By FIR Podcast Network
For Immediate Release: Podcasts for Communicators
Clients often want to know who at the agency does what. It might be because they want to understand the work that they’re getting, but it also might be because they want to go directly to individuals for certain things. Chip...
One of the things that continue to allude communicators is measurement. Part of the challenge is the industry doesn’t have a uniform way to measure what we do. Then we also have to take into account brand awareness, which is...
In this episode, I’m joined by author, communications expert and dear friend David Murray, who recently released his book, An Effort to Understand: Hearing One Another (and Ourselves) in a Nation Cracked in Half. David has written for The New...
With all of the talk about the Great Resignation and the challenges many agencies are having hiring and retaining workers, is now the time to adopt a 4-day work week? What are the pros and cons of this policy — and...
Every communicator on earth knows the value of the phrase, “No comment.” When we do media training, we coach everyone that the value of “no comment” is pretty much nill—and so is trying to have a conversation off the record....
Agency owners so often hear about the importance of not just being order-takers and finding ways to be more strategic by understanding a client’s real challenges and opportunities. And that’s absolutely true. But that doesn’t mean that you should veer outside of...
During the past couple of years, we have all learned a lot more about all of our professional connections because of the challenging work conditions many have had to endure. But should you be a completely open book with clients and...
The metaverse is front-and-center in this episode of The Hobson & Holtz Report as the future of the metaverse begins to take shape and businesses start to pay attention. Also in this episode: You.com is a new search engine that...
Anyone working in communications has learned that storytelling is a vital element of influence. (An old Indian proverb proclaims, “Tell me a fact and I will learn, tell me the truth and I will believe, but tell me a story...
As the world struggles with what’s next for the workplace in the wake of the global pandemic, take time to consider your career path as a communication professional. Neil Griffiths, Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, and Brad Whitworth contributed their thoughts and experience...
How do you handle the cancellation clause of your client contracts? What type of notice period do you require? What are the exit terms and how do you handle clients who leave on bad terms? These are questions that Chip and Gini...
It’s no secret that I am a lover of numbers. For the first few years of my career, I was constantly frustrated by the lack of real measurable metrics for the work we do, outside of media impressions and advertising...
It is not uncommon for agency employees to want to do a bit of freelancing on the side. Some even have dreams of starting their own agency or other business. How do you protect your agency’s interest while not stifling your...
The same bottle of water costs the same to make but is priced differently if you get it at a convenience store, grocery chain, or four-star hotel. What can you learn about that when it comes to pricing and positioning your...
Is it possible to lose your client’s business because you have done too good of a job for them? Should you intentionally underperform in an attempt to keep the client longer? These questions may seem far-fetched, but they have actually been...
We talk with a lot of small PR and marketing agency owners who are weary of their own businesses. They feel overworked, underpaid, and burned out. What is the cause of this feeling and what can you do about it? That’s what Chip...
If you’ve spent any time with me on this podcast, you know I love content. My dad often says how amazed he is that I took my passion and built an entire business on it. And here they thought my...
Communications, by its very nature, is an industry full of thinkers. The work that we do is often the same across disciplines—and other work is unique to every one of us. The work that is unique is our intellectual property,...
In this episode of Chats with Chip, Shannyn Lee of Win Without Pitching joins to talk about how agencies can step up their business development game. Agency owners don’t need to be sales-y to generate new revenue, and Shannyn shares some...
In this episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast, Chip and Gini discuss whether or not you should be using waitlists to manage demand for your agency’s services. [read the transcript]
In this episode, Chip and Gini talk about insurance. Right up there with legal and accounting when it comes to favorite topics for agency owners. As painful as it may be to talk about, insurance is something that we all need...
Miles Everson, CEO of MBO Partners, joins Chip to talk about the challenges that agencies are facing in this new era of work — and how they can find success while mitigating risks. This conversation explores important topics like hybrid work,...
In this episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast, Chip and Gini discuss the importance of using your calendar to set, manage, and achieve your priorities. The most scarce resource in any agency is the owner’s time. How you spend it is...
I’ve mentioned here before that I have a friend who works for a large conglomeration and their return-to-work policies have been chaotic, at best. At first, they sent an email at the start of July and said, “Everyone get your...
The Mad Men era of agencies is over. Or is it? On this episode, Chip and Gini explore the ongoing issues that women face when working at agencies — from advancement to harassment (and worse). The topic was inspired by a tweet by Katie...
Have you ever been frustrated with your team’s performance? If so, you’re not alone. Many agency owners have had challenges with their employees not doing what they’re supposed to do or not achieving the quality of work you expect. Chip and Gini...
It’s not going to come as any big surprise to most of you that the lingering pandemic, combined with growing geopolitical tensions, never-ending technological disruption, and an accelerating climate crisis has created all sorts of opportunities (opportunities!) for communicators. There has...
Few of us get to have as much influence over a more public website than Annalisa Church, VP Digital Technology, Insights & Operations for Akamai. She has built a career on converging marketing and technology to drive better experiences for...
You always hear that everyone in your business should be making the best, highest use of their time. But one of the biggest offenders of this objective are the agency owners themselves. How often have we found ourselves doing low value...
As we strive to foster communities of collaboration and transparency between company executives and their employees, one question persists: How do we make our findings measurable and actionable? “I think communications in general is hard to measure. It’s not as cut...
Trust in media and business is not high, according to the latest Edelman Trust Barometer, and public relations practitioners are usually stereotyped as unethical hacks attempting to clean up the image of a person or organization that has done something...
In the wake of Facebook’s bad news month, we discuss the communications challenges the company faces. A blip? Or a step on an irreversible path toward becoming the new MySpace? The necessary impetus to increased regulation? And would a company...
It’s hard to believe it’s been 12 years since Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs began their trends and insights report, but here we are. And what a year this 12th year has been! The report looks back on the past 12...
Gaming. Blockchain. NFTs. The Metaverse. They are all colliding, creating something bigger than any single one of these platforms. In the October episode of For Immediate Release, Neville and Shel talk about this phenomenon and some of the companies making...
Facebook knows, in acute detail, that its platforms are riddled with flaws that cause harm, often in ways only the company fully understands. That is the central finding of a Wall Street Journal series, based on a review of internal...
Have your web analytics changed in recent years? That is, despite your best efforts, has your organic traffic gone down? What about SEO for blog posts? Or engagement on social media? Maybe digital media has become even more of a pay-to-play...
About a decade ago, Robin Wauters, the co-founder of TechCrunch wrote a scathing article about a communicator who, in Robin’s mind, had violated every rule that is supposed to exist between PR pros and journalists. He said this communicator had...
This episode brought us together with Ruth Stevens, whose consulting firm, eMarketing Strategy, helps clients build customer acquisition and retention strategies along with other marketing programs. Ruth has had a distinguished career. She has taught marketing at the NYU Stern...
#738: Lucas Root and Mitchell Levy on Thought Leader Life Credibility Episode Execute great ideas to help businesses succeed. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert Lucas Root (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-root-5b7945b/), a fractional COO. Lucas is the co-founder of Goddess Provenance and Limitless Life...
The September installment of The Hobson & Holtz Report includes reports on these stories: * Apple, Google, and Facebook are all in the news and none of it is good. In fact, some employees are up in arms. * Gartner’s Emerging Technology...
Ae talk about the PR Writer’s Code of Conduct and ethical communications. An evergreen topic.
During the Olympics this year, Simone Biles stepped away from her competition at the height of her career, citing The Twisties and her mental health. Depending on where you looked on the internet, people either supported her fully or were...
#738: Sam Liebowitz and Mitchell Levy on Thought Leader Life Credibility Episode Innovative solutions and a platform for today’s business challenges. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert Sam Liebowitz (https://www.linkedin.com/in/consciousconsultant/) who is the Director/Executive Producer of Talking Alternative Broadcasting and the...
There are dramatic changes afoot among employee populations. The biggest of these are pandemic-related, including hybrid workforces and employees required to adjust to new at-work realities, including continued social distancing and other measures designed to blunt the spread of viruses....
Fifteen years. It has been 15 years since Spin Sucks launched. It’s kind of crazy to think that I started a blog about communications when I was just 15 years old! Just kidding! I was 20. OK, that’s also a...
#737: Joe Frankie III and Mitchell Levy on Thought Leader Life Credibility Episode Merchandise yourself better and achieve your desired objective with the use of LinkedIn. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert Joe Frankie III (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joefrankieiii/), Chief Executive Officer, Founder, Coach,...
Every time we find someone has inadvertently used the PESO Model without credit to Spin Sucks, we have a process we follow. If I know the person or someone at the company, I reach out personally and politely ask for...
It’s fall and there’s always a hint of excitement in the air. At least it should be. But so many people still have questions about what their work situation will be like. And companies are grappling with policies around going back...
#736: Caryn Ross and Mitchell Levy on Thought Leader Life Credibility Episode Break free from blind spots to lead a more productive life, career, and business. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert Caryn Ross (https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryn-ross/), career mindset coach, certified life coach, trainer,...
On episode 551 of Inside PR, Gini Dietrich, Martin Waxman, and Joe Thornley do a special recording for the Earned Media Mastery Summit with Agility PR Solutions. They discuss the future of the PR industry—exciting things to come, as well...
