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.

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  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 .

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  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 .

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  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 .

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  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 .

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  Episode #15

  B2B PR & Marketing Studies, Surveys & Stats

  Jul 24, 20261h 10mS2

  In this episode of PR Explored, host Michelle Garrett, a PR consultant, author, and writer interviews her guest Sword and Script founder Frank Strong about trends and 2026 research. They discuss pricing reputation via balance-sheet “goodwill,” the limits of click-based optimization versus long-term brand value, and why in-person trade shows are resurging, with PR pros better used networking, creating content, and meeting media than sitting in booths. A study finding 62 touches and about 192 days to close B2B deals underscores sustained visibility and differentiation amid a “sea of sameness.” They cover AI’s mixed impact—82% of B2B marketers say AI skills haven’t boosted pay, AI content tends to average out and underperform, and many AI customer-service replacements are being rolled back—while emphasizing AI for research, brainstorming, and critique. Strong argues thought leadership is highly trusted and requires access to real experts, notes declining B2B marketing budget share versus four years ago, highlights hidden buyer influence from finance/legal/procurement, and explains why selling to existing customers is rising but warns against overusing in-app upsell prompts. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:00 Frank Strong Background 01:55 Military Service and Pets 02:58 Data Driven PR Mindset 04:25 2026 Stats Overview 05:06 Pricing Reputation Value 08:08 Measuring Beyond Clicks 10:53 Events Comeback Strategy 13:17 Trade Show PR Hustle 17:35 Human Connection Craving 18:57 62 Touches to Close 23:20 Sea of Sameness 24:39 Budget for Experiments 26:04 AI Skills and Reality 29:19 AI Content Pitfalls 30:46 Using AI the Right Way 32:21 Dotcom Parallels 34:20 Thought Leadership Trust 35:05 Why Thought Leadership Works 36:50 Ghostwriting and Long Game 38:10 Access Makes It Real 41:08 Interviews Beat Email 43:52 Journalism vs Click Culture 46:08 Budgets and Compounding Returns 52:10 Educating Executives 55:30 Authority and Failing Fast 56:43 Hidden Buyers in Deals 59:46 Marketing to Existing Customers 01:03:49 Newsletter and Staying Sharp 01:07:13 AI Monitoring and Humility 01:09:30 Wrap Up and Goodbye Show notes: The Sword and the Script blog post this episode is based on: https://www.swordandthescript.com/2026/07/pr-and-b2b-marketing-statistics-2026/ Learn more about Frank's agency, the Sword and the Script: https://www.swordandthescript.com/ Frank's newsletter on Substack: https://monthlymarcom.substack.com/ Read Frank's blog or contact Frank: https://www.swordandthescript.com/contact/ Follow Frank Strong on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankstrong/ 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 .

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