The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Are you someone who hesitates to talk about matters that matter to you because it is easier to stay quiet and avoid the backlash because you are responsible for other people's well-being? Yeah? Well, me too. I understand how it feels to be in a position of wanting to speak out when you sense there is an injustice - when something is not aligning with your core values. But caring for people wh...

The best way to manage a crisis is to prevent one. The best way to prevent a crisis is to identify the types of crises that can affect your business. In this episode, we cover the top 10 crisis types communicators need to know how to handle to lessen the damage or remove it altogether. Each one has its own unique set of challenges and implications, but each type of crisis can create significant fa...

Pitching the press is an important part of the PR process, but it is part of the job that many PR people do not necessarily want to do. Regardless of the industry you work in or represent to the media, knowing how to effectively create a pitch for the media is the most critical step to success in PR and content marketing. Guest Christy Laverty discusses the changes in news coverage from timing to...

Many law enforcement agencies, particularly local police, have learned how important it is to use social media to reach the public and the press during an active incident.  Whether it's Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, social media is as valuable resource for many police departments as it is for traditional brands and businesses.  On the podcast, Julie Parker will share her strategies for how la...

I love giving presentations, workshops and keynotes because I love helping people. I love giving virtual presentations because they are incredibly convenient, interactive and easy to use. What I know is that people no longer love (perhaps even despise), is sitting through virtual presentations. "Zoom" fatigue has certainly set in for most people when they have to log in to another - ugh...

Simply put, companies in 2021 should have a diversity statement. When Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged with killing George Floyd in May 2020, it triggered a national wave of protests throughout the country. The protests eventually simmered down, but the call for more diversity and inclusion gained the necessary traction to make diversity and inclusion a priority for companies....

The pandemic has created many problems for businesses and organizations, but it has also created a greater need for PR and communication practitioners to find ways to think beyond the challenges of 2020 to solve issues dealing with social distancing, diversity, and inclusion in 2021. Gini Dietrich shares how she advises her clients to update their PR and communication plans to meet public expectat...

Mega-influencer and bestselling self-help author Rachel Hollis found herself in her fan's crosshairs  again(!) after sharing a blunt assessment of one of her follower's comments that rubbed her the wrong way. After seemingly comparing herself to Harriet Tubman among other notable and "unrelatable" women on a Tik-Tok video, Hollis faced a severe backlash online with calls for he...

As many business leaders come to recognize that online media is an important part of any reliable business plan,  many are reluctant to take the leap onto social media for many reasons including: fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. However,  there is a significant push for turning to public relations to help boost the visibility and credibility of not only the business, but of the CE...

Mastering the on-camera presentation is a skill that can benefit anyone working in today's virtual environment.  (Look no further than Governor Andrew Cuomo. He got an Emmy for it for crying out loud. First discussion point of the episode.)  The need to convey trust and leadership via a computer screen isn't going away - ever. Brad Phillips is a master at understanding how to convey a me...

The value of social media in a crisis skyrockets when you know how to use the different platforms to boost your PR response efforts.  Molly shares tips from her social media playbook, which she uses for her clients, as well as examples of major brands that use social media to manage and issue or crisis.  Listen for PR response tactics for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Clubhou...

Social media's effect on crisis communication is powerful. A growing number of crises not only start on social media, but its viral power fuels the communication crisis as well. This episode explains the difference between a social media fail and a social media crisis, and why the latter is so damaging to a brand or organization.   Learn the three categories of a crisis based on responsibilit...

Whether you work as a public speaker or occasionally find yourself giving a speech in front of a room, there is an outcome you are likely trying to achieve:  Persuasion ? Sales ? Inspire change ?  At the end of this episode, I promise you that the next speech you make in front of an audience or speak for a live video presentation will be the best you have ever made. Allison Shapira, author of Spea...

Whenever there is a crisis, there is often the truth, and then there is the story we hear.  Managing a crisis in the age of social media isn't easy, especially when there are so many people with an opinion and a Twitter account.  To get it right means you need to respond in a manner that makes it go away. Fall into this trap that so many people ensnarled in a crisis do, and you'll never...

Power outages and no running water have left Texas and other parts of the South reeling from the effects of a deep freeze in mid-February that has created a huge communication need for services that meet the most basic needs. The recent natural disasters have shown that social media is an integral part of the crisis response. When leadership and communications work together to plan the right respo...

Just found out your dear friend or family member was giving a scary diagnosis? Do you not know how to deal with it? Wondering how to respond? This episode is here to help. A deeply personal episode about how to respond to a friend or loved one who has recently been diagnosed with a shocking and serious diagnosis. Although there may not be a set script for the best words to say to a friend or loved...

The first day of February opens a month that offers many opportunities to acknowledge the achievements and struggles of this group, both past and present. In this episode, why many companies and organizations may choose to overlook this important communication opportunity in February, and the potential negative impact if they do not.  A must-listen for communicators who are struggling how to appro...

Sometimes the hardest part of dealing with a bad news story for communicators, is dealing with a boss whose opinions or behavior become the story. In an episode inspired by the recent story of the CEO of a restaurant group wading in on the 2020 election results with disastrous results, Dr. Abby Medcalf offers a guide for people who need to navigate complicated situations with a difficult boss. Fro...

Is there anything worse than having to deliver a message to someone when you know they don’t want to hear it? Not only is it one of the most dreadful conversations you can have, it can also lead to permanent pain if not handled properly. On this episode of the podcast, how to deliver bad news and not be left in a position where the recipient wants to shoot the messenger - you. Whether in an offici...

There does come a point when someone’s behavior puts them in a place of no return when it comes to the acceptance of the public. But where is that line? And who draws it? Was it wrong to attend President Donald Trump’s speech on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C. on January 6th? Did a person cross the line if they climbed the steps and crossed the threshold of the U.S. Capitol?     One of my f...

There were a lot of questions surrounding the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week. Of the many—what should my company say, if anything, about the events in Washington, D.C.?   My guest, Anthony Hayes, sets out a strategy for how executives can respond to any political or social issue without experiencing the backlash.  Anthony Hayes has spent more than 15 years in communications, crisis and iss...

After Hilaria (ahem, Hillary) Baldwin became the subject of a huge, trending news story during one of the slowest news weeks of the year—she and husband Alec needed a solid response plan.  One course of action, of course, would be to admit that she has misrepresented herself over the past decade by faking a Spanish accent, and then take an extended break from Instagram.  The other—fight back. Turn...

The third part of a series on the best communication tactics during COVID-19, these are episodes I am replaying that are still relevant today as they were in the spring of 2020.* I have assembled a group of savvy professionals working in crisis and risk management, public relations, strategy & planning to offer their take on how to communicate for COVID-19, still!  *Except for the mention of p...

The second part of a series on the best communication tactics during COVID-19, these are episodes I am replaying that are still relevant today as they were in March 2020. The focus is on leadership during the pandemic. Even months later, it's easy to spot the leaders who get how to lead in public, and the ones who are missing the mark.    Here are seven different tactics leaders can use to bu...

Communicators who have been responding to the outbreak of the coronavirus since last spring know how stressful it can be to write the content about your organization's ongoing response.   I hear you.  That is why I launched the COVID 19 communication series at the end of 2020 to recount episodes from the first months of the pandemic that still provide valuable insights and tactics that can be...