On Top of PR with Jason Mudd – Details, episodes & analysis

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In this episode, Alfredo Garcia joins On Top of PR host Jason Mudd to discuss best practices for producing PR events. 

Tune in to learn more!

Our guest:

Our episode guest is Alfredo Garcia, vice president of sales for Sight & Sound and Mugwump Productions. He started his journey with Sight & Sound as a marketing intern, where he discovered his passion for the audio-visual production side of events. Now an executive leader, he’s played a pivotal role in the company’s growth from 15 employees to more than 50 today. 

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. Questions event producers will ask 
2. Technical media accommodations 
3. How much notice event production teams need 
4. What organizations should consider before planning an event 
5. Logistics and budget planning

Quotables:

“My first question is always the same, no matter what type of media event it is. And that is, “Why are we doing this event? Why are we spending your money? Why are we pulling in resources and what is the purpose and outcome we are trying to get out of this event?” — @Alfredo Garcia

“If you’re depending on media to be there, how embarrassed might you be if they just can’t come or don’t come for whatever reason?” — @JasonMudd9

“If you’re depending on media to fill the room, you better have a pretty good announcement.” — @JasonMudd9

“Whenever I see a whole bunch of microphones, I think of crisis communication.” — @Alfredo Garcia

“Why would you not want to engage with an expert company to have them bring their experience, know-how, and ideas that might save you time, money, and ultimately drive home that better first impression for the attendees at your event?” — @JasonMudd9

“We try to become an extension of what our clients are trying to do. We are thinking of things people don't think about.” — @Alfredo Garcia

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others or leave us a quick podcast review.

About Alfredo Garcia

As Sight & Sound’s vice president of sales, Alfredo manages daily sales operations, develops sales strategies, and forecasts company revenue. He focuses on client retention and expanding the client base locally and nationally. 

Alfredo earned a communication degree from Jacksonville University, which laid the foundation for his career in the hospitality industry. He’s drawn to the industry’s opportunities for travel, bringing creative solutions to events, and building long-lasting relationships. His journey with Sight & Sound began in 2005 when he joined as a marketing intern and discovered his passion for the audio-visual production side of events. After progressing through roles as a marketing coordinator and project manager, he found his niche in sales. 

Outside of work, Alfredo enjoys gardening with his wife, traveling with his family, and supporting all his local sports teams. 

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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In this episode, Axia’s David Triana joins host Jason Mudd to discuss key strategies for nurturing mutually beneficial media relationships that make a lasting impact. 

Tune in to learn more!

Our Guest:

David Triana is a public relations professional specializing in media relations and securing earned media coverage for clients in a variety of industries. He currently serves as the director of media relations at Axia Public Relations. He has been mentioned in outlets such as the Daily Mail, Business Insider, and Forbes, providing commentary on topics related to the PR industry. 

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. Always provide value when communicating with the media.
2. Proprietary data can differentiate you from your competition.
3. Respect for journalistic ethics is key.
4. Stay ahead of the news cycle whenever possible.
5. Make the media's job as simple as possible (and be as prepared as possible).

Bonus: Tips on earning media coverage for PR professionals with no prior newsroom experience. 

Quotables

“Not being afraid to fail — I think that is the most important thing and most important attribute you can have as a PR professional.” — @David Triana

“It’s like a venn diagram: what the media wants, what the company wants, and what is newsworthy and interesting.” — @JasonMudd9

“Anytime I’ve reached out to the media on behalf of a client, I never want to go empty-handed.” — @David Triana

“Sometimes a really good media pitch is just three sentences. You want them to say, ‘Tell me more, I'm interested.’” — @JasonMudd9

“I tell clients, you probably have some data internally that you don't even realize would be valuable to help set a finger on the pulse of the marketplace and the economy and what it’s doing.” — @JasonMudd9

“So much of this is making a really good first impression that defines the longevity of that relationship. And if you're willing to be available right off the bat … things like that set you apart from many others.” — @David Triana

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others or leave us a quick podcast review.

Guest’s contact info and resources:

• David Triana on X
• David Triana on LinkedIn
• Email David at [email protected]

Additional Resources:

• Axia Public Relations
• Resources

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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In this episode, Jacob Shipley joins On Top of PR host Jason Mudd to discuss how a one-person social media team works, as well as some social media tips, tricks, and trends.

Guest:

Our episode guest is Jacob Shipley. He started as the first social media hire at YouVersion. He now works for Tyson Foods and has built his own LinkedIn following, leading him to start a social media content strategy newsletter.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. What first-party data collection is
2. Why B2B companies need to be on social media
3. Pros and cons of being a one-person social media team
4. 2024 social media trends
5. The minimum viable social strategy needed to succeed

Quotables

• “You're delivering tangible value so that your customers want to hear from.” - Jacob Shipley
• “The difference between B2B social media and B2C social media is B2C you are talking to consumers and with B2B you're talking to consumers that happen to work in a business.” - Jacob Shipley
• “The bigger the team, the more complex it is, the harder it is to fight that.” - Jacob Shipley
• “Some of the accounts that have grown the fastest were some of the ones with the least amount of resources because they had to be scrappy, they had to be really creative and really clever about how do I meet my audience's need?” - Jacob Shipley
• “If you look at what really performs well, it's the kind of stuff that feels off the cuff, that feels native, that feels personal, it's cliche, but you can't fake authenticity.” - Jacob Shipley

If you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?

About Jacob Shipley

Jacob started as the first social media hire at YouVersion, an app with half a billion downloads. While there, YouVersion's Instagram grew by over a million followers two years in a row. Their TikTok grew from 0 to 300,000 in less than 6 months. In his current role at Tyson Foods, he handles the technology and execution for organic social, paid social, and first-party data collection. Jacob also has a weekly newsletter, Social Studies, which has one goal: to help social media managers take their game to the next level.

Resources

• Connect and learn more about Jacob Shipley on LinkedIn.
• Follow Jacob Shipley on ‘X’.
• Visit Jacob’s newsletter for more information. 
• Follow Dave Adamson on ‘X’.
• Follow Tommy Clark on ‘X’.

Additional Resources from Axia Public Relations:

• Listen to more episodes of the On Top of PR podcast.
• Find out more about Axia Public Relations.
• Social Media Content Calendar Templat

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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Our episode guest is Ken Jacobs PCC, CPC, owner and principal of Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching. Ken is an experienced certified coach who helps corporate (and agency) leaders, senior executives, and managers in public relations, marketing, advertising, and/or related communications functions. He focuses on helping others achieve and surpass their organizational, career, and personal goals.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode: 

1. How to switch from a “challenge” mindset to an “opportunity” mindset
2. Improving your emotional intelligence 
3. How to be more transparent
4. Setting high standards for your own leadership
5. Taking care of yourself as a leader 

Quotables

• “Followers have always followed courage and optimism. Your followers can be your team members, peers, your boss, or your stakeholders — internal and external. We all have the ability to lead, to create outcomes that are good for all of us.” — @KensViews
• “The core definition of leadership to me is, ‘I have the ability to influence positive outcomes both in myself and in others.’”— @KensViews
• “You can only take care of your employees if you’re taking care of yourself.” — @KensViews
• “I know it may not feel like it now, but fear is a choice. What if you chose courage? What would that feel like?” — @KensViews
• “If you can inspire, employees will self motivate.” — @KensViews

About Ken Jacobs

Ken is an experienced certified coach who helps corporate (and agency) leaders, senior executives, and managers in public relations, marketing, advertising, and/or related communications functions. His focus is assisting others achieve and surpass their organizational, career, and personal goals by helping them become more inspired and effective leaders.

Contact info and resources:

• Ken on Twitter: twitter.com/KensViews
• Ken on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jacobsconsultingcoaching/
• Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching: www.jacobscomm.com/
• Ken’s eBooks:
  • How to Lead the Leaders on Your Team
  • Nine Critical Leadership Traits for Today
  • 11 Things To Do If You Want To Be An Amazingly Effective Leader
• Podcast: Taking the Lead 
• Other books mentioned:
  • Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves

 Additional Resources:

Axia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ 

Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

About your host Jason Mudd

On

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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Our episode guest is Colin Wylie, assistant director for marketing and assessment at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Reeve Union. Colin also serves on the board of directors for PRSA Northeast Wisconsin.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode: 

1. How to transition from being a PR student to a PR professional 
2. Understanding the PR industry as a recent graduate
3. The importance of relationships, networks, and professional associations when navigating the first years in your PR career 
4. How to use your student experience to give you an advantage after graduation
5. Why you should apply for the Axia Public Relations scholarship if you’re a college student   

Quotables

• “If you treat mistakes as learning experiences, that’s when you’ll see the most growth.” — @thecolinwylie
• “If you don’t make the ask, you won’t get new opportunities.” — @thecolinwylie

About Colin Wylie

Colin currently works as the assistant director for marketing and assessment at Reeve Union at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He also serves on the board of directors for PRSA Northeast Wisconsin. Colin graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Contact info and resources:

• Colin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecolinwylie
• Colin on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/colin-wylie/

Additional Resources:

Axia Public Relations: www.axiapr.com/
Axia Public Relations scholarship: www.axiapr.com/scholarship

Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.
About your host Jason Mudd

On Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands and fastest-growing companies. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia Public Relations in July 2002. Forbes named Axia as one of America’s Best PR Agencies.

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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 Our episode guest is Jack Vincent, Strategic Poet. Jack helps companies sell more effectively, from tactical questioning to killer stories.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. How a sale is a love affair 
2. The five phases you need to pull a buyer through in their purchase 
3. Tactical tools help your sales team sell more effectively 
4. The killer question for closing and bringing the sale to conclusion 
5. How marketing leaders can guide sales people to pitch like they’re storytelling 

Quotables

• “We have to get attention in an attractive way. You need to disrupt and get attention to prove you are worthy of my attention.” — @jackvincent
• “Asking questions is not a sign of ignorance, it's a sign of professionalism.” — @jackvincent
• “Love your customers even if they tell you no.” — @jackvincent

Contact info and resources:

• A Sale Is A Love Affair: Seduce, Engage & Win Customers' Hearts
• @jackvincent on Twitter
• LinkedIn
• jackvincent.com

 Additional Resources:

• ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.com
• Axia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ 

Presented by: ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving and promoting online customer reviews.

About your host Jason Mudd

On Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is the CEO and managing partner of Axia Public Relations. He is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in 2002.

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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Learn the role of content strategy and why a solid content strategy is important to your marketing and PR efforts with our guest Sherry Sanderford, public relations manager at the Wounded Warrior Project.  Sherry is a strategic communications leader with extensive experience in corporate, health care, and health technology communications.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. What is the role of content in today’s PR environment?
2. How can organizations drive content through a multi-channel strategy?
3. How does a solid content strategy support earned media efforts?
4. How do you measure the impact of your content strategy?
5. What are lessons for PR practitioners operating during a pandemic?

Quotables

• “Good content is the gift that keeps on giving.” — @ssanderford
• “Let's get back to a broader view on public relations, of which earned media and media relations is a component.” — @ssanderford
• “Having a very strong customer base, follower base, supporter, or donor base is key.” — @ssanderford
• “We have to be willing to be open to new ideas that may be coming from folks that we might not necessarily have thought understand our business or the work that we do.” — @ssanderford
• “I think taking a little bit more time and guiding people produces enormous rewards in the end. You get richer stories and content. Be willing to laugh and learn.” — @ssanderford

If you enjoyed the episode, would you please leave us a review?

About Sherry Sanderford

Sherry Sanderford is a strategic communications leader with extensive experience in corporate, health care, and health technology communications. She recently joined the Wounded Warrior Project as the public relations manager. Her responsibilities include leading a team of public relations professionals in charge of external communications and reputation. Previously, Sherry ran S2 Communications & Consulting where she provided communications strategy and consulting to businesses and non-profit organizations, primarily in the healthcare space.

Before that, Sherry spent 20 years at Aetna/CVS Health leading executive communications, internal communications, and media relations for numerous business areas. She enjoys connecting people to one another around a shared purpose.

Sherry Sanderford’s contact info and resources:

• LinkedIn 
• Twitter: @ssanderford
• Tracing the measurement origins of PESO

 Additional Resources:

• ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.com
• Axia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ 

About your host Jason Mudd

On Top of PR h

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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Learn what five questions you should ask yourself and your team before sending any corporate communications to your audience with our host, Jason Mudd. Jason is the managing partner of Axia Public Relations.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. The five questions you should ask yourself before you send out any corporate communications
2. Why your audience isn’t “everyone” 
3. Why it’s ok if your audience doesn’t know about your brand yet 
4. Why you should stick to having three company messages for your audience 
5. How you can make your message valuable to your audience 

Quotables

• “You should ask yourself what does your audience know? And I promise you, it’s okay for the answer to be they don’t know anything.” — @jasonmudd9
• “Now, the audience might know a lot about your company, your product, your service, your organization, your point of view, and thought leadership. And that’s good too, but we just need to establish a baseline of what people know.” — @jasonmudd9
• “You have to be careful about offering too many options because people have analysis paralysis where you give them too many decisions and they can’t move. They don’t do anything, they’re uncertain, or they’re not sure where to go.” — @jasonmudd9
• “You have to have a mindset of being helpful first, and once you have secured the audience’s awareness, then it’s about trust. Then it’s about consideration. Then it’s a decision.” — @jasonmudd9

If you enjoyed the episode, would you please leave us a review?

About Jason Mudd

Jason Mudd, APR, is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he's worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in July 2002.

Clients love Jason’s passion, innovation, candor, commitment, and award-winning team. In an increasingly tech-forward world, Jason’s grasp of technological demands on companies provides his clients in multiple sectors a unique advantage toward reaching their top audiences. After teaching himself HTML in 1994, Jason helped pioneer internet marketing strategies as an early adopter of e-commerce, SEO, and social media, inspiring tech giants like Yahoo.

At Axia, Jason attracts, develops, retains, innovates, and leads top PR talent and clients. He oversees strategic communications for the firm’s national clients and provides high-level consultations to client leadership teams at billion-dollar global brands, both business-to-business and business-to-consumer, including spokesperson training, crisis communications management, analytics, social media, online reputation management, and more. He also speaks frequently to corporations and industry groups and writes about public relations trends and best practices for American City Business Journals and other national businesses.

Contact info and resources:

• Twitter: @jasonmudd9    
• LinkedIn 
• Website:

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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Learn the three ways brands are responding to the current economic climate and why you shouldn’t ditch your marketing efforts during a recession with Susan Baier, president of Audience Audit and Drew McLellan, CEO of Agency Management Institute.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. What three ways brands are responding to the economic climate
2. Why brands who are actively building attention and being aggressive in their marketing efforts will win out over their competition when the recession is over
3. How to work with an outside agency during this time of uncertainty
4. Why agencies are the best resource to aid their clients during an economic downturn
5. Why you should never stop telling the story of your brand  

Quotables

• “You can't stop running your business and making good decisions just because the economy is not as robust as it was.” — @DrewMcLellan
• “There's always opportunity if you are wired to look for and take advantage of that opportunity.” — @DrewMcLellan
• “When a brand goes dark during an economic downturn, they lose market share, they never get back. And a brand who accelerates and amplifies their voice during a downturn gains market share that they never lose.” — @DrewMcLellan
• “Companies of all sizes want their agencies helping them strategically and they're really looking to them for advice.” — @susanbaier
• “Agencies have a bird's eye view on what's working not just for you, but for their other clients.” — @DrewMcLellan
• “I think it's important to remember that agencies and clients are a symbiotic relationship. They work well together, they survive together.” — @susanbaier

About Susan Baier

A marketing strategist and researcher for more than 30 years, Susan is an audience specialist. She crafts custom attitudinal segmentation research for agencies and marketers for B2C, B2B, and higher ed organizations including Gap, AT&T, Jayco, Tufts University, and more. 

About Drew McLellan

For almost 30+ years, Drew McLellan has been in the advertising industry. He started his career at Y&R, worked in boutique-sized agencies, and then started his own agency in 1995, which he still owns and runs. Additionally, McLellan owns and leads Agency Management Institute, which advises hundreds of small to mid-sized agencies on how to grow their agencies profitability through agency owner peer groups, consulting, coaching, workshops, and more.

Contact info and resources:

• Agency Edge Research 2020
• Twitter:
  • Susan 
  • Drew 
• LinkedIn: 
  • Susan

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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Learn how you can improve yourself and your relationship with the media and your customers with our guest, Peter Shankman, who is an entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker, and Pelton enthusiast.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. Why companies should use neurodiverse marketing  
2. Common mistakes marketing and PR professionals make when approaching the media
3. How to build relationships with the media
4. Learning how your brain works to keep you motivated and productive
5. How to engage customers 

Quotables

• “The key really is understanding both your audience from a hiring perspective as well as from a selling perspective.” — @petershankman
• “Any story you do has to be making the reporter’s life easier.” — @petershankman
• “Understand that 99% of what you believe to be news may very well be news to you but not to anyone else.” — @petershankman
• “Reach out to me with good quality content, and I'll be a lot happier. And chances are, I’ll buy from you when I do have something to buy.” — @petershankman
• “Your audience will tell you exactly how they like to get their information if you let them.” — @petershankman
• “I think that my greatest fear is missing out on an opportunity because I was afraid to take the risk.” — @petershankman

If you enjoyed the episode, would you please leave us a review?

About Peter Shankman

The New York Times has called Peter Shankman “a rockstar who knows everything about social media and then some.” He is a five-time best selling author, entrepreneur, and corporate in-person and digital keynote speaker, focusing on customer service and the new and emerging customer and neurotypical economy. With three startup launches and exits under his belt, Peter is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about the customer experience, social media, PR, marketing, advertising, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and the new Neurodiverse Economy.

Contact info and resources:

• @petershankman on Twitter
• www.shankman.com
• Peter Shankman’s Books: 
  • Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Worked And Why Your Company Needs Them
  • Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD Brain
  • Zombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid Fans
• Podcast: Faster Than Normal

 Additional Resources:

• ReviewMaxer: http://reviewmaxer.com
• Axia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/ 

About your host Jason Mudd

On Top of PR host, Jason Mudd, is the C

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.