When Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade organizers announced the event this year would be produced as a television show rather than a live experience, we decided it was time to talk turkey – about going virtual and the best way to ensure your production is successful.

Strategist John Wall has evaluated lots of virtual events forced by the COVID-19 virus, sharing with Robert his tips for those still wondering if it’s worth it to attempt any online gatherings before the pandemic subsides.

Also, longtime copy editor Rob Reinalda joins Robert for a discussion about his snarky new book, “Why Editors Drink.” The two discuss the most common writing foibles Reinalda suffered during his career editing others' copy.

Links:

Guest: John Wall

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Guest: Rob Reinalda

Amazon: Why Editors Drink

Grammar Girl

Amazon: Dreyer's English

Amazon: Bad Advice

O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter

Reporters who’ve jumped from news to PR use those journalism skills to tell stories from another perspective, but PR pros can think like journalists too, even if they’ve never worked in a newsroom. Ani Vahradyan is new to PR, having already worked as a journalist. Robert talks with her about a blog she wrote on the topic. 

Also, Natalie Maniscalco talks about the power of PR in her campaign to save New York City restaurants from the economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The crew talks about a ticket service for people who like to re-enact historic battles, and the AP Stylebook Showdown returns to PR Nation with a player some listeners may recognize.

Links:

Guest: Natalie Maniscalco

Guest: Chelsea Taft

Guest: Ani Vahradyan

Thinking like a Journalist in Public Relations

O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter

Almost everyone in PR thinks they are awesome storytellers, but are they? Really? It’s one thing to say you’re a good storyteller. It’s quite another to be a good storyteller. That’s where Lindsay Graham can help. He’s an expert at the craft of finding new approaches to old stories. He joins Robert this week to share his advice for pros who want to become better storytellers.

Also, the crew talks about a pug’s first birthday, a harrowing go-kart ride on Halloween, and coloring a map of the United States on election night. Editor Tim is away this week. He was distracted admiring the softness of his IPR marathon t-shirt and missed the recording session.

Links:

Guest: Lindsay Graham

Lindsay Graham’s History Podcasts on Airship.fm

O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter

Everyone loves a good story, but what happens when the story is so good that it sends people into a panic? We celebrate Halloween Eve with the story behind the story of a Martian invasion that terrified American radio listeners this night in 1938. Robert breaks down Orson Welles’ radio drama “War of the Worlds” with Gail Jarrow, author of a book about the broadcast, “Spooked!” They examine the story, the techniques used to horrify people with sound, and the lessons for today’s PR storytellers.

Also, the crew debates music preferences, and surprises Sarah with a trip to another scary place that just happens to be one of her favorite spots on the map!

Links:

Gettysburg: National Park Service

The Twilight Zone

Guest: Gail Jarrow

War of the Worlds Broadcast from 1938

Amazon: Spooked!

Guest: Lindsay Graham

Lindsay Graham’s History Podcasts on Airship.fm

O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter

qyW2cGJoJT3T9842pah4

Everyone loves a good story, but what happens when the story is so good that it sends people into a panic? We celebrate Halloween Eve with the story behind the story of a Martian invasion that terrified American radio listeners this night in 1938. Robert breaks down Orson Welles’ radio drama “War of the Worlds” with Gail Jarrow, author of a book about the broadcast, “Spooked!” They examine the story, the techniques used to horrify people with sound, and the lessons for today’s PR storytellers.

Also, the crew debates music preferences, and surprises Sarah with a trip to another scary place that just happens to be one of her favorite spots on the map!

Links:

Gettysburg: National Park Service

The Twilight Zone

Guest: Gail Jarrow

War of the Worlds Broadcast from 1938

Amazon: Spooked!

Guest: Lindsay Graham

Lindsay Graham’s History Podcasts on Airship.fm

O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter

Managing media lists got tougher when the COVID-19 virus sent all of us, including journalists, home to ride out the pandemic. Fewer reporters can be reached through newsroom phone lines, and the number of emails they’re getting now has likely skyrocketed. How can you overcome this challenge?

Robert checks in with two pros who build, manage, and maintain media contact information for Cision's industry-leading database, Cision Connect. Kristen Sala, Senior Director, U.S. Media Research, and Erin Gentry, Senior Product Marketing Manager, visit the show to tell us how we can tackle our media list frustrations.

Also, Robert announces a big win for Sarah, Tim loves his free t-shirt, and Philly pros brace for a political comms discussion days before the election!

Links:

Abbott and Costello: Who’s on First?

Guest: Kristen Sala

Guest: Erin Gentry

Cision Connect

Flashback: The Shadow

O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter

Improve the diversity of your PR teams and campaigns with advice from two experts on DE&I issues. Robert is joined by Dr. Gina Luttrell, an assistant professor of public relations and social media at Syracuse University, and Natalia Flores, President of Inspire PR, in Charlotte, NC. The three discuss the steps for adopting a more diverse and inclusive approach to public relations, explain a handy "wheel" tool for practitioners, and outline the best arguments to persuade holdouts in your organization.

Also, Summer convinces a former PR colleague to play the AP Stylebook Showdown, Robert gets into his own standoff with a rowdy deer, and Sarah heads to the Gettysburg battlefield again this weekend – which has some in the team worried about her future.

Links:

PR Nation’s new website!

O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter

Guest: Natalia Flores

Guest: Gina Luttrell

7 steps to adopting a D&I-first approach to PR

The Diversity & Inclusion Wheel for PR Practitioners

Why diversity and inclusion warrant PR’s rapt attention

Guest: Jennifer Stein

The pandemic has been tough on people everywhere. In public relations shops across the world, people have lost their jobs, graduates have seen offers evaporate, and students watched internships vanish.

But that hasn’t stopped some young pros from pushing back on the virus. Maya Malekian, Geneve Lau, and dozens of PR students and recent graduates around the world have teamed up to launch a global pro bono PR shop. Robert connects with Maya and Geneve to talk about their agency, Empath Worldwide, its beginning, and the future.

And Sarah examines the genius and the impact of the Smokey Bear campaign, in this 76th anniversary of the public service icon who still reminds us that forest and wildfire prevention is our responsibility.

Also, the team talks about IPR’s virtual marathon to benefit PR research, Alexa, and coffee donkeys.

Links:

Amazon Music now has podcasts

LinkedIn: Amelia Folkes

IPR Run for Research

The Story of Smokey Bear

O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter

Smokey the Bear Song – Eddy Arnold (1952)

Guest: Wendy Melillo

Amazon: How McGruff and the Crying Indian Changed America

Empath Worldwide

Guest: Maya Malekian

Guest: Geneve Lau

Guest: Paula Chirinos

The pandemic continues to frustrate recent PR graduates looking to land their first job and still challenges students who watched summer and fall internships evaporate when the virus attacked.

Yet from the rubble of the 2020 PR job market emerged this summer the PR Council’s Agency-Ready program giving students and young pros the training needed to prepare them for careers in agency public relations.

Sarah gets the details of the PR Council’s groundbreaking initiative from its president, Kim Sample. Then Robert leads a Zoom conversation with eight young women who are among the two thousand graduates in the inaugural class. 

Also, the AP Stylebook Showdown proves no match for another Agency-Ready graduate, while the show helps one budding pro make a Labor Day weekend job connection!

Links:

The Pandemic is Ruining Our Sleep

O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter

PR Council

Guest: Kim Sample

PR Council Agency-Ready Program

Guest: Ashleigh Kathryn

Guest: Avni Gupta

Guest: Chelsea Taft

Guest: Haley Hassell

Guest: Michaela Lewin

Guest: Mila Melia-Kapoor

Guest: Rylee Walker

Guest: Ayleen Perez

Maverick PR

Guest: Pooja Kamat

Empath Worldwide

Struggling to find the right word? Repeatedly pulling from overused phrases? As communicators, words are the foundation of our work. With that in mind, consulting a dictionary to reevaluate our word choices might not be a bad idea.

This week, Robert speaks with Laura Petrolino, Chief Marketing Officer at Spin Sucks. She challenges PR pros to expand their vocabulary, make thoughtful and deliberate word choices, and to pick up a thesaurus. 

Plus, editor Tim makes his PR Nation host debut, while Sarah reflects on an underwhelming Christmas present. 

Links:

O'Dwyer's PR Newsletter

Guest: Laura Petrolino

The Communication’s Pros Guide to Effective Word Choice

FDR, Pearl Harbor, and the Date of Infamy

11 Common English Words and Phrases with Racist Origins

How to Improve Your Word Choice (And Why Every Communicator Should)