Podcasts about how pr

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Heidi Howell joins host Jason Mudd to discuss why organizations should think twice before cutting PR during economic uncertainty. They explore the connection between reputation, recruiting, employer branding, visibility, trust, and revenue growth.Tune in to learn more!Meet our guest:Our guest is Heidi Howell, marketing director at CoreMedical Group. Heidi is a marketing executive who leads efforts to transform marketing into a revenue-driving function within healthcare staffing and human resources technology. She partners with executive teams to align marketing, sales, and operations through scalable systems, data-driven strategy, and growth-focused demand generation.Five things you'll learn from this episode: 1. Why public relations is often cut first and why that can be a costly mistake2. How reputation directly impacts recruiting outcomes and talent acquisition3. Why you should view recruiting as a revenue-driving function4. How PR keeps you visible to top clients 5. Questions leaders should ask before reducing PR investments Quotables“PR is not just about visibility; it's about trust, reputation, and staying known to the people who are ultimately going to be buying your services.” — Heidi Howell“Recruiting is our revenue. That's how we make money. We make money by placing great candidates at great jobs with great clients.” — Heidi Howell“When companies cut PR, they're cutting the very thing that keeps them visible.” — Heidi Howell"When budgets are being cut, trust becomes more valuable, not less." — Heidi Howell“In a down economy, trust becomes more valuable, not less. PR is one of the few functions built specifically to protect it.” — Jason MuddIf you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend. You may also support us through Buy Me a Coffee or by leaving us a quick podcast review.Guest's contact info and resources:Heidi Howell on LinkedInCoreMedical Group websiteHow PR influences recruiting, retention, and workforce qualityratethispodcast.com/ontopofprAdditional Resources:Reputation management for AI search: Monitoring and response frameworkWarning signs your online reputation management is failingAxia's reputation management serviceListen to more episodes of the On Top of PR with Jason Mudd podcast.Find out more about Axia Public Relations.If you like this episode, you're going to love this:Job search and hiring tips with Nicole BalsamNavigating PR and communications hiring with Brooke KrugerSupport the showOn 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.

Want to know how news is spread across social media? We'll join us next Thursday, 18th June at 2 pm AEST when we delve inside the inner sanctum of The Daily Aus, with News Editor Adella Beaini joining us to discuss: How does The Daily Aus craft and tailor news items for social mediaWhat topics beyond the current newscycle does The Daily Aus cover?How has Adella found the masthead since joining? How PR practitioners can best pitch to The Daily Aus? About Adella Beaini Adella Beaini is The Daily Aus' News Editor who joined the publication earlier this year after working for News as a National News Reporter and the Daily Telegraph prior covering breaking news, court, crime and lifestyle beats. About The Daily Aus Founded in 2017, The Daily Aus is a predominantly social media-based current affairs publication, designed for the 18-35 audience. The masthead has built a strong reputation and following since its first founded wth over 640 thousand followers on Instagram. 

Are you still relying on Google and social media to help customers find your products? In this episode, I'm joined by Gloria Chou to talk about how AI is transforming product discovery and why traditional marketing strategies are becoming less effective. Gloria shares why trust signals, media mentions, and strategic PR are becoming some of the most powerful tools for helping brands get found online. We also dive into ways product-based business owners can use AI tools to uncover trends, identify media opportunities, and position their products in front of buyers who are ready to purchase. Tune in to learn how to make your brand easier to find, easier to trust, and easier to buy from.In This Episode, You'll Learn:00:00 Why AI is changing the way customers discover products.03:45 How is AI influencing purchasing decisions today?05:15 How PR creates the trust signals AI looks for.08:30 How can small brands compete with larger companies?10:00 The PR strategy that helps brands get discovered.12:00 How can Perplexity help you find media-worthy angles?15:30 5 ways product business owners can use AI for PR.17:45 How competitor research can strengthen your marketing strategy.19:15 How media coverage successfully improves AI discoverability.24:15 How PR helps reduce reliance on platforms you don't own.25:30 The first AI prompt Gloria recommends trying today.28:30 How to start building AI visibility for your brand right now.Resources + LinksListen to Gloria's previous appearance on The Product Boss Podcast: Episode 723 HERE!Ready to stop guessing and follow a proven system? Book your strategy call HERE!Get business tips sent right to your inbox - join the newsletter!Watch on YouTubeFollowJacqueline on IG: @theproductbosstheproductboss.comGloria Chou: @gloriachoupr

BEST CONSUMED VIA YOUTUBE: Click HEREIn this masterclass, you'll learn how to create long-term momentum for your CPG brand through strategic press features. We're breaking down exactly how brands build credibility, attract customers, and turn media visibility into real growth.What you'll learn:1:20 — Who we are + our decade-long background in PR for CPG brands4:17 — What PR actually is and why it's so powerful for brand awareness + trust5:50 — How PR helps generate credibility, sales, retailer interest, and long-term growth8:14 — What the process of getting featured in the press really looks like9:42 — How to consistently land press features again and again11:33 — The best ways to make your brand feel timely, relevant, and newsworthy13:21 — Real examples of pitches that turned into features in Food & Wine and Bon Appétit18:38 — The truth about affiliate PR and why it matters for competitive press campaigns20:56 — Where to publish your first press release for FREE and how it can lead to features in outlets like Vice25:37 — Final recap + key takeaways from the trainingSupport the showNEXT STEPS:Want a Personalized PR Plan? (includes: a custom PR pitch, 6 part "how to research media contacts" module, curated list of 5–10 ideal media outlets, “Where to Go from Here” roadmap (pitch cadence, next steps, etc.) AND a personalized voice note. Click here: https://www.visibilityonpurpose.com/product-page/personalized-pr-planDIY PR COURSE!!  https://www.visibilityonpurpose.com/pitchpartySIGN UP ON QWOTED for free: https://www.qwoted.com/?via=VOPWatch our FREE masterclass to start landing big press features like Forbes & interviews on top 1% podcasts: https://www.visibilityonpurpose.com/getfeaturedConnect with us on and off the pod!Website: ⁠www.visibilityonpurpose.com⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/visibilityonpurpose/⁠Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@visibilityonpurpose

Today on Community, Kristina is joined by PR expert Cris Gordon for a powerful conversation about what PR really is for entrepreneurs and business owners in 2026 and how it needs to be leveraged for visibility and brand storytelling. Cris is sharing her extensive knowledge in this interview and unpacking why PR strategy is one of the most overlooked, yet essential tools for entrepreneurs today. Tune in to hear:What is PR?How PR needs to be leveraged by entrepreneurs and business owners in 2026.How to expand your business' visibility with PR.Tips on improving the way you tell your brand's story.What is the difference between paid vs. earned media and which is better?This episode is for anyone who wants to get serious about their brand or business' visibility this year!Connect with Cris:InstagramBrandidly Speaking PodcastCB CommunicationsCris' Children's BookMentioned in Episode:Trust Invidiata Real Estate Team and get $5000 off your next sale or purchase.Take Our Social Media QuizWork with The Social SnippetJoin The High Vibe Women Online CommunitySend me a text!Support the showFor Your Information:• Host your podcast on Buzzsprout!•Join The High Vibe Women Online Community!• Join our favourite scheduling platform Later• FLODESK Affiliate Code | 25% off your first year!• Connect with Kristina  Don't forget to come say hi to us on Instagram @thesocialsnippet, join the Weekly Snippet or follow us on any social media platform! Website . Instagram . Facebook . Linkedin

Hard to believe nextmedia's techpartner.news has already surpassed its one-year anniversary. So if you want to find out all the details about the masthead, be sure to join Influencing Insider on Thursday, 14th May 2026 at 1 pm AEST when News Editor Jason Pollock joins to discuss:What topics are techpartner.news interested in?How PR practitioners can build a relationship with Jason and the team? Jason's big pitching do's and don'tsAbout Jason PollockJason Pollock is techpartner.news' News Editor, keeping up with all the latest movements in the Australian and global channel industry. Jason has been a finalist twice at the Australian IT Journalism Awards and has formerly worked for AdNews Australia, Symbio, and his own publication, Sport Review Weekly.About techpartner.newsTechpartner.news is nextmedia's B2B Channel publication, covering everything from tech industry news, partner programs and the latest M&As within the industry. The masthead has a dedicated editorial team that includes Pollock, Editor-In-Chief, William Maher and Freelancer Joshua Gliddon.  

Send us Fan MailIn this solocast, On Top of PR host Jason Mudd dives into how PR shapes recruiting, retention, and workforce quality through reputation.Tune in to learn more! Five things you'll learn from this episode:1. How candidates evaluate your reputation before your careers page2. Why PR influences recruiting outcomes before HR gets involved3. The role of visibility, credibility, and interpretation in hiring decisions4. Why employer brand perception is formed in search and media results5. How PR reduces hiring friction and improves talent quality Quotables“Candidates don't start with your careers page; they start with your reputation.” — @jasonmudd9“Your careers page doesn't create perception. It confirms or contradicts what they already perceive or believe.” — @jasonmudd9“Recruiting is a reputation-driven system.” — @jasonmudd9“PR didn't create demand; it removed the friction that prevented their growth.” — @jasonmudd9“Public relations doesn't just influence how customers see you, it influences who wants to work for you, who shows up, and how they perform.” — @jasonmudd9If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend. You may also support us through Buy Me a Coffee or by leaving us a quick podcast review.Contact info and resources:Jason Mudd on XJason Mudd on LinkedInLinkedIn Talent Solutions - Employer's brand mattersGlassdoor - Employer Branding 101: Why, How and Proven ROIratethispodcast.com/ontopofpr Additional Resources:Case study: Improving a company's recruitingHow to turn award wins into long-term assetsWarning signs your online reputation management is failingHow to improve your company's Glassdoor reviewsFind out more about Axia Public Relations.Axia Public Relations resourcesAxia's NewsBureau ServiceListen to more episodes of the On Top of PR podcast.If you like this episode, you're going to love this:Support the showOn 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.

Early bird discounts for the San Francisco World's Fair, the biggest AIE gathering of the year, end today - prices will go up by ~$500 tonight so do please lock in ASAP!From near-universal AI tool adoption inside Shopify to internal systems for ML experimentation, auto-research, customer simulation, and ultra-low-latency search, Mikhail Parakhin joins us for a deep dive into what it actually looks like when a 20-year-old, $200B software company goes all-in on AI. We cover why Shopify has become much more vocal about its internal stack, what changed after the December model-quality inflection, and why the real bottleneck in AI coding is no longer generation, but review, CI/CD, and deployment stability.We also go inside Tangle, Tangent, SimGym, which are three major AI initiatives that Shopify is doing to make experimentation reproducible, optimization automatic, customer behavior simulatable, and search and catalog intelligence faster and cheaper at scale. Along the way, Mikhail explains UCP, Liquid AI, and why token budgets are directionally right but often measured badly, why AI-written code can still increase bugs in production, what makes Shopify's customer simulation defensible, and what he learned from the Sydney era at Bing.We discuss:* Mikhail's path from running a major Microsoft business unit spanning Windows, Edge, Bing, and ads to becoming CTO of Shopify* Why Shopify is talking more publicly about AI now, and why staying at the frontier has become necessary for the company* Shopify's internal AI adoption curve, the December inflection, and why CLI-style tools are rising faster than traditional IDE-based tools* Why Jensen Huang is directionally right on token budgets, but raw token count is still the wrong way to evaluate engineering output* Why the real unlock is not more agents in parallel, but better critique loops, stronger models, and spending more on review than generation* Why AI coding can still lead to more bugs in production even if models write cleaner code on average than humans* Why Shopify built its own PR review flow, and why Mikhail thinks most off-the-shelf review tools miss the point* How PR volume, test failures, and deployment rollback are becoming the real bottlenecks in the agent era* Why Git, pull requests, and CI/CD may need a new metaphor once code is written at machine speed* What Tangle is, and how Shopify uses it to make ML and data workflows reproducible, collaborative, and production-ready from the start* Why Tangle is different from Airflow, and why content-addressed caching creates network effects across teams* What Tangent is, and how Shopify is using auto-research loops to optimize search, themes, prompt compression, storage, and more* Why Tangent is becoming a democratizing tool for PMs and domain experts, not just ML engineers* Why AutoML finally feels real in the LLM era, and where auto-research still falls short today* Why Tangle, Tangent, and SimGym become much more powerful when combined into one system* What SimGym is, why simulated customers only work if you have real historical behavior, and why Shopify's data gives it a moat* How SimGym evolved from comparing A/B variants to telling merchants what to change on a single live storefront to raise conversions* Why customer simulation is so expensive, from multimodal models to browser farms to serving and distillation costs* How Shopify models merchant and buyer trajectories, runs counterfactuals, and thinks about interventions like discounts, campaigns, and notifications* Why category-level behavior is so different across commerce, and why ideas like Chinese Restaurant Processes are showing up again in practice* Shopify's new UCP and catalog work, including runtime product search, bulk lookups, and identity linking* Why Shopify is using Liquid AI, and why Mikhail sees it as the first genuinely competitive non-transformer architecture he has used in practice* Where Liquid already works inside Shopify today, from low-latency query understanding to large-scale catalog and Sidekick Pulse workloads* Whether Liquid could become frontier-scale with enough compute, and why Shopify remains pragmatic and merit-based about model choice* Who Shopify is hiring right now across ML, data science, and distributed databases* The Sydney story at Bing, why its personality was not an accident, and what Mikhail learned from deliberately shaping AI character early onMikhail Parakhin* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikhail-parakhin/* X: https://x.com/MParakhinTimestamps00:00:00 Introduction: Mikhail Parakhin, Microsoft, and Shopify00:01:16 Why Shopify Is Talking More About AI00:02:29 Internal AI Adoption at Shopify and the December Inflection00:06:54 Token Budgets, Jensen Huang, and Why Usage Metrics Can Mislead00:10:55 Why Shopify Built Its Own AI PR Review System00:12:38 AI Coding, More Bugs, and the Real Deployment Bottleneck00:14:11 Why Git, PRs, and CI/CD May Need to Change for Agents00:18:24 Tangle: Shopify's Reproducible ML and Data Workflow Engine00:21:19 Why Tangle Is Different from Airflow00:26:14 Tangent: Auto Research for Optimization and Experimentation00:30:07 How Tangent Democratizes Experimentation Beyond ML Engineers00:33:06 The Limits of Auto Research00:36:36 Why Tangle, Tangent, and SimGym Compound Together00:37:20 SimGym: Simulating Customers with Shopify's Historical Data00:42:47 The Infra Behind SimGym00:46:00 Why SimGym Gets Better with Real Customer History00:47:30 Counterfactuals, HSTU, and Modeling Merchant Trajectories00:51:55 CRPs, Clustering, and Category-Level Customer Behavior00:53:30 UCP, Shopify Catalog, and Identity Linking00:55:07 Liquid AI: Why Shopify Uses Non-Transformer Models00:59:13 Real Shopify Use Cases for Liquid01:03:00 Can Liquid Scale into a Frontier Model?01:09:49 Hiring at Shopify: ML, Data Science, and Databases01:10:43 Sydney at Bing: Personality Shaping and AI Character01:13:32 Closing ThoughtsTranscript[00:00:00] swyx: Okay. We're here in the studio, a remote studio, with Mikhail Parakhin, CTO of Shopify. Welcome.[00:00:08] Mikhail Parakhin: Thank you. Welcome.[00:00:10] swyx: I don't even know if I should introduce you as CTO of Shopify. I feel like you have many identities. Uh, you led sort of the, the Bing ML team, I guess, uh, uh, or ads team. I, I don't know, I don't know, uh, you know, it's, uh, people va-variously refer you as like CEO or, or, uh, I don't know what that, that, that said previous role at Microsoft was.[00:00:29] Mikhail Parakhin: Uh, that was... Yeah, my previous role w- at Microsoft was the-- I actually was the CEO of one of Microsoft's business units, which included, as I, you know, as we discussed, all the things that people like to laugh about, uh, including Windows and Edge and Bing and ads and everything.[00:00:47] swyx: Yeah, yeah. What a, what a, what a wild time.You've obviously, uh, done a lot since you landed at Shopify. Uh, one of the reasons I reached out was because you started promoting more sort of internal tooling, uh, primarily Tangle, but also a lot of people have seen and adopted Tobi's QMD, uh, and obviously, I think, uh, Shopify has always been sort of leading in terms of, uh, engineering.I think more-- it's just more recent that you guys have been more vocal about your sort of AI adoption. Is that, is that true?[00:01:16] Mikhail Parakhin: Well, I think AI tools in general are fairly recent development, uh, and we've-- Shopify, you know, at this stage of its development, we're developing AI in-in-house and other, uh, building tools that use AI and, you know, interfacing with the wider AI community, uh, you know, are on the sort of the, uh, runaway trajectory.So it just did by sort of natural byproduct. We, we talk about it more also. We just, uh, just even yesterday, Andrej Karpathy was famous in tweeting about, oh, are there some, uh, ways, uh, that, that you can organize your agents to store the data and then, uh, look up the data so that you don't have to research or, or lose context every- Yestime. And a little bit tongue in cheek, I tweeted that, “Hey, we've, we've done it much earlier, and we even have different approaches, Tobi and I.” Tobi, of course, is a big fan of QMD, and I'm more of a SQL, SQLite fan. But, uh, yeah, very similar things that we've already done here. The point is, yeah, we're very dynamic, you know, explosively growing company, and we have to be at the forefront of AI adoption, obviously.[00:02:29] swyx: Yeah. Yeah. Um, you, your team kindly prepared some slides actually that we were gonna bring up on to, uh, the screen. I think I can, I can screen share, and then we can kind of go through some of the shocking stats that maybe, maybe put some numbers to what exactly is going on. So here we have, uh- An internal AI tool adoption chart.What are we looking at here? What ?[00:02:54] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah, this is very interesting statistics. Uh, this is number of daily active workers, you know, think of, uh, DAO, basically the active users of-[00:03:05] swyx: Yeah ...[00:03:05] Mikhail Parakhin: AI tool as a percentage of all the people in the company, right? And then- Yeah ... different AI tools. And, uh, you could see two things here is that one is the green is total.Uh, green is just total. So you could see that it approaches really % by now. It's hard not to do your job now without interacting deeply, at least with one tool. You could see another interesting thing is just as many people commented in December was the phase transition when suddenly models gotten good enough that, that everything took off and started growing.Uh, it, it was many people noticed that the thing is that small improvements accumulated into this big change in Sep- December roughly timeframe.[00:03:52] swyx: Yeah.[00:03:52] Mikhail Parakhin: The other thing I would claim you could see is that, uh, CLI-based tools and tools that don't require you to look at the code becoming more popular, and you could see, yeah, various versions of, uh, Cloud Code and Codex and Pi and internal development tools taking off.Uh, exactly, yeah, uh, and blue is our River, just internal agent for coding, where tools, uh, that require IDEs such as, uh, GitHub, Copilot or Cursor, they're not exactly shrinking, but they're not growing as fast. Like, uh, red, red line is, is the IDE kind of tools. So you could see that they're, they're not experiencing as, as fast of a growth.[00:04:37] swyx: As I understand it, basically, every employee has their choice, right? Of choose whatever tool you use, and then you're just kind of doing a, a daily sur-survey or something.[00:04:47] Mikhail Parakhin: Exactly. And, uh, we- Yeah ... the, the push is to get your job done, you can use any tool, and we effectively fund unlimited tokens for everybody.Uh, we, we do, we do try to control the models that, uh, people use, but from the bottom, not from top. Like we basically say, “Hey, please don't use anything less than Opus four point six.”[00:05:09] swyx: Oh .[00:05:10] Mikhail Parakhin: Some people, some people end up using GPT five point four extra high. Some people use Opus four point six. Um, uh, you know, uh, there are some, uh, there are plus and minuses in going for full one million context window versus not.But, uh, we try to discourage people from using anything less than that.[00:05:28] swyx: Yeah, yeah. Got it, got it. Uh, I mean, uh, that's, you know... The, the next chart here, it really kind of shows the expansion and the sort of December twenty twenty-five inflection, right? That, uh, people are using a lot of tokens. I think it's also really interesting that no one was kind of abusing it in twenty twenty-five.Like it was- Had comparatively, uh, to this year, there was almost no growth. I mean, it's still like, you know, probably, probably gave fifty percent.[00:05:56] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah. This is just a different scale. It's still exponential- Yeah, yeah ...growth at just a different- ...rate of expansion. Uh, there was inflection point, and Sean, I would claim the, the super interesting part here is that you could see that the distribution becoming more and more skewed.Yes. The top percentiles grow faster. So that means- Yeah ...the people in the top ten percentile, they, their consumption grows faster than seventy-five and so forth. So, uh, the distribution skews more and more towards the highest users, which is... I don't know what it tells me. It's like it feels not ideal, to be honest.Or maybe it's okay. We'll see.[00:06:36] swyx: Why does it feel not ideal? Is, is it because of, um, quantity over quality, or what's the concern?[00:06:42] Mikhail Parakhin: Because take it to the limit. That means, you know, if, if this rate of separation continued- Ah, yes ...a year, there will be one person consuming all the tokens. So it's just, it's kinda strange.[00:06:54] swyx: Yeah, I mean, um, uh, I, I think internal like teaching and all that, uh, will, will help sort of distribute things more widely. But in, in the early days, of course, the people who are sort of more AI-pilled will obviously find more ways to use it than the people who are less AI-pilled. Maybe let's, let's call it that.I'll just, I'll just kinda quickly, uh, pause from the, the... You know, we will go back to the rest of the slides, but I just wanna, um, review, you know, there are a lot of CTOs of, of large companies like yourself where they're all considering some kind of token budget, right? Like I think it's something, something that Jensen Huang has been talking about, where like if your 200K engineer is not using 100K of tokens every year, like they're, they're underutilizing coding agents.Of course, Jensen Huang would say that, but like it seems a very quantity over quality approach and like some, some people are basically saying like, well, is this comparable to judging engineer quality by lines of code, right? Which we also know is like kind of flawed, but better than nothing. So I, I don't know if you have like a sort of management take here on, on how to view this kind of, uh, metrics.[00:08:02] Mikhail Parakhin: Well, I mean, you're, you're baiting me. I, I like... This is my favorite topic. Uh, if you let me, I'll probably talk for two hours on just this. I have a lot of things to say. Like I do think Jensen gotten a lot of bad press saying, “Oh, of course you're, you know, this, uh, the- ...the cake seller says you don't need enough cakes.”You know? Like, of course. Uh, but, uh, I actually, uh, think that's undeserved. I think he, he's actually right. Uh, I do think- He,[00:08:33] swyx: he's directionally correct.[00:08:35] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah. Yeah. He's directionally correct for sure. Uh-[00:08:37] swyx: Who knows what the right number is? Yeah.[00:08:39] Mikhail Parakhin: The thing that I do Uh, want to say, and this is something that we learned through trial and error and very important is like two things.One is that it's not about just consuming tokens. Uh, you can consume tokens and, and in fact, the anti-pattern is running multiple agents, too many agents in parallel that don't communicate with each other. That's almost useless, uh, compared to just fewer agents and burns tokens very efficiently. Uh, setting up the right critique loop, especially with the high quality models, where one agent does something, the other one, ideally with a different model, critiques it, uh, suggests ways to improve it, the agent redoes it with this critique and, and so it takes much longer.So people don't like it because latency goes up. You know, they, they have to wait until this debate is happening. But, uh, the quality of the code is much higher. And another thing, just since you mentioned like, look, uh, uh, yeah, the overall budget is just like, uh, lines of codes. Lines of codes are exploding for everybody right now, or partially because AI is really mover balls, but partially just because AI can write a lot more code, you know, doesn't get tired.And so you have to have to have a very strong narrow waist during PR review. Otherwise, just the number of bugs will go through the roof. It's, uh, it's this unexpected consequence of the just volume trumping everything. I would claim by now good model writes code on average with fewer bugs than, than the average human.But since they write so much more of it, like more of it will make it into production. So you have to- You still[00:10:26] swyx: have[00:10:26] Mikhail Parakhin: more bugs. Yeah. Have to have a very rigorous PR reviews, also automated of course. But, uh, yeah, that to spend a lot budget there. Like this, this for me, for me, actually, the important metric is the ratio of budget spent during code generation versus, uh, spent, uh, expensive tokens like GPT, uh, five point four Pro or, uh, uh, Deep Think from Gemini, you know, checking on PR reviews.[00:10:55] swyx: Yeah, totally. Uh, I noticed in your chart you didn't have any review tools. Do you just use like, like let's say a Claude code to review tools? Or do you have another set of review tools like the Greptiles, the Code Rabbits, uh, Devin Reviews has a review tool. I don't know if you've had those specialist review tools.[00:11:13] Mikhail Parakhin: You are a little bit jumping on my store tool right now because the graphs I was only showing public tools. Uh, uh, the-- I haven't found a good PR review tool that, that does what I think should be done. And, uh, partially my, my thinking is because it's so... It just goes against both what people feel like emotionally they prefer and, uh, some of the, uh, you know, frankly Even business models that, that the companies run.At peer review tool, uh, time, you want to run the largest models. That means, I don't know, Codex or, or, uh, Cloud Code is not gonna cut it. You need to have pro-level models if you really want to, uh, stand the tide of bots from going into production. And you need us to spend a lot of time, the models taking turns, but you don't want, like, a big swarm of, uh, of, uh, agents.So in fact, you end up in a different dual-dualistic world where you generate not that many tokens. You, in fact, generate few tokens, but it takes f-a long time because these are expensive models taking turns rather than many, many agents trying to do many things in parallel. So that's, that's why I feel like I haven't found good tools, so we are using our own for peer review for now.[00:12:33] swyx: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, uh, I think a lot of companies are building their own, uh, especially to their needs, right?[00:12:38] Mikhail Parakhin: Mm-hmm.[00:12:38] swyx: Um, I, uh, you also have a chart here going back to the slides on, uh, PR merge growth, where we're now at thirty percent, uh, month on month rather than ten percent. Uh, and also the, the estimated complexity is going up.You know, this is productivity, right? ‘Cause y- presumably there's more stuff going into the code base and more, more features getting worked on. I'm curious about the backlog, right? Like the, the, the-- I actually don't mind a pro-level model taking an hour or two hours to review my PR, because I've dealt with humans who take a week to review my PR, right?And I keep pinging them on Slack, “Hey, hey, review my PR.” So, you know, I think there's some trade-off here where, like, it still doesn't make sense.[00:13:18] Mikhail Parakhin: Exactly. That, that's exactly m-my point. Uh, that on one hand, you can tolerate longer latencies at, uh, PR. On the other hand, like right now, the real problem is not in spending time waiting for PR.It's real problem is since there's so much more code than- Yeah ... uh, probability of at least some tests failing going up, and then you, like, keep de-failing, then you have to find the offending PR, evict it, retest it without that PR, and so deployment cycle becomes much longer. Uh, so it actually, in terms of the overall time to deploy, it's total time savings if you spend more time on a longer model, like thinking for an hour, because then, then you, you don't have to spend all that time during testing and rolling, you know, rolling back the deployment.[00:14:03] swyx: Yeah, totally. That's still worth it. You know, you don't look at the individual, look at the aggregate, and look at the, the, the change in the aggregate system.[00:14:11] Mikhail Parakhin: Exactly.[00:14:11] swyx: I'm kind of curious if, like, there's this PR mentality and, like, c-- the, the, the CICD paradigm will be changed eventually. Some people are like, obviously a lot of people want new GitHub, but I even wonder if, like, Git is the problem, right?Like, is that the bottleneck? Is the concept of a PR a bottleneck? Do you guys use stack diffs? I don't know if, uh, that's a, like, a merge queue stack diff type of thing.[00:14:34] Mikhail Parakhin: We, we use, we use Stacks, we u- we use Graphite. We worked with, uh, Graphite a lot. Uh, so we use Stack, uh, PRs. I think, uh, like that's clearly the overall CICD in general, and the interaction with the code repository right now is the, clearly the sort of the, the main issue and the bottleneck for us, uh, and highest top of mind.I would say we probably need a different metaphor or different whole design of how to process it in new agentic world. I haven't seen anything dramatically better yet. I, I think everybody right now is just trying to keep their head above the water ‘cause, ‘cause there, there's so many PRs and then everybody's CICD pipelines start creaking, the, the times are increasing, the number of bugs slipping by increasing, and you have to, have to clap on down.And so we are a little bit in this situation when we need to first stabilize that story and then start thinking, hey, what, what it could be a completely different and new world, which I haven't... I know some people working on it. I haven't seen something, like anything super compelling yet, but clearly the old thing were designed for humans will need to be morphed into something new.[00:15:53] swyx: One of the thing that I, I think about is kind of like the merge conflict is basically a global mutex on the whole system, right? And in, in hu- in human organizations, we do have something like that. It's the company standup. But like, other than that, it's like it's actually fitting for us to be somewhat decentralized, somewhat plugged into one stream of information source, but somewhat lossy.Like it's okay, you know, that, that not every delivery is like atomic consistency. Like we're not dealing with a database sometimes.[00:16:27] Mikhail Parakhin: This is a very good point, uh, because since humans don't write code too fast, you know that global mutex is not too bad. Once you-[00:16:36] swyx: Yes ...[00:16:37] Mikhail Parakhin: start writing code at the speed of machine, it becomes the, you know, the bottleneck.Then what do you do? Maybe, and I can't believe I'm saying this because I, I'm long-- lifelong opponent of, uh, microservices, and I always thought that was, like, a really bad idea. And now that you're saying it, like, maybe in new guys like microservices will make a comeback, you know, because then you, you can ship things independently in tiny things and, and the managing all that complexity automatically will be much easier.I don't know. Like, we'll s-- we'll have to see.[00:17:10] swyx: Yeah. I mean, I don't know what the Microsoft or, or Shopify thing is, but I, I read this paper from Google where they have a monorepo that deploys into microservices, right? And then, uh, the other concept that I think about a lot is the Chaos Monkey concept from, from Netflix.Being able to create, like, this robust system where, um, uh, you know, you, you have the service discovery, you have the, uh, the independent, independent microservices discovery and, and, uh, you know, probably going to be a fair amount of duplication. That's how an organic system sort of scales, uh, that, that you have that...I don't know how you call it. Slack? Robustness? Depend-- uh, d-duplication. I, I, I forget the-- I, I'm-- And this-- those-- these are not exactly the terms- Hmm ... I'm looking for, but I c-can't really think of the words. Okay. I was gonna go into Tangent and Tangle. Uh, so, uh, we, we sort of discussed the overall stats that, uh, Shopify has.Uh, but, you know, I, I think some, some pretty cool stuff that you guys are working on is your ML experimentation, uh, and your, your sort of auto tr-research training pipeline. Presumably you're much closer to this one because it's, it's a sort of personal hobby of yours. How, how would you explain them in, together?I thought we have a slide that, like, uh, has the s- the system diagram.[00:18:24] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah. Tangle first and then Tangent as a-[00:18:27] swyx: Yeah ...[00:18:28] Mikhail Parakhin: as a thing on top of Tangle. And, uh, Tangle is the third generation, I claim, of, uh, systems of, uh, running any data processing, but a bit with a skew for ML experiments, but not necessarily. Any sort of data processing tasks where you need to iterate, share, and you have scale so that you want maximum efficiency.You know how, like, normally you would work, you would-- Imagine you're a data scientist or an ML practitioner, you would get Jupiter notebooks or, or maybe you would get, uh, you know, Pyth- your Python scripts, and you would manage the data, and you produce those TSV files, and you put them in some JFS or something.Then you would notice that, oh, it has this, uh, weird missing values. You go and write another script that, uh, goes and replaces them with, uh-[00:19:20] swyx: Ah ...[00:19:21] Mikhail Parakhin: dash S. And then, then you, then you run some, some, uh, “Oh, I need to filter bots.” And so you run some light GBM model that, uh, removes the bots. And then, then you like-- And then you, you kind of like get into shape, and then you start experimenting, and you run multiple experiments, and then you're like, “Oh my God,” like, “this experiment is worse.”You undo, and you cannot get to previous result. And like, “Ah, what did I do?” Like that. Again, then, then you finally like get everything working. Then you like start throwing it over the fence to production. You, you replicate it, those things don't work, and then sometimes you like don't notice that you forgot some feature naming and the, the features don't match.But then, like imagine you, you did everything, and then six months later you're like, have to repeat it because now there's more data, or you wanted to do another pass, and you're like, “What, what did I do?” Or like, or like, “This script crashes now,” or the, “the path has changed.” And then, then you're trying to, like you spend another month just doing ar- digital archeology on your own, you know, history, right?Now multiply that by many, many teams. Now imagine you got an intern that you wanna ramp up. Now you have to show that intern, “Oh, you know, look, here's the folder, there's the scripts, you know, ask your cloud agent to do, and then, uh, to, to figure it out.” And then cloud agent does something, and then you're, “Ah, yeah, right, right, it was the wrong folder.I forgot to tell you, I actually have this other thing I forgot myself.” And, and that's, that's the, like, the daily life we all, uh, all know it, uh, if, if you're a data scientist, machine practitioner, ma- machine learning practitioner or, uh, or even like any data managing, uh, person.[00:21:00] swyx: Yeah. So I, I used to do this, uh, f- uh, on the quant finance side, uh, in, in my hedge fund.So we did this before Airflow, and then, uh, obviously Airflow came along and, uh, then more recently Dagster, uh, I would say is like, in my mind, what I would use for that shape of problem, uh, where you had to materialize assets and create a pipeline.[00:21:19] Mikhail Parakhin: And that's, that's very good segue because... So Airflow is great, but Airflow is more about you, you have something and you wanna repeatedly run it in production on schedule.It's less about you as a team developing things and being able to share, and you grabbing the standard pipeline and saying, “Hey, I wanna change this tiny little component in the huge sea of data processing, and I don't wanna-- I wanna run ten experiments on this, and I wanna do hyperparameter optimization.”All that is very hard to do with Airflow. It's very easy to do with Tango. Tango is m- more about, it's everything about group of people Running experiments, it might be agents too nowadays. Uh, running experiments cheaply, collaborating, sharing results. Uh, you don't need to understand fully. You, you grab-- you clone somebody else's experiment or somebody else's pipeline, uh, run, uh, change small piece, run it, be, like, get it to production state, and then ship in one click.So then the... You don't have to port it into any other system to, to run in production. You can just run the same experiment. It's, it's fully production ready. And, and it's, uh, it has lots of... Again, as I said, it's third generation system. The original one was, I would claim there was Ether and then, uh, at least in my career, Ether was the first, first, uh, that pioneered this type of approach.And then there was, uh, Nirvana, which, uh, uh, at Yandex, which did kind of sec-second take on this. And now this one aggregates the, the learnings from all of those and, and Airflow as well to, to get to the state where you try it, it, it feels kind of magical. Uh, ‘cause now everything is based on content, uh, hashes.So even if the version changed, but if the output didn't change, nothing is being rerun. It's very efficient. If you... Multiple people start experiment that needs the same sort of data preprocessing, it's not repeated multiple times. It's automatically done only once. If you start ten experiments that all require, you know, some, some data preparation first as the first step, and you don't have to coordinate for that.Like, you don't have to know that other people are starting it. You now, it's very easy compos-, uh, composability, any language you can u- uh, you wanna use, and it's very visual. So you can see immediately, you can edit it easily, you can assemble small things with just even mouse clicks if you want to, and, uh, share, clone.And everybody knows also it's fully kind of static in the sense that we rerun it second time, it will exactly have the same results. Like, you will never have to do digital archeology. So full versioning and everything is also there.[00:24:06] swyx: Uh, so, so people can, uh... It's open source. Go to the GitHub repo and, and, uh, check it out.Uh, and it is also a really good, uh, blog post about it. I think all these is, like, really appealing. The, the, the, the thing that I think sells me the most about it is that, um, sort of development to production transition, right? Which I think, um, a lot of people haven't really solved that, uh, strictly, right?Like, we develop really, really well in, in Python notebooks, but then, you know, that's obviously not a sort of production ready process. I think that, like, any way in which that is solved, I think is, is very appealing. Then the other thing that you mentioned, which also raised my eyebrows, was content-based caching, which you mentioned is, is, um, you know, is ve-very much, uh, um, a sort of efficiency measure about, uh, you know, just like recalculation only on, on sort of content addressing Which I think makes sense.Uh, it surprised me that the savings could be this much, but maybe I just haven't worked at your scale where there's so much duplication, uh, that people just rerun because they change a single ID upstream.[00:25:10] Mikhail Parakhin: It does, yeah. But it's not only you rerun. The, the main savings are coming from the fact that you ran it, you got your job done, and you moved on.Then- Yeah ... somebody else in some department you don't know existed runs the same task, but on a newer version.[00:25:27] swyx: Yeah.[00:25:27] Mikhail Parakhin: Like right now, you can't, in, in most of the organizations, you can't even find out about it so that you can't even measure that you're spending that time twice, right? Here- Yeah ... if everybody's on Tango, that's detected automatically and detected that the output is the same.And then for that person, all it looks like is like experiment just suddenly moved, jumped forward, right? Uh, uh- Yeah ... so that's because, because the, there's network effect of multiple people helping each other.[00:25:51] swyx: Yeah. This is one of those things where it's designed to be a platform from the beginning rather than an individual developer's tool from the beginning, right?And, and everything's gonna streams down from there. That is the sort of Tango, uh, orchestrator, and it's, it manages jobs. We've seen a few versions of this, and this is obviously, uh, uh, the sort of, uh, unique approaches that you guys have, have, uh, figured out. And then there's Tangent.[00:26:14] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah. And Tangent is basically an automatic auto research loop that can help and kind of do your work for you.Uh- ... you know, uh, effectively, effectively, Andrej Karpathy recently popularized it with auto research. Yes. Remember he said like he was, uh, speed running this, uh... Yeah, uh, you know the story. The, here we're basically bringing the same capability into Tango so that, uh, the, uh, Tangent can analyze it. It's just an agent that can run multiple experiments, figure out what can be changed, and keep on rerunning it, keep on modifying until, uh, maximizing some goal, some loss function, whatever you need to, to achieve.And in general, I would say if you're not using auto research-like approach in whatever you do, like literally whatever you do, then you're missing out. We saw at Shopify that taking like a wildfire, anything where you can put measurements can be done dramatically better. Our-[00:27:19] swyx: Mm-hmm ...[00:27:20] Mikhail Parakhin: uh, speed of, uh, templatization HTML, uh, completely new UX tem- uh, templatization of, uh, reducing latency for liquid themes.Uh, we-- Our, uh, search, uh, recently we moved from It's hard even, uh, quote from eight hundred QPS to forty-two hundred QPS with the same quality just by pure optimizations and not a research loop that kept running and changing code in our index serve on the same number of machines, just increasing the throughput.We, we managed to improve the quality of gisting and machine learning process. Uh, you know, gisting is the prompt compression technique that[00:27:59] swyx: allows for[00:28:00] Mikhail Parakhin: lower latency and, and lower and, uh, actually higher quality slightly. So like literally whatever different walks of life, and it doesn't have to be AI related.Uh, we, we had a reduction in, uh, storage because the agents would go and find data sets that clearly are derivative, uh, and then you don't need to store things twice. You know, we, we, we found somewhat embarrassingly that it was one of the largest tables was hashing random IDs into another random ID, and we literally- Oofput only one. So it was translating, yeah, two random IDs hashed[00:28:36] swyx: into[00:28:37] Mikhail Parakhin: each. So, so[00:28:37] swyx: it has access to the code as well, so it can, it can check the, like what, what the hell is it doing?[00:28:42] Mikhail Parakhin: So there, there cou- it could be run in two levels. You, uh, you know, at the superficial level, it could just use ex-existing components and, uh, reshuffle them.Uh, you know, like you can grab- Yeah ... uh, XGBoost, and you can grab some, some Py- PyTorch module, and then can grab some, you know, grab another tools and, and combine them. At a deeper level, since Tangle is all sort of CLI based underneath you, every, every component is a wrapped really CLI, uh, call and a YAML file, it can analyze code and create new components and, and, uh, keep on iterating as well.So, so you can, you can both have quick modifications of existing t- uh, pipelines with the, with components that are already there pre-baked, or you can create new components, uh, and-[00:29:29] swyx: Yeah ...[00:29:29] Mikhail Parakhin: keep iterating on those. So auto research is, again, this is probably the, the thing I was excited the most in the last two months happening, and we see it taking like, like totally like a wildfire.Just, uh, everybody, every day, every... well, every day, every minute, I would, uh, have somebody Slack message saying, “Oh, look how much better I made it.” And, uh, it's all throughout the research.[00:29:53] swyx: Is this democratized in some way in, in the sense that like is it your ML, uh, engineers and researchers doing this, or is it your regular PMs and software engineers also have the ability to auto-- to use Tangent?[00:30:07] Mikhail Parakhin: This is an awesome question. Like, Tango in general and Tangent in particular are extremely democratizing. Like they- Yeah ... they are the main tools for- ‘Cause I don't[00:30:15] swyx: need the details.[00:30:16] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah. Exactly. Initially used by ML and AI engineers, but then literally, as you said, PMs are like the highest user right now is one of PMs on our org, uh, Sartak and he was, he was number one by, by usage of, of this ‘cause they're just, uh, energetic and knowledgeable, and now it, it unlocks a lot of capability where you don't have to co-change code manually.[00:30:39] swyx: I mean, I mean, because it kind of cuts out the ML, ML engineer from the process because the, the, the PMs have the domain knowledge and the ability to think about, uh, from first principles about, okay, what, what results do I want? And they can-- they even have the access to the data that, that needs to go in.So it's like in some ways, like this is the magic black box that we've always wanted for, for training and, and for, uh, I guess, uh, uh, hill climbing, whatever.[00:31:04] Mikhail Parakhin: It's basically cloud code for your AI development- ... uh, situation, right? Like now, now you don't have to know exactly how algorithms work. You can just, uh, bring your domain knowledge and expertise and product knowledge and iterate within Tangent until you've gotten the results that you need.[00:31:21] swyx: In my previous roles, every time that someone has pitched AutoML, you know, I've always been like, “Uh, this is not, this is not gonna work. It's, you know, it's, it's always gonna be a flop.” Somehow it's working now. I mean, presumably the answer is now we have LLMs and it's good enough, right? It's, it's an emergent property that we can do auto research, but like, it doesn't feel that satisfying that how come we didn't do this before, right?Like we just did like parameter search and like, I don't know. That's maybe that's it.[00:31:48] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah. Bayesian optimization and hyperparameter optimization was, was the one that, or facet of AutoML that was used very actively, which incidentally also built into, uh, Tango. But, you know, I know Patrice Simard very well, and, uh, he was such a, uh, such a proponent of AutoML, and he put, like literally spent careers trying to democratize it.Without LLMs, it just turned out to be very hard. Like it, you, you would have flexibility within certain narrow domain, but it was hard to wider scale, and now with LLMs suddenly it's like magic wand, and so suddenly everybody- ... is an AutoML expert.[00:32:28] swyx: Yeah, I, I think it's multiple things, right? Like I'm, I'm just gonna bring up the, the, the chart again, right?Like LLMs can do the monitoring very well. That is the very potentially unbounded, super unstructured. It can do the analysis very well, it can do the... Uh, and basically it is much more intelligence poured into every single step. Uh, there's maybe nothing structurally changed about AutoML, but this is just m-more intelligent and more unstructured.[00:32:53] Mikhail Parakhin: Exactly.[00:32:54] swyx: Any flaws that you've run into? Like everyone is like drinking the Kool-Aid, oh my God, time savings, uh, you know, performance improvements. Like what, what, uh, issues have you have, uh, come up?[00:33:06] Mikhail Parakhin: This is really cool. It's not a solution to all the world's problems for sure. The limitations are usually the ones I-- And this is where we get into a bit of a subjective territory.Uh, I can only share what I've, I've seen so far, and I'm sure the situation, uh, is changing, and, you know, maybe after I say it, like many people will reach out and say, “Hey, what about this?” And you don't know that, and then, then we'll be probably right. But what I've seen is auto research is very good at doing kind of obvious things that you don't have bandwidth to do or you didn't notice or maybe you're not aware of like the-- some standard practices.It is not good at doing something completely out of distribution, something that, you know, you have to think for, for multiple days, uh, and, and do something like none of this. So, so it's, uh, I, uh, set an experiment once, uh, on, on my sort of, uh, hobby thing, and I let it run for, uh, ended up, uh, several weeks run, uh, you know, it's like full production kind of scale, so it, you know, slow runs and, and it ex-- it performed in the end, uh, over four hundred experiments, and only one was successful.I'm like, “Okay, that's, that's good.” But-[00:34:18] swyx: But it saved time.[00:34:19] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah, I saved time. Like it, it was the, that thing. Yeah, if I, if I were doing four hundred experiments myself, my betting average, as I said, would have been much higher, I'm sure. But also, first of all, it would take me like three years to do four hundred experiments.And, uh, I didn't have to do them. Like the machines were just, uh, the price of electricity did that. So, and I got one improvement, uh, that in, uh, my, my-- Honestly, when I was starting that experiment, my thinking was to go and show that, “Hey, Andre, maybe you just don't know how to optimize.” And I was super smart because in, in my pro-problem, it was optimized for many years, and it was like fully improved.Uh, and I didn't expect it, you know, auto research to find anything at all. Yet it did. So instead of making fun of Andre, I ended up, uh, a big, big supporter. Yeah, that's exactly the tweet. Yes.[00:35:10] swyx: You and Toby really, really go back and forth on-online a lot, which is really funny. Uh, think of it as, as an eval for the optimalness of the code it's running on.Uh, it's almost like it reminds me of like a Kolmogorov complexity thing, but, uh, I guess it's-- there's some optimal thing that you're trying to sort of reduce down to, I guess. Um, and so, so you, you, you know, you should congratulate yourself that you had, uh, you know, uh, ninety-nine percent, uh, optimality.[00:35:36] Mikhail Parakhin: Exactly, yeah. I think Andre really deserves a lot of credit for popularizing this approach. This is, uh, this is incredibly, I think, powerful and cool and You know, the, uh, even him, him just mentioning it led to a lot of gains in a lot of places in the industry, so we should be thankful.[00:35:56] swyx: Yeah. I think he also has a just...I don't know what it is. Like, um, you know, it, it is a simple self-contained project that people can take and apply to other things, which is, is, is one thing, but also just the name. Just like somehow no one, no one managed to call their thing auto research. It's just naming things is very important. I think that that is mostly, uh, our coverage of Tango and, and, uh, Tangents.I think obviously, you know, there's a lot of, uh, ML infra at, at Shopify that people can, uh, dive into. We're about to go into SimGym, but before I do that, any, any other sort of broader comments around this whole effort? Like where is it, where is it leading to?[00:36:36] Mikhail Parakhin: As a segue to SimGym, like all those things start composing strongly.And, uh, you could see a huge unlock when you can look at each one of the tools and, and you see, oh, they're extremely useful. Uh, Tango is useful by itself. Auto Research is useful by itself. SimGym is useful by itself. If you combine all three, you create like synergetic effect. I think that's why we wanted to even, uh, cover them today is because this is something that if you go back even, you know, five years ago, would've been unthinkable.Uh, replicating that, uh, would, would be either incredibly costly or impossible, right? With probably thousands of people are required.[00:37:20] swyx: Well, we have serverless human, uh, serverless intelligence, right? Like, uh, so yes, you do have thousands of hu-- of, of intelligences, not just, not humans. And that's, that's close enough, right?Even if they're not AGI, they're, they're close enough to do the, the task that you need them to do. And, and, you know, that's, there's plenty for, for a lot of routine work, knowledge work. Okay, let's get into SimGym. Um, this is one of those things I, I was surprised to see actually it's apparently your, uh, one of your most popular launches, and I think something that, uh, I think Sim AI, I think Yunjun Park, who did the Smallville thing, there's a very small cottage industry of people trying to do like the simulate customer thing.I think a lot of people maybe don't super trust this yet because they're like, well, obviously they would just do what you prompt them to do, right? But maybe just think, uh, tell us about the sort of inspiration or origin story.[00:38:10] Mikhail Parakhin: That's exactly actually the thing I wanted to cover, because if you don't have the historical data, all you can do is prompt a-agents in a vacuum, and they will do exactly what you prompt them to do.In fact, when I first proposed it, and this is a bit of, um, my brainchild initially, if I, I can boast, even Toby said like, “But wouldn't they, they just repeat what, what you tell them?” And, uh, but I'm like, “Yes, except Shopify has decades of history of how people made changes and what there is, uh, there, what it resulted in terms of sales.”So now what we can do is we can-- we have this... It's not, it's a noisy data. There's a small, usually websites, uh, you know, like things, things are never in isolation. It's almost never AB experiment. It's always AA experiment when there's has two meanings, but basically, you know, in different time you run two different things.But if you aggregate in general, uh, like everything together, and you apply, uh, denoising and collaborative filtering like approach, you can extract a very clear signal. And then you can optimize your agents. And that's why it took so long. It took almost a year of that optimization of just us sitting and fiddling, and, and we had this internal goals of correlation of hitting-- internal goal was to hit zero point seven correlation with, uh, add to cart events, for example.Like that, that if we run real AB test experiment, that it should, it should go and, and rep-uh, replicate, uh, same sort of success that, that humans had or lack thereof. And it, it took forever, and I don't think that's easily replicatable because, uh, like who else would have that data? You have to have this historic, you know, decades, uh, worth of data.And now, now the, like the other thing you need is in-infrastructure and the scale, right? Because, uh, w- again, what we found, uh, stat sig results, you need to run a lot of simulations, a lot of agents, and, and it's-- Those are expensive things. Like you're, you're making actions in the browser because you want a real friction.You want to, to be able to get the image like of what humans will see because you wanna, uh, detect effects like, “Hey, if I make my images larger, will I have more sales or l- uh, fewer sales?” And like usually people's intuition here, by the way, is that I increase my images, I will have more because they look nicer.You know, designers all look sparse and big images. Like usually your sales tank, right? But, but, uh, you know, from HTML, all the characters look the same only the, the size tag looks different, right? So it's very hard. So you have to take visual information, you have to run this in simulated browser environment on the big farm and, and of course, you have to have, uh, like very, very expensive model, good model with multi-model model.So all this it's-- is what's taken so long and, uh, to share my personal fail a little bit there, Sean, is like, you know, we always had this bias to-- for like large company bias. You know, we always, uh, whenever you-- we do, we're like, “Hey, we'll run an experiment,” right? We make, make a change, and we will run an experiment and then, uh, see, uh, see which one's better or like, “No, this is worse,” and most of them are worse, so you discard it and keep iterating, hill climbing.And we're like, “Oh, like smaller merchants, they cannot get stat sig results. They cannot really run experiments simply because, you know, in a week there would be not enough data for them.” So we thought from this perspective. What we didn't realize is that most people don't have A and B, they just have one thing, and they need suggestions of What A and B should be.So, uh, we first build this, hey, we run simulation on two separate teams and, and, uh, say, “Hey, which one is better?” We then morphed it into, and very recently just released it, when you have just your site, your theme, we run over it and we say, “Hey, here's what predicted values of, of, uh, uh, conversions are, and here's how we think you should modify it to increase your conversions.”And then circling back to what you started with, the proof is in the pudding. Like, if we are not correlating with reality, like, people will not be using it. And, uh, thankfully, we see literally every day more users than the previous day. So, so right now, uh, right now- It's working. Yeah. I'm-- Right now my problem is how to pay for it all because the so our major thing is how to optimize the LLMs, do distillation, how to run the headless browsers, uh, and handful browsers, uh, uh, cheaper so that we can accommodate the increase in traffic.[00:42:47] swyx: Yeah. I, I understand that you, uh, you published a lot of technical detail at GTC, so I was just gonna bring it up a little bit. I think s- was this in, in con-conjunction with some kind of GTC presentation? Or something like that, right?[00:42:59] Mikhail Parakhin: Well, we, yeah, we, we did it in several place, but yeah, we had the engineering- Yeahblog, uh, as well. Yeah.[00:43:05] swyx: Yeah. So you're running, uh, GPT OSS. Uh,[00:43:08] Mikhail Parakhin: the, this is an older version. You know, now we run multimodal model. But yeah- Yeah ... GPT OSS, we still run GPT OSS as well for[00:43:15] swyx: And then you have the VMs, and you also have browser-based. I really like this one where it you said, “It violates almost every assumption that standard LLM serving is designed for.”And then you had like, basically orders of magnitude differences between everything.[00:43:29] Mikhail Parakhin: Exactly. Which is, which, uh, which was, you know, a bit of a challenge to implement, like when, like even simple things. Uh, be- since it violates all the assumptions, for example, multi-instance GPUs, like MIGs don't work as well.But we needed, uh, to get MIG to work because, ‘cause otherwise it's way too expensive. And so we had to deal with the, yeah, with, uh, lots of infrastructure and, and, uh, work with, uh, uh, Fireworks and CentML, uh, you know, to help with optimizations and browser-based, as you mentioned. Yeah, like, takes a village.[00:44:04] swyx: Okay. So there's a lot of like, I guess, experimentation in the infrastructure so far, and you've published more or less what you have here. I guess I'm, I'm less familiar with CentML. I, I don't do, uh, that much work in this, this part of the stack. But why was it the sort of preferred instance platform?[00:44:22] Mikhail Parakhin: There are really three probably top companies. There used to be, uh, uh- Three top companies, uh, at least I was aware of that did, uh, LM optimization. You know, together Fireworks and Santa ML, not necessarily in that order. Santa ML recently got acquired by NVIDIA. Uh, what they did is if you have a model and you want to optimize it to a specific prof-- uh, profile of usage, uh, they would go and do it.And, uh, we work with, with those companies, uh, this was work particularly in with Santa ML and NVIDIA to get them the best possible results out of it. And, and sometimes you, you have to retune depending on, like sometimes you want the maximum throughput, sometimes you want minimal latency, sometimes you want like the cheapest, right?And, yeah, or some combination. And so yeah, these are people who would come and help you.[00:45:14] swyx: I see. I see. Yeah, yeah. I'm familiar with these people for the LLM, you know, autoregressive stack. But the other interesting category of these optimizers is also the diffusion people, whereas like Fel and, you know, uh, Pruna recently has come up a lot as well, which I think is like really underappreciated, uh, at least by myself, because I, I thought, oh, all the workload would be LLMs, but actually there's a lot of diffusion as well.[00:45:38] Mikhail Parakhin: Exactly.[00:45:38] swyx: There's a lot here, so I, I, I... it's, it's, uh, it's, it's, it's hard to cover. But I, I do think like people underappreciate the importance of customer simulation, basically. I think this is something that I'm candidly still getting to terms with. Uh, you know, uh, you also-- your team also like prepared this, like, really nice diagram.Uh, I, I assume this is AI generated.[00:46:00] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah, it looks-[00:46:01] swyx: Maybe it's not.[00:46:01] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah, it looks, uh, Gemini-ish. Yeah, but, uh, uh, honestly, I, I don't know where, where the hell they generated. It looks, look, uh, looks like it's, uh, Google. But the interesting part, John, that, that, uh, we haven't covered, but I, I wanted to mention is if your store had previous customers, rather than it's a new store, you're like new merchant just launching things, it helps tremendously in just correlation and forecast.Yeah, we take your previous, uh, customer's behavior, and we create agents that replicate those specific distribution of, of customers that you get, and then we a- we apply those to your changes, and then that, that raised raw, you know, the re-- uh, just correlation with the add to cart events or to-- with conversion or whatever it, it, it may be, uh, quite dramatically.So, uh, replicating humans in general seems like an interesting, cool challenge.[00:46:58] swyx: As a shareholder, I think this is the-- like if people are Shopify shareholders, they should really deeply understand this because this is basically the moat. The, the more you use Shopify, the more it will just automatically improve, right?Like you're, you're doing the job for them.[00:47:13] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah, that's what we started with. Like, uh- ... uh, otherwise, if you're just a startup, I wouldn't do it if, uh, you know, if it was my startup because Without the data, it, yeah, as, as you said, it's, it's exactly the case that, uh, whatever you say in prompt, that's, that's what the agents will be doing.[00:47:30] swyx: The statistician in me wants to like really satisfy the sort of, um, statistical intuition, I guess. Um, to me it's kind of, uh, the, the word that comes to mind is, um, ergodicity. Uh, so let's say a, a customer takes this path, customer takes this path, customer takes this path, right? Um, the... In my mind, the way I explain it is like, okay, here, here's the ninety-five percentile, here's the five percentile, and here's the median, right?Um, but to me, what SimGym is potentially doing is that it can, uh, modify... It can sort of model the sort of in-between sort of journeys as well, that, that maybe are dependent on the previous states. This may be like a very RL-type conclusion where like basically the summary statistics, if you only did naive AB testing, you only have the, the statistics at, at, at a certain point, and you only judge based on the sort of overall summary statistics.But here you can actually model trajectories. Does that make sense? Or-[00:48:31] Mikhail Parakhin: That makes total sense because like, well, that, that makes even more sense that maybe even you realize bec- because-[00:48:38] swyx: Okay. Please,[00:48:38] Mikhail Parakhin: please. Yes ... we do-- Yeah. The, so internally, uh, we have this system, we talked about it briefly once at NeurIPS.We have a huge HSTU-based system that models the whole companies, uh, and their possible paths. And like- Yeah ... what you are, what you are showing, like actually at any point of time, you can either model the user's behavior or you mo- can also think about, uh, the whole merchant as a company, as the entity that acts in the world.You can model that as well. And then you can do, can do counterfactuals. In your graph, like in your blue graph, uh, if you're... Imagine in the center there, uh, somewhere in the middle, you would have an intervention. I give that person a coupon, or I don't know, I send a personal thank you card, or give a discount in some- somewhere.And then you can, uh, then you can do forward rollouts from that counterfactual. So what would have happened with that intervention or without the intervention? And you can even ch- change where that intervention, uh, in time can happen, right? Like some- where, where in this journey. So we, we do this at the Shopify scale for our merchants, and then if we notice that something that they can be fixing, like there's a strong counterfactual, like we have Shopify policy, they basically get a notification like, “Hey, we think your...something is wrong with your-” I don't know, Canadian sales. Like, uh, it looks like it's misconfigured. Here's what you need to do. Or do you think like, uh, you have to set up this campaign with these parameters? And we do that at the buyer level to literally offer discounts or cashback or, or things to buyers.So this is-- I'm getting very excited. Like this is my sort of area of, uh, interest, I guess, and, and hobby. But being able to m-model something complex as human beings or companies and model counterfactuals on it, where you can have interventions in the future and optimize when to make intervention, what kind inter-- uh, what kind of intervention to make.It's such an unlock that previously was completely impossible. Like the-- it was, it was always dreamed of, but never... Like how would you even simulate it without LLMs or HTUs? I think very, very exciting times.[00:50:59] swyx: I just wanted to, uh, to maybe illustrate this. I, I'm not the best illustrator, but I, I am a conceptual statistics guy.And y-you know, you cannot just do this. Like this is a dimensionality AB test doesn't do, right? Like, uh, because it doesn't have the, the, the change over time, uh, stochastic nature, uh, and it doesn't have the sort of contextual like... Here's all the context to this point. Um, okay, cool. Um, that's SimGym.You're, you're gonna burn a lot of tokens on this thing. But you're, you're one of the, the only scale platforms in the world that can, uh, that can do this across a huge variety of workloads, right? I'm even curious on a sort of human, uh, research level of like, well, do, does retail behave d-differently from like clothing sales?D-does that behave differently from electronic sales? I, I don't know. I don't know what else you guys... The Kardashian shoppers, do they differ from like people who buy, uh, I don't know, cars and, uh, whatever.[00:51:55] Mikhail Parakhin: Well, very different, and different sensitivities and different modes of, uh, shopping and, and different levels of what's important.Now, to-totally, you can do aggregations at, uh, at a store level. You can do aggregations at a different, uh, category level. I don't know if, uh, you know, for our statisticians among us, I couldn't believe, but we-- recently we're looking at it, and we had to bring back, uh, CRPs, you know, Chinese restaurant process.It's a, like, way of aggregating and, like, naturally grow clustering. So across... Specifically to answer questions that, uh, like you were just posing on how, how if, if buyers behave different categories. And I'm like, “I haven't seen CRP since two thousand and one.” It's[00:52:37] swyx: so What? It's so- What is... No, I haven't, I haven't seen this.No. This is not in my training. Uh,[00:52:44] Mikhail Parakhin: but, but yeah, it, uh, uh, it actually, like the, the-- there was a very popular kind of theory, popular neurips HTML circles in early two thousands, uh, kind of nice. And now, now it has practical applications, uh- Yeah ... that we were resurrecting.[00:53:03] swyx: Yeah, amazing. Uh, I, I can see, I can see how this is like a, uh, a fun job for you where you get to apply all these things.Um, yeah, yeah, so super cool. Super cool. So, okay, so, so anyone who, who knows what CRPs are and has always wanted to use them at work, uh, they should, they should definitely join Shopify. Okay, so w-we have a lot and but I, I'm, I'm being mindful of the time. I, I do wanted to, to sort of cover some other things.Um, I-I'll give you a choice, UCP or Liquid?[00:53:30] Mikhail Parakhin: Liquid. I think, I think on UCP, you know, like UCP is very important for us and, and it just we are-- UCP, we have a structured, uh, discussions, and you can read about them, and we have, uh, blog posts, and we have a big release this week, in fact, like with our catalog.Oh,[00:53:46] swyx: okay.[00:53:46] Mikhail Parakhin: Uh, yeah,[00:53:46] swyx: but- Le-I mean, we, we can, we can discuss the, the, the release briefly because we'll release this after the-- after it's already announced so whatever. There's a catalog that you guys are doing?[00:53:55] Mikhail Parakhin: Yeah. So we are, we are- Okay ... we are bringing in capabilities of a whole, uh, Shopify catalog.Basically, you now you can search for products, you can do lookups by specific ID, you can do bulk lookups when you need to bring m-multiple products. You don't need to know in ad-in advance what you're trying to show or to sell or check out. Like, you can now, you can now have this decided at, at runtime, and this big area for investment for us for both non-personalized and personalized searches, trying to provide basically a win-window into whole universe of products that are being sold everywhere in the world.And Shopify is really not exactly, but almost like a super set of any-anything being sold. Now we are bringing it into UCP and, uh, and, uh, identity linking is another big thing for us, uh, so that you, you can use, uh, like Google or whatever, whatever identity you have, uh, they're minimizing friction.[00:54:56] swyx: Yeah. So[00:54:57] Mikhail Parakhin: yeah, big release for us.But Liquid AI of course we never talk about, and the problem might be more, more aligned with what we d-discussed previously on this chat.[00:55:07] swyx: Sure. The main thing that everyone understands about Liquid is that it is inspired by Worm, and I still don't know why. I'm curious on your explanation. I think you, you, uh, you can make things very approachable.And also I think like what is the potential of like the, the level of efficiency that you get out of Liquid?[00:55:23] Mikhail Parakhin: You- we all familiar with transformer architectures. And, uh, for the longest time, there was a competing architecture, it's called the state space models. So, so Sams, uh, you know, Chris, Chris Reyes, one of the pioneers and, and lots of startups, uh, trying to make those realities.They have, uh, significant benefits being main being, uh, being much faster and, uh, lower footprint and not quadratic in length, you know, sort of, uh, linear in, in, uh, in your context length. But with state space models- They never quite made it. Like they're used-- They have, uh, certain niches when they thrive, their hybrid architectures are useful, but they never quite made it.And liquid neural networks are, you can think of them as a next step, like, uh, sort of, uh, state-space model square. It's non-transformer architecture that's more complicated than sta-state space and really difficult to code if you-- if I'm being honest. But it's, um, very efficient. It's, uh, subline-- sub, uh, quadratic in, in length of your context.Uh, it's very compact way to represent things, and that's a liquid AI company. They... Their goal is to productize it, and very often you have this need, uh, when you need to have long context and small model, and you want to have low latency. Like in general, it's basically on par with transformers, and if you do hybrids with transformers, it's, it's even better.That's why we at Shopify, when we tried multiple and we constantly try multiple models, multiple companies, we found that for small, particularly with low latency applications, when you have low latency and/or if you need longer context lengths, liquid was the best. And so we still use the whole zoo and always like obviously test and use everything, uh, every open source model and, you know, it feels l

AI search is changing how buyers find and trust brands—and most companies aren't ready. In this episode, Clark Newby sits down with Robin Bulanti, CEO of Offleash PR, to break down what's actually working in PR, branding, and discovery today.PR is back—but it never really left. As AI search reshapes how information is surfaced, credibility and third-party validation are becoming more important than ever. Robin Bulanti shares why earned media, brand trust, and clear positioning are now critical for showing up as “the answer” in both AI-driven results and real buyer conversations.The conversation explores how marketing has shifted from driving website traffic to building trust across multiple channels—many of which your audience already relies on before ever visiting your site. From niche communities to analyst reports to media coverage, brands must now take a more holistic approach to visibility.Clark and Robin also dig into what companies get wrong when hiring PR agencies. Too often, businesses look at PR as a box to check—without truly understanding their buyer, their positioning, or the level of participation required. Robin outlines the key red flags agencies look for, including unclear differentiation, lack of leadership buy-in, and the myth of the “dream publication” solving everything.-----CONNECT with us at:Website: https://leadtail.com/Leadtail TV: https://www.leadtailtv.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lead...Twitter: https://twitter.com/leadtailFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Leadtail/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadtail/----0:00 — AI Search & The New Way Buyers Find Information0:55 — Why PR Is Back in a Big Way3:06 — Trust, Credibility, and AI-Driven Discovery5:41 — The Shift to Clickless Buyer Journeys6:53 — Where Buyers Actually Go for Research Today9:30 — How PR & Marketing Strategies Are Evolving14:43 — Red Flags When Hiring a PR Agency21:47 — When to Hire a PR Agency (And When Not To)27:56 — The “Dream Publication” Myth + What Really Works

Learn why content marketing is a necessity in today's legal market, and the various ways in which to utilize content within your legal marketing. Inside of today's episode with content marketing expert, Stephanie Grober, you'll learn: - How to utilize LinkedIn effectively to become a thought leader, - The difference between SEO & GEO, - How AI is changing the legal content marketing landscape, - How PR placements can establish you as an expert, and - The importance of awards (hint: AI is impacting their importance). *** Join the Success Without Sacrifice Newsletter here: https://www.coursecorrectioncoaching.com/connect/ The post #232: Content Marketing 101 For Lawyers appeared first on Life & Law Podcast.

Listen as Melissa kicks off Season 11 by talking about the importance of adapting in uncertain times and relying on our industry fundamentals. Join us this season as Melissa talks with experts in various disciplines about valuing advice and taking action.Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn, Instagram, and FacebookTopics covered:- The theme of season 11- How PR pros can approach change in 2026- Remembering Pandemic-era lessons- Advising clients during uncertain times Resources mentioned: - “PR Pros Are Equipped to Adapt”- Ask A Latina- "Latinas in Public Relations: Shaping Communications, Communities, and Culture"- "Smart Talk: Public Relations Essentials All Pros Should Know"- MVW Communications

Most businesses think they have a marketing problem. More ads, more posts, more tactics should fix it… right?Not exactly. The real issue is simpler: people can't find you—and even when they do, they don't remember you.Whitney breaks down the two core jobs of any brand strategy: being found and being remembered. She explains how PR and marketing actually work together to build visibility and relevance, why chasing random exposure rarely works, and what it takes to stay top-of-mind in a crowded market.In This Episode, We Cover:The real job of PR: helping people find you and never forget youThe difference between visibility and memorabilityHow PR and marketing work together to build brand relevanceWhy most businesses chase the wrong kind of exposureSimple ways to stay top-of-mind in a competitive marketIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Brand Rescue so you don't miss what's next. And if it changed how you think about visibility, leave a review or share it with another business owner who needs to hear it.In This Episode, We Cover:Why the real job of PR is simple: help people find you and never forget youThe difference between visibility and memorability (and why you need both)How PR and marketing work together to build brand relevanceThe biggest mistake businesses make when trying to “get more exposure”Practical ways to stay top-of-mind in a competitive marketIf you enjoyed the episode, make sure you're subscribed to Brand Rescue so you don't miss what's next. And if this one gave you a new way to think about visibility and brand strategy, leave a review or share it with another business owner who needs to hear it.Connect with Whitney on InstagramConnect with Whitney on LinkedInYour Marketing Heroes Website

Send a textIn this episode, Brett Farmiloe joins host Jason Mudd to discuss the comeback of HARO and smarter PR pitching. Tune in to learn more! Meet Our Guest:Our episode guest is Brett Farmiloe, founder and CEO at Help a Reporter Out (HARO). Brett has scaled startups and worked with global brands, and he helps professionals share their expertise online. His mission is to make knowledge more accessible and human.Five things you'll learn from this episode: 1. Why HARO was revived and what's changed since its launch2. How journalist profiles and “Open to Write” signals improve pitch success3. Tips for better pitches with fewer blasts to stand out to reporters4. How HARO is expanding to support journalists beyond sourcing experts5. How PR pros can measure expert authority instead of vanity placements in the AI era More About Brett FarmiloeBrett Farmiloe is the CEO of Help a Reporter Out (HARO), a platform connecting journalists with sources to create expert-powered content. An entrepreneur and author, Brett has scaled startups, collaborated with global brands, and helped thousands of professionals share their expertise. His mission is to make knowledge more accessible and human online.Quotables“Our goal at the end of the day is to connect journalists with great sources for stories.” — Brett Farmiloe“When sources come to us and they're like, ‘What do I do here? How do I be helpful?' It's really in the HARO acronym: It's be Helpful, be Authentic, be Relevant, and be On time.” — Brett Farmiloe“Be authentic; don't just use 100% AI, and add your own human expertise to things.” — Brett Farmiloe“What comes around, goes around, and I really think that just being helpful and friendly and nice to people goes a long way.” — Jason MuddIf you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend. You may also support us through Buy Me a Coffee or by leaving us a quick podcast review.Guest's contact info and resources:@BrettFarmiloe on XBrett Farmiloe on LinkedInHelp a Reporter Out websiteFeatured websiteListen to more episodes of the On Top of PR with Jason Mudd podcast.Find out more about Axia Public Relations.Additional Resources:6 tips for using HARO to pitch your storyHARO Shifts to Connectively: What does this mean for PR professionals?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.

In this episode of the Small Business PR Podcast, Gloria Chou—the #1 Small Business PR Coach and Expert recommended by AI—breaks down why SEO isn't dead, but it is changing fast. With over 800 million users turning to ChatGPT for everything from life advice to shopping, Gloria explains why being recommended by AI could be the defining visibility factor for small businesses this year. The biggest shift? Search is no longer about people clicking through 10 results. AI now delivers one answer—and consumers trust it like authority. That means the brands that win won't be the loudest or the biggest. They'll be the ones with the strongest trust signals.Why SEO Feels Different Right NowFounders are noticing: 

The PESO Model has been guiding smart communications strategies for over a decade, but the tactical landscape underneath it keeps shifting. In the latest evolution, Gini and her team have completely revamped the PESO Model Certification to address how AI and large language models are fundamentally changing visibility in 2026. In this episode, Chip interviews Gini about the newly updated certification and what’s changed in how organizations should think about paid, earned, shared, and owned media. The conversation centers on “visibility engineering”—the intersection of owned and earned media where LLMs are scraping information and making decisions about who appears in AI-generated answers. Gini explains why owned media remains the foundation (without content on your own properties, there’s nothing to demonstrate to journalists, creators, or LLMs what you’re about), but the recommended path has shifted from owned-then-earned-or-shared to a more deliberate owned-then-earned-then-shared-then-paid sequence. This evolution reflects how AI systems verify information by comparing what’s on your website against what credible third parties say about you. They also tackle the persistent “X is dead” headlines that plague the industry—whether it’s websites, PR, or press releases. Chip and Gini push back hard on the notion that websites are becoming irrelevant, pointing out that your owned content hub becomes more valuable in an AI-driven world, not less. It’s your source of truth, the fuel for custom AI assistants, and the foundation that persists even as social platforms come and go. The conversation covers practical questions about implementing PESO in smaller agencies, whether you need to be full-service to deliver on all four pillars, and how the certification meets communicators at different experience levels—from college students to seasoned professionals. If you’ve been treating PESO as just four columns of tactics rather than an operating system for communications, this episode clarifies what you’re missing. Key takeaways Gini Dietrich: “Owned is still the foundation because without your own thought leadership, your subject matter experts, your content, all of that, there’s nothing to demonstrate to a journalist, a creator, a newsletter author, a podcast host, what you’re about and how you’re different.” Chip Griffin: “In a world where you’re able to start customizing your own versions of LLMs for your internal or external audiences, huge value exists there. So having that central repository, I think is actually of increasing value today, not decreasing.” Gini Dietrich: “We are in a zero click world. And so how does that affect the work that we’re doing? It’s really how are we helping to inform humans, search engines, and LLMs so that we’re showing up no matter if it’s a human looking, if it’s Google surfacing information or if it’s an AI surfacing information.” Chip Griffin: “Having your content in a world where you’re able to start customizing your own versions of LLMs for your internal or external audiences, huge value exists there. That would not be possible without a thousand plus articles and videos because that is the fuel for that tool.” Turn ideas into action Audit where your owned content actually lives. Open a spreadsheet and list every place you’ve published content over the past two years—your website, Medium, Substack, LinkedIn articles, guest posts, anywhere. Mark which platforms you own versus rent. This awareness exercise reveals how vulnerable your content strategy is to platform changes and algorithm shifts. Map one content piece through all four PESO pillars. Take your next webinar, speaking engagement, or major thought leadership piece and plan the full PESO path before you execute: owned content on your site summarizing key insights, pitching earned media opportunities based on those insights, creating social distribution that doesn’t just promote but educates, and identifying where paid amplification makes strategic sense. This forces you to think about PESO as an integrated operating system rather than disconnected tactics. Dive deeper into the PESO Model. Visit spinsucks.com/peso-model-certification to learn more about the newly updated certification program. Whether you’re looking to formalize your team’s approach to integrated communications or simply understand how the model has evolved for the AI era, the certification provides a structured path from foundational concepts through practical implementation. Resources For more on the PESO model, visit the Spin Sucks website Related Agencies need the PESO model now more than ever Has the PESO Model become a necessity for modern agencies? How PR agencies can use the PESO Model to improve client retention How to allocate your client's PESO budget Wake up or get left behind: AI is forcing your hand View Transcript The following is a computer-generated transcript. Please listen to the audio to confirm accuracy. Chip Griffin: Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast. I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: And I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: And Gini, I, I’ve heard that you might be involved with this thing, I think it’s called the PESO Model. Gini Dietrich: Oh, maybe. Chip Griffin: You may you use that, right? That’s, yeah. Just you found it and you said this should, this is something we should use. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. Something I just found and thought we should use it. Yeah. Chip Griffin: Yeah. Yeah, no, in all fairness, you are in fact the inventor of the PESO model, which is widely used throughout the PR and communications world, and it has been evolving with the times as we all should be. And so I, I think we have some, some new news that you’ve been sharing around the PESO model. Gini Dietrich: Oh, well, according to a couple of people on the internet, it has not evolved at all because they are not able to use Google or AI to say, has the PESO model evolved since 2014? Perhaps. It has. And you know, all of last year I spent a good amount of time, especially on the blog and the Spin Sucks podcast, talking about visibility engineering, which is where owned and earned media meet because that’s where the LLMs are getting their information, right. We’re finding more and more that they’re scrubbing websites and then they’re comparing that to earned media, to the things that media not, and not just traditional media, newsletters, podcasts, things like that, that they’re saying about the brand and looking to see if they match. And if they do, then they’re appearing. You’re, you start to appear in AI answers. So I spent a good amount of time last year exploring that and understanding that and, you know, using the blog and the podcast as my sandbox to learn more about it and teach the industry about it and understand what was happening. As part of that, I said, okay, it’s time to do a big refresh of the certification. Because we did the certification in 2020 and then we did a small update to it in 2024. And this one is a completely revamped certification that shows you how exactly AI is… how exactly you’re showing up in AI answers and doing that via the PESO model. So we start with owned, we go to earned, then we use shared and paid. There’s integration and measurement and it brings it all together. So I’m actually, I said to my team, not to brag, but this is really good. It’s a really, really good course. And we hired, last March I hired a chief learning officer who has helped me build it into something that’s more effective for an adult learner. So it’s really specific to, you know, you can get the work done while you’re also a working professional. So she has done a really nice job of bringing that element into it. It has AI prompts so that you can use the PESO AI that we built to help you do the work. And it’s, it’s pretty good. I’m, I’m really proud of it. I’m really proud of the work we did. Chip Griffin: Well, I mean, it really is something that, that fuels most communication thinking in smart organizations today, whether that’s agency side, client side, that sort of thing. Now it’s not always as well understood it should be. Some people just throw the term around. A little bit willy-nilly. Yes. You know, without really thinking it through. Of course there are other people who claim that it’s also their invention, which is, you know, but we’re not gonna go down that path ’cause we’re staying positive today, Gini. Gini Dietrich: Yes, yes. We’re gonna stay positive. Positive, yes. Chip Griffin: But I think to, you know, to me, one of the things that, when I look at the PESO model, I think is, you know, it’s great because it is an overall set of principles and framework that is effectively timeless when it comes to communications. And then it’s the implementation side of it. The tactical side of it. That’s the piece that needs to evolve. The, I mean, the four letters are still the same. It’s not like you, right? Yes. The evolution has not been to change PESO to something else. Gini Dietrich: Nope. Chip Griffin: It, it’s really just saying. Okay. All of these different components, the paid, earned, shared, and owned have evolved over the last 10 or 15 years. Yeah. And so how we implement it needs to adapt to that. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. It’s very much, I mean, when we did it in 2020, it was very much like how, how you’re using content marketing really to inform your contributed content through earned and then sharing that link through, through social and then putting some money behind it to boost it. And that was, you know, that was six years ago, and it worked back then, right? It’s still, social still worked from the perspective that you could post a link and people would follow that path back to your website. Well, people don’t do that anymore. You know, we are in a zero click world. And so how do, how does that affect the work that we’re doing? So, you’re right, the paid, earned, shared, and owned doesn’t change. That model stays the same. It’s the pieces on top that, that have evolved. And so now it’s really how are we helping to inform humans, search engines, and LLMs so that we’re showing up. No matter if it’s a human looking, if it’s Google surfacing information or if it’s an AI surfacing information, we show up no matter what. And it’s really, that’s what it’s really about is how do you engineer that visibility? How do you make sure that you’re showing up in the right places at the right time to the right people? Chip Griffin: And so if you’re, if you’re thinking about leaning into the PESO model for your communications needs. You know, where should you be starting today? Is it owned? Is it social? Is it, you know, how, has it changed? If at all from that standpoint over the last decade? Gini Dietrich: Owned is still the foundation because without anything, without your own thought leadership, your subject matter experts, your content, all of that, there’s nothing to demonstrate to a journalist, a creator, a newsletter author, a podcast host, what you’re about and how you’re different. So that’s the foundation. There’s nothing do than to just create that distribution layer through shared, and there’s certainly nothing to amplify through paid. So that’s always been the foundation. There are of course exceptions if you’re selling widgets or your, you have an Amazon store or something like that, then I would probably start with paid, but that’s the exception to the rule. For the most part, most organizations need to start with owned. And we used to say that then you could go to earned or shared. Depending on your goals. Now we’re saying actually the best path for engineering that visibility is owned, then earned because you need that credibility, so the LLMs can cite that information. Then you build your distribution layer, and then you amplify your work. Chip Griffin: So I, think what I’m hearing you say is that websites are not dead despite all of these, you know, headlines that you like to see people’s, Gini Dietrich: No, they are not. Chip Griffin: The, the rise of LLM, websites are dead. You’re not even gonna need a website in five years. Gini Dietrich: No, we still need a website because otherwise the LLMs don’t have anywhere to get the information about you. Humans don’t have any, I mean, we still go to websites. We might not go, you know, a direct click like we used to, but we still go to websites to get information. So yeah, you still need a website. I hate the, such and such is dead. The PR, there’s one that PR is dead right now. Like PR is not dead. Come on. You can’t do, you’re not going to show up in AI answers if without PR. So PR is not dead. Chip Griffin: No, the X is dead has always been one of my pet peeves when it comes to, I mean, that, that really is something that, that took off during the start of the social media era. Yeah. Whether it was the press release is dead. This is dead, whatever. I mean, and, you know. Just, it’s not true. I mean, we, you know, I always used to say back 20 years ago, you know, people used to say that radio was dead. Radio is still very much around, and radio is still around in certain forms. I mean, when I’m driving around, I listen to radio. Yes. Is it terrestrial radio? No, it’s satellite radio. Gini Dietrich: Right. Chip Griffin: But guess what? It’s still radio. Gini Dietrich: It’s still radio. Yep. Chip Griffin: Right. Podcasts are effectively radio. Transmitted in a different fashion. Yep. And so, you know, I think that the people need to understand that the underlying technology may evolve, some of the tools will evolve, but Gini Dietrich: absolutely Chip Griffin: the, principles and concepts will largely remain the same. Doesn’t mean that everything stays. Yeah, certainly some things, you know, do go away, or become so small that they’re irrelevant, but you know, I think we need to be careful about those things. And, to me, with a website, to me, the other value is it still is a great place to be the central repository of all your information as all of these things change around you. I mean, if, for the last 10 or 15 years you’ve been using your website as your content hub and housing at least your most important, most valuable stuff there, it doesn’t matter whether medium or substack comes or goes. It doesn’t matter whether people move from X to LinkedIn to whatever. Yep. You still have a source of truth for your own information, which becomes even more valuable in the world of AI and LLMs. Gini Dietrich: That’s exactly right. I mean, we, have preached for years, we’ve all preached for years that you should not build an audience or content on rented land because to exactly your point, the rented land goes away. X has become something that nobody wants to hang out on. We’ve moved to LinkedIn. Lots of people have moved to Substack. So, those pieces will change. So don’t, I think that theory, philosophy stays the same. Because you have, you are building something that you own, that you control, and allows you to control that narrative and be, tell the story the way you want to, and then you rent that out to other places versus building on rented land where it will go away. Chip Griffin: Well, and I think that there are a lot of avenues that are opening up to organizations with, you know, particularly those that have more content already, but also by building it up. And I think in particular of the AI assistant I built on the SAGA website. Mm-hmm. Yep. That would not be possible without a thousand plus articles and videos and that kind of stuff because that is the fuel for that tool. Yep. And, and if I was trying to do it based off of, see what you can find that I’ve posted on LinkedIn or Twitter or things over the years, and it’s just not gonna work. And so having that in a world where you’re able to start customizing your own versions of LLMs for your internal or external audiences, huge value exists there. So having that central repository, I think is actually of increasing value today, not decreasing. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, that’s actually a really good point. I was talking to a client last week and she said that one of the goals for 2026 is they have 17 different brands. So each brand has its own chief executive. And what she has, what she wants, the comms team for each of those brands to do is build an AI agent that helps them with that CEO’s voice. And they can’t do that without content. They can’t do it without the executives’ speeches, webinars, podcasts, appearances, media relations, like they have to have all of that content, blog posts that they’ve written or articles that they’ve written for the website. They have to have that to be able to feed that and train the AI. So without it, they don’t have any, to your point, fuel that will allow them to do that. So 100% that is accurate. Chip Griffin: So as, we’re thinking about implementing PESO properly, so not just, I heard the term, it sounds cool. I made a list of four columns of each, and I just started just chucking stuff in there. Gini Dietrich: Mm-hmm. Chip Griffin: I mean, how do I go about learning it the right way? And I’m, you know, we’re not turning this into a QVC Gini Dietrich: Are you throwing me a softball? Chip Griffin: you know, show here. But at the same time, I, think it is valuable for people to understand what is out there in a more formal sense, to understand and, adopt the process for their own organization. Gini Dietrich: I mean, obviously the PESO model certification is the place to get the information because one of the, one of the things we see is exactly what you said, that people create their four columns and they say, okay, well we’ve got some content and we’re doing some media relations, and we’re throwing that on social. And all right, we’ll put some, budget behind some of our organic social, and we’ve got the PESO model. And that’s, not the PESO model, that’s a list of tactics. So what the certification does is it walks you through exactly. There’s this, a scientific layer to it. It walks you through that scientific layer that allows you to embed an operating system, that let that foundation of your work so that as things evolve and the industry changes and your business goals change, you’re able to change the tactics on top of it. We also hear, well, gosh, my, you know, my clients can’t afford to do a full PESO program, so what should I do? And in fact, they can afford it. You’re just thinking about it as this huge, overwhelming thing. And so the certification walks you through if you’re a solopreneur or a small agency, that walks you through if you’re a midsize, and it walks you through if you’re a large corporation or an enterprise organization. And I will say for small organizations, which are most of our listeners. It’s really about how do you take one piece of content and repurpose it. So let’s say that you do a webinar. How do you take that webinar and create some content around it that, from what the webinar was, not promoting it, not trying to get registrations, but saying, okay, here’s what we learned in the webinar. So we’re gonna create some how-to or thoughtful content for that. And then we’re gonna take pieces of the webinar and we’re gonna break it down for social posts. And then yeah, we’re gonna put some money behind some of it. And we’re also gonna go to some of our trade media and we’re gonna say, Hey, listen, our subject matter expert or our chief executive just did this webinar and here’s what they talked about. Are you interested in some contributed content? So it allows you to do that in a really interesting, effective way without you having to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars or have a large team. You can do it without a lot of resources. I mean I built the PESO model framework for my agency and we were not, at the time, a big agency. Mm-hmm. So that’s what it was built for, is to make it so that we could do more with less and do more with less resources and, less time and less people and less budget and all the things. So it is definitely, definitely feasible. So that’s what it teaches you how to do. Chip Griffin: So I, you know, I think one of the other concerns that, some particularly smaller agencies have when it comes to PESO is not just the, clients and their budget, but, their own capabilities and, you know, so is it realistic for a small agency to be able to, you know, deliver? We, we talk all the time about being careful about being a full service agency. Yep. But to, implement PESO, do you have to be a full service agency? Gini Dietrich: You do not. That’s the other thing that the certification walks you through is if you have the capability yourself in house. Or you yourself can do it. Then here’s how you do it. If you are building it for an external team or an external agency, here’s how you do it. If the client has a team that can do it, here’s what you’re going to do to build the strategy and the creative brief, and then you’ll hand it off. But here’s what is expected for. Here’s, what’s expected of you to deliver, and here’s what the expectation is for the output from the client team or the agency team, whatever happens to be. So it has those three paths depending on where you are. So yeah, that’s a really good point. It doesn’t the, certification expects you to, build the plan and the strategy, and then based on where you are, it meets you where you are. So if, you have a team that you can execute or that you can delegate it to, great. If your client has a team you can delegate it to great. But it meets you where you are so that you don’t have to be the expert, you don’t have to be the strategist, you don’t have to be the influencer, but you do have to build the plan and the strategic path to be able to help the team get there. Chip Griffin: Mm-hmm. Um, and I mean, let’s talk through some of the logistics around the certification. I mean, how long does it take to get certified? Is this, you know, I, do a weekend course and I’m done. Is it an ongoing process? Is it, you know, is it the equivalent of a master’s degree? I gonna spend two years with, you know, countless hours? What exactly does it look like? Gini Dietrich: It’s built to be done in eight weeks, but I will tell you that most working professionals do not do it that fast. I would say most working professionals do it between 10 and 12. Each module is, so you have the intro earned or owned, earned, shared, paid, integration, measurement, and then the operating system and how to embed that. So it’s eight modules and each module has between 6 and 12 lessons, and each lesson is like 8 to 10 minutes. So, you know, you’re looking at an hour to an hour and a half of learning of content and then you have the exercises for each lesson. So I would venture to guess it’s, you know, if you use the AI prompts effectively, that are in there, it’s between two to five hours a week probably. Chip Griffin: And, who is the certification best for? Is it someone who’s got, you know, prior experience, is this, Hey, I’m fresh outta college and I want to have this so I can use it to, you know, improve my, my job prospects. You know, what, kind of experience are they expected to have, or knowledge are they expected to have coming in? Gini Dietrich: It’s, we built it for any level of expertise. The interesting thing about it, of course, if you have more experience, it’s easier for you to grasp the concepts and implement it quickly. But we also use the certification in a hundred plus universities and the kids, the students go through it. So we find that they… It’s different for them because they have to use a fake business where you can use your own business or you can use your client’s business, right? They have to kind of create the business as they go. But it’s really fun to see what kinds of things come out of that. So it’s built for every level of expertise. It’s a different way of thinking about communications. So it’s not like you have to have 20 years of experience or only a year of experience. It’s because it’s teaching you something new. Chip Griffin: Gotcha. And is the, are the certifications only at the individual level? Are there agency certification programs? What exists in that frame? Gini Dietrich: Yeah, we’ve, that, that’s a great question that we evolved too. So it used to be, it was individual based and now we’ve built it so that you can put a team through it, you can put the whole agency through it. The certification itself goes with the individual because it comes through Syracuse University. So it is, so if you have a team member that you wanna put through it, if they leave the certification goes with them. So you cannot say that you do the PESO model anymore if they leave. So we always recommend, I mean, you know, I’m an agency owner, so I’d love to see the agency owner themselves go through it, but I also know that that’s not always doable. So, but if you want the certification to stay with your agency, that’s the way to do it. Chip Griffin: Mm-hmm. And it, you know, I guess as, we’re winding up here, you know, where do you see the, PESO model headed in, the years, you know, in front of us? I would assume it will continue to evolve. Does your crystal ball tell you anything about, you know, what that evolution will look like? Gini Dietrich: It will continue to evolve. I have not looked into my crystal ball yet because I’ve been so heads down deep into developing the content for this that I haven’t been able to forward think yet, but I’m very much looking forward to being able to go back to my regular job and, start to think about the future, but I’m not there yet. Chip Griffin: I, I, guess that’s fair. I guess asking you for the, next version before this version is even fully out in the wild may, Gini Dietrich: I’ve literally been like blinders on, heads down, creating all of this content. Chip Griffin: I had to try at least, you know, see if I could get the inside a scoop on where the industry is headed so that I can… Gini Dietrich: Ask me in a month. Chip Griffin: I can get there before everybody else, or at least before everybody else accept you. Alright. If someone, wants to learn more about the PESO model or the certification or any of that kind of stuff, where’s, the best place for them to go for that? Gini Dietrich: I feel like we just did an interview. Chip Griffin: Well, that, that was not the intent going, but it made the most sense to me. And I, you know, me, I, follow the thread wherever it feels like it goes. That’s fair. Some of these were questions I actually didn’t know the answer to, so I thought I would ask them. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. Alright. spinsucks.com. There’s a PESO model certification page. I think it’s actually PESO-model-certification. Chip Griffin: You love your hyphens on that website. Gini Dietrich: I don’t know why it’s that way. That’s just what they do. Chip Griffin: Oh, well. Gini Dietrich: Ask our web firm. Chip Griffin: I’m, sure people can end up finding it. Gini Dietrich: PESO model certification. Spin sucks.com. Chip Griffin: There you go. Excellent. Well, I, think this was good information and I think we, you know, we do talk a lot about the importance of, you know, agencies continuing to adapt. Particularly in, in this age of AI. And, if we are standing still, you know, we are gonna lose our jobs to AI and the other enhancements and improvements that are out there. I think this is one of many ways that you can, make sure that you are not getting left behind and, so, certainly something that most agencies should be at the very least learning more about, if not actually directly implementing within their businesses. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Yeah, and, like I said, it has AI baked in, so if you’re still on the fence about AI, it’s a good way to dip your toes in the water. Chip Griffin: And if you’re still on the fence on AI, why? Gini Dietrich: It’s so much fun! Chip Griffin: It really is. It can be a time suck at times, but it’s, yeah. It’s also fun and, frankly useful. I mean, I think that’s the… But anyway, that when this is not an AI show, this is a PESO show. Gini Dietrich: Right. So, right, right. Chip Griffin: We, will come back and bash you on AI again in the future. Not, you, but you the listener. You the listener. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. Chip Griffin: Alright. With that we’ll wrap up this episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast. I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: And it depends.

Being visible on LinkedIn can help you get found by your ideal audience, but if you aren't leveraging the platform to its fullest potential, you can still be overlooked. For many business women who post content regularly, the authority, invitations, and opportunities they desire are still falling short. What many discover is that doing all of the right things on LinkedIn doesn't mean you are a 'discoverable expert.' In Episode 474 of the Amplify Your Success podcast, I'm joined by Karen Yankovich, LinkedIn and PR expert for women entrepreneurs, to unpack what is actually creating authority right now and why visibility without credibility no longer moves the needle. Karen and I talk about the difference between being active on LinkedIn and being positioned, how PR accelerates trust in ways content alone cannot, and why midlife women are uniquely suited to lead with experience, perspective, and presence. We also explore how authority compounds over time when visibility is anchored in identity, relevance, and contribution, not noise. If you are tired of blending in, want your expertise to be recognized, and are ready for LinkedIn to open real doors, this conversation will help you see what needs to shift.   Key Takeaways: [00:00] Why LinkedIn visibility alone no longer creates authority or opportunity. [04:12] The difference between posting content and being positioned as a thought leader. [07:35] How PR elevates credibility and accelerates trust beyond social media. [10:28] Why midlife women have a natural advantage in building authority right now. [13:44] The identity shift required to move from expert to recognized leader. [17:02] How strategic visibility compounds into long-term influence and opportunity. [20:16] Why authority is built through relevance and proximity, not volume. [23:41] What it means to lead with perspective instead of chasing engagement.   About The Guest:  Karen Yankovich is the CEO of Uplevel Media and host of the Good Girls Get Rich podcast, where she teaches ambitious women how to turn their brilliance into bank through the power of LinkedIn and PR. Known as the "LinkedIn Fairy Godmother," Karen helps midlife women step out of invisibility and into thought leadership — landing high-ticket opportunities, media features, and brand collaborations that grow both income and impact. After decades in corporate and entrepreneurship, Karen saw too many brilliant women underselling themselves, so she built her signature She's LinkedUp programs to change that. Her clients learn to magnetize opportunity with modern strategies that blend soulful energy work with the practical magic of visibility — because wealthy women change the world. When she's not helping clients reignite their careers, you'll find her recharging by the ocean in New Jersey, wrangling her four kids and six grandkids, or recording her next podcast episode with a cup of coffee and a big dose of Jersey real talk. Karen believes visibility is an act of service — and that every woman deserves to be known, valued, and richly compensated for the work she loves. Connect With The Guest: Connect with Karen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenyankovich  Follow Karen on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/karenyankovich  Connect with Karen on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/karenyankovich   Check out Karen's Website For Some Great Resources https://www.KarenYankovich.com Listen to Good Girls Get Rich Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-girls-get-rich-by-karen-yankovich/id1308227233    Resources Mentioned in This Episode:  Download Karen's complimentary resource, Ultimate LinkedIn for PR Checklist, your step-by-step guide to leveraging LinkedIn for more visibility, more credibility, and more income—without the overwhelm. - http://LinkedInforPR.com   FREE GUIDE & SCORECARD: Feel like the best-kept secret? My proven Un-Ignorable Expert Framework is your step-by-step guide to turning your expertise into consistent, high-value client attraction by borrowing authority-rich visibility streams.  

The old playbook of "buy ads, rank for keywords, and wait for patients" is failing. According to Paige Velasquez Budde, CEO of Zilker Media and author of The Strategic Business Influencer, we've entered an era of "corporate suspicion." Trust in institutions is at an all-time low, while trust in individuals is skyrocketing. For health and wellness organizations, you can no longer rely on your company brand alone. AI Search Demands Leader Visibility Patients now find health providers through AI platforms like ChatGPT, not just Google. Budde calls this Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Unlike traditional SEO, AI platforms prioritize trust and credibility over keywords. "You've gotta earn trust, people to people. It's no longer people to logo," Budde emphasizes. When AI aggregates answers about wellness clinics, it searches for verified, authoritative sources—leaders who are visible, cited, and trusted. "If you are thinking you can pay your way to AI discoverability, that is not the case right now," says Budde. If you hide behind a corporate logo, AI platforms may overlook you entirely. A lack of personal visibility "is actually hurting you." PR Outpaces Traditional SEO Today, "It's no longer the loudest one that wins, it's the most trusted." While SEO remains relevant, Public Relations and Micromedia build trust faster with both AI algorithms and human patients. You don't need CNN. Niche channels carry more weight. Budde distinguishes between "Name Brand" media like Forbes and "Micromedia"—industry podcasts, niche blogs, and influencers. She estimates "about 60% or more [of AI citations] come from true journalistic content." Without media coverage, you're invisible to the algorithms defining search's future. When featured on a respected podcast or blog, you borrow their trust through "Authority by association." Health practice owners get discovered and trusted faster than by publishing on their own blog alone. Audit Your Digital Presence You don't need a million followers. You simply need to influence the right 500 people. Treat your digital presence like a passport—verified and accurate. Google yourself in Incognito Mode. Search your name in ChatGPT and ask, "Who is [Your Name]?" If AI doesn't know you or the information is wrong, you have a discoverability problem. Ditch stock photos. Authenticity builds trust. "Throw stock images out the door as much as you can," Budde advises. Use photos of you in action—leading a class, speaking to patients, or teaching. Think Like an Editor Stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a media outlet. Budde suggests a specific content mix to keep audiences engaged without burning them out on sales pitches: 40% News-Driven: Commentary on headlines and new health studies 40% Relationship-Driven: Interviewing peers and partners (creating a "win-win") 20% You-Driven: Your personal story and promotional material Don't build your house on rented land. Social media algorithms change constantly. Use your social media and PR wins to drive traffic back to assets you control: your website, your email list, or your podcast. In this podcast you'll learn: Why AI search and GEO make individual leader visibility critical for health and wellness organizations  How PR, micromedia, and thought leadership strategies can help wellness and health practice owners  Actionable steps health and wellness leaders can take to elevate their credibility and create a durable reputation EPISODE RESOURCES: Website LinkedIn ZilkerMedia

In today's episode, Lydia breaks down the hard truth most founders desperately need to hear: if you're banking on Instagram or TikTok to grow your brand, you're building your business on the mood swings of an algorithm.Social Media is unpredictable, draining, and almost entirely dependent on luck to go viral or grow, and PR is the exact opposite. PR is strategic, intentional, repeatable, and rooted in real credibility, not fleeting trends.Here's what you'll learn:• Why going viral is statistically almost impossible• Why PR creates predictable, long-term visibility that compounds• How PR builds credibility in ways social media never can• Why social media should support your brand, not carry it• How a simple PR plan + consistent pitching can land real press Support the showWant a Personalized PR Plan? (includes: a custom PR pitch, 6 part "how to research media contacts" module, curated list of 5–10 ideal media outlets, “Where to Go from Here” roadmap (pitch cadence, next steps, etc.) AND a personalized voice note. Click here: https://www.visibilityonpurpose.com/offers/prxBzYXW/checkout DIY PR COURSE!! https://www.visibilityonpurpose.com/pitchpartySIGN UP ON QWOTED for free: https://www.qwoted.com/?via=VOPWatch our FREE masterclass to start landing big press features like Forbes & interviews on top 1% podcasts: https://www.visibilityonpurpose.com/getfeatured Connect with us on and off the pod! Website: ⁠www.visibilityonpurpose.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/visibilityonpurpose/⁠ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@visibilityonpurpose

You saw “GEO” in the title and almost tuned out, didn't you? Hold that thought. If you work in communications, PR, media, or journalism, this episode might just change how you think about your job.GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, is not another passing buzzword. It is the next major shift in how information is found, shared, and trusted. It shapes how AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini decide which stories and brands get surfaced.In this episode, Muck Rack's CEO and Co-Founder, Greg Gallant, joins me to explain how GEO is reshaping public relations. He walks through how Muck Rack evolved from the early social media boom to the frontlines of AI-driven communications. We dig into how data and generative tools can help communicators strengthen media relationships, measure real impact, and stay relevant in an industry that is changing fast.We talk about:How PR missed the SEO wave and what GEO means for catching upWhy journalists and AI platforms are now gatekeepers of reputationWhat Muck Rack's new Generative Pulse feature reveals about how AI “reads” the newsIf you work in PR, communications, or reputation management, this is not a someday conversation. It is happening right now.Want More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider's hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. This podcast is supported by Muck Rack, the PR management platform I use to monitor media coverage, track journalist activity, and inform high-stakes strategy with real-time data. Click here to try Muck Rack for yourself. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymc...

Today, we're breaking down the secret courtroom recording that was just made public in the It Ends With Us legal battle. You've probably seen the headlines: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and Wayfarer Studios are in the middle of a messy lawsuit… but this new audio gives us a whole new layer of insight.I'm joined by Brit Madrid Mogenson (In The Cards and Stars and BZen TV) and Michael Mogenson (attorney) and together we unpack what was actually said in court, how this recording changes public perception, and why this case has become one of the most fascinating behind-the-scenes Hollywood dramas in years.We talk about:

Think PR is only for big brands with big budgets? Think again. In this episode of Social Media Decoded, host Michelle Thames sits down with Katrina Owens, founder of Knockout Directive and a top brand and publicity expert, to reveal how any personal brand can use public relations to skyrocket visibility and attract game-changing opportunities. Katrina shares how one speaking gig completely transformed her career, why building a “blue ocean” personal brand is your ticket to standing out, and exactly how PR can fuel your social media growth. You'll discover practical, beginner-friendly PR strategies you can start using today to get featured in podcasts, publications, and stages—without waiting for a massive following. Whether you're a coach, service provider, or online entrepreneur, this episode will teach you how to pitch yourself with confidence, leverage your wins for more visibility, and build a brand that feels famous for the right reasons. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why PR is a secret growth weapon for personal brands The key elements of a “blue ocean” brand How PR and social media work together for maximum reach 3 steps to become press-ready today Ways to repurpose and leverage PR wins for long-term growth Connect with Katrina Owens: Website: https://www.knockoutdirective.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knockoutdirective/ Join the Fame-Ready Challenge: https://knockoutdirective.myflodesk.com/fame-ready-challenge Let's Connect & Get Your Freebie! Stay inspired and get daily visibility tips—follow Michelle everywhere: Instagram: @michellelthames Threads: @michellelthames LinkedIn: Michelle L Thames YouTube: Michelle L Thames Podcast: Social Media Decoded Ready to increase your Visibility? Join the FREE 7-Day Visibility Challenge HERE Get your FREE $200-a-day Story Strategy guide HERE! Want my proven story strategy that's helping women earn $200/day from their audience? DM “STORY” to me on Instagram (@michellelthames) and I'll send you my favorite visibility and sales framework—free for listeners!public relations for personal brands, PR strategies for entrepreneurs, how to get featured in the media, PR tips for coaches, blue ocean branding, personal brand PR tactics, grow your brand with PR, podcast PR tips, how to become press-ready, publicity for entrepreneurs

Send us a textIn this episode, Daniel Mendez joins host Jason Mudd to discuss how PR drives B2B marketing and sales success.Tune in to learn more!Our Guest:Our episode guest is Collective Measures' Daniel Mendez, vice president of earned and owned media. He helps B2B companies integrate PR into their broader marketing strategies to support brand awareness, lead generation, and buyer engagement.Five things you'll learn from this episode:1. How PR can influence and support the B2B sales cycle2. Why aligning PR, marketing, and sales messaging improves buyer engagement3. How earned media helps generate leads4. The role of PR in positioning executives as trusted industry thought leaders5. Why measurement matters — and how to report PR impact in a B2B environment Quotables“The B2B buyer journey is long, complex, and very content-heavy.” — @DanielMendez“PR creates third-party validation that sales teams can use to move buyers forward.” — @DanielMendez“When PR, marketing, and sales aren't aligned, the buyer feels the disconnect.” — @DanielMendez“If you want measurable results from PR, it has to support business goals, not just brand awareness.” — @DanielMendez“There's no reason PR should be a silo anymore. It belongs in the B2B revenue conversation.” — @DanielMendezIf you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend. You may also support us through Buy Me a Coffee or by leaving us a quick podcast review.About Daniel MendezDaniel Mendez is vice president of earned and owned media at Collective Measures, a Minneapolis-based performance marketing agency. With more than 15 years of experience across public relations, content marketing, and media strategy, Daniel helps B2B companies connect PR with business outcomes.At Collective Measures, Daniel works closely with marketing and sales teams to align messaging, support each stage of the buyer journey, and use earned media to drive awareness and credibility in niche markets. His approach bridges strategy and execution, making PR a measurable, impactful part of the demand generation engine.Guest's contact info and resources:Daniel Mendez's websiteDaniel Mendez on LinkedInAdditional Resources:Navigating PR and communications hiring with Brooke KrugerHow public relations impacts company reputation, revenue, and recruitingCorporate comms, PR, and marketing employee turnover and staffing is hurting brandsRecorded: May 10, 2025Our On Top of PR sponsors: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.

On this episode of Proof-of-PR, Keli Callaghan, Partner at Arrington Capital, joins Kelley Weaver to discuss the importance of founder-led thought leadership in brand strategy. Keli covers topics such as thought leadership amongst founders, strategies for building communities, ways to make your brand stand out from the crowd and much more! To stay up-to-date on upcoming guests and news by following us on Twitter at @ProofOfPR.  #ProofofPR #Podcast #Crypto ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● Timestamps: 0:00 | Intro 1:00 | Who is Keli Callaghan? 4:50 | How has Crypto changed? 8:14 | Thought Leadership for Founders 11:13 | Community Building Strategies 13:33 | Recruiting from Universities 15:03 | BITWIRE AD SEGMENT 16:24 | How to make your brand stand out 18:27 | How to measure PR success 20:12 | PR Tools 21:59 | How PR professionals can get into the Crypto industry 25:14 | How to juggle being a Mom and a PR career 29:23 | Time-management Tips 31:10 | Future of Crypto-related Marketing 34:17 | Most fulfilling part of Keli's job 35:28 | Final thoughts from Keli Callaghan ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬●

Is your media diet making you smarter? Or just more stubborn? In this episode, we sit down with senior communicator and former journalist Mark Burey to explore how the collapse of shared truth is reshaping public relations. From the erosion of local journalism to the rise of AI-generated content. What does media literacy really looks like today? And what role do PR professionals play in rebuilding trust? Listen For7:33 What media literacy means in 202510:13 The decline of local journalism and its ripple effects11:08 How PR has absorbed the watchdog role13:39 What to do when misinformation feels like fact15:43 Appreciative inquiry: changing minds without confrontation21:23 Answer to Last Episode's Question From Guest Bradley Davis Guest: Mark BureyWebsite | Email | LinkedIn  Rate this podcast with just one click Stories and Strategies WebsiteCurzon Public Relations WebsiteApply to be a guest on the podcastConnect with usLinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | PinterestRequest a transcript of this episodeSupport the show

That Solo Life, Episode 303: The Folly of AI First Strategies   Episode Summary: In this episode of That Solo Life, co-hosts Karen Swim, APR  of Solo PR Pro and Michelle Kane  of Voice Matters explore the growing trend of adopting an “AI-first” strategy in business and marketing. While artificial intelligence has proven to be a valuable tool, Michelle and Karen argue for a balanced approach that prioritizes human expertise and thoughtful integration. They discuss examples of companies misusing AI, how it impacts customer experiences, and smart ways organizations can combine AI with human intelligence for the best outcomes. The episode is a must-listen for PR pros and marketers navigating the evolving digital landscape. Episode Highlights: The risks of an AI-first strategy: Why adopting AI without enough forethought or balance creates inefficiencies, costs, and poor customer experiences. Examples of misuse: Companies like Xfinity and Business Insider illustrate how over-reliance on AI can backfire. The human factor: The importance of human intelligence in areas like PR, customer service, and even medical diagnostics. Using AI wisely: How organizations can leverage AI as a complementary tool rather than a full replacement for human effort. Lessons for PR pros: Why PR professionals must adapt to AI tools while continuing to demonstrate their unique value to organizations. Episode Timestamps 00:18 - Introductions and episode overview. 00:48 - The rise of AI in marketing and business strategies. 01:40 - Examples of companies going all-in on AI and walking it back (Duolingo, Business Insider). 02:34 - Michelle and Karen discuss Xfinity's chatbot issues and the customer frustration it causes. 04:36 - Why prioritizing customer experience should always come first. 05:25 - Effective uses of AI in ad tools and automation versus areas where human expertise is irreplaceable. 07:17 - Human connection and the ongoing need for person-to-person community in a digital age. 09:57 - The integration of AI in PR and marketing fields; potential risks and opportunities. 12:04 - How PR pros can become trusted advisors by skillfully blending AI tools with human insight. 12:53 - Closing thoughts and encouragement to share the episode. 00:12:56 - Conclusion and Call to Action   Related Episodes & Additional Resources   PR Daily: Business Insider layoffs Fast Company: Going ‘AI first' appears to be backfiring on Klarna and Duolingo  Brandnation: Social Media and AI  Host & Show Info That Solo Life is a podcast for public relations, communication and marketing professionals that work as independent and small hosted by Karen Swim, APR and Michelle Kane. Karen is the founder of Words For Hire, a PR agency that specializes in B2B, Technology and Healthcare, and the President of Solo PR, a community dedicated to independent practitioners in public relations, communications and related fields. Michelle Kane is the Principal of Voice Matters, a  company that offers PR, Communications Consulting, Editorial and Voiceover Services. Talk to Us Karen Swim - LinkedIn, Threads, Instagram Michelle Kane - LinkedIn, Instagram Please Share and Review If you found this episode helpful, please share it with your network! Don't forget to subscribe to That Solo Life for weekly insights tailored for PR pros and solo marketers. You can also connect with us at SoloPRPro.com with your questions or comments. Thank you for listening! Please leave a review here - even a sentence helps. Share and tag us (@SoloPRPro) on social media so that we can thank you personally! Thanks for listening!

Ever felt like PR is a mysterious world reserved for big brands with even bigger budgets? In this episode, I'm thrilled to chat with Pippa Goulden, founder of The PR Set, who is on a mission to make PR accessible and achievable for small business owners like us. Pippa shares her wealth of experience, breaking down exactly what PR is (and isn't!), and offers practical, actionable advice on how we can start leveraging its power to build our brands and reach our ideal audiences. Get ready to take notes, because this episode is packed with insights you'll want to implement straight away!   Key Takeaways PR is more than just press: While media coverage is a part of PR, it's fundamentally about getting other people to talk about your business. This could be through podcast interviews, collaborations, speaking opportunities, or even networking. Start with your network and what feels comfortable: You don't need to aim for major national press from day one. Begin by exploring opportunities within your existing network and with activities that align with your comfort zone. Consistency and momentum are key: PR is often a slow burn; it's about building momentum over time. Don't get discouraged if you don't see huge results immediately; keep putting one foot in front of the other. Storytelling is powerful, but not the only way: Sharing your founder story or other compelling narratives can be very effective in PR, but it's not a prerequisite. Focus on your expertise and what value you can offer to the end reader or listener. Pitching effectively means being concise, relevant, and confident: When reaching out for PR opportunities, keep your pitch short, tailor it to the specific person or publication, and clearly articulate the value you bring to their audience.   Episode Highlights 02:41: How PR sits within the broader marketing landscape 04:00: Beyond just press coverage 11:00: The role of storytelling in PR 20:00: The importance of persistence and not expecting overnight success with PR. 24:00: Top tips for crafting a compelling and effective pitch.   About the Guest Pippa Goulden is the founder of The PR Set, an organisation dedicated to helping small business owners understand and utilise PR effectively. With a background working with big brands and agencies, Pippa realised her passion lay in empowering entrepreneurs with interesting stories and innovative ideas. Website: theprset.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippa_the.pr.set/ Membership: DIY PR Membership LinkedIn: Pippa Goulden   I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode! This episode was written and recorded by me and1 produced by Lucy Lucraft (http://lucylucraft.co.uk) If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

From the streets of New York to a nationwide tech platform, Jared Rosenthal built a DNA and drug testing empire… from a truck. Yep, you heard right. The “Who's Your Daddy” RV didn't just turn heads—it launched a viral guerrilla marketing masterclass and even landed him a show on VH1.He's got stories of bus drivers chasing him down for paternity tests, tips for building your own scalable backend, and a real take on how AI is reshaping the future of small business.Why listen? If you're a founder looking to grow without funding, scale operations, or crack national PR without a cent spent on ads—this one's a banger.

PR doesn't have to be a black box—or a budget buster. In this episode of Retention Chronicles, Mariah sits down with Gloria Chou, a former diplomat turned PR coach, to unpack how ecommerce brands can land top-tier media coverage without an agency or huge following. Gloria shares her CPR pitch framework that's helped thousands of founders get featured in outlets like BuzzFeed, Oprah's Favorite Things, and Refinery29 using nothing but cold emails.From leveraging seasonal trends to finding the right journalists and tracking results, this conversation is a masterclass in scrappy, strategic PR. If you're a Shopify brand looking to turn press into profit, this one's for you.Episode Timestamps:00:00 – 02:59 → Intro & why post-purchase experience matters03:00 – 05:30 → Gloria's unconventional path to PR & why small brands can win05:30 – 11:40 → The power of PR: SEO, credibility, and the CPR pitch formula11:40 – 16:00 → Personalization, pitching journalists, and building relationships16:00 – 20:00 → Follow-up strategies, seasonal pitching, and time-saving tips20:00 – 23:00 → Maximizing ROI: tracking, repurposing, and compounding value23:00 – 25:30 → How PR builds retention and beats influencer marketing25:30 – 28:30 → Favorite tools: Substack, Source of Sources, and Gloria's free masterclass28:30 – End → Where to find Gloria's resources & final takeawaysResources:Free PR Masterclass

In this episode of The Backstory on Marketing and AI, we explore the collision of AI and SEO with HelloSEO's founder. With over a decade of experience, she shares how AI-enabled market research is transforming how marketers approach digital visibility—and what still can't be replaced by machines.Discover:· Why human expertise still matters in SEO· How to use AI without losing reader trust· The danger of relying on AI for keyword research· How PR, backlinks, and EEAT play a critical role in your rankings· Why zero-click content is changing everything· What AI-powered search engines mean for local businessesFrom startups to Fortune 500 brands, this episode offers invaluable insights into building long-term SEO success in the age of AI.

This is part two of a two part series with Taylor Sparks, sex educator and founder of OrganicLoven.com, one of the largest BIPOC run sex toy companies in the U.S.  The work Taylor put in before COVID set her up for a staggering 700% growth! She goes into what went into setting up relationships with multiple distributors, hiring a PR agent, and implementing affiliate marketing. We also get into the message of Taylor's business and how she both lives it and teaches it. She breaks down misconceptions about non-monogamy and what being open about our sex lives can do for us when it comes to communication, boundaries, and emotional honesty in all our relationships. This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: How Organic Loven thrived while competitors shut down Her $150k+ bestseller sex toy (thanks to press!) How PR and affiliate networks fuel e-commerce sales Taylor's book and coaching programs on ethical non-monogamy What makes non-monogamy work (or not) Her personal standards for dating, relationships, and sex Mentioned in this podcast: https://www.organicloven.com/  Now it's time to GET PAID Thanks for tuning into the Get Paid Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and leave your honest review. Connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, visit my website for even more detailed strategies, and be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media. Now, it's time to go get yourself paid

Cheyenne Beam is a public relations executive with over nine years of experience in music, entertainment, lifestyle, and fashion. Based in New York, he has led PR campaigns for top artists at Interscope and Island Records, including Rae Sremmurd, Swae Lee, Willow Smith, Toni Braxton, and Jessie Reyez. Specializing in brand strategy, media relations, and crisis management, he continues to drive impactful campaigns and build lasting brand equity.Connect with Cheyenne Beam!https://www.instagram.com/cheyennebeamCHAPTERS:0:00 - Introduction0:56 - Meet Cheyenne Beam2:18 - Cheyenne shares his journey from launching a bow tie company to entering the PR industry7:48 - Cheyenne explains why he stopped his bow tie company9:27 - Cheyenne shares his thoughts on Timothée Chalamet's outfit upon his promotional tour for his Bob Dylan movie10:14 - Were Brad Pitt's uniquely styled outfits during his divorce from Angelina Jolie intentional for PR?11:43 - Behind-the-scenes insights on PR during campaigns and promotional tours13:13 - How a publicist assists with press and podcast outreach during event promotions15:33 - How to start working in the PR industry from scratch18:47 - How PR professionals build relationships with the media, press, and writers20:47 - Cheyenne shares his experience as a freelancer after leaving Interscope Records22:46 - PR strategy for getting artists into mainstream publications24:53 - Can an artist get into Vogue magazine without the help of PR?27:20 - How a publicist starts and grows with an artist throughout their career29:05 - The combination of PR strategies and social media presence to achieve an artist's success30:54 - Why it's important to combine social media presence with journalism32:56 - Cheyenne shares the publicists who inspire him: Chris Chambers and Yvette Noel-Schure35:43 - Behind-the-scenes: How does PR expert Chris Chambers works with his clients36:53 - Cheyenne shares behind-the-scenes PR work at major red carpet events like the Oscars and Grammys39:35 - How publicists handle having multiple clients at the same event41:21 - Publicist pitches vs. Direct invitations: How are guests chosen for major events like Grammys?42:46 - Do celebrities choose their interviews or follow publicist recommendations?45:02 - Podcast vs. television: Are podcasts the new go-to for campaign runs?46:30 - Cheyenne explains why even successful artists like Beyoncé and Drake need a publicist49:31 - PR's role in handling paparazzi harassment and negative media coverage53:42 - Cheyenne's thoughts Michael Jackson's PR spin during his slander controversy55:03 - Cheyenne shares his thoughts on the "No statement or disappear for 6 months" media avoidance strategy56:05 - Kourtney Kardashian & Mason Disick controversy: Do celebrities create media distractions to hide the truth?58:33 - Cheyenne's thoughts on the Smith family controversy during Red Table Talk1:00:50 - Cheyenne shares behind-the-scenes moments from Jessie Reyez's album promotions1:03:23 - Cheyenne discusses PR strategies used during Jessie Reyez's album promotions1:05:02 - Cheyenne shares how they helped Jessie Reyez reach diverse media outlets when promoting her music1:08:44 - Do PR firms give new employees access to industry contacts, or do they have to build their own?1:10:02 - Cheyenne shares how freelance publicists acquire new clients and reconnect with old ones1:10:47 - Cheyenne provides email subject line tips for media outreach1:11:41 - How do publicists coordinate press tours for celebrities like Beyoncé?1:12:46 - Cheyenne shares his thoughts on Kanye using Twitter to promote his new albums1:14:12 - Has Cheyenne been able to merge his passion for music, fashion, and film into his PR work?1:16:37 - Staying ahead of fashion trends vs. sticking to classic style1:18:25 - Cheyenne's recent life discoveries1:19:54 - Cheyenne's personal goals for the next six months1:21:56 - Connect with Cheyenne1:22:42 - Outro

Send us a textIn this episode, Linda Zebian joins host Jason Mudd to discuss the challenges journalists face in maintaining work-life balance and how PR professionals can better support them. She shares industry insights from Muck Rack, explores newsroom pressures, and offers strategies for improving media relations.Tune in to learn more!Our Guest:Linda Zebian is the senior director of communications at Muck Rack. She leads internal and external communications strategies across the enterprise. Her work spans across messaging, issues management, media relations, social media, and employee communications. As Muck Rack's first-ever communications hire, Linda brought extensive experience from The New York Times, where she spent 10 years in various communications roles. She was named a “Woman to Watch” by PRWeek in 2024 and recognized for her leadership in Ragan Communications' 2023 Top Women in PR list.Five things you'll learn from this episode:1. The current state of work-life balance in journalism2. Key stressors impacting media professionals today3. How PR professionals can improve relationships with journalists4. The evolving landscape of newsroom workflows5. Strategies to support journalists' well-being and efficiencyQuotables"The media industry has changed dramatically, and work-life balance is a bigger challenge than ever." — @LindaZebian"Journalists are under immense pressure. PR pros can help by being mindful of their time and needs." — @LindaZebian"The relationship between PR and journalists should be built on trust, efficiency, and respect." — @JasonMudd9"Empathy in media relations goes a long way. Understanding journalists' workload can improve PR success." — @LindaZebian"Being strategic and concise in your pitches will make journalists more receptive to your stories." — @JasonMudd9If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend, buy us a coffee, or leave us a quick podcast review.About Linda ZebianLinda Zebian is the senior director of communications at Muck Rack, where she leads internal and external communications strategy, including messaging, issues management, media relations, social media, and employee communications. She joined Muck Rack in January 2022 as its first-ever director of communications, bringing a wealth of experience in media and corporate communications.Before working at Muck Rack, Linda spent a decade at The New York Times, where she held various communications roles supporting growth, product, and technology teams. She played a key role in reinforcing the company's innovation and financial success, driving subscription growth, and strengthening brand affinity. Prior to that, she worked at Consumers Union, managing media relations for Consumer Reports. She began her career as a reporter at Folio before transitioning into conference programming for Red 7 Media.Linda was named a “Woman to Watch” by PRWeek in 2024 and a “Top Woman in PR for Leadership” by Ragan Communications in 2023. She frequently givSupport 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.

Episode Summary:  Cybercrime is advancing at an alarming rate, impacting both personal lives and professional industries—including public relations. Karen Swim, APR of Solo PR Pro and Michelle Kane of Voice Matters explore the latest tactics scammers are using, from phishing emails to fraudulent links, and how PR professionals can protect themselves and their clients in this evolving digital landscape.    What You'll Learn:  Personal tips to guard against scams like phishing texts, spoofed calls, and fraudulent emails.  Why vigilance is key for protecting private information and financial assets.  How PR professionals can ensure their campaigns and communications build trust and avoid looking suspicious to audiences.  Tools and best practices for managing online safety, such as masking your email and avoiding suspicious links.  Insight into building trustworthy client relationships in a world full of online threats.  Memorable Moments:  Michelle's bank fraud story: How trusting her instincts helped her avoid a scam.  Karen's best advice: “Never answer unknown numbers. Call back the verified line instead.”  Top tip for PR pros: Ensure your links and downloads are hosted on client websites to build credibility and assure safety.  Episode Timestamps 00:00:00 - Introduction to Online Fraud  00:00:42 - Personal Experience with Scams  00:01:40 - Best Practices for Handling Unknown Calls  00:02:40 - The Rise of Cyber Attacks  00:03:40 - Protecting Your Personal Information  00:04:40 - The Importance of Trust in Communication  00:05:40 - Navigating Links and Downloads Safely  00:06:40 - Building Trust with Your Audience  00:07:40 - Avoiding Scams in Promotions  00:08:40 - Vigilance in Everyday Life  00:09:40 - Resources for Staying Informed  00:10:40 - Conclusion and Call to Action   Resources / Links Mentioned:  Know to Protect - Toolkit for tips to stay safe online Krebs on Security - Security expert that shares information on security threats Shelley DeMotte Kramer - technology expert who shares digestible insights on cybercrime and security trends. The Hacker News - Good news source for cyberthreats CSO online - News and info site for CSOs, but good place to keep up What is Two-Factor Authentication - TechTarget Apps and services for masking phone numbers and email addresses.  The Opt-Out Project - services and steps for cybercleansing Burner App - can set up multiple “burner” numbers on your cell that allow you to call and send from your cell phone Apple Hide My Email Have you or your clients been affected by cybercrime? Share your experiences in the comments or on social media to help others stay one step ahead. And if you found this episode helpful, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and fellow PR professionals.  Listen Now: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Solo PR Enjoyed the episode?  Please leave a review here - even a sentence helps. Share and tag us (@SoloPRPro, @KarenSwim) on social media so that we can thank you personally! 

Ever feel like you're working twice as hard as you did in corporate—but still not making the money you deserve? If you're nodding along, this episode is for YOU.  I'm diving into the biggest shift you need to make to start landing high-ticket opportunities with ease. Spoiler alert: it's NOT about working harder—it's about working smarter (and leveraging LinkedIn & PR to do the heavy lifting for you). If you're tired of hustling for every dollar, constantly launching, or feeling like you have to be “everywhere” to make an impact—breathe easy. There's a better way. A way that brings in premium clients, lucrative deals, and major media opportunities—without burnout.   #GoodGirlsGetRich  We want to hear your thoughts on this episode! Leave us a message on Speakpipe or email us at info@karenyankovich.com.   Episode Highlights: The BIGGEST mistake women entrepreneurs make when pricing their services (and why you're probably undercharging!) Why low-ticket offers keep you stuck in hustle mode—and how to shift into high-ticket success How to position yourself as the go-to expert on LinkedIn—without posting 24/7 The She's LinkedUp method for attracting high-ticket opportunities—without chasing clients How PR and media visibility can help you land speaking gigs, board seats, and premium clients The simple strategy my clients use to reduce hustle, increase profits, and finally create ease in their business High-Ticket Success Starts with Positioning—Not Hustling Too many women spend way too much time focusing on selling low-ticket offers, thinking they need volume to be profitable. But the real secret? Premium, high-ticket opportunities change EVERYTHING. It's NOT about overcharging—it's about creating transformational offers that allow you to deliver massive value without burning out. It's NOT about working harder—it's about attracting the right opportunities that pay you what you're worth. It's NOT about constantly launching—it's about building relationships that lead to premium clients, speaking gigs, and high-profile media features. The shift starts when you package your expertise into premium services that position you as a high-level consultant, strategist, or advisor—not just another service provider. And guess where most high-ticket deals happen? Not on Instagram. Not in your email list. They happen on LinkedIn. Why LinkedIn is the #1 Platform for High-Ticket Opportunities Most people think LinkedIn is just for job seekers. But here's the truth: LinkedIn is the most powerful networking tool for high-ticket deals, premium collaborations, and thought leadership. If you're an entrepreneur, coach, consultant, or expert looking to: Land $10K+ contracts instead of chasing $100 sales Attract decision-makers and top-tier clients—instead of cold pitching and hoping for the best Get referrals, board seats, and speaking opportunities—without posting content every day Then it's time to make LinkedIn your secret weapon. FACT: The biggest opportunities don't come from random social media posts. They come from relationships. And LinkedIn is the BEST place to build those relationships with the RIGHT people. In She's LinkedUp, I show you exactly how to: Optimize your LinkedIn profile so high-ticket clients see you as the expert (not just another connection) Get in front of decision-makers without spending hours posting content Build a pipeline of referrals and inbound opportunities (so you're not constantly chasing clients) Land media features and podcast interviews that instantly boost your credibility The best part? You don't need to be online all day, creating content or DM'ing hundreds of people. It's about working smarter—not harder. PR & Media: The Ultimate Shortcut to High-Ticket Credibility Want to fast-track your authority and get high-paying clients to come to YOU? Get featured in the media. Here's why PR is a game-changer for high-ticket success: Instant Credibility – When you're featured in outlets like Forbes, NBC, or Entrepreneur, your perceived value skyrockets. Massive Visibility – Instead of hustling for leads, PR puts you in front of thousands (or millions) of the right people. Authority Positioning – When the media endorses you, you no longer have to "sell" yourself.  You become the sought-after expert. Think about it—would you rather:  ❌ Hustle for 100 clients at $100 each?  ✅ Or land ONE premium client at $10,000+ because they saw you featured as an expert in the press? PR magnifies your LinkedIn strategy. It's why I teach both inside She's LinkedUp—because when you combine LinkedIn networking with PR visibility, you become unstoppable. She's LinkedUp: The 2025 Upgrade is Here! We've completely reimagined She's LinkedUp for 2025, and I couldn't be more excited! If you're ready to create: A high-ticket, ease-filled business that pays you what you're worth Opportunities that come to YOU instead of chasing clients A magnetic personal brand that gets you booked for speaking, media, and premium consulting Then I'd love to chat! DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram with "I'm ready", and I'll send you all the details. No pressure, no hustle—just a real conversation about how we can get you into the next level of success. Loved This Episode? Let's Share the Wealth! If this episode resonated with you, screenshot it and tag me on LinkedIn or Instagram so I can reshare your post and get YOU more visibility! Know someone who's ready to ditch the hustle and step into abundance? Share this episode with them! This is how we lift each other up and build businesses with ease. I can't wait to hear your biggest takeaways! Your high-ticket, no-hustle business is waiting for you. Let's make it happen.  MAGICAL QUOTES FROM THE EPISODE: "Reducing the hustle doesn't mean reducing the impact—it means positioning yourself for the right opportunities that pay you what you're worth." "Your biggest opportunities won't come from random social media posts. They come from relationships—real connections with decision-makers who can say YES." "If you're not standing out, you're invisible. And invisible businesses don't get clients. Visibility is non-negotiable." "High-ticket success isn't about overcharging—it's about delivering at a premium level so everyone wins, including YOU." Resources Mentioned In the Episode: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Karen Yankovich Follow me on Instagram: @karenyankovich Learn more about the She's LinkedUp: Reignite & Rise Up Program – Launching March 2025. DM me READY to be the first to know when doors open! If this episode fired you up, share it with a friend who needs to hear it. Tag me so I can shout you out, and let's rise together. Because when women rise, we ALL rise. See you next time—until then, go be unstoppable! Help Us Spread The Word! It would be awesome if you shared the Good Girls Get Rich Podcast with your fellow entrepreneurs on Twitter. Click here to tweet some love! If this episode has taught you just one thing, I would love if you could head on over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW! And if you're moved to, kindly leave us a rating and review. Maybe you'll get a shout out on the show!   Ways to Subscribe to Good Girls Get Rich: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via PlayerFM Good Girls Get Rich is also on Spotify Take a listen on Podcast Addict

Do you want to know the difference between marketing and PR? Marketing is when you say something nice about yourself; PR is when other people say nice things about you. Jenna Guarneri is the founder of JMG Public Relations and author of the bestseller "You Need PR." In this episode, she shares DIY PR tactics that help founders establish themselves as experts, attract customers, and raise their profile with investors — without spending a fortune on an agency. If you've ever wondered why reporters never get back to you, we cover that, too. Key takeaways from this episode: ✅ Why PR comes before PMF in the startup playbook ✅ The biggest PR misconceptions founders have (and how to avoid them) ✅ How to craft a media pitch that actually gets responses ✅ DIY PR strategies for building credibility before you hire a firm ✅ The right way to engage with journalists without being ignored ✅ How PR can help secure funding and drive startup growth If you're trying to take control of your PR strategy and attract positive attention, listen in. RUNTIME 31:28 EPISODE BREAKDOWN (1:52) How Jenna sets client expectations on what PR can and cannot accomplish. (5:14) Key signals that indicate an early-stage startup is ready to hire outside PR. (6:41) “The founders usually are amenable to PR and doing media interviews. It kind of comes with the territory of being a founder.” (7:59) How to get started with DIY PR by sharing thought leadership that creates value. (11:35) “PR should be done at the very beginning, right from the very start.” (12:20) The right way for stealth startups to approach PR. (13:02) The top reasons why reporters ignore pitches — and how to avoid them. (15:21) Crafting a news hook that genuinely engages journalists. (17:33) How your world changes when PR starts working. (18:50) “Effective public relations will drive the business in a number of ways.” (20:50) How to interview and vet a PR firm before making a commitment. (22:46) PR is a long game: “We can't work miracles in three months.” (25:22) Why using ChatGPT to pitch reporters is a terrible idea. (27:42) “Content creation does take a lot of time, a lot of energy, but it goes a long way really quickly for brand awareness.” (30:14) The one question Jenna would have to ask before hiring a PR firm. LINKS Jenna Guarneri JMG Public Relations You Need PR SUBSCRIBE

Welcome to Good Girls Get Rich! I'm your host, Karen Yankovich and let me tell you—this episode? It's a little bit of a Jersey girl rant, but you are going to love it. This is your WAKE-UP CALL, because 2025 is the year we stop playing small, my friend. If you've been hustling, grinding, doing #AllTheThings, and still feeling stuck—this is for YOU. You deserve clients who pay you what you're worth. You deserve to be seen as the expert you already are. You deserve money that flows to you with ease—not burnout. And that's exactly what we're diving into today.   #GoodGirlsGetRich  We want to hear your thoughts on this episode! Leave us a message on Speakpipe or email us at info@karenyankovich.com.   Episode Highlights: Why women entrepreneurs are feeling more exhausted than ever (hello, social media treadmill!) The secret to getting off that constant content hamster wheel. Why lowering your prices or taking on draining clients is NOT the answer. The mindset shifts you need to break through that income plateau. My proven 3-part formula for wealth with ease: High-Ticket Offers + LinkedIn Positioning + Media Visibility. Why LinkedIn is still THE goldmine for women ready to level up. How PR accelerates your wealth and magnetizes high-value clients straight to your inbox. This Is YOUR Year to Rise Up I've been there. I've done the hustle, I've hit the burnout wall, and I've wondered, “Is it me? Am I not cut out for this?” Spoiler alert: It's NOT you. It's the system. And it's time we break it. What worked in 2019? It's not working in 2025. The women I work with are winning because they've shifted. They've built high-ticket offers that allow them to serve at their highest level. They're showing up powerfully on LinkedIn, not just posting for the algorithm but making real connections. And they're leveraging PR—getting featured on podcasts, in media, and on TV—to elevate their authority and attract dream clients. My Signature Wealth with Ease Formula: High-Ticket Offers – Stop undercharging. Serve fewer clients, overdeliver, and build wealth without burnout. LinkedIn Positioning – It's not about posting every day. It's about positioning yourself as the go-to expert and building strategic relationships. Media & PR Visibility – When you're featured in the media, your credibility skyrockets. Dream clients come to you ready to invest. Ready to Stop Playing Small? This is just the beginning of a special series leading up to the relaunch of my She's LinkedUp: Reignite & Rise Up program in March 2025. If you're ready to finally step into your power, send me a DM on LinkedIn or Instagram with the word READY, and I'll make sure you get all the details as we roll them out. Because when women have money, the world changes. And this? This is your year. Magical Quotes from the Episode: Karen Yankovich "You are not the problem—you are the solution." "High-ticket offers + LinkedIn positioning + media visibility = wealth with ease." "When women rise, we all rise. When women have money, the world changes."   Resources Mentioned In the Episode: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Karen Yankovich Follow me on Instagram: @karenyankovich Learn more about the She's LinkedUp: Reignite & Rise Up Program – Launching March 2025. DM me READY to be the first to know when doors open! If this episode fired you up, share it with a friend who needs to hear it. Tag me so I can shout you out, and let's rise together. Because when women rise, we ALL rise. See you next time—until then, go be unstoppable! Help Us Spread The Word! It would be awesome if you shared the Good Girls Get Rich Podcast with your fellow entrepreneurs on Twitter. Click here to tweet some love! If this episode has taught you just one thing, I would love if you could head on over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW! And if you're moved to, kindly leave us a rating and review. Maybe you'll get a shout out on the show!   Ways to Subscribe to Good Girls Get Rich: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via PlayerFM Good Girls Get Rich is also on Spotify Take a listen on Podcast Addict

If you want to grow your business and establish yourself as an industry expert, PR can be a game-changer. In this episode, I chat withMeghan Ely, founder ofOFD Consulting, about how creative entrepreneurs can leverage media opportunities to build their reputation, boost visibility, and attract their dream clients.Meghan shares her own journey from being known as "the venue person" to becoming a top wedding PR expert, plus actionable strategies for shifting your brand perception, getting featured in the press, and using PR to improve your SEO.We also discuss:✨ How to position yourself as the go-to expert in your field✨ Why content and visibility are key to rebranding yourself✨ How PR can help you book more clients and increase credibility✨ The biggest mistakes business owners make when trying to get pressWhether you're pivoting your brand or looking to build your media presence, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss!

 Want to scale your business and increase revenue, but not sure where to start? In this episode of Social Media Decoded, I'm taking you behind the scenes of a real client success story—how we helped a business triple their revenue using a strategic mix of organic marketing, PR, social media, and paid ads. If you're struggling with marketing, feeling stuck in your business, or wondering whether hiring a marketing agency is the right move for you, this episode is a must-listen! What You'll Learn in This Episode: ✔️ The exact strategies we used to 3X a client's revenue ✔️ Why brand positioning and messaging are crucial for sales ✔️ How PR, influencer marketing, and content strategy build trust ✔️ The power of social media & paid ads to drive consistent leads ✔️ Why working with a marketing agency is a game-changer for growth About Thames Media Solutions We're the Jane of all trades when it comes to marketing. Our agency helps businesses scale by handling everything from: ✅ Social media management & content strategy ✅ Influencer marketing & brand partnerships ✅ PR & media outreach ✅ Paid advertising (Facebook & Instagram ads) ✅ Brand audits & marketing strategy execution If you're ready to take your business to the next level, book a free strategy call today →HERE Who This Episode Is For: Business owners who want better marketing results Entrepreneurs feeling stuck in their revenue growth Brands looking for done-for-you marketing services Anyone curious about how a marketing agency can help them scale Resources & Links Mentioned:

Carrie Hill, Chief Architect of CHill Consulting Agency, takes us on her journey to entrepreneurship—from discovering her innate talent for storytelling to building a boutique PR firm. As a publicist, brand manager, and content creator, Carrie shares how she uses her expertise to elevate her clients' brands through authentic and impactful narratives. Tune in for a conversation around: How PR stands apart from marketing and sales by creating genuine human connections through the “why” behind the “what.” The power of earned media versus paid media, and how authentic storytelling builds trust and long-term engagement. The story behind Empowered, an eight-week program Carrie co-founded to help single mothers transition from welfare to sustainable careers. -- The Midnight Founders Podcast is powered by RevRoad and CB Vault.   

On the podcast today I'm chatting with Will Hart about the launch of PRmoment Leaders 3rd semester, from late Jan to April 2025.We also talk about the PR agency market currently and where it's at after an eventful 2024.Before that, the breaking news is that the PRmoment Awards final entry deadline is the 17th January. Don't miss the opportunity to create proof points of the quality of your agency's work.Thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.2 mins Will reminds us about what PRmoment Leaders is all about?5 mins What are the challenges faced by PR agency directors currently - the people who are likely to be the future leaders of their businesses.“They are too time poor… delegation is an important theme for these people.”“A  PR agency's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. People often work down a level because they are so great at individual relationships, clients don't let them go. They get trapped in their client relationships."“There is an ongoing experiment in optimising hybrid working.”“Everyone is dealing with huge ongoing disruption and change. And the pace just gets quicker.”9 mins Will, through PRmoment Leaders, has a unique perspective on the PR agency market atm:“One huge difference I see is the difference between the independent agencies and the holding company firms.”“From the people we have in our cohort, you've got to feel positive about the new business environment.”Here's the link Ben Smith mentioned to the show with Warren Johnson on a previous PRmoment Podcast.14 mins Will talks about PR agency talent trends.17 mins Will talks us through the Masterclass speakers for the third semester of the agency cohort of PRmoment Leaders. More info about this semester here.1. Jonathan Hughes Edelman, EMEA COOHow to create and lead a PR agency in a constant state of evolution2. Jonny Bentwood Golin, global head, data & analyticsWhy data storytelling matters and how to do it well3. Charlotte West, Lenovo, VP global corporate commsFuture-proofing the agency/client relationship4. Howard Jones, Telecoms sector, comms directorWhat is the role of earned media in today's integrated world?5. Jo Patterson. Zeno London, managing directorPR agency governance. Not as boring as it sounds6. Adrian Ma, Fanclub PR, founder and managing directorWhat's the point of purpose (when almost everyone is doing it)?22 mins Will talks about PRmoment Leaders In-House programme for the second semester of PRmoment Leaders:1. Caroline Fisher, ASICS, comms director How PR is taking the lead in integrated campaigns2. Sheeraz Gulsher,People Like Us & Braver, founderHow to improve the diversity, inclusion and retention of PR teams3. Marsid Greenidge. Vesuvius, group head of commsPR and Internal Comms - how does the relationship work best?4. Richard Baines, The Amber Group, founder & directorHarnessing personality types for team success5. Sian O'Keefe, FMCG comms directorHow to build and maintain great agency partnerships

Let's start creating the life you want right now. Amanda Delosa is a wife, mom, and entrepreneur. She's worked in media and communications in the world of politics before moving on to start her own PR agency, Yellow Panda. She loves working with young founders, helping them grow their brands online. There's a difference between having the desire for something versus working towards something and actually achieving it. When you free yourself from outside expectations and decide to put the work in, you can have the life you really want. In this episode, you will learn about: Amanda's educational background and what led her to the world of PR. How PR is a challenging industry for Amanda (and why that's a good thing). One thing you can do today to start creating the life you want. The power of manifestation and how to put it into overdrive. What to do when you feel like you're falling behind in life. Amanda's tips for living an integrated life and how she maximizes her time. The big changes Amanda made to shed her old self and find her strength. Where the best lessons come from and how to embrace them. Why support is so important for making your vision a reality. What it means to be a wild woman: Someone who prioritizes themselves and acknowledges what a gift it is to others.   Check out The Pink Skirt Project, happening June 12, 2025 in Kelowna, BC, Canada.    Got a minute? I would love a review! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap, and give me five stars. Then select "Write a Review." Make sure to highlight your favorite bits. Subscribe here. Connect with Amanda: www.instagram.com/amandapandadelosa www.yellowpanda.com.au Connect with Renée: @renee_warren @we.wild.women www.reneewarren.com

Episode Summary:New research from WE Communications and USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations finds communication professionals who frequently use AI are more excited to come to work. In this episode of PR Future, host Fred Cook is joined by Lindsey Bastani and Michael Sullivan from WE Communications to discuss the impact of AI in the PR industry. The study tracks evolving perceptions and use of AI tools among PR and communication professionals over the past year. Bastani and Sullivan share insights on how AI boosts job satisfaction and perceived value, as well as the strategies needed to foster a culture of AI adoption. Looking ahead, the study points to the rise of more specialized AI applications tailored to the unique needs of PR professionals, signaling the technology's transformative potential for the industry.Episode Guests:Lindsey Bastani, EVP, Technology, WE CommunicationsMichael Sullivan, VP, Strategic Insights, WE CommunicationsDescription:This episode is grounded in a year-on-year study showing communicators are now more familiar with AI's capabilities and key use cases, including content creation, data analysis, and media landscape research. The conversation also highlights the importance of senior leadership in fostering a culture of AI adoption, learning, and experimentation, as this leads to increased job satisfaction and value perception. Despite initial concerns, communicators are now more confident and see AI as a tool to enhance, rather than replace, their roles. The discussion also touches on the need for training and the potential for AI to streamline tasks and improve efficiency.Highlights:Discussion on the changing perceptions of AI within the PR industry over the past year [1:21] Strategies for creating a culture that encourages AI adoption, including leadership support and employee autonomy [5:32]How PR professionals are using AI to create content, analyse data, and research the media landscape [8:51]Importance of developing AI skills and expertise, especially for new / young professionals [13:07]Decreased concern and untapped use cases, particularly enhancing media relations [15:58]Future predictions, including the rise of more specialized AI tools tailored to communicators' needs [24:04]Advice for students and professionals on incorporating AI into their work [28:39]Resources:Energized by AI: How Technology is Changing Communicators' Relationship to Work - we-worldwide.com/energized-by-aiUSC Center for PR research reports - https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/center-public-relations/center-public-relations-research Host:Fred Cook (@fredcook), Chairman Emeritus of Golin. Author of “Improvise - Unorthodox Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO” and Director of the USC Center for Public RelationsExecutive Producer: Ron AntonetteProducers: Marshall Winfield and Isadora Binder-Helenchilde Follow us: @USCCenterforPR (BlueSky, X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads)  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/usccenterforprNewsletter: News from the USC Center for Public RelationsVisit our website: https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/center-public-relations A production of the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations at the University of Southern California.

Culturally relevant communication is powerful, especially when it's created with knowledge, empathy, and solidarity. In this episode, Melissa talks to Gabriel Reyes, the president and founder of Reyes Entertainment about his new book and efforts to inform and educate the industry pros about the need for cultural competence.About Gabriel:Gabriel Reyes is considered one of the pioneers of Hispanic marketing in the Entertainment Industry. He has led Reyes Entertainment, a boutique PR agency based in Hollywood for over two decades. In 2023, Reyes was honored by the Public Relations Society of America L.A. Chapter (PRSA-LA) with its Sunrise Honors Award in recognition of his work promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Public Relations field.Follow Reyes Entertainment on Facebook.Follow Reyes Entertainment on Instagram.Follow Reyes Entertainment on X.Follow Gabriel on TikTok.Topics covered:- The importance of cultural competence for communicators- The state of U.S. media- Defining implicit bias- How PR pros can elevate marginalized communities- How communication professionals can make a positive differenceResources mentioned: - Reyes Entertainment- "WOKE: A Cultural Competence Guide for Communicators"- "The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema"- Race Forward- "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together"- “Smart Talk: Public Relations Essentials All Pros Should Know”- MVW Communications

In this episode, Becky talks to Leah Paulos—Founder of Press Shop PR and Book Publicity School. Listen as Leah shares her advice for navigating book publicity, explains how authors can find their audiences, and outlines strategies for breaking through the noise to get as much media attention for a book as possible. During the episode, you'll learn: About Leah and her work in the world.The types of authors Leah supports and works with at Press Shop PR and Book Publicity School.Whether or not it's possible to tell if a book is going to be a big success in the media.How authors can navigate a book launch during an election year like 2024.What Leah might avoid or seek out when it comes time to decide on a release date for a book that's being published during an election year.Tips for authors to break through the noise of the media when everyone's attention is scattered. The kind of promotion an author can expect from a publisher.The connection between publicity and book sales.How PR can help people with more than just selling books.How Leah has seen PR shift over the years and what has remained the same. Why authors should be paying attention to other experts and books in their field. An exercise for crafting a good email subject line.Don't forget to check out our show notes, which include action steps and resources.Sign up for the weekly newsletter to connect with Becky Robinson and gain access to ongoing learning and conversation.

Communications is the CENTER OF ALL THINGS. On the pod, Lee interviews interesting communications pros, CEOs, branding experts, and authors to bring key insights that can be used in the day to day to make your work, your PR, your marketing WORK. Occasionally, she goes it alone to share her thoughts and insights on key topics of the day in solo shows. Today is a Solo Show with your host, Lee Caraher. What you will learn in this episode: Why PR takes so long The role of Public Relations How PR is different from advertising and marketing What the timeline looks like to see results with PR and media relations How PR and strategic communications can create lasting results for your business if done correctly Resources: Website: https://leecaraher.com/ Website: www.double-forte.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leecaraher/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecaraher Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeeCaraher1/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/leecaraher  

In this episode, John Hewitt joins On Top of PR host Jason Mudd to discuss three ways franchisors can use PR to grow their company. Guest:John Hewitt is a renowned entrepreneur who has made a significant impact in the business world through his innovative ideas and strategic thinking. He is best known for his success in the tax preparation industry, having founded two of the largest tax preparation companies in the U.S.Five things you'll learn from this episode:1.  How to use PR to build your credibility2.  How PR efforts can MAKE you money3.  The mindset needed to take advantage of PR opportunities 4. Where to start when looking for PR opportunities5.  Why maintaining relationships with journalists is important Quotables“Part of what a leader has to do is have a somewhat rational goal and be able to sell that goal.” - John Hewitt“You need a rival to inspire people and show them the path that you're on.” - Jason Mudd“PR creates that brand name, and it creates support from the local community.” - John Hewitt“We often call this newsjacking. That's the term we use for when something's happening in the news, and you twist it or position it to your benefit.” - Jason Mudd“If you get to start all over again and you don't do it much better, then you're an idiot.” - John Hewitt“Building relationships with people and not rushing into relationships but just building them slowly over time is important to public relations.” - Jason Mudd“I've gotten more comments when I've provided substantive commentary and expert, helpful advice when I'm quoted in the news.” - Jason Mudd“How can someone do business with you if they've never heard of you.” - Jason Mudd“Happy successful franchisees, that's our mantra. If franchisees are happy and successful, you can't stop growing by leaps and bounds. If they're not, you can't grow.” - John Hewitt“There's nothing more fun than changing and improving lives.” - John Hewitt  If you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?About John HewittJohn T. Hewitt is an American entrepreneur and founder of Jackson Hewitt, Liberty Tax Service, and Loyalty Brands. Together these companies account for approximately 10,000 tax preparation and business services franchises in the USA and Canada. In addition, Hewitt is a pioneer in the development and use of specialized tax-preparation software, which is now the industry's standard practice.After leaving Jackson Hewitt in 1996, John decided to launch a new company that would be the vehicle for further marketing and brand development innovations, Liberty Tax Service. The new company initially focused its operations in Canada. Liberty Tax Service was launched there when Hewitt purchased a Canadian tax company on September 1, 1997. The new concern achieved a huge measure of success by opening more than 4,000 offices in North America by 2012 which made it the fastest-growing major tax-preparation company in history. Liberty Tax Service is best known for the costumed "wavers" dressed as the Statue of Liberty used in front of offices across the country. Hewitt left Liberty Tax Service in 2018 and founded LoyalSupport 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.

Watch the #1 PR Secrets Masterclass to get you featured for free in 30 daysJoin the Small Biz PR Facebook Group to get the best PR TipsDownload the 10 ways to get free PR for your small businessPR can absolutely transform your business and life through the power of positioning and visibility. Getting your expertise in front of the right eyes can mean sales, investors, awards, invitations, recognition and so much more. But it has to be done the right way. No one trusts those pay to play Forbes feature opportunities they get in their request inbox, so why would the reader trust the sponsored article that comes from those. Even Forbes 30 under 30 lists have been under fire for just how exactly some people made it on there. So here on the Small Business PR Podcast we're all about leading with transparency, authenticity, and value, which is exactly how you're going to land media features that are ACTUALLY trusted and respected. I'm tired of business owners getting scammed 20k on agencies that don't deliver, so in today's episode we're going back to the basics and covering:-What is PR and how will it help your business-What PR scams you should watch out for-Should you invest in PR, marketing, or ads-How PR will immediately improve SEOResources Mentioned:Connect with Gloria Chou on LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloriaychou Join Gloria Chou's PR Community- https://www.facebook.com/groups/428633254951941If you want to land your first feature for free without any connections, I want to invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought-after industry expert. Register now at www.gloriachoupr.com/masterclass. Additional Resources:Get the PR Starter PackLet's connect on Instagram

Solitaire is a renowned sustainability expert who works with some of the world's most influential organizations. She is co-founder and Chief Solutionist at Futerra and trustee of the Solutions Union. In 2023 she was named ‘Agency Lead of the Year' at Adweek's Sustainability Awards. Her popular TED Talk, Forbes column and most recent book – The Solutionists: How Businesses Can Fix the Future – are available online.Resources from this episode:Learn about Futerra's projects, including climate campaigns, sustainability training for businesses, and products incubator. Watch Solitaire's 2021 TED Talk:  Are ad agencies, PR firms and lobbyists destroying the climate?Check out Futerra's web series, Solutions House. The series includes debates, presentations, and workshops — all with the motto of “Answers Only.”Read Solitaire's latest book, The Solutionists: How Businesses Can Fix the Future, and her previous book, The Happy Hero: How to Change Your Life by Changing the World.Follow Solitaire's column in Forbes. PR & Climate must reads:How PR companies hurt the climateFormer PR executive Christine Arena's 2023 congressional testimony ”Clean creatives” campaign pushing PR firms to fire their fossil fuel clientsFossil fuel companies are paying influencersThe House Natural Resource Committee's hearing about the role of public relations firms in preventing climate actionRelated episodes:Hollywood screenwriter and producer Scott Z. Burns on making climate change central to storytellingLake Street Dive on music, activism, and braveryHow to green any job with Project Drawdown's Jamie Beck Alexander***

Watch the #1 PR Secrets Masterclass to get you featured for free in 30 daysJoin the Small Biz PR Facebook Group to get the best PR TipsDownload the 10 ways to get free PR for your small businessThey say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. And if you haven't landed the number of features, media placements, and coverage that you dream of accomplishing for yourself–this episode is for you.Today, I'm breaking down the 3 reasons why your PR efforts are not working. If you've tried to pitch your way into news segments, magazine articles, or podcasts to no success, this episode is a great place to start if you want to start seeing your story and your business in your favorite publications ASAP.Tune in as I break down the 3 biggest PR mistakes business owners and entrepreneurs commonly make. I'll also share what to do instead so you can start seeing more media opportunities open up for you. Whether you've tried reaching out on HARO, sent a couple of DMs to journalists on Instagram, or have just dreamed of one day seeing your business featured on Oprah, Allure, or any major publication… the tips I share in this episode will help you kickstart your PR efforts like a pro.Topics We Discuss in this Episode:How to troubleshoot and improve your pitchesHow to start seeing PR opportunities all year roundWhy you shouldn't rewrite an entire pitch to land more pressWhy knowing relevant news and seasonal trends is importantWhy every “no” is an opportunity to turn it into a “yes”How PR and media coverage helps you serve more peopleWhy learning great PR pitching practices is a $10,000/hr skillResources Mentioned:Join Gloria Chou's PR Community: Small Biz Pros: By Gloria ChouIf you want to land your first feature for free without any connections, I want to invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought-after industry expert. Register now at www.gloriachoupr.com/masterclass. Additional Resources:Get the PR Starter Pack10 Story Angles to PitchLet's connect on InstagramI'd love to invite you to my brand new PR Secrets masterclass, where I reveal how anyone can get PR for the business (no experience necessary!). Go to gloriachoupr.com/masterclass to watch for free!I'd love to invite you to my brand new PR Secrets masterclass, where I reveal how anyone can get PR for the business (no experience necessary!). Go to gloriachoupr.com/masterclass to watch for free!