Public Relations Is About Judgment, Not Activity
The objective comes first. The communications strategy and tactics follow.
Successful public relations is not measured by how many press releases are written or how many pitches are sent. The more important question is whether the work helps an organization accomplish something that matters.
That starts with judgment. Not every company announcement is news. Not every development deserves a press release. Sometimes the most valuable advice a senior public relations counselor can give is: “That isn’t news.” Then the discussion becomes what would be.
Effective public relations connects what an organization wants to accomplish with what matters to the people it needs to reach. The job is to determine what is worth communicating, why it matters, who needs to hear it, and the most effective way to reach them.
My Perspective as a Journalist and PR Executive
Working on both sides of the news desk shapes how I counsel clients and develop public relations programs.
As a journalist, I learned to look from the outside in: What is the story? Why does it matter? What’s new or different? What evidence supports it? Why should an audience care?
As a senior public relations executive, including leadership roles at Edelman and Ruder Finn, I learned to look from the inside out: What is the organization trying to accomplish? What do important audiences need to know? Where are the opportunities? Where are the risks? How can communications support the larger business objective?
Bringing those perspectives together helps me find the intersection between what an organization wants to communicate and what an outside audience will find relevant and credible.
Often, strong stories already exist inside an organization but have been overlooked. Finding them requires asking the right questions to the right people, connecting information, and recognizing why it matters outside the company.
That combination of journalistic curiosity and senior public relations experience helps me find, shape, and communicate stories worth telling.
I Stay Personally Involved From Strategy Through Execution
Senior-level judgment doesn’t end when the plan is approved. I stay involved from strategy through execution.
Public relations works best when strategy and execution remain connected. How journalists respond, which messages resonate, what questions arise, and where opportunities emerge should continually inform the strategy.
I remain directly involved: determining communications objectives, identifying stories and audiences, developing key messages, counseling executives, working with journalists, and creating the materials.
Public relations rarely unfolds exactly as planned. New information, questions, opportunities, and risks can require making changes to the approach.
Senior PR Support That Fits Your Organization
I provide senior counsel and hands-on execution based on what your organization actually needs:
As an extension of an existing PR team or agency.
Senior counsel, strategic thinking, writing, media relations, executive support, or additional capacity for a specific program or initiative.
As the PR resource for a communications or marketing team.
Public relations strategy and execution for an internal team that needs PR expertise without a traditional agency relationship.
As your public relations representative.
Senior PR support when there is no internal PR function or outside agency, from strategy and executive counsel to creating materials and working with journalists.
How I Can Help
I can develop and lead a complete public relations program or provide senior counsel and execution when additional hands-on experience or capacity is needed.
01
Public Relations Strategy & Program Development
Connecting communications objectives to business goals, identifying key audiences and messages, and determining the right strategies and tactics.
02
Thought Leadership & Executive Visibility
Establishing executives and subject matter experts as authoritative voices through bylined articles, white papers, commentary, speaking opportunities, and media engagement.
03
Executive Communications Counsel & Media Training
Preparing executives and spokespeople to communicate clearly and credibly about their organizations, understand and deliver key messages naturally, and respond effectively to difficult questions.
04
Media Relations
Identifying newsworthy stories and the right journalists, developing pitches and press materials, working directly with reporters, and building productive media relationships.
05
Press & Public Relations Materials
Writing press releases, pitches, backgrounders, fact sheets, executive biographies, Q&As, and other materials that support a public relations program.
06
Case Study Programs
Developing customer and client stories that demonstrate results, build credibility, and provide useful proof for public relations, marketing, and sales.
Public Relations Experience Connected to Business Goals
Throughout my career, I have developed public relations programs around larger business objectives — from unifying separate business units around a corporate message to entering new markets and launching companies.
Fujifilm — One Corporate Story Across Seven Business Units
At Edelman, I developed umbrella messaging that brought seven Fujifilm business units together under a common corporate theme, working directly with their vice presidents and general managers to understand their priorities and build agreement.
Quantum — Expanding Into Broadcast Media & Entertainment
I developed a strategic communications plan to help Quantum expand beyond its traditional information technology niche and establish a leadership position in the broadcast media and entertainment market.
Launching Companies & Building Visibility
I developed communications programs to launch companies including Cache-A, Timeline, and Digital House — establishing positioning, identifying the audiences and stories that mattered, and building visibility from the ground up.
Different organizations. Different objectives. The same principle: Understand what the business is trying to accomplish first, then build the public relations strategy to meet that objective.
Related Insight
Make Sure Your Authentic Content Has Something to Say
Effective public relations and thought leadership start with having something meaningful to communicate. A bylined article, case study, white paper, or media story earns attention when it is built around a credible idea, real expertise, and something that matters to the audience.
Let’s Talk
If your organization needs experienced public relations counsel, additional senior-level support, or someone to take responsibility for your public relations program, I’m happy to talk about how I can help.