be ugly. There are many business situations where privacy and confidential issues need to protect the truth. But how do you manage it when you are a communicator stuck in the middle juggling the press and an angry public? In this episode, we find out from Mike McGill how to get to the truth of the matter. Our backstory? The Flint Water Crisis. Mike Mc...

The abrupt shift to virtual meetings in March 2020 was traumatic for many companies and organizations that had to keep operations running while managing a new form of communication. Instead of focusing on what worked best for meetings, they focused on what worked right now. What was lost in the rush to switch to virtual was the ability to communicate on the screen. Now, more than a year after the pandemic cemented the virtual meeting, people are expected to understand the rules for running an ...