The PR Maven Podcast

Did you know that there are millions of podcasts? Or that nearly 80% of U.S. adults listen to them?

You don't need me to state the obvious: Podcasting is big business.

What's less obvious is how to succeed as a podcaster. Which topics resonate most with your target audience? Who is your target audience? Which formats are the most popular? How often should you release a new podcast? Who should you interview, if anyone?

I've been podcasting since 2018, long before the Covid-19 pandemic took podcasts to new heights. When I first started podcasting, it was a concept with unknown opportunities (or limitations). The potential of podcasting seemed limitless, but it wasn't apparent that it could become big business, even on an individual level.

Over the years, my podcast has evolved in different ways, gaining new listeners and introducing them to a wide range of interesting guests. I have now released more than 240 episodes, many of them interviews with thought leaders in different industries. From Instagram and LinkedIn basics to using ChatGPT and the future of artificial intelligence, I have learned so much from my merry band of interviewees, and hopefully, my listeners feel the same way.

I've learned a lot about the art of podcasting along the way too. Here are some of the key lessons.

Continue reading here.

The article read in this episode originally appeared on the Forbes Agency Council CommunityVoice™ in September 2023.

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In another column, I explained how LinkedIn is a useful social media platform for generating sales. And it's true: LinkedIn can be monetized in a way that grows your business and strengthens your brand through your own "thought leadership."

But there is much, much more to LinkedIn than money. Too often, advertisers, marketers, and public relations practitioners look at social media platforms exclusively through the lens of self-interest — how they can benefit me, me, me. Right away, people ask: How can I turn connections into cold, hard cash?

Stop. Take a step back. Look at the bigger picture — beyond the "me." At its core, LinkedIn is a social media platform that allows you to create and cultivate meaningful connections professionally or personally. It is an extremely valuable tool for growing your network. As the saying goes, your network is ultimately your net worth, and LinkedIn can help you on both fronts.

Continue reading here.

The article read in this episode originally appeared in Mainebiz in July 2023.

Listen to other podcast episodes about LinkedIn:

Episode 195: How LinkedIn Can Help You Build Your Network and Your Brand

Episode 199: LinkedIn: Are You Taking Advantage of the World's Largest Professional Network?

Episode 241: LinkedIn Basics

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Can you imagine a time when we didn't have emails?

I remember when my late father, who was an electrical engineer for Westinghouse, first got email and his administrative assistant would print out all of the messages for him. He would then bring the emails home at night and write out his responses, so she could type and send them out for him the next day. What a time!

I don't know about you, but I process through hundreds of emails a day now. My fingers fly across my keyboard. (Thank goodness I took a typing class in eighth grade, so I can type as fast as thoughts come into my busy mind.) But it shouldn't be all about speed.

So let's slow down a bit, cowboy.

Remember that every email you send is a representation of your personal brand. Emails essentially reflect your personality and your reputation. Emailing impacts the way that the recipient feels about you, and whether or not they respect you as a professional.

After all, your personal brand is based on how you make other people feel, so you need to put yourself in the recipient's shoes and think about how your words will impact them when you send that email.

Continue reading here.

The article read in this episode originally appeared in Mainebiz in August 2023.

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When was the last time you took a good look at your business's social media presence? Is it time for a social media audit? In this podcast episode, Lara Beckius, Marshall Communications' 2023 intern, explains when and why you should complete a social media audit. Whether you want to make sure you are reaching your target audience or you want to expand your social media presence, Lara offers some tips for completing a social media audit and making sure you are moving in the right direction.

3:25 – Lara gives an overview of her career so far.

5:35 – Lara describes what she has learned and the types of projects she has worked on during her internship at Marshall Communications.

6:24 – Lara explains why your business should complete a social media audit.

8:45 – Lara shares how to determine which social media platforms to target.

10:10 – Lara offers some recommendations for brands when doing social media.

12:02 – Lara explains why and how to plan your hashtags.

15:54 – Lara talks about pulling all of her interests together.

18:32 – Lara shares how she has been involved in Her Campus.

20:35 – Lara describes her other 2023 summer internship at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

24:15 – Lara lists some resources that have been helpful to her.

Quote

"Don't get overwhelmed. There are so many different social media platforms out there and there are so many different paths to pursue that it could be really easy to get overwhelmed, to kind of shut down when you're thinking about all of that, but the idea of a social media audit is to break it down into seeing which platforms work best." – Lara Beckius, Marshall Communications' 2023 Intern

Links:

Mathnasium: https://www.mathnasium.com/

Connecticut College: https://www.conncoll.edu/

Agrivolution: https://shop.agrivolution.us/

Lara's Her Campus articles: https://www.hercampus.com/author/lara-beckius/

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: https://www.mainegardens.org/

Gardens Aglow: https://www.mainegardens.org/events-exhibits/gardens-aglow/

Notion: https://www.notion.so/

Waterllama: https://waterllama.com/

About the guest:

Lara is from Avon, Connecticut, and is currently a senior at Connecticut College studying environmental studies, economics, and dance. She has professional experience in a variety of areas including education, marketing, advancement, the performing arts, and, most recently, environmental communications at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. She is super grateful to be continuing her summer internship at Marshall Communications this fall and has greatly enjoyed learning the ins-and-outs of the PR industry, from press releases to social media audits.

Outside of academics, Lara also serves as the office coordinator for the Connecticut College Office of Sustainability, captain of the Connecticut College Dance Team, and president of her campus' chapter of Her Campus, an online magazine dedicated to empowering college women.

Looking to connect:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @laraluna

At last! A new episode with Tim Cotton is here! To wrap up our fifth anniversary celebration, we are proud to launch this new episode with the PR Maven® Podcast guest with the most popular episodes of all time. In this episode, Nancy catches up with Tim Cotton. Since his last episode, Tim has retired from the Bangor Police Department, but still manages their Facebook page, as well as his own. He has also published three books and is working on a fourth. Listen to Nancy and Tim's conversation.

3:05 – Tim explains how his career came about by mistake.

10:08 – Tim talks about the discipline to write.

15:17 –Tim gives an update on the Duck of Justice (DOJ) and how people have come from all over the world to see this dead duck.

22:42 – Tim shares how he has grown his personal brand.

30:48 – Tim describes the themes and messages he keeps throughout his writing.

35:10 – Tim lists some resources that have been helpful to him.

Quote

"When you do put information on there that needs to be disseminated to the public, if you have things bookending it, interesting things that people come to read, they're going to find that. They're not going to know about the cones on Court Street if they don't read it all the time. That was my theory. If they come to read humorous things that really have nothing to do with direct law enforcement, it will bring them here when we need to spread information." – Tim Cotton

Links:

Washington Post "This may be the only police department in America with a funny Facebook page" https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/12/16/this-may-be-the-only-police-department-in-america-with-a-funny-facebook-page/

Duck of Justice Website: https://duckofjustice.com/

"The Gift of Fear" by Gavin de Becker: https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Fear-Survival-Signals-Violence/dp/0440226198

"Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose: https://www.amazon.com/Undaunted-Courage-Meriwether-Jefferson-American/dp/0684826976

"Blueberries for Sal" by Robert McCloskey: https://www.amazon.com/Blueberries-Sal-Robert-McCloskey/dp/014050169X

"One Morning in Maine" : https://www.amazon.com/One-Morning-Maine-Robert-McCloskey/dp/0670526274/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=O4xNR&content-id=amzn1.sym.579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_p=579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_r=138-8285559-3248618&pd_rd_wg=kDHVM&pd_rd_r=e97a13ac-bc85-4a53-8fda-fc50ed304fdb&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

"Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown: https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0064430170

Tim's Books:

"The Detective in the Dooryard" https://www.timcottonwrites.com/detective-in-the-dooryard/

"Got Warrants?" https://www.timcottonwrites.com/books/got-warrants-dispatches-from-the-dooryard/

"Dawn in the Dooryard" https://www.timcottonwrites.com/books/dawn-in-the-dooryard-reflections-from-the-jagged-edge-of-america/

Listen to the other episodes in the series:

Encore Episode 36: Lieutenant Tim Cotton, Bangor Police Department

Encore Episode 60: One-year Anniversary Party with Tim Cotton

About the guest:

Tim Cotton is a retired 34-year-cop, writer, former podcaster, author of three books, current social media manager of the Bangor Maine Police Facebook page and his own Facebook page. He has a website and provides a weekly blog to 20,000 subscribers. He is working on his fourth book, a fiction novel, under contract with Downeast Books, a Maine publisher.

Looking to connect:

Email: [email protected]

X: @timcottonwrites

Instagram: @timcottonwrites

Website: www.timcottonwrites.com

As The PR Maven® Podcast continues celebrating 5 years, we are rereleasing our second most popular episode of all time, episode 60 with special guest, Tim Cotton. If you missed last week's rerelease of the most popular episode on The PR Maven® Podcast, check out that episode here! Tune in again next week for the release of a new episode with Tim coming out on September 26!

In episode 60, Tim Cotton was celebrated as the guest with the most popular episode of the year at the first PR Maven® Podcast anniversary celebration. This episode with Tim was recorded from Rising Tide Brewing Company in Portland, Maine, in front of a live audience. Nancy and Tim recalled some of the highlights of episode 36 and what made Tim's episode a fan favorite. During the party, the Duck of Justice (DOJ) disappeared, reappearing a few days later visiting with Governor Janet Mills. The Marshall Communications team successfully retrieved the DOJ, ensuring his safe return to the Bangor Police Department.

Find the original episode here.

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As The PR Maven® Podcast celebrates 5 years, we are rereleasing our two most popular episodes of all time, episode 36 and episode 60, both with special guest, Tim Cotton. Whether you have been listening to The PR Maven® Podcast consistently from the beginning or you are a more recent or occasional listener, we hope you enjoy these encore episodes as we build up to the release of a new episode with Tim coming out on September 26! Let's get excited!

In episode 36, Nancy recorded her first episode with Tim Cotton. At the time, Tim was a lieutenant with the Bangor Police Department who became well-known for managing the department's Facebook page. He joined the police force in the late 1980s, became a detective in 2001 and in 2014 became the public information officer. He found himself the recipient of Facebook attention and adoration from fans around the country, and the world, who follow the Facebook page to read Tim's insightful, humorous posts.

Find the original episode here.

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Getting the word out about your business requires a mix of marketing techniques, but should working with influencers be one of your marketing strategies? On the one hand, influencers can help spread the word about your business, but on the other, influencers can take advantage of businesses and have less credibility than journalists. In this episode, Karen Stabiner talks about the challenges and downsides of working with influencers, particularly in the restaurant industry.

3:57 – Karen shares how she became interested in writing as a career when her eighth-grade teacher told her she was good at writing.

5:26 – Karen talks about how her family owned a restaurant supply company and how she spent a lot of time in restaurants as a kid.

9:25 – Karen describes the difference between journalists and influencers.

18:04 – Karen shares advice for working with influencers.

17:33 – Karen explains what journalist ethics are.

26:02 – Karen answers whether there are any good influencers.

33:40 – Karen talks about shakedown influencers.

38:52 – Nancy asks if influencers and journalists will ever become the same.

Quote

"I am a journalist. I am also a consumer of information. We need to take a moment and reflect on where we are getting our information, what the source is, what the quality of it is and whether we wouldn't like a little more. Influencers are like a snack. Journalists are like a meal." – Karen Stabiner, Journalist and Author

Links:

The New York Times: "Social Media Influencers Are Holding Restaurants Hostage": https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/24/opinion/social-media-influencer-restaurants.html

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Gatsby-F-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/0743273567

"Charlotte's Web" by E. B White: https://www.amazon.com/Charlottes-Web-B-White/dp/0061124958

"American Prometheus" by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin: https://www.amazon.com/American-Prometheus-Triumph-Tragedy-Oppenheimer/dp/0375726268

Listen to Matt Ginn's episode on The PR Maven® Podcast.

About the guest:

Karen Stabiner was for three years the West Coast editor of The Counter, a nonprofit digital newsroom, until its untimely demise in May 2022; her work contributed to a 2021 SABEW award for general excellence. She is the author of "Generation Chef," which follows a young chef as he opens his first restaurant and chronicles the upheaval in the riskiest of businesses. Her other books include "To Dance With the Devil: The New War on Breast Cancer," a New York Times Notable Book, and her personal favorite, "My Girl: Adventures With a Teen in Training." While the dignified label for what she does is narrative nonfiction, or immersion journalism, she prefers to think of herself as a fly on the wall. She has also written two cookbooks and two novels.

Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Eater LA, Columbia Journalism Review, The New Yorker, Gourmet (a James Beard award finalist), Saveur, Vogue and Mother Jones. Karen was a founder of an alternative newspaper in Santa Barbara, California, and graduated from the University of Michigan.

Karen spent 10 years as an adjunct professor in the M.S. program at Columbia University Journalism School, where she created a class in food writing and taught reporting and feature writing.

Looking to connect:

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-stabiner-54086b31

X: @kstabiner

Website: www.karenstabiner.com

Remember that person you met, but whose name you can't remember? You had the most interesting conversation, but you don't know how to reach out because a simple name has slipped your mind.

Bob? Bill? Something else? We've all been there before.

I pride myself on meeting new people and building new connections – personal or professional – and even I'm not immune to the occasional lapse in short-term memory. There was recently an individual who could help me with certain projects for work, but for the life of me, I could not remember his name. Several months ago, he was reaching out regularly to see whether my agency had any work for him, but we didn't at the time. And so, he went from top of mind to back of mind.

Today, I could use this person's services. But I don't have enough information to even search for him or his company's name. (He specializes in book publicity. That's all I know.)

There's a lesson here: Keep in touch with your contacts. If you meet someone for the first time, do whatever you can to store their name away in your mind – whether that means writing it down repeatedly, connecting with them on LinkedIn or even sending them a friendly note in the mail. I am personally an advocate for handwritten notes since I find that they foster a different, deeper sense of connection than digital outreach. It is easier for me to remember a name when I put pen to paper instead of just sending my 35th text message of the day.

Continue reading here.

The article read in this episode originally appeared on the Forbes Agency Council CommunityVoice™ in July 2023.

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When should you rebrand? In the changing marketplace, you may want to rebrand at a different time now than you would have wanted to in the past. Listen as Paula and Derek Slayton explain when you should consider rebranding and if your current brand promise is still achievable. Paula and Derek also discuss the language of branding, how PR and advertising can work together and why you should continue investing in marketing or the relationships you have, even when money is tight.

3:26 – Derek explains how his career started at printing companies and a newspaper.

4:44 – Paula talks about her career path, from getting a teaching degree to nursing and psychology.

5:51 – Paula describes Trampoline's competitive edge by putting employees first.

9:18 – Derek shares the best times to rebrand.

11:27 – Derek gives an overview of the language of branding.

20:49 – Paula explains why it is important to continue investing in marketing during a recession.

24:26 – Derek talks about stock versus custom photography.

27:19 – Paula describes the difference between being excited to sell and being desperate to sell.

29:50 – Derek shares how PR and advertising can work together to achieve marketing goals.

31:29 – Paula and Derek share some resources that have helped them.

Quotes

"I think that traditionally, a lot of times, the situation comes up where there's a leadership change or a transition. There are times when a new service or product is offered that maybe takes the company to a different position in the marketplace. Those are typically times that you'd see a rebrand happening to reflect that, but I think now with social being so prominent and the marketplace being so different, so finicky, it's more like when your audience is not talking about you..." – Derek Slayton

"…I would add to that, you really have to look inward because the truth is your brand is your promise, and then your ability to deliver on that promise. You have to keep looking inward to make sure that the promise you're making that you say you can do still holds water a year later, two years later, three years later and are you able to deliver on that?" – Paula Slayton

Links:

2Bobs Podcast: https://2bobs.com/

How I Built This with Guy Raz: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297

About the guests:

Paula Slayton brings more than 20 years of business management to her work at Trampoline. She ensures that accounts run smoothly through direct communication and a keen understanding of the balance that exists between projects and budgets. Her management of Glens Falls Hospital, Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company, SeriousFun, Double H Ranch and Vail Resorts demonstrates her ability to navigate corporate and institutional layers, while still reaching goals and managing budgets and deadlines. Clients love her down-to-earth approach and accessibility.

Derek Slayton oversees the creative process and manages projects through to completion. From creative strategy to the development of dynamic visual elements, Derek keeps projects on time and precise. Leveraging 25 years of design and communication experience, Derek's finesse has been used to guide the City of Oneonta, the Town of Newcomb, and Paul Smith's College through initiatives ranging from name changes and rebrands to comprehensive plans and campaign strategy. His attention to detail is unparalleled. He is masterful with gathering feedback and building consensus in order to keep projects on track, on message and on budget. A brand specialist and design perfectionist, he'll help to tap into unique selling points.

Looking to connect:

Paula's email: [email protected]

Derek's email: [email protected]

Instagram: @designtramp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designtramp

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trampoline-design/

Website: www.trampolinedesign.com