The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

The news of Jeff Zucker resigning as the president of CNN after admitting not disclosing a romantic relationship with another senior executive at the network was certainly a bombshell. It was also a story with similarities to many of the crises we hear about that land on the front page.  This episode features an interesting element about Zucker's departure that points to a significant shift i...

There's no question that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are important topics for communicators to share on behalf of their companies. But where do you start?  In this episode we help you get started with your DEI communications. We will define what DEI means, cover some basics on how to get started and the benefits when you do.    Mentioned in this episode:  Join Indestructible Online...

Do you use phrases you know are overwrought and overused? Many people do, according to Lake Superior State University in Suite St. Marie, Michigan.  The university has released their annual list of banished words as a way to uphold, protect and support excellence in language by encouraging avoidance of overused words that are ineffective or irritating for readers. Well said!  Mentioned in this epi...

Do you work for a brand, company or organization that has been attacked online?  Social media has made bullying easier than ever before. In this episode of the Indestructible PR Podcast, we’ll discuss how social media bullies attack brands online and how you can turn their attacks into a net positive for your brand. You will learn how the cyberbully attacks, why it is important to respond quickly...

Twitter can be a great way to connect with customers and show off your brand’s personality. But is it safe to be sarcastic?  There’s a thin line between being clever and sounding mean, and you don’t want your brand to cross it.  My guest, Dusty Weis from Podcamp Media - a branded podcast production company - joins me to discuss tips for having a snarky Twitter account without damaging your brand....

A public relations crisis and a public relations issue are two very different things.  Many in senior leadership are unaware of this distinction, preventing their communication teams from planning properly.   In this episode, we define a public relations crisis. To help plan for any event, issue, incident, or crisis, you need to know the differences between them.   Listen + Subscribe on Spotify or...

When a business faces a crisis, it can use a variety of crisis communication tactics, but changing its name may not be the best option. On today's episode, we'll examine if changing a business name will help if that name has become too much of a reputational liability. Plus, examples of successful company name changes following crises, as well as examples of where the name change may not...

Public relations campaigns can work wonders when it comes to generating awareness and interest in your business, but they can also be expensive without any guarantee of success.  Geofence advertising may offer an effective PR boost that’s more affordable than traditional forms of advertising. Jeff Swartz, the founder and CEO of Ethic Advertising Agency, shares how it works and why it could be the...

Actor, writer, and director Ben Affleck recently went on a promotion tour for his film The Tender Bar. One line from Affleck's over two-hour interview with Howard Stern went viral, causing even bigger problems for him and the filmmakers. To repair the damage caused by his comments regarding his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, Affleck must spend the rest of the publicity tour in damage control mode....

The key to managing a digital crisis is to unlock the cause of the crisis in the first place. Critical data and information can be found in conversations and traffic on social media and websites.  Zack Condry, President of Everest Communications, knows how to interpret this information and strategize how to use it to manage the situation. He specializes in developing and executing digital communic...

The story of Alec Baldwin in the aftermath of the tragic shooting death of Halyana Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust" is worth following if you follow public relations and crisis communication. From the first news stories from the Albequeque filmset to the "pop-up" press conference Baldwin held on a busy road in Vermont, we have been following Baldwin's media interacti...

The actor Jake Gyllenhall knows all too well that bad publicity may not be the best publicity when your name is trending because you broke up with a girlfriend more than ten years ago. Having this ex-girlfriend record a song about the breakup and then upload a 10-minute video to YouTube is the sort of negative publicity that will never disappear. Especially if the video has over 17 million views....

Media trainer Warren Weeks joined me in a webinar to discuss the top mistakes he sees many spokespeople make and how to fix them. Our episode discusses how to overcome these common media interview challenges straight from the webinar. Make sure you don't damage your reputation by saying the wrong thing during a nerve-wracking conversation that will likely live online for years to come.  Learn...

A media interview could lead to one of three outcomes: You nail it. You get through it.  Your poor performance creates its own crisis.  Knowing how to prepare for a media interview increases the likelihood of a positive outcome. Listen to a few of the mistakes we found in recent media interviews and livestreams to learn how to succeed in your next media interview.   The guffaw that turned a seriou...

If an employee causes a crisis for his employer due to actions that go viral, the company needs an immediate response.  Case in point, Southwest Airlines pilot, who used the phrase "Let's go, Brandon," a euphemism considered to be a vulgar phrase aimed at President Joe Biden, over the plane's PA system.   On this week's podcast, the best PR response for a rogue employee wh...

Making news for the wrong reasons is simple. Just screw up publicly, and you're on your way to going viral.  Bad news spreads fast, especially on social media.  To make a positive story newsworthy, you have to cut through a lot of noise to become a leading authority. Discover how to make your story newsworthy and become famous the right way.  My guest on the podcast is former television journ...

Here's what we know about the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin's movie set.  Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that struck cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in the chest, and the director, Joel Souza, in the shoulder. Baldwin is cooperating with the investigation and (as of now) in contact with Hutchins' family.  Earlier, some crew members reportedly walked off set over working c...

Vaccines are on the minds of many businesses, especially small and midsize employers.  About two-thirds of small employers believe their employees should be vaccinated, and more than half receive questions about vaccinations.  If you want to learn how to communicate vaccination mandates externally, this episode is for you.  No politics.  No position.  Just one PR tip for when vaccine compliance is...

It only takes a few moments for people to form an opinion about you when they see you speak in public.  If you nail it, your reputation is boosted.  Bungle it - your reputation is at stake.  If you want to appear confident on stage, you have to actually be confident in yourself. A challenge for nervous speakers. However, there are some tricks to help. Speaking coach Kerri Garbis discusses three ef...

In the week since an Amtrak train derailed in rural Montana, killing three people and injuring dozens more, federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused the derailment. Despite the rarity of situations such as these, Amtrak needed a crisis plan to be ready at any moment.  In this episode, we explore the first 48 hours of Amtrak's response to the Empire Builder derailment ne...

What happens when an army of people begins to dig to solve a mystery?  They quickly find answers.  The intense interest in the Gabby Petito missing case (now murder) also led to an intense interest in discovering why the case became such a sensational news story. The answer: social media sleuthing Young, social media-savvy women used TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to desperately get to the bottom...

We've all done it. The email is written. The email is sent. The email is WRONG. Even though sending a mistake via email is a universal problem, the feeling of having an entire distribution list open that email and see your error will always feel like a kick in the gut. But it doesn't have to. What if there was a way to turn that slip into an opportunity to make you look even better? On t...

In this episode, how to use the backpedal in a PR response - but only if you really need to.  Exploring the use of this response tactic as a communication for self-defense. This tactic is used as a result of an incident in which a person's character is called into question or a perceived wrongdoing.    Listen to four examples from the last few weeks and the rating given for their reputation o...

From time to time, it is normal to be anxious when you are in front of a group of people.   Whether it's in a group of people gathered at a work conference social hour or speaking alone on stage, being able to calm yourself in the moment is often easier said than done. If the body decides to show external signs of anxiety from being front to center, you need quick and simple tricks to calm it...

Interviewing someone for a news story, video, or podcast can be extremely stressful. As an interviewer, part of your job - after you conducted your research - is knowing how to ask the right questions to get your source talking, while keeping them comfortable. To do that, an interviewer needs to understand how to listen well. The trick is listening in a way that gets your subject talking and shari...