In this exclusive interview with legendary public relations agency founder Al Golin -- who passed away in 2017 at the age of 87 -- talks about public relations agency management, promoting healthy client-agency relationships and the secrets of successful PR.

SHOW NOTES:  

4:24 - Al Golin explains what public relations is.

5:35 - Golin on the difference between public relations and media relations, and how the fields have changed over the years: "...it's the era of the individual not the masses...and that's really because of the internet and because of all this new technology we're seeing."

7:12 - Golin discusses makreting services that clients typically receive from a public relations firm.

7:52 - Golin talks about the different practice areas that comprise public relations consulting.

9:05 - Golin talks about the objectives of an internal communications staff versus an external communications staff.

10:33 - Golin on how his PR Firm goes about helping new clients.

12:51 - Golin discusses a client's responsibility in its relationship with a public relations consultancy.

14:49 - Golin on successful client-agency realtionships.

16:17 - Golin discusses whether a PR firm's deliverables are more important than the actual relationship with a client.

17:02 - Golin on how some government officials who do not deliver results remain in office.

18:17 - Golin talks about what to do if a client has unrealistic expectations of a PR consultant.

19:29 - Golin on whether client expectations of a PR agency are more or less realistic today.

20:47 - Golin on the significance of public relations and reputation management: "...trust really can make or break a brand. It's not just good will. This is a very tangible thing that can mean lots of sales or no sales."  

21:44 - Golin offers his views on thought leadership in the public relations consulting trade.

25:14 - Golin explains how to create thought leadership for a client.

26:28 - Golin on helping clients write op-eds to gain exposure: "...getting exposure for the sake of exposure is the wrong thing. It [the subject of the op-ed] really should be something meaningful to that person and captures that person."

28:05 - Golin talks about hiring the right public relations agency.

29:44 - Golin discusses public relations consulting rates at boutique, mid-size, and global public relations agencies.

31:03 - Golin talks about the hourly PR consulting rates at different size public relations agencies.

33:50 - Golin on whether clients receive more attention from senior-level staffers at boutique PR agencies versus large public relations firms.

36:25 - Golin talks about how GolinHarris shares the billing of a client over a global market.

37:52 - Golin shares what he thinks is the single most important thing to look for in a PR firm.

40:13 - Golin on how he maintains an optimistic perspective on PR consulting: "...you have to really enjoy what you do, and I still do...the best thing I like to do is work with clients..."

41:52 - Golin on the impact of technology on transparency: "We live in this transparent society now...I think companies and people got away with things in the good old days that they could never get away with today..."

43:24 - End.