Dominick Miserandino is the founder of one of the first online publications, TheCelebrityCafe.com, and over the past 30 years, he's worked with more than 100 different web properties and authored two travel books. Nine months ago, he became CEO of RetailWire.com at an interesting inflection point for the retail industry, which we discuss in this episode.

Key Takeaways:

- The state of retail in a post-COVID world

- Why content is still king

- The future of AI in online publishing

Episode Timeline:

1:45 Is retail normalizing post-COVID?

3:30 Did COVID unlock new possibilities for retail?

6:45 What topics are connecting with people at Retail Wire?

9:00 Affirmational content always does well

12:10 The role of AI in online publishing

14:00 Ad networks refuse to work with AI content

17:00 Content is still king

18:45 How to create a great pitch

21:00 Is the AI boom like the Dot Com boom?

23:30 Dominick's approach to thought leadership

This episode’s guest:

• Dominick Miserandino on LinkedIn

• RetailWire

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Brad Bennett founded BDBCreative, a boutique performance PR agency that drives direct sales for apparel and lifestyle brands through tier-one press placements. Brad is also the creator of Well Spent, a now-defunct blog that, for over 8 years, highlighted sustainable fashion. Here, he discusses how he turned a menswear blog into a successful affiliate marketing PR agency.

Key Takeaways:

- The Six Ps of PR

- How Brad built his agency without a traditional background in PR

- The secrets to successful affiliate marketing

Episode Timeline:

2:20 The 2009 blog boom

4:30 Brad built the website he wanted to see

6:30 Well Spent could never happen in 2024

7:30 Is the counter-culture dead?

9:55 Harnessing the power of blog rolls

11:45 How COVID grew the affiliate market

13:30 How bigger publications warned up to affiliate posts

16:20 Building a brand people want to be part of

20:30 What Brad had to learn about the PR world

23:30 Where other agencies get it wrong

25:20 Brad's Six Ps of PR

27:20 The product that shocked Brad

This episode’s guest:

• Brad Bennett

• BDBCreative on LinkedIn

• BDBCreative on Instagram

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Kailie Fagen is a Senior Account Executive at Global Results Communications responsible for media and client relations. During her time at GRC, Kailie has mentored junior staff, secured top-tier national and international media placements, and led client campaigns. Here, she discusses how she got into PR out of college and tips on writing a great press release.

Key Takeaways:

- How to get into PR out of college

- How to write a great pitch

- How to create media lists

Episode Timeline:

2:00 The perks of working for Taco Bell

4:05 How to get a job in PR right out of college

6:45 The importance of writing in PR

7:40 A journalist's take on pitches

10:40 The importance of finding a mentor

12:30 Media lists are all about quality

13:30 AI and the future of PR

15:00 Kailie's feature in the Daily Pilot

18:00 How to redirect clients

20:45 Kailie's family ties to Grocery Outlet

24:15 Tod's love of Grocery Outlet chicken

This episode’s guest:

• Kailie Fagen on LinkedIn

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Grace Keith Rodriguez is the CEO of Caliber Corporate Advisers, a leading marketing and public relations firm exclusively focused on fintech, financial services, Insurtech, insurance, and real estate. As CEO, Grace directs Caliber's strategic vision, including the firm's development across service offerings. Here, she discusses her transition from President to CEO and the leadership skills that are vital to success in 2024.

Key Takeaways:

- Trust and relationships are essential in PR

- Managing a remote work culture

- Grace's new role as CEO

Episode Timeline:

1:50 Grace's transition from President to CEO

3:20 Lessons Grace has learned in her new position

5:00 Building trust with clients and team members

6:40 Caliber's expertise in fintech and insurtech PR

9:45 Leadership skills for success in 2024

11:00 The importance of staying on top of trends

12:30 Managing a remote work culture

15:00 Remote workers need to interact with everyone on the team

17:00 The Caliber College of Public Relations

20:00 Grace's thought leadership philosophy

This episode’s guest:

• Grace Keith Rodriguez on LinkedIn

• Caliber on LinkedIn

• Caliber’s website

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Michael Stern is the CEO and founder of HeadStart, a PR and communications agency focused on amplifying innovative and impact-driven voices. Before going into PR, Michael was an executive producer in local news and is a three-time founder, having started companies in sports media and betting research. Here, he explains the unique PR needs of startups and why he's not a big fan of guaranteed media.

Key Takeaways:

- Why startups need PR that moves quickly

- The problems with guaranteed media

- How Michael moved from news to PR

Episode Timeline:

1:10 Tod asks Michael for betting advice

2:45 How Michael transitioned from news to PR

4:15 The mental anguish of keeping up with headlines

5:15 Why Michael decided to get into the startup space

6:45 PR agencies for startups must be nimble

7:45 Media training for startups

9:00 The importance of selling emotion

11:45 Why is the PR industry behind the times?

15:00 Headstart is built on speed

17:00 Michael is skeptical of guaranteed media

20:00 Michael's favorite success stories

23:30 The importance of going against the grain

This episode’s guest:

• Michael Stern on LinkedIn

• Headstart on LinkedIn

• Headstart's website

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Nicole Early is the founder of Early PR in Portland, Oregon. She's a strategy-driven publicist, communicator, athlete, writer, and creative content producer focused on health, wellness, sustainability, and progressive political causes. Here, she shares how creative storytelling can help advance progressive causes and effect social change.

Key Takeaways:

- Nicole’s transition from politics to PR

- How creative storytelling helped Nicole direct COVID funding to underserved communities

- The future of social justice PR

Episode Timeline:

1:30 Nicole's transition from politics to PR

3:50 Nicole's work on the Oregon Cares fund

6:15 How Nicole's work helped save a karate studio during COVID

9:00 Working for social justice in Portland

12:45 Oregon Medicaid campaign

15:00 Cutting through the noise of social justice storytelling

17:45 What does the future look like for social justice PR?

This episode’s guest:

• Nicole Early on LinkedIn

• Nicole on Instagram

• Early PR on TikTok

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Jon Morris is the Founder & CEO of EngineBI, Inc. and Chairman of Fiscal Advocate LLC where he helps clients scale with a proprietary, tech-enabled approach for surfacing hidden financial insights that drive critical business decisions. In his spare time, Jon enjoys studying data-driven approaches to developing youth players. Here, he discusses how to improve your agency’s financial health.

Key Takeaways:

- How EngineBI helps agencies make decisions

- How Jon scaled Rise Interactive

- Data-driven approaches to develop youth soccer players

Episode Timeline:

1:30 Jon's dogs

2:30 How Jon scaled Rise Interactive from a $10,000 prize to a company with 500 employees

4:30 How EngineBI helps agencies make decisions

6:45 What do the average agency's financials look like?

8:00 The three numbers agencies should focus on

8:40 The BASE framework

9:20 Keeping things simple is key

10:00 The CPR score

11:30 The importance of gross margin

13:30 The ideal agency managerial alignment

15:30 How do agencies react to Jon's message?

17:00 The importance of storytelling

18:00 Jon's data-driven approach to youth soccer

21:30 Are coaches receptive to Jon's analytics?

This episode’s guest:

• Jon Morris on LinkedIn

• Jon@EngineBI.net

• EngineBI.net

• Fiscaladvocate.com

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Kate Gardiner is the CEO and founder of Grey Horse, a full-service communications agency often behind the scenes of global crises. An industry veteran, Kate started her career in journalism and audience engagement, triaging social media for global-facing campaigns, including award-winning coverage of the BP Oil Spill, the Arab Spring, and Hurricane Sandy. She also supported over a dozen women at the heart of the #MeToo movement. Here, she discusses the holistic approach to helping people through a public crisis.

Key Takeaways:

- Interpersonal help in a crisis

- The mental health effects of a crisis

- Helping people involved in a local crisis

Episode Timeline:

1:30 Kate's horse, Copenhagen

3:20 How Grey Horse goes beyond "damage control" to help people affected by a media event

5:00 The holistic approach to dealing with a crisis

6:15 Local adventures can be the most impactful

9:00 Kate's job would make a great TV show

11:15 The mental health ramifications of a crisis

13:55 Kate's work in the #MeToo movement

15:00 Financial victimization of sexual assault victims

17:30 How clients react to hiring Grey Horse

21:30 Standing up for women and their rights

23:30 How Kate transitioned from journalism to PR

This episode’s guest:

• Kate Gardiner on LinkedIn

• GreyHorse.com

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