As I read about the first-ever second presidential impeachment, I consider the reaction thus far from our nation’s top company leaders and communicators. The messaging and tone in response to the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol is a far cry from what I witnessed in the late 90s when I began my career. … Read More
I could not have predicted that my firm would evolve and grow so much throughout the past five years. Succession Communications was born on October 27, 2015. Since then, the work has been challenging and rewarding, but never boring. I’m forever grateful to my phenomenal clients, colleagues, partners, family and friends. But enough about Succession. … Read More
Reports of media training’s death are greatly exaggerated. But in the COVID-19 era, it is different. Spokespeople are no longer focused just on the messages they deliver, but on their background scenery and performance of their technology. As a former journalist, and now with more than 20 years in the public relations, I have conducted media … Read More
“All PR firms are the same. I can just give them direction and get what I need out of them.” A client who has never worked with an agency might think that. Guess what? It’s not true. Budgets are tight and expectations are high especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In-house communications pros and other clients … Read More
“COVID-19 has screwed the economy, so we have to take the clients we can get.” Wrong. That’s not only short-sighted, it could be very damaging to PR firms. A shaky economy is not an excuse to compromise our standards in the PR business. PR firms should seek out the best possible client base (similarly, in-house … Read More
“Oh, I don’t call to follow up with the journalists I send my email pitch to. They are too busy, and I don’t want to disturb them.” …um I’m sorry, what? That’s what a former colleague of mine told me she was told by a public relations practitioner. I couldn’t believe what I heard. As … Read More
(Photo by Rachael Spiegel) Pop quiz. It’s the COVID-19 pandemic. You’re a councilperson or a mayor of a small U.S. city or town. Federal, state and local agencies are issuing a storm of new policies and information. Your constituents want answers about safety and their livelihoods. What do you do? Ryan Spiegel has been there. … Read More
Every day, we’ve seen more Fortune 500 companies announce telework plans for COVID-19 and many PR firms are following suit. Working at a distance is quite the challenge for public relations professionals who are in the business of generating visibility and enhancing relationships. In such a people-driven field, what have we lost in this extended … Read More
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies were searching for appropriate ways to be wisely sensitive about what to say and how to say it. Yes, time has passed, but guess what? We are still in the middle of a pandemic. As of this writing, the U.S. is at a 14.7 percent unemployment … Read More
Your business is about to reopen after the COVID-19 lockdown. You have a lot of process and details to handle to reopen. However, your customers, staff and other stakeholders have to trust your plans if they are going to show up. So, what can you say? Here are five principles to get you started: ONE: … Read More