Brett Deister interviews Heather, the founder of Publicity for Good, to delve into the current landscape and future trends of public relations (PR). Heather emphasizes the crucial distinction between marketing and PR, highlighting that while marketing focuses on self-promotion, PR thrives on external endorsements and organic visibility. The conversation explores how brands can successfully integrate PR with digital marketing strategies, leveraging AI to enhance efficiency while maintaining the essential human touch in storytelling. Heather also discusses the importance of understanding generational differences in communication and offers practical advice for PR professionals. Additionally, she introduces her new service, Signal Raptor, designed to make PR more accessible for smaller brands, demonstrating the evolving nature of the industry in response to digital demands.

Takeaways:

• Public relations is about others discussing your brand, which is more effective than self-promotion.
• Brands with a human touch and compelling founder stories tend to be more successful.
• Integrating PR strategies with digital marketing can significantly lower customer acquisition costs.
• AI can assist in public relations tasks, but the personal relationship aspect remains crucial.
• Measuring PR effectiveness requires a different approach than traditional marketing metrics.
• PR efforts should be sustained over time, as it's most effective when cumulative.

Links referenced in this episode:

• publicityforgood.com
• signalraptor.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Publicity for Good
• Signal Raptor
• Winterberg University
• Fund for America Studies
• Georgetown University