In this episode Stella interviews Sarah Waddington, founder and curator of the FuturePRoof book series and discusses the latest edition, 'celebrating BME talent'.

Stella and Sarah explore representation in Public Relations, from an inclusivity perspective on the communicators side but also our responsibility in truly understanding, connecting and relating to the public.

As well as curating the FuturePRoof books, Sarah Waddington is managing director of Astute communications, an agency in the north of England. Sarah also led the CIPR's gender policy for many years, improved social mobility within the UK PR industry and is now on the advisory board of The Blueprint, which is part of BME PR Pro mentoring scheme.

The discussion explores:


Diversity and representation in Public Relations
How organisations can attract, retain and nurture diverse talent
How PR can truly connect and relate to the public 
Ethics in communications & how much responsibility lies with practitioners vs. media and social platforms
Special Guest: Sarah Waddington .

Diversity in Public Relations

Stella Bayles, author, speaker and director of PR technologies 'CoverageBook' & 'AnswerThePublic', hosts this direct and straight-talking podcast on PR, marketing and communications.
In each episode, Stella explores an emerging topic in Public Relations and with the help of an expert dispels any myths and breaks down the jargon.
Summarised in plain language, this PR podcast is informative,  often amusing and always under and hour, so you can be clued up before your next Zoom call.

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

Marketing

In this episode I interview the person that has inspired me the most in my career; Gary Preston.

Gary is the founder of CoverageBook, AnswerThePublic and the new (free) PR measurement tool ‘CoverageImpact’.

We discuss how the last 15 years of working together in marketing and the last 10 years of Gary being a successful software founder in the PR industry has led to the launch of this new PR tool. 

In a time when PR budgets are being cut and in-house teams are admitting its often down to lack of confidence in measurement, Gary believes its time for a step-change in the way the industry showcases PR activity outcomes. He also believes this should be accessible to everyone and not just those that can afford high-level measurement and analytics support...

Could this new free graph-generator tool that showcases PR outcomes be the answer to the PR industry’s biggest problem? Listen this interview and make your decision!

www.CoverageImpact.com Special Guest: Gary Preston .

CoverageImpact. Will it solve the PR Industry's number 1 problem?

In the 25 years Steph Bridgeman has been working PR measurement, the world, media consumption and data has changed. But at a time when technology and data is abundant, why are we hearing of PR budget cuts and team struggles with proof of outcomes?

In this fascinating podcast chat Steph and I explore why this is; from pivot table and design skills to senior management experience being involved, we delve into what PR measurement needs to be a success in 2024.

Steph Bridgeman is the founder of ‘Experienced Media Analysts’. As well as help many teams win PR measurement and AMEC awards, Steph helps arm agencies and in-house teams with outcome insights that help them prove value and retain and grow PR budgets.

As well as win the awards Steph is also on the board of AMEC (association of measurement and evaluation of communications) so its safe to say, she in totally immersed and in the know on measurement!

She shares her opinion on where we’re at as an industry, but also gets practical on what we can do to improve processes, including;


Providing clear examples of what outputs and outcomes are and the difference between metrics

Exploring the word ‘Impact’ and what should and shouldn’t be included as a metric there

Steph shares how teams should review technology and how to cut out what’s not needed 

And finally how to find hidden gems of skills around your organisation that can help analyse and visualise results.
Special Guest: Steph Bridgeman.

How to prove PR value in 2024

It's January 2024, offcially back to work. But before you dive into your next campaign its important to consider focus and development for the year. What do you as an individual, your team and as a collective industry need to work on to move forward and succeed this year?

I have enlisted the help of PR powerhouse Stephen Waddington to help us do exactly this. So grab a coffee and listen to this 30 minute episode of the PR Resolution to set your 2024 off to the best start possible.  

Stephen Waddington (AKA Wadds) is the Founder and Managing Partner of Wadds Inc. which is a professional advisory firm that helps agencies and communications teams with planning, strategic decision making and execution. 

He is fully immersed in the UK and Europe PR industry; he's been the President of the CIPR, has held senior positions at global PR and marketing agencies Ketchum and Metia Group. He is the co-founder of Socially Mobile, a not-for-profit PR school and is also a current PhD research student at Leeds Business School investigating the contribution of public relations to management.

It's safe to say Wadds has a clear view on the state of play in Public Relations and what could happen in this year, 2024.

In this interview, we look back at 2023 and how the economy and government decisions affected the industry. 

We talk about marketing and PR budgets, how we responded and how agencies were affected. 

Wadds talks about the alignment we have as an industry with senior business leaders and the areas that hold us back; including truly understanding business and how PR communicates success. As well as highlight the issues, he also explains what we can do to improve these areas.

Wadds highlights PR talent, diversity and inclusion as an area that did move on slightly in 2023 but also needs a lot of work within teams and as a collective. 

As well as some 2024 predictions, our conversation outlines areas of focus that will help you individually and as a team to aim high, better sell success and as an industry raise credibility a more senior level in 2024. Special Guest: Stephen Waddington.

2024 PR Forecast with Stephen Waddington

In this episode Stella interviews Carla Boyd, Senior Social & Content Marketing Manager at Cineworld Cinemas 

Live from the Cineworld London Head Quarters they delve into influencer relations and why Cineworld UK has decided to switch nearly all of their communications to working only with social influencers over journalists.

Carla explains how the essence and the feeling of cinema is being brought to life by the social influencers they’re working with, which traditional comms struggles to portray the same magic. 

Carla shares the how talent selection is key to the success; how and her team’s selection of mid-tier passionate content creators has paid off; as their content is connecting the brand with important audiences from families to hard to reach young adults.

Stella asks Carla to talk through their process, from sourcing the right influencer partners, the deal set ups, briefing and of course measurement and evaluation.

This interview is packed full of tips for anyone aiming to work with social influencers now or in the near future. Special Guest: Carla Boyd.

How Influencers are Sharing the 'Essence of Cinema' for Cineworld UK

In this episode Stella interviews the Chief Executive of the CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) Alastair McCapra. 

They talk about FTSE 100 businesses and the lack of PR expertise in executive leadership teams and on boards in the UK.

Alastair and Stella explore the reasons for this; including reputation management being viewed as a ‘when it happens’ scenario right through to senior opinions on the financial value of PR.

Alastair Shares examples of what can happen when PR and reputation isn’t being considered at board level and the risks businesses face financially. 

This episode is relevant to PR people in all sectors. It’s full of advice from Alastair and the CIPR on what you and your team can do to raise awareness of the importance of corporate reputation management in your organisation and with your clients.

Together we can raise the profile of PR at a senior level where it belongs. Special Guest: Alastair McCapra.

Diversity in Public Relations

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