PR Explored: The Podcast for Public Relations and Communications Pros

PR Explored, my PR podcast, where I interview those I trust and respect about topics related to public relations and communications. We take a deeper dive into public relations topics with some of the brightest folks in the business. The show is my opportunity to discuss the questions on our minds about the work of PR pros today, as well as industry trends.

PR Explored: The Podcast for Public Relations and Communications Pros is a business podcast hosted by Michelle Garrett, with 49 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Michelle Garrett hosts PR Explored: The Podcast for Public Relations and Communications Pros, a business show with 49 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #20

  Navigating the Noise: Strategic Decision-Making for Communicators

  Oct 1, 202641 minS2

  In this episode of PR Explored, host Michelle Garrett, a PR consultant, author, and writer, welcomes Jen Elting, senior manager of strategic partnerships and media relations at the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, to discuss her upcoming PRSA ICON session, “Stop Feeding the Zombies: A Strategic Triage for Communicators Drowning in Noise.” Elting describes how communicators shifted from periodic outreach to constant engagement across expanding channels, where complaints can escalate on platforms like Nextdoor and outrage-driven algorithms reward engagement. She argues volume is not significance, especially for government agencies serving large publics, and recommends communicating less but more strategically. Using Diana Kander’s “zombie hunting” framework, she explains evaluating work by time required versus value delivered, killing outdated tasks, setting boundaries, and protecting credibility through responsive but sustainable practices. Elting shares examples of high-effort community engagement for stormwater projects and streamlining education outreach through partner organizations. The episode previews ICON details and networking opportunities. 00:00 Welcome to PR Explored 01:29 Meet Jen Elting 03:12 PRSA ICON Preview 04:32 Noise and Channel Overload 07:53 Outrage Economy Explained 12:14 Government and Nonprofit Impact 15:23 Zombie Hunting Theory 21:27 Protect Time and Credibility 25:44 Real World Triage Examples 31:08 Public Facing Comms Priorities 37:42 ICON Invitation and Wrap Up Show notes: Follow Jenn Elting on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennelting/ Jenn Elting's PRSA ICON session: https://www.prsa.org/conferences-and-awards/icon-2026#speakers Register for PRSA ICON - use code MICHELLE10 to save 10%: https://www.prsa.org/conferences-and-awards/icon-2026#registration Follow the host: Website: www.michellegarrett.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prstrategist/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PRisUs X/Twitter: https://x.com/PRisUs Threads: https://www.threads.com/@prwritergal Michelle's book - B2B PR That Gets Results - is available now Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here . About the host: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, writer and author of B2B PR That Gets Results , an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker and podcast guest on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #19

  Leveraging Wikipedia for PR: What Pros Need to Know

  Sep 18, 20261h 8mS2

  In this episode of PR Explored, host Michelle Garrett, a PR consultant, author, and writer, interviews Wikipedia consultant and ghostwriter Jonathan Rick about how Wikipedia works and why it matters for PR. Rick explains that Wikipedia reflects what reliable mainstream media has reported, not “truth,” and editors enforce a neutral point of view, rejecting promotional language. He says the biggest misconception is confusing being accomplished with being “notable,” noting about 80% of prospective clients don’t meet criteria; you can’t buy a page, and the only real path is substantial independent media coverage. He outlines why Wikipedia is increasingly influential through Google rankings, reuse by platforms like YouTube and voice assistants via Wikidata, and heavy citation by ChatGPT, meaning Wikipedia content can shape AI narratives. They discuss risks of premature submissions (deletions, public records, and “salting”), weak sources like Forbes contributor content, Authority Magazine and TechCrunch, limited value of most trade media, red flags in service providers (guarantees, claimed editor connections, low fees, whitewashing, non-disclosure), timelines, and the need for ongoing monitoring and COI-compliant proposed edits. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:56 Jonathan’s Wikipedia Work 02:13 Freelance Life and Family 04:05 Why This Wikipedia Episode 05:49 Wikipedia Basics Explained 10:04 Notability Misconceptions 12:07 You Can’t Buy Pages 13:19 Why Wikipedia Matters Now 19:10 How Pages Get Created 23:44 When to Wait and Avoid Deletion 25:59 The Only Path Is Press 28:01 Sources That Don’t Count 33:09 Do Trade Pubs Help 37:08 Audience Q&A Begins 37:29 LLMs and Source Credibility 39:47 Why Weak Press Hurts Wikipedia 41:16 Trade Pub Reliability Signals 47:23 How Many Links Are Enough 49:36 Vetting Wikipedia Consultants 52:46 No Guarantees in Wikipedia 54:33 Cost and Timeline Expectations 58:31 Maintaining Pages and Editing Rules 01:02:11 Disclosure Pitfalls and Scandals 01:06:02 Final Takeaways and Resources Show notes: Learn more Jonathan Rick's Wikipedia services: www.jonathanrick.com/wikipedia Daily Mail article about North Face editing Wikipedia pages to boost search results: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-7095213/North-Face-issue-grovelling-apology-caught-editing-Wikipedia-pages-boost-search-results.html Follow the host: Website: www.michellegarrett.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prstrategist/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PRisUs X/Twitter: https://x.com/PRisUs Threads: https://www.threads.com/@prwritergal Michelle's book - B2B PR That Gets Results - is available now Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here . About the host: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, writer and author of B2B PR That Gets Results , an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker and podcast guest on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #18

  Does Your Website Content Still Matter?

  Sep 4, 202657 minS2

  In this episode of PR Explored, host Michelle Garrett, a PR consultant, author, and writer, welcomes conversion rate optimization specialist and website consultant/copywriter Gill Andrews, who shares her work helping service providers and SaaS optimize websites and teaching through content, books, and Udemy courses. They discuss why websites are often neglected (overwhelm, unclear starting point, long service-provider sales cycles, and lack of immediate ROI) and argue that content still matters as the hub of owned media supporting PR and credibility. Gill emphasizes a “decent” website built on clarity, relevance, value, and trust, using customer language and specificity rather than vague, “fancy” positioning. Key content includes homepage, service/offer pages, about and contact pages, plus testimonials/case studies where possible; blogs can support trust and search/AI visibility but may be less effective than before. They also highlight design-copy alignment, avoiding friction, and keeping pages current amid changing buyer expectations and AI. 00:00 Welcome to PR Explored 00:49 Meet Gill Andrews 02:53 Where to Follow Gill 05:44 Does Website Content Matter 06:33 Why Websites Get Neglected 10:50 Clarity Relevance Trust 12:16 Stop the Buzzword Copy 17:28 Use Customer Language 19:34 What Content to Publish 24:10 Building Trust Without Proof 25:25 Specificity Builds Credibility 27:47 Website Confidence and Fit 29:43 Why Websites Matter 30:16 Design And Usability 30:59 Friction Speed Bumps 34:49 Brand Trust Alignment 37:14 When Ugly Works 39:16 Buyer Research Reality 44:42 Content Quantity Strategy 45:06 Blogging And AI Visibility 50:10 AI Copywriting Limits 52:51 Learning And Creativity 55:14 Wrap Up And Connect Show notes: Gill Andrews on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gill-andrews/ Gill Andrews website: https://gillandrews.com/ Follow the host: Website: www.michellegarrett.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prstrategist/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PRisUs X/Twitter: https://x.com/PRisUs Threads: https://www.threads.com/@prwritergal Michelle's book - B2B PR That Gets Results - is available now Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here . About the host: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, writer and author of B2B PR That Gets Results , an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker and podcast guest on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #17

  B2B PR and Comms From an In-House Perspective

  Aug 27, 20261h 3mS2

  In this episode of PR Explored, host Michelle Garrett, a PR consultant, author, and writer, interviews guest Gina Rau about B2B PR and comms from an in-house perspective. Rau recounts her “bowl of spaghetti” career across B2C and B2B, agency and in-house roles, and argues that broad experience helps partnership across marketing. She contrasts in-house work—deeper company knowledge, broader responsibilities (internal/executive comms, thought leadership, organic social), heavy meetings, and greater accountability for consequences—with agency context-switching across accounts and the discipline agencies teach. They discuss cross-team alignment challenges (stakeholder “word salad”), the accelerated pace in tech/AI, and PR’s growing importance as content shapes LLM/GEO visibility. Rau emphasizes measuring business impact (pipeline influence, executive visibility, meaningful product coverage) and shares a McDonald’s campaign that used an economic impact study to change local perceptions. They close on agency selection criteria, executive thought leadership on LinkedIn, and career advice to assess role and environment fit. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:24 Gina's Career Journey 02:55 Generalist Versus Specialist 04:47 In-House Versus Agency 10:50 Agency Skills and Rigor 15:03 Cross Team Alignment 17:28 AI Pace and Comms 19:46 PR Role in AI Era 25:51 Proving PR Impact 29:20 Reputation and Day One List 31:24 Internal Alignment Challenges 33:50 Scaling Internal Alignment 34:44 Messaging Changes Overdrive 35:41 Choosing Great Partners 38:17 Chemistry And Collaboration 40:51 Agency Partner Pushback Story 43:33 Meet The Real Team 45:13 McDonald's Perception Turnaround 52:25 Listening Before Influence 53:18 Authentic Executive Thought Leadership 58:46 Career Advice And Closing Show notes: Follow Gina Rau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginarau/ Follow the host: Website: www.michellegarrett.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prstrategist/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PRisUs X/Twitter: https://x.com/PRisUs Threads: https://www.threads.com/@prwritergal Michelle's book - B2B PR That Gets Results - is available now Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here . About the host: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, writer and author of B2B PR That Gets Results , an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker and podcast guest on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #16

  The Most Expensive B2B Marketing Strategy Is Waiting

  Aug 6, 202650 minS2

  In this episode of PR Explored, host Michelle Garrett, a PR consultant, author, and writer interviews her guest B2B growth strategist Gina Tobasso about why manufacturers and other B2B companies should treat marketing as a continuous process, especially amid ongoing uncertainty (COVID, supply chain disruptions, tariffs, reshoring). Tobasso says many B2B companies underinvest in marketing, recommending 3–5% of revenue, and warns that cutting spend dries up the funnel, slows sales, and triggers panic “lead gen” efforts that ignore long sales cycles (often 18 months) and the need to nurture the 97% not ready to buy. They discuss foundational priorities like updating websites, implementing an affordable CRM to track ROI, and focusing on organic tactics (content, SEO/AEO/GEO, PR backlinks, reviews, YouTube) over ineffective low-budget ads. Tobasso also explains buyer-journey stages including loyalty/advocacy, shares a customer-feedback/NPS example, and describes her holistic approach aligning sales, marketing, and operations and bringing in trusted partners for sales coaching, strategic planning, or M&A. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:57 Gina's Career Journey 03:08 Why Manufacturers Delay Marketing 04:47 Uncertainty Is the New Normal 07:15 Budgets and Funnel Basics 10:44 B2B Reality and Marketing Ops 14:44 Lean Six Sigma for Marketers 18:42 Buyer Journey and Loyalty Loop 22:58 How Much to Spend on Marketing 26:17 When to Adjust the Budget 27:15 Invest Through Downturns 29:07 Price Versus Value 30:43 When Marketing Stops 33:41 Consistency Beats Cycles 36:13 Organic Budget Priorities 41:43 Sales Assessment And VOC 43:51 Strategic Partners For Growth 47:41 Networking And Wrap Up Show notes: Gina Tabasso’s LinkedIn newsletter that this episode is based on: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/most-expensive-customer-acquisition-strategy-waiting-gina-tabasso-ugzyc/?trackingId=gZ900l9q2nGXZCr481cA5Q%3D%3D Gina Tabasso on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginatabasso/ Gina’s company, Barracuda B2B Marketing: https://barracudab2b.com/ Manufacturing Resource Group: https://mfgresourcegroup.com/ Barracuda B2B Marketing on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@barracudab2b The Manufacturers’ Efficiency Webinar Series: https://webinar.barracudab2b.com/manufacturers-efficiency-webinar-series Follow the host: Website: www.michellegarrett.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prstrategist/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PRisUs X/Twitter: https://x.com/PRisUs Threads: https://www.threads.com/@prwritergal Michelle's book - B2B PR That Gets Results - is available now Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here . About the host: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, writer and author of B2B PR That Gets Results , an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker and podcast guest on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals .

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on PR Explored: The Podcast for Public Relations and Communications Pros. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.