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 Survey Says to get some insights on what consumers actually think about corporate engagement in political and social issues. Every PR pro should be in tune with this data. Grab a pen and paper, and take some notes today as we dig in to some more PR learning love.

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 without authority, how to handle that nagging feeling of imposter syndrome, how to survive micromanagement and how to work into more responsibility. Being a new professional in the PR field is no easy road. There are big expectations and high pressures. But, as Tanner draws out in today's interview, those honing experiences can help you become a sharp professional over time. Learn more about Tanner. Send Tanner an encouraging message about his debut in hosting the podcast: tanner@mcfarlandpr.com

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 and in such a big way?  Professionals who work crisis management often have to deal with tense media situations. So how can you keep that tension from escalating into confrontation?  Today we’ll walk through five practices that can help to build relationships with reporters on site at a crisis news briefing, reduce tension, and create cooperation and even opportunity for collaboration.  Lots to unpack here today, so grab a pen and your note pad — and let’s dive in for some more PR learning love.

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 -- from how you talk in your website copy to your social media posts to your product packaging information to product instructions to how your customer service representatives talk to customers, to your customer-service correspondence, etc.  And we'll walk you through crucial questions you can apply as you look around your organization over the next week and informally assess what you can do to improve your company's efforts to be truly inclusive.

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 that enhance your own personal PR brand. These resolutions are good advice for anyone anywhere, holding any position in any organization. Grab a pen and some paper, and join in today for some more PR learning love!

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 strategic planning. Together, Sam and Steph talk about the key components of a good PR strategy, best practices, and how to manage the planning process and collaborate across the organization, and tips on how to implement the plan and measure success. This is a real and sincere Friday afternoon chat between two experienced PR pros who give some valuable food for thought on the PR strategic planning process. Grab a pen and paper -- and let's all dive in for some more PR learning love!

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 the radar system for your organization -- help keep it in a healthy place with the four tips in our final installment.   Grab a pen, grab a pad of paper, and let's dive in for some more PR learning love!

Happy Thanksgiving week! I love this time of year . . . because it's cool to be thankful, to reach out and share gratitude and count our blessings. Did you know that Harvard and Berkley have some great data on what gratitude can do for your business? Well, we're going to hit the highlights of that data today -- and focus on how to integrate gratitude across your stakeholder relationships and use it to create true wealth in your business. And don't miss the preface, because I have a special message for all of you who have been listening for the past year. I am so grateful for your time and interest in this show, and love having the opportunity to share PR love with you each week. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, and know that you are greatly appreciated! ************************ Email address mentioned in the show preface: admin@mcfarlandpr.com

'Hair on Fire' Thank you for joining us today for IT'S A PR THING -- where today we're on Part III of a four-part series on Corporate Cultures That Court Crisis. Again, these are business cultures that invite crisis and controversy, putting the organization at risk. Today's episode focuses on the "Hair on Fire" culture, and gives us a robust taste of what operating in a constant state of urgency and emergency does to an organization's people and its stakeholders. You may even find some hints of Trump, Musk, Biden, Ye -- and even the FTX crew in this culture. You'll also learn some tips and strategic tactics to help organizations course correct, if they're heading in this direction. Lots to cover today, so let's all dive in for some more PR learning love.

It's not deficient publicity that lands companies and organizations in hot water -- it's the management decisions they make. And today  we're continuing our series on business cultures that invite crisis or controversy. This is the second episode in a four-part series that helps you identify businesses with a "tone at the top" that's problematic -- and can ultimately lead to sudden disasters, an unsafe workplace, regulatory woes, adversarial market pressures and more. Is your company culture putting you on this trajectory? And if so, how do you course correct? Today's episode focuses on a business culture that is one of the most difficult to change, but . . . if there is a will, there is a way! Join us today for some solid food for thought, and let's all dive in for some more PR learning love!

Today we're starting a new series called Corporate Cultures That Court Crisis. Is your business culture setting your organization up for disruption, public backlash, lost revenue, damaged relationships, etc.? Is your culture Too Big for Its Britches? Is it All About the Bennies? Is it operating Cowboy Style, or Blissfully Oblivious? Join us today as we focus in on our first culture category, and learn the behaviors, characteristics and the risks these organizations face -- and how to course correct if you're heading in the wrong direction. This is going to be an interesting episode today, and an excellent one to pass on to your leadership. So get ready to take some copious notes, and let's all dive in for some more PR learning love!

Don't let the title fool you, our more seasoned PR pros -- this episode is for all of us! Today we're talking with Tanner Sizemore, who gives us insights into what it's like for a new professional entering the PR field, how it's different from the world of academia, how relationships play into a new professional's experience, and what kind of culture new PR pros are looking for today. While my end of the audio is low and a bit muffled (sorry -- a little technical hiccup), Tanner is loud and clear as the star of today's episode. And he has some standout thoughts for us all to consider, and to pass along to students, incoming professionals, our own kids, and others. So grab a pad of paper, grab a pen - and let's dive in for some more PR learning love!

Today we're going to reveal the key influences that drive stakeholder engagement. If you're scratching your head about why your million-dollar plus ad campaign isn't driving people to purchase, vote, participate, etc.  . . . well there is a reason for that. You're going to see why advertising and news releases, or “earned media” have a short lifespan when it comes to driving stakeholders to productively engage with you in a meaningful way. But, more importantly, you're going to learn what has the biggest influence along that continuum So get ready to listen and learn, and ultimately save you time and money, and your team from the wear and tear of unnecessary stress and frustration. Grab that pad of paper, grab a pen, and let's dive in for some more PR learning love today!

Can you still get ahead of the story in today's media environment? And if so, how do you do that? Schmooze the media? Press release your way out of it? "Reframe" the situation and set the record straight? In today's episode, we get all up in these questions. And we lay some hard reality on you in the form of three crucial tips to help you get ahead of the news story -- and who has the biggest burden in the organization in keeping you out of the negative headlines. So grab that pad of paper, grab a pen, and let's dive in for some more PR learning love!

Thank you for tuning into IT’S A PR THING. Today we're going to cover 14 resources and tools available to help you manage and improve your public-relations function within your organization. THAT’S 14! One to check out everyday for two weeks! These tools and resources come from a breadth of organizations and experts AND many of them are free or accessible at a very low cost.  So get ready to take copious notes today as we dive into some more PR learning love!  RESOURCES REFERENCED IN TODAY’S EPISODE Our Podcasts — FREE EPISODE #3 -- THE FIVE LIMITING BELIEFS ABOUT PR TUESDAY TIP #2 -- AVOIDING THE SCRAMBLE, HERDING THE CATS TUESDAY TIP #4 -- BLT + PICKLE and the CEO TUESDAY TIP #9 -- THE 10 TOOLS TO BUILD BETTER MEDIA RELATIONSHIPSEPISODE #8 -- THE MEDIA INTERVIEW: FOUR PRO-TIPS TO HELP YOU PREPARE AND MANAGE IT Books -- Under $20 each The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People-- Steven Covey Damage Control: The Essential Lessons of Crisis Management -- Eric Dezenhall & John Weber Left Turn -- Dr. Tim Groceclose More podcasts -- from other people -- FREE  School PR Drive Time PodcastThe CX Leader Podcast    Case Studies  -- FREE    Case Study Library @ MCFARLANDPR.COM

Thank you again for tuning into to IT'S A PR THING. Today we talk about content outputs versus PR outcomes. Is your content creation really creating communication? Is it moving you to dialogue that creates relationships? Or is it just announcing, notifying and informing? We see a lot of information floating around about how content is king, and categorizing content creation as communication. But is it really? If it's not generating dialogue or interaction with you, is it really communication -- or just costly eye candy and clutter? Output doesn't equate to outcome. They are different - yet also interrelated . . . and one can help you measure the other. Tune in today and get a quick mindset check, and use it to reevaluate your own PR efforts and coach your team on how to produce PR outcomes from your content output. And when you're finished, check out Tuesday Tip 4 -- BLT + Pickle and the CEO to learn the formula to measure your PR outcomes.

Thanks so much for joining us today on IT'S A PR THING. Today we're going to cover four pro tips that are crucial regarding any media interview. Most people go into a media interview thinking they just need talking points. But there's a lot more you need to think about than parroting messages. First and foremost, you need to have a strategy, you need to have something prepared that helps you deliver that strategy, you need some support to help you be successful in the interview and you want to make sure that your bases are covered in case you are misquoted or information is reported inaccurately. If you've never done a media interview before, this is going to be some great starter information for you to get off on a good foot. If you're someone who has done interviews here and there in the past, today's episode will give you new considerations and tools to strengthen your interview process. And if you're someone like myself who has been the spokesperson and/or coaches people on media-interview practices, this is going to give you some good reminders of the discipline and techniques that we need to be using every time we're doing those media interviews So grab a pad of paper and a pen, and let's dive into some more PR learning love!

Thank you so much for joining us today for the Tuesday Tip here on IT'S A PR THING. Today we're going to talk about 10 key tools that can help you build better relationships with the news media. Building a relationship with the news media takes more that just a solid contact list and blasting out news releases. You need to not only help journalists know about stories, but you must also give them opportunities and materials to help build and package those stories — and you must also be timely, relevant and responsive to help them do their job. These 10 tools will help you build credibility and good working relationships across your media contacts.  So grab a pen and a pad of paper, and let's dive into some more PR learning love!   CORRECTION: True confession all -- I got so into talking about the details of each tool that I mixed up the number order, and didn't realize it until we were fully produced. My apologies -- but you know what they say . . . "imperfect action is better than no action." Thank you for your grace.

THE POWER OF PR IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE YES! Public relations tactics and techniques played a major role in the birth of the United States as a nation. Today you're going to learn about the first-viral share in American history -- before Facebook or Twitter. You're going to learn about the first branding campaign -- before the first ad agency existed. And you'll learn about the crucial influencers of the time -- who did it all without social media, the Internet, network television or even electricity.   Come on! Let's take a walk down history lane!

Ever feel like no matter how hard you're pushing your message, how much you're communicating (because you can't over communicate, right?) and how much market splash you're making, you still don't seem to be moving the needle on progress? Well, today we're going to dive into the practice of "decrease to increase" -- where sometimes pulling back and doing less IN THE RIGHT WAY will actually gain you more in the long run in influencing those stakeholder relationships. Join me today for some more PR learning love in this Tuesday Tip, and get the insider advantage of knowing how to decrease to increase. And, as always, if you liked this episode, please give it a review and share the PR learning love!