In this episode of Good Marketing with Stephanie, Stephanie sits down with Amy Steinmann, Principal of Halbrooke & Elm Strategic Communications, to unpack their biggest insights from the 2025 PRSA ICON conference.

Stephanie and Amy discuss the evolving role of storytelling in PR, how AI is reshaping communications, the rising importance of trust and message discipline, and why owned media matters more than ever.

They also explore practical ways communicators can stay agile, measure message impact, and connect authentically with diverse audiences.

Whether you’re in PR, marketing, or communications, this conversation is packed with takeaways you can bring into your strategy for 2026 and beyond.

🔗 Connect with Amy Steinmann

🔗 Follow Halbrooke & Elm

🔗 Connect with Stephanie Pryor

🔗 Follow LANC Marketing

🔗 For more about 2025 PRSA ICON from Amy

In this episode of Good Marketing with Stephanie, we’re talking tariffs, uncertainty, and how to stay visible when marketing budgets are under pressure.

Stephanie is joined by Emmy Ross, Director of Business Development and Marketing at Astro Metal Craft, to explore how manufacturers—and all businesses—can approach communications strategically, even during turbulent economic times.

They unpack how past crises shaped marketing resilience, why cutting budgets may cost more in the long run, and how optimism still plays a role in smart decision-making today.

🔗 Important Links!

Follow Emmy Ross on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmy-ross-astro/

Follow Astro Metal Craft on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/astro-metal-craft/

Follow Stephanie Pryor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieapryor/

To finish LANC Marketing, LLC's first birthday week strong, Stephanie talks candidly about the experiences of taking that one big leap in her marketing career and starting a small business—from the highs to the not-so-highs.

If you’re thinking about taking that next step in your career, here are the three things you need to be able to do:

1. Believe in yourself: Manifest your vision! While life is full of challenges, it is also full of opportunities to learn. It’s important to take a chance on yourself if you want to grow as a professional and as a person.
2. Develop a long-term goal: Don’t place unrealistic expectations on yourself—that will only stress you out and put you off course. Remember your vision and embrace the reality that the path to success is not linear.
3. Stay present: Mindfulness matters when you’re making a big change in your career. It all comes down to staying grounded in the current moment and accepting that progress is made one task, one project, one client, one meeting—one day at a time. 

We're always looking for feedback and are also filling out guest slots for Good Marketing with Stephanie! If you have something to say, drop us a line on LinkedIn.

Episode Links

• Stutz on Netflix
• The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield

Do you ever feel like your work as a marketer is completely divorced from your values—or from reality?

Marketers take their lead from business executives, and things have been messy the last few years.

In 2024, consumers (see also: humans) face mounting pressure from global issues like climate change, political division, and economic insecurity. Meanwhile, digital platforms continue to squeeze more ads and more spending from users every minute of every day.

The result is mass consumer fatigue.

For marketers, it's becoming increasingly difficult to square the need to drive revenue with the responsibility to do business in a way that reduces harm—and can stand the test of time.

In this episode, Stephanie explores this challenge, starting with an analysis of this recent article from Grist:

How to ‘decouple’ emissions from economic growth? These economists say you can’t.

For more insights like these, subscribe to the Good Marketing with Stephanie podcast and be sure to connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Threads.

Branding expert Paul Kiesche of Aviate Creative joins Stephanie to discuss the key components of impactful B2B branding and how it affects your customers, employees, and industry peers.

Follow Paul Kiesche on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkiesche/

Learn more about Aviate Creative: aviatecreative.com

Are you effectively building and maintaining an online community for your brand?

In this episode, host Stephanie Pryor and LANC marketing & PR specialist, Lindsay Griffin, talk about balancing corporate branding and EGC to create trust with your audience.

If you haven't picked client gifts yet, we have you covered.

In this episode of Good Marketing with Stephanie, she speaks with Diana Smedley, co-owner of Lancaster Gift Box, about corporate gifting strategy and best practices.

Want to learn more about LANC Marketing? Visit our website here: https://lancmarketing.com/.

It's officially Q4, so you know what that means: budget season. Aileen Wigotow, CPA, shares best practices and advice for budgeting.

What is really going on with Google?

GMWS host, Stephanie Pryor, interviews Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Brand at Wix. In this episode, they talk all-things-Google, SEO, and holding yourself accountable.

Does marketing really need to be stressful?

Host Stephanie Pryor interviews Brooklin Nash, Co-founder and CEO of Beam Content, about his "spicy" online thought leadership.

• Connect with Brooklin and Beam

• Learn more about LANC Marketing

What will the future of marketing look like? How are students being prepared to lead? Why should anyone care?

Stephanie Pryor interviews Dr. Carrie Sipes, chairperson for the Communication, Journalism and Media Department at Shippensburg University, to talk about teaching the next generation of media leaders and what inspired her to pursue a career in academia.

Stop trying to take our money! That is – stop trying to make the sale and instead think about building connections.

Stephanie Pryor interviews college student (and LANC employee) Jenna Cornell to get advice for effective marketing to the Gen Z audience.

In this episode, host Stephanie Pryor sits down with Patrick Schober, founder, CEO, and creative director of Poetica Marketing, a branding, marketing, and events agency based in Pittsburgh. 

Stephanie and Patrick dive into one of the most urgent topics in the industry today: the role of AI in marketing. From AI’s impact on workflow to its increasing presence in advertising, sales, and content creation, they explore how AI can augment human creativity rather than replace it.

Patrick discusses the dangers of “AI slop,” the importance of human oversight, and why strategy remains the most valuable asset an agency can offer in 2026.

Plus, we cover our favorite Christmas movies and address an age-old question (for Millennials, anyway): Is Harry Potter a Christmas movie?

🔗 Visit Poetica Marketing: https://www.poeticamarketing.com/ 

🔗 Follow Patrick Schober: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-schober-pgh/ 

🔗 Follow Stephanie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieapryor/ 

🔗 Follow LANC: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lanc-marketing 

🔗 Visit LANC: https://lancmarketing.com/