The PR Wine Down

Today on the PR Wine Down, hosts April and Laura tackle two key issues in today’s PR industry discourse: trust in journalism and the shaky job economy. 

First, in the PR News segment, Laura shares a recap of  “Polarization and the Press” from the blog page at Stanford’s Journalism program. In the post, Janine Zacharia, Carlos Kelly McClatchy lecturer in Stanford’s Department of Communication, and Emily Handsel, a senior at Stanford studying political science, unpack 12 actionable steps that journalists can take to enhance their credibility and rebuild trust in their reporting. Tune in as April and Laura cover the highlights, and share their own reflections about what PR professionals can do to support similar trust-building practices on the PR side of the news desk. 

Also in this episode, April reads our latest Anonymous PR Horror Story submission, from a listener who was passed over for a promotion — and effectively laid off — despite being an overachiever with years of experience.

Read the PR News of the Week here: https://journalism.stanford.edu/polarization-and-the-press-12-ways-to-restore-respect-for-your-reporting 

Connect with Trust Relations:

Have an anonymous PR horror story to share or questions you want to be answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].

You can stream the show live at 2:00 pm ET every Saturday, on ElectroMagnetic Radio.

You can also connect with Trust Relations on our website or on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.

Send in a voice message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/prwinedown  

In this information-packed episode of the PR Wine Down, hosts April and Laura welcome Allison Ullo back to the virtual recording booth! Allie is our Lifestyle Group Director at Trust Relations, and a seasoned media relations specialist and B2C communications strategist. She’s here to discuss the nitty-gritty details of affiliate PR, including the changes, challenges and opportunities brands can expect to face in this niche area of consumer media, where consumer PR and digital marketing intersect. 

Later in this episode, April and Laura take a deep dive into the different career paths a PR professional might take — and how brands can decide which type of PR specialist to hire. Tune in for a candid conversation about the pros and cons of agency, in-house and freelance PR.

Learn more about Allie: https://trustrelations.agency/meet-your-dream-team/allison-ullo/ 

Read about our affiliate PR services: https://trustrelations.agency/affiliate-pr/ 

Try Leaves of Leisure: https://www.leavesofleisure.com/  

Connect with Trust Relations:

Have an anonymous PR horror story to share or questions you want to be answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].

You can stream the show live at 2:00 pm ET every Saturday, on ElectroMagnetic Radio.

You can also connect with Trust Relations on our website or on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.
Send in a voice message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/prwinedown 

April and Laura are back in the virtual recording booth for another 1:1 strategy session! This week, they’re dissecting a media mishap that went viral earlier this spring when Kellogg’s Co-CEO Gary Pilnick suggested that consumers eat cereal for dinner when their funds are tight. Tune in as April and Laura discuss the backlash and boycotts which ensued on social media, analyze how Kellog’s slow response impacted the narrative, and offer suggestions for how the brand could have mitigated the fallout.

This week’s Anonymous PR Horror story features a write-in from a listener whose client has been ghosting them for regularly-scheduled calls. April and Laura share the warning sings of a potentially disengaged client, how to crack through the silence when a client is difficult to reach, and how to identify the best methods of communication for every client contact.

Read the PR News of the Week here: https://www.today.com/food/groceries/kellogg-ceo-cereal-for-dinner-save-money-backlash-rcna140540 

Connect with Trust Relations:

Have an anonymous PR horror story to share or questions you want to be answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].

You can stream the show live at 2:00 pm ET every Saturday, on ElectroMagnetic Radio.

You can also connect with Trust Relations on our website or on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.

Send in a voice message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/prwinedown 

On the show this week, we have a double guest interview! Daniel Bisett and Tricia Ulberg are the founders of the We Rock DM agency and co-hosts of the We Rock DM Amplified podcast. 

Daniel is an award-winning digital marketing instructor at the McCombs Business School at the University of Texas, with Tricia by his side as teaching assistant. They’re here to discuss branding and website development for brands of every size, from mom-and-pop shops to multi-million-dollar companies. With hosts April and Laura, they also discuss the costs associated with a high-quality website, how design factors into brand development, and what to do when a client feels emotionally attached to an outdated brand aesthetic. They also cover a few ways that an updated website design can support a brand’s PR goals.  

For this week’s PR News section, April and Laura discuss a recent article about AI in journalism, and how PR practitioners can adapt. 

Learn more about Daniel & Tricia’s work here: https://www.werockdm.com/ 

Listen to April’s interview on the We Rock DM Amplified podcast here: https://www.werockdm.com/work/april-white/ 

Read the PR News of the Week here, in PR Daily: https://www.prdaily.com/pr-pros-must-prepare-for-the-rise-of-ai-journalism/ 

Connect with Trust Relations:

Have an anonymous PR horror story to share or questions you want to be answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].

You can stream the show live at 2:00 pm ET every Saturday, on ElectroMagnetic Radio.

You can also connect with Trust Relations on our website or on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.

Send in a voice message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/prwinedown 

Today’s episode features an article that April wrote for the Forbes Agency Council, “Suffering From Public Relations Skepticism Disorder? Three Tips For Agencies And Brands To Recover.”

The unspoken truth is this: The status quo PR agency approach works against employees and clients. Many brands have been burned by PR in the past, with lackluster media results, inexperienced account staff, murky agency contracts, and strategies that don’t align with their broader business goals. 

As Trust Relations celebrates its 5th agency anniversary this month, we’re dedicating this special episode of the PR Wine Down podcast to consider a pervasive issue that has yet to be uprooted in this industry: the disappointing experience many brands face when engaging with a PR firm for the first time.

The traditional PR agency model is broken, and we’re on a mission to reinvent it and replace it with something better. With the Trust Relations approach, we’re dedicated to changing client and staff expectations for what a PR agency can be — and then exceeding them. 

In this special edition of April’s reads, our CEO & Founder April White takes a closer look at what brands and agencies can do to achieve success, improve the industry and redefine what PR can do for brand’s today.

Listener Note: Don't worry, your favorite interviews and conversations with Laura Schooler and our wonderful guests from in and around the PR industry aren’t going anywhere. Our hosts will be back in your feed for another classic episode in two weeks.

You can read the original article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/msolomon/2024/04/20/best-timepieces-watches-and-wonders-geneva-2024/?sh=9785f4356620 

Connect with Trust Relations:

Have an anonymous PR horror story to share or questions you want to be answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].

You can stream the show live at 2:00 pm ET every Saturday, on ElectroMagnetic Radio.

You can also connect with Trust Relations on our website or on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.

Send in a voice message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/prwinedown 

This month, Trust Relations is celebrating five years in business! 

In this special episode, April and Laura welcome Fatou B. Barry to the virtual recording booth! If  you're a PR practitioner and you use Instagram, you probably follow PR Girl Manifesto; Fatou is the founder of the nonprofit organization of the same name. She is also the co-founder of the advocacy group Hold The PRess. Fatou is here to discuss her impressive career, and how she built a viral community for tomorrow’s PR pros, through PR Girl Manifesto.

Tune in as April and Laura cover some of the PR industry issues which inspired the PR Wine Down — and April’s decision to found Trust Relations. Your favorite podcast hosts chat with Fatou about uprooting toxic and outdated industry practices, improving mentorship and learning in the PR agency environment, changing the PR profession for the next generation, and more. 

In the PR News of the Week segment, April and Laura discuss a common media training question: Is it ever acceptable to share information with a reporter “off the record?” 

Learn more about Fatou’s work here: https://www.fatoubarry.com/ 

Follow PR Girl Manifesto on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prgirlmanifesto/?hl=en 

Read the PR News of the Week here, in PR Daily: https://www.prdaily.com/how-to-go-safely-go-off-the-record-with-a-reporter/ 

Connect with Trust Relations:

Have an anonymous PR horror story to share or questions you want to be answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].

You can stream the show live at 2:00 pm ET every Saturday, on ElectroMagnetic Radio.

You can also connect with Trust Relations on our website or on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.

Send in a voice message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/prwinedown 

Longtime listeners, rejoice! This week, one of our favorite repeat guests is back in the virtual recording booth. In this episode, Ronjini Joshua, Owner & President of The Silver Telegram PR agency, is back for an industry update. Together with hosts April and Laura, Ronjini shares her observations about the PR industry in 2024 so far. They also discuss challenges facing PR practitioners as media scrutiny continues to rise, the increase in solo practitioners in the PR industry, and the budget constraints that many brands faced in Q1.  

Also in this episode, April and Laura discuss a recent viral video in which a former Cloudflare employee was laid off. The conversation includes the common messaging mistakes companies make when facing layoffs, and how brands can use empathy and strategic communications to avoid these pitfalls when sharing difficult news with their staff.

Read the PR News of the Week here: https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2024/02/11/companies-use-every-term-in-the-thesaurus-to-avoid-saying-you-re-fired?mbcid=34314159.1258026&mid=21d46d16783f109d631ad3b58fdb2827&utm_campaign=mb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew 

Connect with Trust Relations:

Have an anonymous PR horror story to share or questions you want to be answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].

You can stream the show live at 2:00 pm ET every Saturday, on ElectroMagnetic Radio.

You can also connect with Trust Relations on our website or on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.

Send in a voice message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/prwinedown 

April and Laura are chatting 1:1 this week about two lesser-known issues a PR practitioner might face: a use case of anti-brand messaging, and how to manage feedback that isn’t constructive.

The PR News of the Week features an update on Tesla’s PR strategy, with a critical look at The Dawn Project’s anti-Tesla Superbowl ad back in February. April and Laura also weigh the consequences of Elon Musk’s longtime rejection of investing in a formal PR team for himself or his business and discuss whether a brand can be successful without a strategic communications infrastructure.

This week’s Anonymous PR Horror story features a write-in from a listener whose last manager shared a series of overly-personal pieces of feedback, and how to bounce back from non-constructive criticisms at work. Your favorite hosts also candidly share their own personal experiences with targeted personal criticisms in the workplace.

Read the PR News of the Week here: https://www.businessinsider.com/super-bowl-ad-tesla-boycott-tech-ceo-2024-2 

Connect with Trust Relations:

Have an anonymous PR horror story to share or questions you want to be answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].

You can stream the show live at 2:00 pm ET every Saturday, on ElectroMagnetic Radio.

You can also connect with Trust Relations on our website or on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.

Send in a voice message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/prwinedown 

In light of the recent and tragic passing of Mikal Reich, our team is taking a walk down memory lane to re-release this interview with Mikal, originally released in January 2021. Mikal's intelligence and exuberance are fondly remembered and appreciated by those who knew him.

Episode Description: The PR Wine Down podcast welcomes Michael Reich, Executive Creative Director and Co-Owner at ⁠Dead As We Know It⁠ creative agency and Laura’s personal friend. With hosts Laura and April, Mikal discusses his career path into the advertising industry, reminisces about his favorite ads and career milestones, and shares advice for navigating common client challenges and leveraging creative ideas to generate press coverage. 

You can learn about Mikal and his work at ⁠https://deadasweknowit.com/⁠

Send your Anonymous PR Horror Stories to [email protected], anytime.

Connect with Trust Relations on our website at ⁠https://www.trustrelations.agency/⁠

Follow us on social media, too!

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/trustrelations/⁠

⁠https://twitter.com/trustPRelations⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/trustrelations⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/trustrelations/?hl=en⁠

Sound effects obtained from ⁠https://www.zapsplat.com⁠.

April and Laura are chatting 1:1 this week about two familiar dilemmas for mid-to-senior level PR practitioners: managing junior staff and navigating shrinking marketing budgets. 

This week’s Anonymous PR Horror story features an honest write-in from a listener who is struggling to connect with the intern they’re managing — and has run out of ways to share feedback. In PR News of the Week, our hosts discuss the rise of “challenger” PR firms and the role of independent practitioners and mid-sized agencies as the PR landscape continues to shift. Together, they discuss how economic concerns and shrinking marketing budgets are impacting big brands and the agencies that serve them, and how newer, more disruptive firms can provide an alternative.

Read the PR News of the Week here: https://www.axios.com/2024/01/18/the-rise-of-challenger-firms?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioscommunicators&stream=business 

Connect with Trust Relations:

Have an anonymous PR horror story to share or questions you want to be answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].

You can stream the show live at 2:00 pm ET every Saturday, on ElectroMagnetic Radio.

You can also connect with Trust Relations on our website or on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.

Send in a voice message here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/prwinedown