Public Relations in Marketing

Muck Rack just analyzed over a million links cited by ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini. The finding everyone's quoting: 84% of AI's sources are earned media. Paid content is basically zero. The internet's takeaway? "Buy more PR." That's the most expensive misread in marketing right now. Because the half of the study everyone is skipping is the half that actually matters: which earned media gets cited, and when. Two findings change this narrative: 1) ChatGPT front-loads. A story gets cited hard in week one, then the citations fall off a cliff. 2) Claude rewards rhythm. It keeps citing the same coverage for weeks, and it favors niche and trade sources with real authority over giant outlets that mention a topic once. One model pays for a splash and the other pays for showing up, week after week, with depth. You can sometimes engineer a one-time splash but you cannot engineer a rhythm in earned media. No editor runs your story on the schedule your visibility needs. The timing, the angle, the "yes," all of it belongs to someone else. The only channel where you set the calendar is the one companies kept cutting first: owned media. Your blog. Your newsletter. Your research. You pick the topic, the depth, the publish date. You ship in week one, again in week three, again in week six, on purpose. That cadence and topical authority is exactly the signal the models hunt for. And it's the raw material reporters turn into the coverage you call "earned" in the first place. So the order of operations matters. Build the owned media engine first. It's the only part you control, it produces the depth and consistency the models reward, and it feeds the coverage that earns citations. Then use PR to amplify it. The study everyone is quoting to justify a bigger PR budget is actually making the case for the one asset you fully own. Read the full breakdown on State of Brand here: https://lnkd.in/g64EUGid

Brand building isn't really about ads. I've noticed a few recent studies come to this conclusion. Bit of a shock for someone in advertising. A new Kantar study shows 71% of brand equity comes from earned media (41%) and owned experience (30%). Paid builds 28%. And it's not just where equity gets built. WPP Media's recent How Humans Decide research with Oxford University found that owned, shared and earned channels are nearly 3x more powerful than paid alone at converting brand bias into purchase. So the channels that close the sale are the same ones that build the brand. It's easy to read these studies and think ads aren't important. But the channels aren't in competition. Each fuels the other. The real win is making them work together. So what if your paid media mirrored where brand is built? Your 3 jobs of paid media become: 1. Drive earned. Give people something worth sharing (41%) 2. Grow owned. Get new people into the experience (30%) 3. Run paid. Classic visibility and salience (28%) Driving earned becomes the number 1 job of paid ads, not a bit part from an odd stunt. With AI recommendations leaning heavily on earned media, this isn't as mad as it may first seem. It's also well established. Almost 20 years ago Les Binet and Peter Field's Marketing in the Era of Accountability (IPA) found fame campaigns, the ones people share and talk about, outperform everything else. Job 2 is to grow owned. This reframes so-called "performance": ads that bring new people into the experience aren't the opposite of brand building. They're 30% of it. Advertising matters most when it fuels the 71%, rather than focusing only on the 28%.

The future of PR is distribution. You can’t share your story through media hits alone. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. PR includes consistently distributing on-message content across every channel you can. Here are 5 things we’re optimizing for with clients right now 👇 𝟭. 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 A clear story makes people buy, invest, and tell others. It’s often more powerful than any feature set. 𝟮. 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 > 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 The best brands are pursuing media hits and *also* creating compelling moments and content that get press coming to them. 𝟯. 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼-𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸, 𝘇𝗲𝗿𝗼-𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 You have to get your story seen. Direct comms and new media will reach more people than gated Tier 1 pubs. 𝟰. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘀. If your employees can’t tell the story, your customers won’t either. Leverage your internal team as brand ambassadors to amplify your message. 𝟱. 𝗣𝗥 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Earned, owned, social—if it gets attention, it’s part of your PR strategy. Let me know what you’d add to this list!

After building brands for 20 years, some that flopped and some that took off, I’ve learned what separates the forgettable from the unforgettable. Here are 7 hard-earned lessons on building a beloved brand: 1. Build bold and differentiated. If everyone likes you, you’re not standing out. It’s okay to be polarizing. 2. Design with emotion. People don’t remember features as much as they remember how your brand makes them feel. 3. Have a story worth rooting for. Your brand should feel like a movement people want to see win. 4. Move fast. Iterate faster. Speed is your unfair advantage against slow-moving giants. 5. Hire believers. Grit and creativity beat pedigree. 6. Challenge norms. If competitors criticize you, you’re probably on the right track. 7. Play the long game. Standout brands are rarely built overnight, they’re compounded through years of persistence. Cotopaxi is where every past success and failure came together. A bold, beautiful brand fighting global poverty, redefining capitalism by proving that business can be a force for good and that capitalism can be done better. I’m incredibly proud of what our team has built together.

After decades of working with leaders at companies like Apple, Salesforce, and Cisco, we've identified 4 storytelling techniques that consistently work to deliver important messages in high-stakes settings: 1. Start with the unexpected Don’t begin your presentation with context. Instead, begin with the moment that makes people think, “Wait…what?” Instead of something like: “Here’s an update on our September campaign…” Try starting with the most interesting detail: “I broke our biggest marketing rule last month, and it worked.” Lead with the surprise. You can add context later. 2. Let people feel the tension After the surprise, don’t rewind to the beginning. Take your audience to the moment where things weren’t working. Flat numbers. Missed goals. Stalled progress. Instead of: “The campaign was underperforming, and our team went back to the drawing board.” Try:  "We were two weeks out from the end of the quarter. The campaign wasn’t producing results, and the team was out of ideas. That’s when I decided to take a risk...” You don’t need to explain the problem. You need to make people feel it. 3. Use real dialogue When your audience hears what was actually said, they stop listening to you and start visualizing the moment. This helps them connect emotionally with what you’re saying. Instead of: “The campaign manager said team morale was low and they were struggling to find a solution.” Try: “My campaign manager pulled me aside in the hallway and said, ‘We’ve tried everything. The team has been working overtime, and we don’t know what else to do.’” Dialogue brings listeners into the moment with you. It makes the story real. 4. Share the lesson Never assume people will infer the meaning you intended. End your story by answering: - What does this mean? - How should someone act differently now? Example: “Breaking our biggest marketing rule helped us turn this campaign around and hit our numbers. I strongly suggest we revisit our marketing guidelines. We could be leaving a ton of revenue on the table.” Without the lesson being clear, even a good story feels unfinished. These are the same techniques we teach to our clients at Duarte. Try them out during your next presentation and watch how people lean forward and tune in to your message. #ExecutivePresence #BusinessStorytelling #PresentationSkills

We used to only worry about showing up on Google and social media. Now we also have to think about how we appear in machine learning tools like ChatGPT. People are already asking these tools who they should hire for legal work and which law firms lead in certain practice areas. If your name or firm does not appear in those answers you are missing a quiet but growing channel of influence. Here are steps you can take right now: ✔️Get clear on what you are known for. If your bio, website and social profiles are vague the technology will not know how to categorize you. Use direct language that reflects how clients describe their needs. Make it obvious what you do and who you serve. ✔️Align your digital presence across platforms. Machine learning tools look for patterns. When your LinkedIn posts, articles, speaking bios and website all reinforce the same niche you strengthen the signal. Consistency is not optional anymore. It is how you get found. ✔️Publish content that leaves a trail. LinkedIn carries strong authority because of its size and ownership. Posting regularly builds a library of proof about your expertise. The more relevant content you produce the easier it is for these tools to connect you with the topics you want to own. ✔️Earn mentions on credible platforms. Being quoted in articles or listed in rankings increases your authority. These websites have strong reputations and their mentions help validate you. Every reference acts like a vote of confidence. ✔️Create backlinks to your site. If another platform links to your website it sends a strong trust signal. Add your website link to every profile, podcast appearance and article where it makes sense. It shows these tools that you are a legitimate resource. We are still at the start of this shift. No one has mastered it yet. But those who take it seriously now will be well positioned as machine learning becomes part of how clients make decisions. Are you thinking about AI in your digital presence yet?

If I had to run a B2B influencer program from scratch, here’s how I’d approach it... 1. Start with “why” I’m a firm believer that every campaign needs to ladder up to your team and org OKRs. And no, “our competitors are doing it” isn’t a good enough reason. Think about: → Are you trying to drive pipeline, awareness, or retention? → Who are you targeting and which B2B creators already hold influence in that space? → How will you measure success in a way that actually matters? 2. Build your influencer ecosystem I’ve always said and I’ll say it again, especially for enterprise organizations, pairing an external influencer program with employee advocacy is the best approach. Work with external creators to drive awareness and reach while empowering your internal brand ambassadors to build credibility and trust from within. The best programs do both. 3. Co-create, don’t just sponsor The strongest partnerships are built on collaboration, not transactions. When developing briefs, either co-create with select creators or give them room to put their own spin on the story. You’ll get more authentic, engaging content and a partner who’s genuinely invested in the outcome. 4. Launch a pilot campaign Start small and experiment. Our first campaign was just that, a test. With a modest budget, we wanted to validate if partnering with creators could actually move the needle on performance (spoiler: it did). 5. Measure relationships, not just reach Don’t just stop at conversions. Instead, look at: → Earned mentions: How many people are organically talking about your campaign? → Sentiment lift: Are brand perceptions shifting in your favor? → Engagement: who’s in your comment section? → Search visibility: are you ranking better for relevant topics or LLMs? Building a B2B influencer program isn’t about borrowing someone else’s audience, it’s about building a trusted network around your brand. Start small, learn fast, and focus on relationships that compound over time.

I have managed over 500 influencer campaigns and grew Vavo Digital | Influencer Marketing to multiple 6 figures in the last 4 years.  Here are 15 key tips I would give anyone looking to run a successful influencer campaign (in no particular order): 1. Utilize Micro-Influencers Collaborate with micro-influencers who have a highly engaged niche audience for more authentic reach. 2. Create a Branded Hashtag Design a catchy, memorable hashtag to unify campaign posts across platforms. Example: #RedefineYourStyle for a fashion campaign. 3. Involve Influencers in Product Development Take influencers' input when designing or testing the product to make their endorsement more genuine. 4. Run an Influencer Challenge Create a fun, interactive challenge that encourages influencers and their followers to participate. Example: A fitness brand launching a 30-day workout challenge. 5. Utilize Instagram Stories Takeovers Have influencers take over your brand’s Instagram stories for a day to engage their followers. 6. Co-create content with Influencers Collaborate on content creation to blend both your brand and the influencer’s identity. Example: A beauty brand and a makeup artist co-producing tutorial videos. 7. Leverage Trending Topics Time your campaign with trending cultural or industry-related topics to stay relevant. 8. Exclusive Sneak Peeks Offer influencers early access to a product and allow them to give their audience exclusive sneak peeks. 9. Launch Teasers Get influencers to drop teaser posts to create buzz before the full campaign launch. 10. Collaborate with Multiple Influencers Bring together influencers from different niches for a cross-industry impact. 11. Interactive Q&A Sessions Host live Q&A sessions with influencers to engage followers in real time. 12. Influencer Gifting Send personalized gifts or product packages to influencers with a request for an authentic review. 13. Gamify the Campaign Introduce a game element, like a competition or leaderboard, that influencers can promote. 14. Highlight User-Generated Content Encourage followers of influencers to create their own content using your product, and feature the best ones. 15. Offer Influencer-Exclusive Discounts Provide influencers with unique discount codes to share with their followers. Virality isn't just about views. It's about creating a ripple effect of sharing, discussing, and remixing. Focus on sparking genuine emotions and connections. What's the most memorable viral campaign you've seen lately? #influencermarketing #socialmedia

𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: They've released 20+ pages of research titled "Working with B2B Creators: Collaborate with Confidence". The findings confirm what we've been seeing in the field. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: LinkedIn has transformed from a professional networking site into THE trusted B2B creator ecosystem. The platform's investment in creator tools, combined with its unique position as the most trusted social platform for business content, has created perfect conditions for B2B influencer marketing to thrive. 𝟭) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗜𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲: • 82% of B2B buyers say creator content influences their decisions • 91% rely on industry influencers throughout their purchase journey • 59% prefer LinkedIn as their platform for creator content • Thought Leader Ads deliver 252% higher CTR than conventional ads • Video uploads increased 45% YoY, driving 63% of buying decisions    𝟮) 𝗪𝗵𝗼'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: • Industry Experts: 55% • Analysts & Business Leaders: 43% each • Customers: 33% • Employees: 29%    𝟯) 𝟲-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗧𝗼 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: The report outlines a comprehensive approach to B2B creator strategy: 1. Identify marketing objectives for creator collaboration 2. Map target communities to influence 3. Activate internal thought leaders 4. Build relationships with external creators 5. Develop amplification and measurement frameworks 6. Execute and optimize 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗱: • Treat creators as strategic partners, not just media channels • Focus on subject matter expertise over follower counts • Leverage Thought Leader Ads to amplify authentic content • Build portfolios of creators serving different objectives • Measure beyond vanity metrics to actual business outcomes As I noted in the report: "𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘛𝘶𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 2010. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦. 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳." This isn't just another trend - it's a fundamental shift in how B2B buyers make decisions. They're seeking human connections and authentic expertise in an increasingly AI-driven world. The opportunities are enormous for those who master it now. [Link to full report below 👇] https://lnkd.in/gHUWV-7d

Public speaking used to terrify me. Now, I get to speak on global stages for brands like Adobe. Last night, I had the incredible opportunity to speak at Adobe Content Circles. This reminded me how far I’ve come - from being nervous about raising my hand in meetings to feeling at home on stage. But I believe confidence in public speaking isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build. You've got to: → Know your audience – Speak TO them, not AT them. Tailor your message to what they care about. → Avoid scripting what you're going to say - Memorising word-for-word makes you seem robotic. Instead, know the core takeaways and speak naturally. → Engage, don't just speak - Making eye contact, pausing or cracking a joke or two can make all the difference. → Embrace your nerves - Feeling nervous means you care. Channel that energy into motivation and enthusiasm. A few years ago, I never imagined I’d be standing on stages like this. Now, I know that the more you push yourself, the more those scary moments turn into empowering ones.