On Top of PR with Jason Mudd

Explore the world of storytelling and communication with host Jason Mudd and guest Ken Melton, Communication Strategist at Johns Hopkins.Guest:Our episode guest is Ken Melton, Communication Strategist at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Ken is a retired U.S. Marine public affairs specialist with a master's in public relations from Georgetown University and a bachelor's in communications from the University of Maryland Global Campus. He's passionate about public relations, employee engagement, storytelling, teaching, and writing.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:Why doubt can be good when completing a writing project The best ways to improve your writing skills Ways to make data and numbers easier for your audience  Ken’s most valuable writing advice  What roles emotions play in creating a complex story and how to leverage themQuotables:“Make your stories speak” - @KenMelton2001“You can't let what you've thought or what you know shape your story. It's all about what's inside you and what you want to get across.” - @KenMelton2001“Once you come to the realization that there's nothing more I can learn, nothing more I can do wrong, then you're doing yourself disservice.” - @KenMelton2001“I doubt myself because I want to answer myself in a positive light.” - @KenMelton2001“I really love talking about it and helping people find their voice and telling how their stories are going to be, even if it's something like talking about a project.” - @KenMelton2001 “Always write for the human reader first and then the search engine second.” - @JasonMudd9“Don't be afraid to ask for help. You never know the answer you're going to get, but it gets you closer.” - @KenMelton2001“A piece of advice that's been helpful to me over the years that I try to give to others is while you're writing, visualize the one person that you are writing this to.” - @JasonMudd9 “When you have a memory, it's always tied to maybe even a sound or a smell. The same thing goes to your reading. When you read something, that one nugget and it brings you back, you're like, Oh, man, I remember that.” - @KenMelton2001If you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?Contact Ken Melton:Ken Melton on TwitterKen Melton on LinkedInJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory websiteAdditional Resources:Encouragement for your writing journey PRSA article Newsjack your way into the spotlight Listen to more episodes of the On Top of PR podcast.Find out more about Axia Public Relations.Episode recorded: September 6, 2023 Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Explore earned media coverage insights with Jason Mudd, CEO of Axia Public Relations, and gain valuable insights into effective PR strategies.Guest Bio:Our episode guest is Jason Mudd, the CEO of Axia Public Relations and a trusted adviser to some of America's most admired brands. With a career spanning decades, he has worked with prominent organizations, including American Airlines, Hilton, and Verizon.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:1. Why media coverage needs to feature your company’s products or services2. Why more prominent, bigger media isn’t always better3. Why you should act like a billion dollar company for media coverage4. How to act like a publicly traded company in the media5. How to make journalists care about your company and pitchesQuotables:“You are more likely to get more readership, maybe less eyeballs, but more readership on that brief than you are a full feature story because people are busy and they just don't have time to read a full feature story.” - Jason Mudd“At the end of the day, shorter means more people are going to invest in it.” Jason Mudd“In PR we tend to forget that it's about relationships and building relationships. So I'm a big advocate for putting relationships back into public relations.” - Jason Mudd“80% of the time they're covering prominent companies. Now, 20% of the time they're doing something else, and that's your opportunity, but it's only 20% of the time. So you've got to think more opportunistically about looking for ways to get woven into and tied into the organization.” - Jason Mudd“The more you act like a publicly traded company even when you're not public and you're willing to talk openly about your numbers, whether they're true financial dollars or percentages, then that makes you have more substance to the news that you're sharing and therefore automatically makes you more newsworthy.” - Jason Mudd“Have an audience focus, empathetic message about why they should care, how this is going to help them.” - Jason MuddIf you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others and leave us a review!About Jason Mudd:Jason Mudd is the CEO of Axia Public Relations, with a career spanning decades and collaborations with prominent organizations, including American Airlines, Hilton, and Verizon.Guest’s contact info and resources:Jason Mudd on TwitterJason Mudd on LinkedInAdditional Resources from Axia Public Relations:How to measure and categorize the different tiers of news media outlet types3 crucial differences between a news story and a feature story that will make you a better writerWhat is news? 10 elements of news and newsworthiness60 Second Impact  Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Pam Fultz and Jason Mudd discuss the importance of purpose-driven storytelling for PR professionals.Guest:Our episode guest is Pam Fultz, Senior Community Relations Manager at Bentley Village. Pam is also an adjunct lecturer for the University of Florida and Northeastern University. She is a past president of PRSA’s Gulf Coast chapter.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:What purpose-driven storytelling isWhy purpose-driven storytelling is importantHow writers can pull at their audience’s heartstringsWhy PR professionals should use mission-driven storiesHow to create purpose-driven stories without sounding too salesyQuotables“PR is not just about media coverage, it’s more.” — @Jason Mudd “Stories are designed to make an emotional connection with people … and ultimately create brand loyalty.” — Pam Fultz“PR's role is not just external communication, it's also internal communication.” — @Jason Mudd“You have to find the stories. You have to dig deep and find those connections.” — @Pam FultzIf you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?About Pam FultzPam Fultz, M.S., APR, is an educator, public relations professional, and volunteer. She works as the senior community relations manager of Vi at Bentley Village and teaches as an adjunct lecturer for the University of Florida and Northeastern University. Pam teaches graduate courses in Public Relations Measurement & Evaluation, Public Interest Communications: Measuring Social Change, and Crisis Communications. She also serves as a Wildlife Committee ambassador for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.Pam holds a Master of Science degree in corporate and organizational communications from Northeastern University in Boston and a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She is a past president of PRSA’s Gulf Coast chapter.Guest’s contact info and resources:Pam Fultz on LinkedInBentley VillageEpisode recorded: Aug. 23, 2023Sponsored by:On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Amy Susán and Jason Mudd discuss disaster communications and five ways to make the most of a bad situation.Guest:Our episode guest is Amy Susán of Columbia, Missouri. She is the Director of PR and Communications at EquipmentShare, where she harnesses digital tools and an engaging approach to develop and guide mission-based visions, influential brands with purpose, and unforgettable campaigns.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:How authenticity leads actionIdentifying an ambassadorEstablishing a reputable partnerLetting others tell your storyThe power of internal communications Quotables:[05:59] “What we're talking about today is, you know, not necessarily how to take advantage of those instances, but how to do the best for your company and most importantly, for those people that are impacted.” - Amy[06:08] “When we talk about disaster communications and crisis communications as it relates to natural disasters, I really think it needs to be handled, and it sounds so ominous, but D.E.A.D. And that's handled delicately, empathetically, and diplomatically.” - Amy[06:30] “You have to imagine that you are there because it's going to have to come up authentic. And if not, it's just going to ring on deaf ears.” - Amy[07:13] “It's the traditional “P’s” of PR, so we protect our identity and our public image. We promote all of our services and then we position our company as a thought leader.” - Amy[08:25] “You have to remove yourself so that you can get the correct information. But then you also have to, at a later time, really go through those feelings and experience them.” - Amy[08:37] “Journalists are supposed to be independent observers, right? And so if you know, it can be hard for them to do that sometimes. It can also be hard for them to, you know, separate those emotions.” - Jason[11:35] “Identifying an ambassador on the ground that truly embodies your core values is really, really important.” - AmyIf you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?Guest’s contact info and resources:Amy Susán on LinkedInAmy Susán on TwitterEquipmentShare WebsiteRagan Communications AI CertificationAdditional Resources:3 crisis communication action steps to takeEffective crisis communications with Christopher BrittonHow our PR firm is using AI and how you can too with Jason Mudd, CEO of Axia Public RelationsEpisode recorded: August 3, 2023Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Ryan Spalding and Jason Mudd discuss franchising, home improvement and home services.Guest:Our episode guest is Ryan Spalding of Toronto, Canada. He is the Director of Franchise Marketing at Garage Living where he has created and implemented the marketing strategy for over 40 franchise locations and leads the marketing team across all marketing channels. Five things you’ll learn from this episode:How marketing in the music industry differs from the home improvement industryHow customer home service has changed after the pandemic How online reviews impact lead generationThe nuances of doing business internationallyHow PR can be used for franchisorsQuotables:[04:50] “[In the music industry and the home improvement industry] you’re still using the same marketing principles. You're identifying your target market and you’re looking at tactics to reach those of that audience, whether it’s through traditional marketing, avenues, digital marketing avenues, or whether it’s through publicity campaigns.” - Ryan[09:52] “During the pandemic, it was almost easier [for franchises] to launch, because everyone is really interested in improving your home during the pandemic.” - Ryan[11:12] “I think that the demand is reverting back to what it was before the pandemic. Now you’re maybe back in the office and can travel. There’s options to spend your money in other places.” - Ryan[18:37] “Now more than ever, online reviews are more important than perhaps they were a couple years ago. Especially for our industry and our segment.” - Ryan[19:04] “People are going to online reviews whether it’s Google, Facebook, or the platform to see what the reputation is of the company, especially if they’re not too familiar with it. That’s a perfect place for them to go to.” - Ryan[19:30] “Google reviews are obviously super important because they feed into other aspects like your SEO and your google rankings.” - Ryan[21:00] “People are going to look to profiles to see if they’re active, if they have a lot of followers, how they are responding to people leaving comments. It’s just another way to build your reputation and your social trust.” - Ryan[23:00] “When we’re looking at our marketing strategy, we’re not looking at just one area of marketing, whether it be digital advertising, Google reviews, or social media, we’re not just looking at them in silos, we’re looking at them as a whole picture. I believe that PR plays a big role in that.” - RyanIf you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?About Ryan SpaldingRyan Spalding of Toronto, Canada, is the Director of Franchise Marketing at Garage Living. Before breaking into the franchising and home improvement industry, Ryan worked in marketing for the music industry for 17 years. He worked with both Warner Music Canada and Dine Alone Records. Ryan joined Garage Living in 2020 where he has created and implemented the marketing strategy for over 40 franchise locations and leads the marketing team across all marketing channels. Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Bob Wiltfong and Jason Mudd discuss PR tips from a former news anchor.Guest:Our episode guest is Bob Wiltfong, a retired TV News personality and now Axia’s Public Relations Account Director.Five things you’ll learn from this episode: How to build media relationships Knowing when the pitch is right What is newsjacking The elements of news How to leverage local news on behalf of your brandQuotables4:10 “It's helpful to frame it as all you need is really one yes, that's all you're looking for is one yes. You're in a sea of no’s. So, you're just swimming through no's to get to that one yes, and you will find that one yes. You just got to keep swimming.” – @Bob Wiltfong 4:30 “In PR, I tell people that the first 50 rejections are the hardest. So, once you get past having people say no 50 times, then it just kind of rolls off your back. The other cliche I like to say is a quick no is better than a forever maybe.” – @Jason Mudd6:45 “Sometimes you just have to change things up if you're getting ghosted. Try to approach them from a different channel.” – @Jason Mudd8:28 “One practice that's very helpful is the idea of read and react [by Michael Smart]. Instead of trying to please the journalists and consume everybody, all you're trying to do is consume your top-focused targets. Every day make a point of consuming maybe one or two of their content pieces and then contact them or reach out to them with no pitch, just compliments.” – @Bob Wiltfong9:35 “PR people can't be PR people if they're not spending time consuming content. You can't pitch something that you've never seen. I don't know a single PR person who's really good at what they do, who does not consume news.” – @Jason Mudd12:20 “Clients who I see aren't successful with media are those that can't spend time with a journalist unless they're going to cover them. That's just the wrong approach. You're not investing the relationship the right way.” – @Jason Mudd19:30 “When you talk about real estate, you talk about location, location, location. With news, it's local, local, local.” – @Bob Wiltfong 23:50 “The three elements I was taught in J School are very true. Is it timely? Is it local? Is it out of the ordinary?” – @Bob Wiltfong28:37 “One of the things we have in our arsenal, as PR people, is that journalists and outlets are an open book for their staff.” – @Bob WiltfongGuest’s contact info and resources:Bob Wilfong on FacebookBob Wilfong on LinkedInBob Wilfong websiteAdditional Resources: Ten quick PR Tips Why is the news media important? The best media pitch is a story that's already done — and copy edited!Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Guest:Our episode guest is Jason Mudd, CEO of Axia Public Relations. Five things you’ll learn about in this episode:Starting using AIUsing caution with AISetting up policies around using AICommunicating and enforcing policies around AIWays to use AIQuotables“AI is a tool that can help you be more productive, and like anything else — when mobile technology came out, when social media came out, when e-commerce came out — you can either ignore those things or you could be early adopters of those things and start pioneering the way.” — @JasonMudd9“AI works really fast and is a very helpful and powerful tool. The issue is the quality of the tools. The quality of the tool reminds me of an intern, a college student or maybe even a high school student as far as the quality of the work goes.” — @JasonMudd9“You really are going to have to take this [AI] rough draft, and I emphasize the rough in it, and finesse it, tweak it, and modify it to get it to where it needs to be production ready.” — @JasonMudd9“Like what Ronald Reagan said, ‘trust but verify’ — so you need to verify that people are following the policies that you created, and you need to enforce those policies.” — @JasonMudd9“We are not using AI to replace the talent that we have at our agency or the talent assigned to your account. Instead, we’re using AI to keep those people doing what is called their highest and best use — HBU.” — @JasonMudd9“AI is a rough draft; it’s an entry-level virtual assistant giving you some guidance.” — @JasonMudd9“If [you] can’t give input properly, [you’re] never going to be able to use AI properly.” — @JasonMudd9If you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?About Jason MuddJason 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.Guest’s contact info and resources:Jason Mudd on TwitterJason Mudd on LinkedIn Jason Mudd on FacebookAxia Public RelationsAdditional Resources:Create a usage policy for AI-generated contentHow PR Professionals Can Use Artificial Intelligence Tools To Enhance Their WorkChatGPTSupport the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Amy Diehl and Jason Mudd discuss how bias against women persists in female-dominated workplaces.Guest:Our episode guest is Amy Diehl, Ph.D., the chief information officer at Wilson College and a workplace gender bias expert and consultant. She has a 27-year career in information technology and is a prominent gender equity researcher. Her work has been published in academic journals, book chapters, and in Fast Company, Ms. Magazine and Harvard Business Review.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:Why men are in leadership roles more often than womenWhat makes an industry equitableHow to make your workplace healthy for men and womenThe phenomenon of presentismHow to eliminate bias and what can women do if they are confronted by biasQuotables“What's better is for managers, for leaders, to set goals for their employees, you know, certainly provide them with the resources to meet their goals and the support that they need, but measure the success by the goals and not just by the time spent in that chair.” - Amy Diehl“Workplaces were originally built by men and for men with men's needs in mind, but not women’s. So one aspect of male privilege is something called male gatekeeping. So when the men are in charge, they get to decide who gets to enter leadership. And when they do allow women into leadership, when they're using male gatekeeping, they put boundaries around women's authority.” - Amy Diehl“The problem is the pipeline for the sake of women, it leaks. And again, it's because of the barriers that they're facing day in and day out.” - Amy Diehl“There’s things you can do to make your workplace healthy, not just for women, but for men too. And so if you are the person at the top, you're a leader. There's lots of steps you can take.” - Amy Diehl“Whenever women encounter bias or are confronted by bias, the first thing is they should not take it personally.” - Amy DiehlIf you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others and leave us a review!About Amy DiehlAmy Diehl, Ph.D., is the chief information officer at Wilson College and a workplace gender bias expert and consultant. She has a 27-year career in information technology and is a prominent gender equity researcher. Her work has been published in academic journals, book chapters, and in Fast Company, Ms. Magazine and Harvard Business Review. She was named to the 2020 EdTech Dean’s List of Higher Ed IT Influencers Worth a Follow. She was also named a 2019 Central Penn Business Journal Woman of Influence and received the 2016 Women and Leadership Affinity Group Outstanding Scholarship for Emerging Scholars Award from the International Leadership Association.Order Amy Deihl's new book, Glass Walls: Shattering the Six Gender Bias Barriers Still Holding Women Back at Work at https://amzn.to/3O49bP5Disclosure: One or mSupport the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Guest:Our episode guest is Alan Cohen, an author, public speaker, executive coach, and trainer for organizations and individuals seeking to maximize potential and drive peak performance in their lives, organizations, and careers. He is a Ted Talk speaker, and trains other speakers to speak on the stage and to use speaking to grow their business.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:What makes a good speechHow to stand out against other TEDx applicantsHow to be bold and back it upWhy you need to identify your goal of being a TEDx speakerWhy you shouldn’t be afraid if your idea isn’t newQuotables“I tell people all the time, you know, you've got to say something provocative, contrarian, and unique that they haven't heard everybody else say, because you sound like everybody else, they're not going to pick you.” — @JasonMudd9“The thing that I think makes a great TEDx speech is it is when people really bring their stories and their histories into the story and are willing to be vulnerable in that way too, regardless of what the topic is.” - Alan Cohen“So if you've got props like bring them, if you feel like if, if singing is part of your story, then sing. Do creating art on stage. Do that, play the drums, do whatever that. I think creativity goes a long way, as long as it doesn't obscure the key message and the way that you want people to be thinking differently.” - Alan Cohen“The more pure your purpose for doing it, I think, the more the energy of your application will appeal to the committee.” - Alan Cohen“It's researching the different TEDxes that are happening all around the country, all around the world, looking at the themes online, and seeing if you can connect your origin story, your journey to one of the themes.” - Alan CohenIf you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others and leave us a review!About Alan CohenOur episode guest is Alan Cohen, an author, public speaker, executive coach, and trainer for organizations and individuals seeking to maximize potential and drive peak performance in their lives, organizations, and careers. He is a Ted Talk speaker, and trains other speakers to speak on the stage and to use speaking to grow their business. Spending decades as both a marketing expert and Human Resources consultant, he presided over the successful launch of the Harry Potter series as Scholastic’s Director of Marketing, as well as Director of Communications for the Broadway League. As an Executive Coach, Alan has worked with global organizations including Bloomberg, Tiffany, American Express, NBC, Bravo, Edelman Public Relations and MetLife.Guest’s contact info and resources:Alan Samuel Cohen Coaching and SpeakingAlan Samuel Cohen Coaching and Speaking on FacebookAlan Samuel Cohen on LinkedInSupport the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Guest:Our episode guest is Dave Auchter, vice president at Haskell. In this episode, Dave Auchter joins host Jason Mudd to discuss all things content. They discuss the three pillars of content and other information regarding technology Haskell uses and how they keep their job sites safe. Five things you’ll learn from this episode:No tricks, just contentThe technology stackThe three pillars of contentHow Haskell is creating safer job sitesTips on attracting, recruiting, and retaining talentQuotables“We typically say 70 to 80% of our customers are repeat customers, but as you can imagine, as we've grown, it's taken new customers to help with that growth.” — Dave Auchter“Optimize first for the human and second for SEO.” — @JasonMudd9“If you’re going to buy a mattress, buy a good mattress because you’re going to be on that mattress for a third of your life. That’s the same with your work.” — Dave Auchter“Yeah, but not just content. We talk about business development in three stages.” — Dave AuchterIf you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?About Dave AuchterDave is chief marketing officer at Haskell overseeing enterprise-wide corporate marketing. Haskell delivers more than $2 billion annually in architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and consulting solutions to assure certainty of outcome for complex capital projects worldwide.Dave Auchter’s contact info and resources:Dave Auchter on LinkedInHaskell’s websiteAdditional Resources: Motivating your employee with the value of PRDisclosure: One or more of the links we shared here might be affiliate links that offer us a referral reward when you buy from them.Sponsored by:On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Jason Mudd discusses best practices for procurement in public relations with Leah Power.Guest:Our episode guest is Leah Power. Leah has been working with agency leaders and their executive teams for over 25 years – first agency-side at media and creative agencies in Canada and the U.S., and now at the Institute of Canadian Agencies, the not-for-profit trade association agencies across Canada.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:The reason brands and clients hire an agencyThe difficulties that come with having an in-house agencyWhen to involve procurement when hiring an agencyWhen to not involve procurement when hiring an agencyNon-negotiables you should have when going to procurement during the agency hiring processQuotables“The client needs an expert, and that’s why they go to any agency.” — @power_lp“It’s really hard to recruit, develop, and retain that expert in an in-house environment.” — @JasonMudd9“Know when to make it and know when to buy it.” — @power_lp“It’s important for clients to connect with their procurement department to understand what their role is, to understand what they bring to the table. They’re there to mitigate risks. It’s a really important role.” — @power_lp“Procurement works for the department that is seeking out the relationship as opposed to that department having to work under and for procurement.” — @JasonMudd9“I like to talk about the relationship between the client, procurement professional, and the agency as a three-legged stool. And you know what happens when you don’t involve one of the legs on the stool – it falls over.” — @ power_lpIf you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others and leave us a review! About Leah PowerOur episode guest is Leah Power. Leah has been working with agency leaders and their executive teams for over 25 years – first agency-side at media and creative agencies in Canada and the U.S., and now at the Institute of Canadian Agencies, the not-for-profit trade association agencies across Canada.Guest’s contact info and resources:Leah Power on TwitterLeah Power on LinkedInLeah's podcastAdditional Resources: www.20percent.com/ Additional Resources from Axia Public Relations:Hiring a PR agency with Shannyn LeeThe cost of hiring in-house PR vs. a PR agency with Jason MuddDisclosure: One or more of the links we shared here might be affiliate links that offer us a referral reward when you buy from them.Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Jason Mudd discusses his podcast journey in this solocast for our 100th episode of On Top of PR.Guest:Our solocast is with host Jason Mudd, CEO at Axia Public Relations. Five things you’ll learn from this episode:How Axia started podcastingWhy you might want your own branded podcastThe three phases of starting a podcast How to successfully promote and monetize your podcastWhat producing and launching a podcast consists of Quotables“This is when your hard work starts to pay dividends because you'll want to build relationships, you'll want to promote the episode, and you will want to obviously attract sponsors who are underwriting the show itself.” — @JasonMudd9“Consumers have this idea subconsciously or otherwise, that if you haven't launched 10 episodes yet, you're probably not established or credible. So if you launched day one with 10 episodes, you're giving quite a menu of options and topics that people can enjoy.” — @JasonMudd9“I recommend you invest the time it takes to do it well and do it right, but don't have analysis paralysis. The first step is launching, and then you can improve on an ongoing basis."  — @JasonMudd9If you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?Guest’s contact info and resources:Jason Mudd on TwitterJason Mudd on LinkedIn Axia Public RelationsAdditional Axia Resources:Axia 60 Second ImpactTake our On Top of PR audience questionnaire!Axia’s ServicesDisclosure: One or more of the links we shared here might be affiliate links that offer us a referral reward when you buy from them.Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Casey Mank and Jason Mudd discuss best practices for internal communications.Guest:Our episode guest is Casey Mank, co-founder of Bold Type, a woman-owned communications skills training firm that focuses on workplace writing skills. She's led writing workshops for organizations including Kellogg’s, Sephora, and Mastercard.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:Why you are not a great writer yetBottom Line Up Front (BLUF) & what it meansThe importance of keeping everything you do forward-friendlyWhy you should answer emails in a timely mannerHow to decide what emails should be conversations Quotables“I'm always emphasizing that they need to understand at least the difference between a goal and an objective, and a strategy and a tactic.” — @JasonMudd9“Writing is really social and you need other people to look at your work, and you need feedback from real humans, not just you going over your draft alone again and again. So yeah, you're not a great writer alone. You need other people to react to your draft with you and give you that perspective.” — @bold_type“I would love it if teams within organizations would actually just take a few minutes to sit down and set out what their own best practices are around emails for emailing each other and their clients.” — @bold_type“So (BLUF) bottom line up front, it just means you come in and you immediately say what is the main high-level takeaway from this communication? And then you can go back and say, and here's the background and here's the details, and here's how we got here.” — @bold_type“Especially when I see somebody sending an email that's just all over the place, I'm like, tell me what you're gonna tell me. Tell me, and then tell me what you told me again.” — @JasonMudd99“Any email you send, there's a very permanent electronic record of it. And I want you to imagine that it can be on the front page of the New York Times.” — @bold_typeIf you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others and leave us a review!About Casey MankOur episode guest is Casey Mank, co-founder of Bold Type, a woman-owned communications skills training firm that focuses on workplace writing skills. She's led writing workshops for organizations including Kellogg's, Sephora, and Mastercard. Mank has a background as an English teacher, teaching in different programs and schools around Georgetown University. She’s previously been at the business school and currently teaches in the school of nursing at Georgetown’s medical campus. Mank got into teaching professional teams how to do their workplace writing tasks and likes to stay on the line between academia and workplace writing.Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Kim Ades and Jason Mudd discuss recruiting and retaining young PR professionals. Guest:Our episode guest is Kim Ades, the founder of Frame of Mind CoachingTM and co-founder of The Journal That Talks BackTM. She's a pioneer in leadership coaching and thought mastery. She uses her unique philosophy and direct coaching style to help leaders identify their blind spots and learn to direct their thinking to achieve extraordinary results. Five things you’ll learn from this episode:The four things companies need to have to slow turnoverWhy organizations lose their top talentImproving mental well-being in work and your personal lifeThe myth of work-life balanceWhy empathy is not a good ideaQuotables“I started to understand that young people are faced with a whole bunch of challenges that perhaps I wasn't faced with when I was young, or I saw them a lot differently.” — @kimades“We can be compassionate, we can be understanding, we can acknowledge that someone is suffering, but jumping in the pool beside them never serves them.” — @kimades“So they want to be part of an environment where they are accepted, validated, and appreciated. They want their work to count in the grand scheme of what they're doing at work. And so noticing what they are doing, noticing their contribution is very, very important. When they are under-noticed, then that's a problem for them.” — @kimades“They need support outside of the workplace. So when they're feeling that anxiety, when they're feeling that turbulence, when they start a new job and they're unsure of themselves and they're not reading the room properly, or they get feedback from their boss and they think it's the end of the world, they need a place to go and work through that.” — @kimadesIf you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others and leave us a review!About Kim AdesOur episode guest is Kim Ades, the founder of Frame of Mind CoachingTM and co-founder of The Journal That Talks BackTM. She's a pioneer in leadership coaching and thought mastery. She uses her unique philosophy and direct coaching style to help leaders identify their blind spots and learn to direct their thinking to achieve extraordinary results. Guest’s contact info and resources:Kim Ades on TwitterKim Ades on LinkedInFrame of Mind CoachingAdditional Resources:The Journal That Talks BackAdditional Axia Resources:How to stay positive when working in PRLeadership’s responsibility of mental wellbeing with Vance Meyer | On Top of PR podcast  Disclosure: One or more of the links we shared here might be affiliate links that offer us a referral reward when you buy from them.Episode recorded: September 15, 2022Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Mark Mohammadpour and Jason Mudd discuss easing stress that comes with working in the PR industry. Guest:Our episode guest is Mark Mohammadpour, the founder and chief well-being officer at Chasing the Sun. After experiencing the stress of the PR industry and realizing the toll it took on his body, he made a change in his life, allowing him to lose 150 pounds and help others with their well-being too. Five things you’ll learn from this episode:Why is PR stressful? How to make the PR profession less stressfulHacks for saving employees’ timeHow to successfully wind down after workWhat employers need to consider of employeesQuotables“Since at least 2012, a company called CareerCast has named PR manager or PR executive as one of the top 10 most stressful jobs” — @JasonMudd9“Our role is building relationships, that's literally the title of what we do and the definition, and it takes a lot of time.” — @markmoh“It's important to acknowledge that, because we are building relationships, it takes time, it takes a lot of brain power and it takes a lot of physical energy as well.” — @markmoh“But not only is there a new cycle that's 24/7, there's a social media cycle that's 24/7, there's the search engines, and web content that's 24/7.” — @JasonMudd9“Because we're seeing employees really ask themselves, ‘How is my life positively impacted at this company, what's the relationship like,’ you know, why is it that people are staying, and what's being impacted there, and what are those, what are those variables?” — @markmohIf you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others and leave us a review!About Mark MohammadpourMark Mohammadpour is the founder and chief well-being officer at Chasing the Sun. After spending his public relations career as an executive at Edelman and Weber Shandwick, and after losing and keeping off 150 pounds over the last decade, Mark launched Chasing the Sun to empower PR professionals to prioritize their well-being so they can shine in the family room and the board room.Guest’s contact info and resources:Mark Mohammadpour on TwitterMark Mohammadpour on LinkedInChasing the SunAdditional Resources:Chasing the Sun: Your Chief Wellness Podcast with Mark MohammadpourAdditional Axia Resources:How to stay positive when working in PRLeadership’s responsibility of mental wellbeing with Vance Meyer | On Top of PR podcast  Disclosure: One or more of the links we shared here might be affiliate links that offer us a referral reward when you buy from them.Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Shanita Akintonde and Jason Mudd discuss building anticipation and brand loyalty for your company.GuestOur episode guest is Shanita Akintonde, CEO at ShanitaSpeaks. Shanita Akintonde is an international speaker, author, and educator. She’s also a former PRSA Diversity and Inclusion Committee National Chair.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:How to sell the anticipation of your brand and companyPR best practices that infuse branding strategies Big brand concepts to borrow as a PR pro How to borrow those big brand concepts for your own company Time-tested traditional and nontraditional ways to ensure PR successQuotables“Being true to themselves as a brand and also being true to their consumers creates a perfect creme brulee because it allows for the authenticity of the brand to shine on the consumers in a way that lets them be their best selves.” — @_ShanitaSpeaks“Don't be afraid of a multimedia approach to getting the word out.” — @_ShanitaSpeaks“It's not about what people are thinking about us in our brands, it's how we make them feel.” — @_ShanitaSpeaks“The written word is so powerful; it's even more powerful in some cases than the spoken word because I can go back and revisit it and look at it and hold it close.” — @_ShanitaSpeaks“Being notable and quotable is about changing the world.” — @_ShanitaSpeaksIf you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others and leave us a review! Guest’s contact info and resources:Shanita Akintonde on TwitterShanita Akintonde on LinkedInshanitaspeaks.comAdditional Resources:When Leadership Fails Unleash the Leader Within YouLeading From the Heart Shanita’s Podcast: Marketing InsightsAdditional Axia Resources:Brands are using a “window of loyalty” to turn young consumers into lifelong fans Brands capturing the audience with strategic PR “stunts” Episode recorded: August 18, 2022Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

In this solocast, host Jason Mudd describes why it’s important to continue to invest in PR during a recession and provides ways to keep your company in consumers’ minds. Tune in to learn more!Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Our episode guest is Kris Kelso, CEO at The Kelso Group. He is a keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and author of “Overcoming The Impostor: Silence Your Inner Critic and Lead with Confidence.”Five things you’ll learn from this episode:What impostor syndrome isWhat the opposite of impostor syndrome isWhy impostor syndrome is more common in high achievers How the Peter Principle relates to impostor syndrome How to overcome impostor syndrome Quotables“Humble confidence is your confidence being in the ability that you have to learn and adapt and grow.” — @kriskelso“It's the ability to say, I may not have all the answers, but I believe I can find the answers and I may not have achieved everything I want to achieve, but I believe that I'm on the path to getting there.” — @kriskelso“Don’t value yourself by comparing yourself to others.” — @kriskelso“The only person that I need to be better than is me yesterday.” — @kriskelso“Success is built on the learning that comes through failure. And so when that inner critic wants to tell you, ‘You're at risk of failure, you better back up,’ the mindset shift that you can use to combat that fear is failure is learning.” — @kriskelso“Community without vulnerability will feed your impostor syndrome, but community with vulnerability will starve it.” — @kriskelsoAbout Kris KelsoKris Kelso is a keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and author of “Overcoming The Impostor: Silence Your Inner Critic and Lead with Confidence.” Trained and certified as an executive coach, Kris has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, business owners, and their leadership teams. He is a faculty instructor at the Professional Christian Coaching Institute, an adviser and instructor at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, and a contributing writer for publications including Fast Company Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and The Nashville Business Journal.Guest’s contact info and resources:Listen to more episodes of the On Top of PR podcastFind out more about Axia Public RelationsFind Kris Kelso on TwitterConnect and learn more about Kris Kelso on LinkedIn Visit kriskelso.com for more information. Additional Resources:https://www.kriskelso.com/ontopofpr/Stop telling women they have impostor syndrome (regarding Kris's concerns about the article) Additional Resources from Axia Public Relations:The three types of PR agency clients.Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Our episode guest is Allison Shapira, CEO of Global Public Speaking. Before starting her public speaking coaching career, she was an opera singer. Five things you’ll learn from this episode:The performance of public speakingThe public speaking skills you need todayHow to craft talking points How to develop a speech for an executiveHow to take your speaking skills to the next levelQuotables“I actually start with opera and end with folk music to make a point about authenticity over perfection in our public speaking. So I've been able to bring music into my keynotes, which I love.” — @allisonshapira“Even if you're not being paid, every time you're onstage, you have an opportunity to influence others' behaviors, thoughts, actions. And that's such an awesome responsibility. We don't want to wing it.” — @allisonshapira“Read it out loud and make sure it sounds good to the ear as opposed to looking good to the eye.” — @allisonshapiraAbout Allison ShapiraAllison Shapira is a former opera singer-turned-entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and expert in public speaking. She is the founder/CEO of Global Public Speaking LLC, a communication training firm and certified woman-owned small business that helps people speak clearly, concisely, and confidently – both virtually and in person. She teaches public speaking at the Harvard Kennedy School and has spent nearly 20 years developing leadership communication programs for Fortune 50 companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations around the world. Allison is a certified virtual presenter and a certified speaking professional. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and is the author of “Speak with Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others,” which was a Washington Post bestseller. She was a finalist for 2017 Woman Business Owner of the Year by the National Association of Women Business Owners, San Diego Chapter. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area. Guest’s contact info and resources:Allison Shapira on TwitterAllison Shapira on LinkedIn speakwithimpactbook.comAdditional Resources:Disclosure: One or more of the links we share here might be affiliate links that offer us a referral reward when you buy from them.Speak with Impact PaperbackSpeak with Impact AudiobookAdditional Axia Resources:How company executives can become powerful keynote speakers with Michael Port from Heroic Public SpeakingKeyNote, Booking Public Speaking EngagementsMediaMSupport the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.

Our episode guest is Bob Dietzel, co-founder at KMRD Partners. He has a Master of Business as well as an associate in risk management and certified insurance counselor designations.Five things you’ll learn from this episode:What corporate crisis insurance doesHow to know insurance covers your crisis managementWhich in-house employee to speak to in order to learn more about the crisis insurance planWho to speak to at the insurance company to understand your insurance planWhy it's important to have crisis insurance  Quotables “Research shows that for every dollar you spend on crisis planning, you'll save $7 during a crisis.” — @JasonMudd9“It doesn't cost anything to start building a relationship other than your time.” — @JasonMudd9“From an insurance perspective, it's important to understand that ‘reputation’ is a broad term and it's not insured.” — @BobDietzelIf you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?About Bob DietzelBob co-founded KMRD Partners in 2005. KMRD is a risk and human capital solutions firm where he serves as his clients’ outsourced risk manager and insurance broker. Bob has his Master in Business as well as associate in risk management and certified insurance counselor designations.Guest’s contact info and resources:Bob Dietzel on LinkedInKMRD PartnersAdditional Resources:Cyber Risk Management and Insurance Additional Axia Resources:Axia CrisisPoint What to do when your executives have criminal allegations toward them Episode recorded: June 6, 2022Sponsored by:On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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 Public Relations in July 2002. Forbes named Axia as one of America’s Best PR Agencies.Support the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. 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.