On Top of PR with Jason Mudd

Learn what you can be doing to increase your news release engagement and how you can use commercial newswires to your benefit with Serena Ehrlich, director of product marketing at Business Wire. She is responsible for Business Wire’s go-to-market marketing strategy, including initiating consumer discovery, supervising product releases, developing market-oriented content, and creating thought leadership initiatives.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:How to use commercial newswires to your benefit How to improve your news releases What the most important word in your news release headline isIf you should put more than one call-to-action in your news release The importance of bundling imagery in your news releases Quotables“You don’t want to use wire services or commercial wire service for something that’s not news.” — @Serena“When you write a news release, your headline is the number one factor in the open rate of your news release.” — @Serena“People in real estate say location, location, location. And I say in PR and marketing, it’s repetition, repetition, repetition.” — @jasonmudd9“Before you ever pitch somebody in the media, you should already have a relationship with them in one way or another.” — @Serena“Coverage is still the most trusted piece of content a brand can generate.” — @Serena“A Newswire isn’t going to be your media relations program. It’s an amplification of your media relations program.” — @SerenaAbout Serena EhrlichSerena Ehrlich is the current director of product marketing at Business Wire. She has worked over the last 20 years to provide guidance on trends in investor relations, public relations, and general consumer behavior relations. When she began her advertising career, she gained a branding understanding from a large-scale perspective. Ehrlich designed and implemented successful local, national, and international social, mobile, and traditional marketing campaigns for brands like Kraft, Kohls, Avon, Mattel, and more prior to joining Business Wire in 2013.Serena’s contact info and resources:Serena Ehrlich on TwitterSerena Ehrlich on LinkedInCompany website: businesswire.comAdditional Resources:Google Keyword PlannerClick to TweetBusiness Wire business resource centerSponsored by:On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in 2002. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Learn why the word “storytellers” can have a negative connotation for PR pros with our guest Chris Chiames of Carnival Cruise Line.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:Why Chris Chiames thinks PR pros shouldn’t be storytellers Why measurement is just one important factor in demonstrating PR effectiveness  The value of observation before making suggestionsThe importance of asking “why” as communicatorsHow the travel industry plans to recover from the pandemicQuotables“Smart companies hire smart people.” — @ChrisChiames“Great writing is the key for public relations.” — @ChrisChiames“Storytelling is certainly important, as part of what public relations does effectively. But we’re ultimately more than storytellers. We’re conversationalists, and we are listening, hopefully, as much as we are telling stories.” — @ChrisChiames“There’s a lot more pressure on communicators to make sure they’re delivering messages and content that people are engaging with.” — @ChrisChiames“The more thoughtful questions you ask, the more people like and trust you.” — @jasonmudd9“It really is a privilege to be able to sit in the middle of your organization and be responsible for its reputation and success in multiple ways.”  — @ChrisChiamesIf you enjoyed the episode, would you please leave us a review?About Chris Chiames Chris Chiames is the chief communications officer for Carnival Cruise Line, the most popular cruise operator in the world. After starting his career in politics, he has spent most of the past 25 years in travel, including executive roles at American Airlines, U.S. Airways, Orbitz, Sabre, and leading the travel and tourism practice at Burson-Marsteller.Contact info and resources:Twitter: @ChrisChiamesLinkedin: Chris ChiamesChris’s podcast: Airlines ConfidentialCarnival Cruise Line Additional Resources:Axia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia Public Relations in July 2002. Forbes named Axia as one of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Learn how newsrooms post stories and content on their websites and what to expect when your story goes live with our host, Jason Mudd, managing partner of Axia Public Relations.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:If a TV newsroom always posts an online article in addition to the aired news storyHow you can get a copy of an aired TV news story video Beware of copyright when posting TV news stories on your websiteIf a news story will always include a link to your company’s websiteThe value of SEO for newsroomsQuotables“Even though you appeared on a news channel, that doesn’t mean it’s your property. You are actually consenting for the news station to have the exclusive copyright of that video content.” -@jasonmudd9“Search engine optimization is as important to the news channel as it is to you.” -@jasonmudd9“Newsrooms are designed to remain objective and not simply endorse companies, products, and services.” -@jasonmudd9About Jason MuddJason Mudd, APR, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in July 2002.Clients love Jason’s passion, innovation, candor, commitment, and award-winning team. In an increasingly tech-forward world, Jason’s grasp of technological demands on companies provides his clients in multiple sectors a unique advantage toward reaching their top audiences. After teaching himself HTML in 1994, Jason helped pioneer internet marketing strategies as an early adopter of e-commerce, SEO, and social media, inspiring tech giants like Yahoo.At Axia, Jason attracts, develops, retains, innovates, and leads top PR talent and clients. He oversees strategic communications for the firm’s national clients and provides high-level consultations to client leadership teams at billion-dollar global brands, both business-to-business and business-to-consumer, including spokesperson training, crisis communications management, analytics, social media, online reputation management, and more. He also speaks frequently to corporations and industry groups and writes about public relations trends and best practices for American City Business Journals and other national businesses.Jason’s contact info and resources:Twitter: @jasonmudd9LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmudd/Website: https://www.axiapr.com/Have a question for Jason?  Email: podcast@ontopofpr.comPresented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Learn how to tell your company’s story by involving employees with our guest Alejandro Barbero, director of strategic development and communications at Rayonier. He makes the complex simple and is constantly taking on new challenges. During his 25 years of global experience, he has taken businesses and teams to places they’ve never been.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:The value of putting your employees’ happiness firstWhy companies need to tell the story of their brand How you can reevaluate your company values How to bring authenticity into your company’s communications Company storytelling strategies Quotables“No communication’s piece that I could create will ever supplant the trust that our employees build on a day-to-to basis.” — Alejandro Barbero“If you’re not telling your story, you’re letting somebody else tell your story.” — Alejandro Barbero“We’re never going to be the best storytelling company in the industry if it’s just the communications team doing the storytelling. We need to empower everyone in the company to become storytellers.” — Alejandro BarberoAbout Alejandro BarberoPassion, curiosity, tenacity, vision, and fun describe Alejandro Barbero. First a family-man, Alejandro is also a big-idea guy that can strategize, be bold, and get things done. He makes the complex simple and is constantly taking on new challenges. During his 25 years of global experience, he has taken businesses and teams to places they’ve never been. He believes there is always a way, and you just need to open your eyes to see it. Alejandro’s contact info and resources:Alejandro’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alebarbero/Rayonier’s website: https://www.rayonier.com/stories/Additional Resources:Axia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia Public Relations in July 2002. Forbes named Axia as one of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Learn how to avoid copyright infringement when using stock photography with our guest Jamie Lieberman, owner and founder of Hashtag Legal. Jamie has been a practicing lawyer for 15 years. Today, she partners with clients across verticals including influencer marketing, creative services, and e-commerce. Five things you’ll learn from this episode:Understanding what a license to use a photo isThe pitfalls of using stock photographyHow to create policies that prevent cease and desist letters surrounding stock photo photographyHow to respond if you receive a cease and desist letter for using copyrighted photographyBest practices when using stock photography and other creative elementsQuotables“If you’re asking someone to create work on your behalf, you also have to make sure you’re getting the rights to the work being done.” -Jamie Lieberman, @hashtaglegalllc“It’s important to have an understanding not only of, ‘I just bought this stock photo and I’m going to use it,’ but also, ‘what does the license allow me to do?’” -Jamie Lieberman, @hashtaglegalllc“If you get a cease and desist letter, the first piece of information and advice I have is don’t ignore it.” -Jamie Lieberman, @hashtaglegalllc“The better you keep your records, the better chance you have to mitigate any copyright damages.” -Jamie Lieberman, @hashtaglegalllcAbout Jamie LiebermanJamie Lieberman, owner and founder of Hashtag Legal, has been a practicing lawyer for 15 years. As an experienced entrepreneur, Jamie understands the unique needs of business owners at different stages in their organization’s growth. Today, she partners with clients across verticals including influencer marketing, creative services, and e-commerce. She has a deep commitment to making legal photography accessible and regularly speaks about legal matters, the art of negotiation, and entrepreneurial topics at leading industry events like Alt Summit, Podcast Movement, and FinCon and as an expert source for media like Digiday and Forbes. You can also catch her as a co-host on The FearLess Business Podcast.Jamie’s contact info and resources:Website: hashtag-legal.com/ontopofprHashtag Legal’s Instagram: instagram.com/hashtag_legal/Jamie’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jamie-lieberman-8618b54/Additional Resources:Axia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia Public Relations in July 2002. Forbes named Axia as one of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021.ReviewMaxer On Top of PR brought to you by ReviewMaxerSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Our episode guest is Katie Delahaye Paine, aka The Measurement Queen, a pioneer in the measurement field for three decades. Her latest company, Paine Publishing, is the first educational publishing firm entirely dedicated to making more Measurement Mavens. Five things you’ll learn from this episode:The power of PR measurementWhy PR measurement is importantHow to start measuring PRThe future of PR measurementThe role of measurement in corporate social responsibility and corporate social advocacyQuotables“I really do think that AI and machine learning can go a long way to fix the accuracy problems in measurement because there is a tremendous amount of accuracy problems.” -@queenofmetrics“Whenever there’s a crisis and companies are doing foolish things, I always have this vision of the entire PR department bound, gagged, handcuffed in the basement, and screaming at the top of their lungs, “Don’t do that!” So what AI, data, and measurement can do today is release the shackles.” -@queenofmetrics“If you dodge the press, the time it’s going to take you to get from a whole bunch of negative press back down to neutral is a lot longer.” -@queenofmetricsWhat’s the thing that is going to get your boss’ boss walking into your office and plunking a case of champagne down on your desk because you’ve done such a fabulous job?” -@queenofmetrics“For corporate social advocacy, you must measure: Did that advocacy appear authentic? Did it raise your trust levels? And did it make anybody want to do business with you more often?” -@queenofmetricsAbout Katie Delahaye PaineKatie Delahaye Paine, aka The Measurement Queen, has been a pioneer in the measurement field for three decades. She founded two measurement companies, KDPaine & Partners Inc. and The Delahaye Group. Her books, Measure What Matters (Wiley, March 2011) and Measuring Public Relationships (KDPaine & Partners, 2007), are considered must-reads for anyone tasked with measuring public relations and social media. Her latest book written with Beth Kanter, Measuring the Networked Nonprofit: Using Data to Change the World, is the 2013 winner of the Terry McAdam Book Award.Her latest company, Paine Publishing, is the first educational publishing firm entirely dedicated to making more Measurement Mavens. Its newsletter, “The Measurement Advisor,” is the industry’s most comprehensive source of information about best practices in communications measurement. In her consulting practices, she designs measurement dashboards for some of today’s most admired companies. Katie has also been a leading promoter of standards in the PR and social media measurement fields.Contact info and resources:Website: painepublishing.comMonthly newsletter: The Measurement AdvisorMeasurement Base CampTwitter: @queenofmetrics About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia Public Relations in July 2002. Forbes nReviewMaxer On Top of PR brought to you by ReviewMaxerSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Our episode guest is Jeffrey J. Fox, founder of Fox & Company Marketing Consultants and author of 11 bestselling books. For more than 25 years, Jeffrey has been helping clients grow revenues and increase gross margins.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:Some of the mistakes top marketers makeHow to improve your marketing, storytelling, and communication skillsThe four factors to sustain business successWhy customers are just “ok” How you should price your productsQuotables“Marketing is the job that helps the company identify, attract, get, and keep customers. It’s the heart and center of an enterprise.” — Jeffrey J. Fox“Marketing’s job is to point salespeople to where they should go and to arm them with the tools to make the sale.” — Jeffrey J. Fox“A lot of companies think that they’re in charge of quality. They’re not. The quality is defined by the customer.” — Jeffrey J. Fox“Customers buy for only two reasons. They buy to solve a problem or to feel good and some mix of both of them.” — Jeffrey J. FoxAbout Jeffrey J. FoxFor over 25 years, Jeffrey J. Fox has been helping clients grow revenues and increase gross margins. Jeffrey is the founder of Fox & Company, a management consulting firm that shows clients how to dollarize their value proposition to overcome the price objection and to shorten the sales cycle. Jeffery has written 11 bestselling business books that have been translated into more than 30 languages.Jeffrey is the author of “How to Become CEO,” which was on the New York Times, Business Week, Wall Street Journal, Knight-Ridder, and Amazon.com bestseller lists. His books have been bestsellers in France, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Russia. His book “How to Become a Rainmaker” was selected as one of the 100 best business books ever written. His book “Dollarization Discipline” was selected as one of the top 30 business books of 2005. He is a popular speaker, appearing regularly before senior management groups and sales forces. Jeffrey is a graduate of Harvard Business School. Fox & Company is located in Chester, CT.Contact info and resources:Fox & Company Marketing Consultants websiteJeffrey’s books:How to Become a Marketing Superstar: Unexpected Rules That Ring the Cash RegisterHow to Become a Great Boss: The Rules for Getting and Keeping the Best EmployeesHow to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients Additional Resources:Axia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia Public Relations in July 2002. Forbes named Axia as one of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Learn what makes a story newsworthy with our host, Jason Mudd. Jason is the managing partner of Axia Public Relations.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:What the 10 elements of news are How you can proactively address the timeliness of your news What consequences could be considered newsworthy  Why human interest is almost always local How the 10 elements of news can apply to other communications Quotables“The more legitimate, genuine elements of news your story has, the better it’s going to be.” — @jasonmudd9“The news media loses interest quickly, and events that happened in the past become stale when there’s always something new and fresh going on somewhere else.” — @jasonmudd9“The best thing you have in business is your reputation, and your reputation comes from integrity. So always protect that integrity with your communication and with your PR.” — @jasonmudd9About Jason MuddJason Mudd, APR, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in July 2002.Clients love Jason’s passion, innovation, candor, commitment, and award-winning team. In an increasingly tech-forward world, Jason’s grasp of technological demands on companies provides his clients in multiple sectors a unique advantage toward reaching their top audiences. After teaching himself HTML in 1994, Jason helped pioneer internet marketing strategies as an early adopter of e-commerce, SEO, and social media, inspiring tech giants like Yahoo.At Axia, Jason attracts, develops, retains, innovates, and leads top PR talent and clients. He oversees strategic communications for the firm’s national clients and provides high-level consultations to client leadership teams at billion-dollar global brands, both business-to-business and business-to-consumer, including spokesperson training, crisis communications management, analytics, social media, online reputation management, and more. He also speaks frequently to corporations and industry groups and writes about public relations trends and best practices for American City Business Journals and other national businesses.Contact info and resources:Jason on Twitter: twitter.com/jasonmudd9Jason on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmudd/Website: www.axiapr.com/Blog post: 10 elements of news and newsworthinessPresented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Our episode guest is Ken Jacobs PCC, CPC, owner and principal of Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching. Ken is an experienced certified coach who helps corporate (and agency) leaders, senior executives, and managers in public relations, marketing, advertising, and/or related communications functions. He focuses on helping others achieve and surpass their organizational, career, and personal goals.Five things you’ll learn from this episode: How to switch from a “challenge” mindset to an “opportunity” mindsetImproving your emotional intelligence How to be more transparentSetting high standards for your own leadershipTaking care of yourself as a leader Quotables“Followers have always followed courage and optimism. Your followers can be your team members, peers, your boss, or your stakeholders — internal and external. We all have the ability to lead, to create outcomes that are good for all of us.” — @KensViews“The core definition of leadership to me is, ‘I have the ability to influence positive outcomes both in myself and in others.’”— @KensViews“You can only take care of your employees if you’re taking care of yourself.” — @KensViews“I know it may not feel like it now, but fear is a choice. What if you chose courage? What would that feel like?” — @KensViews“If you can inspire, employees will self motivate.” — @KensViewsAbout Ken JacobsKen is an experienced certified coach who helps corporate (and agency) leaders, senior executives, and managers in public relations, marketing, advertising, and/or related communications functions. His focus is assisting others achieve and surpass their organizational, career, and personal goals by helping them become more inspired and effective leaders.Contact info and resources:Ken on Twitter: twitter.com/KensViewsKen on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jacobsconsultingcoaching/Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching: www.jacobscomm.com/Ken’s eBooks:How to Lead the Leaders on Your TeamNine Critical Leadership Traits for Today11 Things To Do If You Want To Be An Amazingly Effective LeaderPodcast: Taking the Lead Other books mentioned:Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves Additional Resources:Axia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia Public Relations in July 2002. Forbes named Axia as one of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Our episode guest is Colin Wylie, assistant director for marketing and assessment at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Reeve Union. Colin also serves on the board of directors for PRSA Northeast Wisconsin.Five things you’ll learn from this episode: How to transition from being a PR student to a PR professional Understanding the PR industry as a recent graduateThe importance of relationships, networks, and professional associations when navigating the first years in your PR career How to use your student experience to give you an advantage after graduationWhy you should apply for the Axia Public Relations scholarship if you’re a college student   Quotables“If you treat mistakes as learning experiences, that’s when you’ll see the most growth.” — @thecolinwylie“If you don’t make the ask, you won’t get new opportunities.” — @thecolinwylieAbout Colin WylieColin currently works as the assistant director for marketing and assessment at Reeve Union at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He also serves on the board of directors for PRSA Northeast Wisconsin. Colin graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.Contact info and resources:Colin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecolinwylieColin on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/colin-wylie/Additional Resources:Axia Public Relations: www.axiapr.com/ Axia Public Relations scholarship: www.axiapr.com/scholarshipPresented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia Public Relations in July 2002. Forbes named Axia as one of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

 Our episode guest is Jack Vincent, Strategic Poet. Jack helps companies sell more effectively, from tactical questioning to killer stories. Five things you’ll learn from this episode:How a sale is a love affair The five phases you need to pull a buyer through in their purchase Tactical tools help your sales team sell more effectively The killer question for closing and bringing the sale to conclusion How marketing leaders can guide sales people to pitch like they’re storytelling Quotables“We have to get attention in an attractive way. You need to disrupt and get attention to prove you are worthy of my attention.” — @jackvincent“Asking questions is not a sign of ignorance, it's a sign of professionalism.” — @jackvincent“Love your customers even if they tell you no.” — @jackvincentContact info and resources:A Sale Is A Love Affair: Seduce, Engage & Win Customers' Hearts@jackvincent on TwitterLinkedInjackvincent.com Additional Resources:ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.comAxia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving and promoting online customer reviews.About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is the CEO and managing partner of Axia Public Relations. He is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in 2002.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Learn the role of content strategy and why a solid content strategy is important to your marketing and PR efforts with our guest Sherry Sanderford, public relations manager at the Wounded Warrior Project.  Sherry is a strategic communications leader with extensive experience in corporate, health care, and health technology communications.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:What is the role of content in today’s PR environment?How can organizations drive content through a multi-channel strategy?How does a solid content strategy support earned media efforts?How do you measure the impact of your content strategy?What are lessons for PR practitioners operating during a pandemic?Quotables“Good content is the gift that keeps on giving.” — @ssanderford“Let's get back to a broader view on public relations, of which earned media and media relations is a component.” — @ssanderford“Having a very strong customer base, follower base, supporter, or donor base is key.” — @ssanderford“We have to be willing to be open to new ideas that may be coming from folks that we might not necessarily have thought understand our business or the work that we do.” — @ssanderford“I think taking a little bit more time and guiding people produces enormous rewards in the end. You get richer stories and content. Be willing to laugh and learn.” — @ssanderfordIf you enjoyed the episode, would you please leave us a review?About Sherry SanderfordSherry Sanderford is a strategic communications leader with extensive experience in corporate, health care, and health technology communications. She recently joined the Wounded Warrior Project as the public relations manager. Her responsibilities include leading a team of public relations professionals in charge of external communications and reputation. Previously, Sherry ran S2 Communications & Consulting where she provided communications strategy and consulting to businesses and non-profit organizations, primarily in the healthcare space.Before that, Sherry spent 20 years at Aetna/CVS Health leading executive communications, internal communications, and media relations for numerous business areas. She enjoys connecting people to one another around a shared purpose.Sherry Sanderford’s contact info and resources:LinkedIn Twitter: @ssanderfordTracing the measurement origins of PESO Additional Resources:ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.comAxia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is the CEO and managing partner of Axia Public Relations. He is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in 2002.Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.ReviewMaxer On Top of PR brought to you by ReviewMaxerSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Learn what five questions you should ask yourself and your team before sending any corporate communications to your audience with our host, Jason Mudd. Jason is the managing partner of Axia Public Relations.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:The five questions you should ask yourself before you send out any corporate communicationsWhy your audience isn’t “everyone” Why it’s ok if your audience doesn’t know about your brand yet Why you should stick to having three company messages for your audience How you can make your message valuable to your audience Quotables“You should ask yourself what does your audience know? And I promise you, it’s okay for the answer to be they don’t know anything.” — @jasonmudd9“Now, the audience might know a lot about your company, your product, your service, your organization, your point of view, and thought leadership. And that’s good too, but we just need to establish a baseline of what people know.” — @jasonmudd9“You have to be careful about offering too many options because people have analysis paralysis where you give them too many decisions and they can’t move. They don’t do anything, they’re uncertain, or they’re not sure where to go.” — @jasonmudd9“You have to have a mindset of being helpful first, and once you have secured the audience’s awareness, then it’s about trust. Then it’s about consideration. Then it’s a decision.” — @jasonmudd9If you enjoyed the episode, would you please leave us a review?About Jason MuddJason Mudd, APR, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in July 2002.Clients love Jason’s passion, innovation, candor, commitment, and award-winning team. In an increasingly tech-forward world, Jason’s grasp of technological demands on companies provides his clients in multiple sectors a unique advantage toward reaching their top audiences. After teaching himself HTML in 1994, Jason helped pioneer internet marketing strategies as an early adopter of e-commerce, SEO, and social media, inspiring tech giants like Yahoo.At Axia, Jason attracts, develops, retains, innovates, and leads top PR talent and clients. He oversees strategic communications for the firm’s national clients and provides high-level consultations to client leadership teams at billion-dollar global brands, both business-to-business and business-to-consumer, including spokesperson training, crisis communications management, analytics, social media, online reputation management, and more. He also speaks frequently to corporations and industry groups and writes about public relations trends and best practices for American City Business Journals and other national businesses.Contact info and resources:Twitter: @jasonmudd9    LinkedIn Website: axiapr.comSend your PR questions to podcast@ontopofpr.com  Additional Resources:ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.comSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Learn the three ways brands are responding to the current economic climate and why you shouldn’t ditch your marketing efforts during a recession with Susan Baier, president of Audience Audit and Drew McLellan, CEO of Agency Management Institute.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:What three ways brands are responding to the economic climateWhy brands who are actively building attention and being aggressive in their marketing efforts will win out over their competition when the recession is overHow to work with an outside agency during this time of uncertaintyWhy agencies are the best resource to aid their clients during an economic downturnWhy you should never stop telling the story of your brand  Quotables“You can't stop running your business and making good decisions just because the economy is not as robust as it was.” — @DrewMcLellan“There's always opportunity if you are wired to look for and take advantage of that opportunity.” — @DrewMcLellan“When a brand goes dark during an economic downturn, they lose market share, they never get back. And a brand who accelerates and amplifies their voice during a downturn gains market share that they never lose.” — @DrewMcLellan“Companies of all sizes want their agencies helping them strategically and they're really looking to them for advice.” — @susanbaier“Agencies have a bird's eye view on what's working not just for you, but for their other clients.” — @DrewMcLellan“I think it's important to remember that agencies and clients are a symbiotic relationship. They work well together, they survive together.” — @susanbaierAbout Susan BaierA marketing strategist and researcher for more than 30 years, Susan is an audience specialist. She crafts custom attitudinal segmentation research for agencies and marketers for B2C, B2B, and higher ed organizations including Gap, AT&T, Jayco, Tufts University, and more. About Drew McLellanFor almost 30+ years, Drew McLellan has been in the advertising industry. He started his career at Y&R, worked in boutique-sized agencies, and then started his own agency in 1995, which he still owns and runs. Additionally, McLellan owns and leads Agency Management Institute, which advises hundreds of small to mid-sized agencies on how to grow their agencies profitability through agency owner peer groups, consulting, coaching, workshops, and more.Contact info and resources:Agency Edge Research 2020Twitter:Susan Drew LinkedIn: SusanDrewWebsite: Audience AuditAgency Management InstituteAbout your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is the CEO and managing partner of Axia Public Relations. He is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, PizzaReviewMaxer On Top of PR brought to you by ReviewMaxerSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Learn how you can improve yourself and your relationship with the media and your customers with our guest, Peter Shankman, who is an entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker, and Pelton enthusiast. Five things you’ll learn from this episode:Why companies should use neurodiverse marketing  Common mistakes marketing and PR professionals make when approaching the mediaHow to build relationships with the mediaLearning how your brain works to keep you motivated and productiveHow to engage customers Quotables“The key really is understanding both your audience from a hiring perspective as well as from a selling perspective.” — @petershankman“Any story you do has to be making the reporter’s life easier.” — @petershankman“Understand that 99% of what you believe to be news may very well be news to you but not to anyone else.” — @petershankman“Reach out to me with good quality content, and I'll be a lot happier. And chances are, I’ll buy from you when I do have something to buy.” — @petershankman“Your audience will tell you exactly how they like to get their information if you let them.” — @petershankman“I think that my greatest fear is missing out on an opportunity because I was afraid to take the risk.” — @petershankmanIf you enjoyed the episode, would you please leave us a review?About Peter ShankmanThe New York Times has called Peter Shankman “a rockstar who knows everything about social media and then some.” He is a five-time best selling author, entrepreneur, and corporate in-person and digital keynote speaker, focusing on customer service and the new and emerging customer and neurotypical economy. With three startup launches and exits under his belt, Peter is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about the customer experience, social media, PR, marketing, advertising, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and the new Neurodiverse Economy.Contact info and resources:@petershankman on Twitterwww.shankman.comPeter Shankman’s Books: Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Worked And Why Your Company Needs ThemFaster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD BrainZombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid FansPodcast: Faster Than Normal Additional Resources:ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.comAxia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is the CEO and managing partner of Axia Public Relations. He is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in 2002.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Our episode guest is Nicole Balsam, former management consultant at Capstone Hill Search. Balsam has more than six years of experience placing director-level and above candidates in the PR, communications, and marketing space.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:How can I get a job?What does the current PR job market look like?What mistakes are candidates making in their resumes and job search approaches? How do I find someone to fill an open position at my company?When should I hire a recruiter?Quotables“Oftentimes, the best time to find a job is when you’re not looking for a job.” — @nicolebalsam “The larger trend I have seen is that there has been a real hesitancy for people to hire at very senior levels.” — @nicolebalsam “What you can do to stand out for opportunities you’re really interested in is tailor your resume so it’s specific for that role or company to make it clear why you would be a great fit not only for the role but for the organization.” — @nicolebalsam “If you post a job on LinkedIn and get back 400 resumes, I personally believe you should look at all of them. You don’t need to read every single one in great detail, but sometimes gems are hidden in there.” — @nicolebalsam “The great thing about using a search firm is you get to control the narrative about your organization in the marketplace.” — @nicolebalsam If you enjoyed the episode, would you please leave us a review?About Nicole BalsamNicole Balsam is a former executive search consultant for Capstone Hill Search with more than six years of experience placing director-level and above candidates in the PR, communications, and marketing space.Contact info and resources:Twitter: @nicolebalsam LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolebalsam/ Additional Resources:ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.comAxia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is the CEO and managing partner of Axia Public Relations. He is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in 2002.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Our episode guest is Susan Baier, president of Audience Audit. Susan has been a marketing strategist and researcher for more than 30 years and specializes in analyzing audiences.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:What are the three types of PR agency clients?Why doesn’t hiring an agency based on size or spend guarantee it will meet your needs as a client?When is the best time to initiate the conversation about campaign research?How can research save you money? Why do assumptions not make you dumb?Quotables“Agency clients are really different, and it doesn’t have anything to do with how big they are or how much money they have.” — @susanbaier“I think it’s a fallacy to assume that a big client means more money.” — @susanbaier“Everybody thinks they need to have a PhD in statistics to talk about research, and that’s certainly not true, but you do have to have some comfort around it.” — @susanbaierIf you enjoyed the episode, would you please leave us a review?About Susan BaierA marketing strategist and researcher for more than 30 years, Susan is an audience specialist. She crafts custom attitudinal segmentation research for agencies and marketers for B2C, B2B, and higher ed organizations including Gap, AT&T, Jayco, Tufts University, and more. Contact info and resources:Website: audienceaudit.comLinkedInFacebookTwitter: @susanbaierAgency Edge Research 2020 Additional Resources:ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.comAxia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is the CEO and managing partner of Axia Public Relations. He is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in 2002.ReviewMaxer On Top of PR brought to you by ReviewMaxerSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Learn the true cost of employing PR professionals inside of your organization with our host Jason Mudd. Jason is the managing partner of Axia Public Relations.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:What’s the true cost of employing PR professionals inside your organization?How does hiring an in-house PR professional compare to hiring a PR agency?What tool can I use to figure out these costs?Why does hiring a PR professional for their contacts doesn’t work?If I hire a PR professional on my team, will I end up outsourcing anyway? Quotables“Whether you choose to take a risk of employing or operating an effective PR department or attempt to go buy cheap by only hiring one person, the expenses and risks really add up quickly.” — @jasonmudd9“For most companies, an effective PR campaign will require the efforts of the team.” — @jasonmudd9“The more PR staff a company has on payroll, the more that company depends on outside PR firms.” — @jasonmudd9“Your PR firm is providing an external team of proven PR professionals who are eager to immediately drive PR outcomes for you and your company.” — @jasonmudd9“If you’re growing your in-house team, there’s going to be a higher proclivity to outsource more work to an outside agency anyway.” — @jasonmudd9About Jason MuddJason Mudd, APR, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in July 2002.Clients love Jason’s passion, innovation, candor, commitment, and award-winning team. In an increasingly tech-forward world, Jason’s grasp of technological demands on companies provides his clients in multiple sectors a unique advantage toward reaching their top audiences. After teaching himself HTML in 1994, Jason helped pioneer internet marketing strategies as an early adopter of e-commerce, SEO, and social media, inspiring tech giants like Yahoo.At Axia, Jason attracts, develops, retains, innovates, and leads top PR talent and clients. He oversees strategic communications for the firm’s national clients and provides high-level consultations to client leadership teams at billion-dollar global brands, both business-to-business and business-to-consumer, including spokesperson training, crisis communications management, analytics, social media, online reputation management, and more. He also speaks frequently to corporations and industry groups and writes about public relations trends and best practices for American City Business Journals and other national businesses.Contact info and resources:Twitter: @jasonmudd9LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmudd/Website: https://www.axiapr.com/PR department cost calculator: https://www.axiapr.com/public-relations-department-costs Additional Resources:ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.comPresented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.ReviewMaxer On Top of PR brought to you by ReviewMaxerSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Our episode guest is Richard Hadden. Richard is an author, speaker, and workplace expert who helps leaders connect people practices with profit performance.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:How do you create a great place to work? What are people practices and profit performance?How can I improve my workplace’s culture? What can I do as a manager to be a great boss when I have a small team and budget? What is the future of employee engagement? Quotables“Creating a focused, engaged, and capably led workforce is one of the best things any organization can do for its bottom line.” — Richard Hadden, @contentedcows “You’ve got people who are in leadership positions and they’re simply not good leaders. It doesn’t mean they’re not good people, but they just haven’t yet developed skills around leadership.” — Richard Hadden, @contentedcows “Showing people that you care about them as people, that’s going to manifest itself in certain [positive] ways.” — Richard Hadden, @contentedcows “It’s about showing [employees] that you care about them and are willing to make exceptions because you know that they can bring about exceptional performance.” — Richard Hadden, @contentedcows “Engaged employees give better performance.” — Richard Hadden, @contentedcows About Richard HaddenRichard Hadden is an author, speaker, and workplace expert who helps leaders connect people practices with profit performance. A ninth-generation Floridian, Richard has been speaking since he was 18 months old but professionally for the last 20 years. In that time, he’s spoken for more than 1,000 audiences (mostly in person, but recently online) on five continents. He holds an MBA as well as the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association. He’s also a member of five airline frequent flier programs, gets free bottled water at three major hotel brands, and holds VIP status with a nationally known pizza delivery chain.Contact info and resources:Twitter: @contentedcowsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardhaddenWebsite: contentedcows.comBooks: Contented Cows Still Give Better MilkContented Cows Moove FasterRebooting Leadership Additional Resources:ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.comAxia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is the CEO and managing partner of Axia Public Relations. He is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in 2002.ReviewMaxer On Top of PR brought to you by ReviewMaxerSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)

Our episode guest is Laura Ries, president at Ries & Ries. Laura is a branding guru and the bestselling author of “The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR.”Five things you’ll learn from this episode:Why should I lead with PR before advertising when launching a campaign or brand?What is the importance of brand positioning?Why should companies try to go “all in” when launching a brand? What are some brand hits and misses when it comes to brand positioning? Why should only well-established brands spend money on advertising? Quotables“The best thing for news value are new categories because really people don’t care about brands. They care about categories, and that’s what the media covers.” — @lauraries“Intentionally not doing advertising when you’re launching a brand is actually incredibly important.” — @lauraries“One of the reasons brands take so long and why PR is so essential: it’s because it takes time to get in the mind.” — @lauraries“Staying safe isn’t how you get in the mind of the consumer. It’s not how you engage with them. Being all in is the way to go.” — @laurariesIf you enjoyed the episode, would you please leave us a review?Contact info and resources:Twitter: @laurariesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraries/Website: ries.comBooksThe Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PRVisual Hammers Additional Resources:ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.comAxia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/  About your host Jason MuddOn Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is the CEO and managing partner of Axia Public Relations. He is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in 2002.Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR)