Mel Robbins and Prince Harry: Spot the Spin

Mel Robbins is on the cover of PEOPLE this week, and Prince Harry told GQ that the most important thing is to reconcile with his family. They are very different stories, and I see the same move in both.

PEOPLE's cover story opens with Mel Robbins in her Vermont kitchen, wearing a name tag made from blue painter's tape. The headline says she's proud of the person she's become. I read the whole profile as an exercise in relatability: if she relates to you, you'll trust her. Relatability sells the transformation. We go through the story line by line, why she needs that framing right now, and what to watch for when anyone online tells you they were once exactly where you are.

Then Prince Harry: his GQ interview with Zach Baron, PEOPLE's write-up, and his spokesperson's clarification that the "some people" line was not directed at his family. I share why I read the reconcile message as spin, and why having to clarify an interview that quickly is a comms problem of its own.

The PR Breakdown is a weekly look at the PR moves and the spin behind the headlines, from a crisis communication and reputation management consultant. This episode was recorded live on October 21.

00:00 Spot the Spin
00:52 Why Mel Robbins gets a reaction from me
01:50 Tony Robbins and the self-help boom
03:04 PEOPLE's Mel Robbins cover story
03:44 The photographs
05:08 The painter's tape name tag
06:12 The quotes
07:39 Why does she need to spin?
09:54 The undercurrent
11:03 The Let Them origin story
12:00 Pivot and AI
12:57 Here's the spin: relatability
14:26 Proud of who she's become
15:49 Can you be the next Mel Robbins?
16:43 Spot the transaction
18:16 Harry and Meghan back in the UK
18:45 The Nottingham walkabout
20:08 Prince Harry's MasterClass on grief
21:50 Brand sweet spots
22:01 Prince Harry's GQ interview
23:24 The spokesperson's clarification
24:12 Here is the spin
25:13 Relatable family rifts
26:57 Borrowed authority
27:06 Will the family bring him back in?
27:50 Closing and the October 29 Field Guide training

Every week I break down the biggest PR crises in the news: the slips, the moves, the scandals, and the lessons behind the headlines. I'm Molly McPherson, crisis and reputation strategist, known to my audience as the PR Lady. This channel is home base for the podcast and my weekly Substack live chats. Subscribe and follow along.

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