Blain Rethmeier

🎤🎸🤘🏻🚨 Latest from The Repute: "Crisis Comms Under the Microscope: Dave Grohl’s Approach" 🎤🎸🚨 In this edition, we take a real-time look at how rock legend Dave Grohl is handling the media fallout from his recent infidelity scandal. Using data-driven insights, we break down the New York Times' coverage of Grohl’s crisis communications strategy and analyze what worked—and what didn’t. https://bit.ly/3MIZy76 The analysis explores: - The effectiveness of proactively addressing scandals before they spiral - Why timing didn’t minimize media coverage as others have suggested - The nuanced balance between controlling the narrative and avoiding sensationalism Whether you’re dealing with a major PR issue or simply curious about how the media operates during high-profile scandals, this edition offers valuable lessons for managing your brand’s reputation. Read the full analysis and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear your thoughts! Have a great weekend everyone! Will Valentine Publisher, The Repute Founder and Principal, Valentine Advisors

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🌪️ Exploring the remarkable work of crisis communicators during Hurricane Beryl. Part 1 of a series. 🚨 New Series Announcement! In the next two newsletters, we’ll highlight the stories of two exceptional public communicators who excelled before, during, and after Hurricane Beryl ravaged the Houston area on July 8. The storm left over 2.6 million people without power, and at least 23 people died due to the storm and ensuing power outages. 🏡 Local Insights: Houston Summers Losing power in Houston is not just uncomfortable; it means all the food in your refrigerator spoils. After a hurricane, you're left with tree limbs and sometimes entire trees that need to be sawed up and hauled away. It’s a colossal mess, and people rightly expect their government agencies to help clean it all up and get life back to normal. 🌳 The Woodlands Township's Response: We’ll start with the story of how LeaAnn Dearman Petersen, CPC, CPM of The Woodlands Township, a suburb north of Houston, handled the impact. Next time, we'll share the perspective of the City of Houston’s Office of Emergency Management public information officer, Brent Taylor. 📅 Programming Note: GGF will be taking its annual beach sabbatical next week, so we'll be back with Part 2 on Friday, Aug. 9. 🚀 Stay tuned for more inspiring stories of public service! 🔗 Read more and subscribe to Good Government Files. https://lnkd.in/gQhWWDaA #CrisisCommunications #PublicService #HurricaneBeryl #GoodGovernmentFiles #EmergencyManagement #Houston

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Listen up! Chief Insights and Strategy Officer Heddy DeMaria discusses Hunter’s report into sources of influence in the latest episode of the PRovoke Media podcast. Question your assumptions - there are a few surprises revealed in the results which every marketer should take note of. https://bit.ly/3CNkRml #PublicRelations #earningit #pr #communications #hunterpr

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A few thoughts in O'Dwyer's Public Relations News on one of DLPR's media relations strategies and how to handle delicate situations.

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As a #comms leader, there are several takeaways I appreciate about this article, the primary one being: communications work is strategy work. (It's not an accident that Biden's Chief Strategist is also his speechwriter.) The act of framing and messaging a decision is often what helps leaders to more fully appreciate, and feel secure in, the impact and implications of their choices. Time to kick off the campaign of a lifetime... #LetsGo

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New enhancements to our PR-driven AI tools allow comms pros to ditch the guesswork. Discover features like: ✨ AI-powered suggestions when you upload your press release draft to boost effectiveness ✨ A Press Release Score to help you refine releases for maximum engagement ✨ Data-backed insights based on years of press release performance data Click to learn more: https://prn.to/ai-for-pr #PR #AI #PressRelease

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Rocker Dave Grohl's recent announcement exemplifies the power of proactive and transparent communication in mitigating the damage from a negative narrative. Grohl understood the importance of taking good advice from communications professionals and being honest when he had less-than-flattering news to release. In many organizations, executives fail to follow this approach, opting instead to hide behind media statements - wordsmithed by legal counsel - that lack transparency, fail to own the mistake, or offer an apology. This contrasts with the expertise of communications professionals, who are uniquely qualified to guide organizations out of crises by embracing honesty and accountability. It's not rocket science – being honest and proactive in times of crisis can minimize the damage and begin the path to recovery. Dave Grohl's example serves as a reminder of the importance of transparent communication in navigating a crisis. A Rock Star’s Mystery Baby Offers a Lesson in Crisis Communication https://lnkd.in/gGC2iej5 #Communication #Transparency #CrisisManagement

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PRWeek's great 2024 Business Report highlights the key challenge facing our industry. Communications is more important than ever. Comms and policy leaders are being asked to play far larger roles as business partners supporting ever more stakeholders. So why did the industry suffer so much in 2023 after many years of growth? As an sector, we are not adapting fast enough to the needs. Organizations are desperate for help but also under tremendous financial strain. They now need both senior level counsel and advisory support as well as deep domain expertise to actually produce. By and large, our industry is still split by this chasm - between strategic and tactical. Clients cannot afford to separate these, either in time or money. At Bully Pulpit International our goal is to bridge this divide, building a team that can both 'think and do' at the highest levels. It's not always easy. Last year was a challenge. But if you share this vision for the future, please check out some of our open roles: https://lnkd.in/dGQwJUSG

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20+ years of writing and reviewing press releases has left me with a deep hatred of the words "iconic", "innovative", and especially "paradigm shifting"! This is a smart piece by Eleanor Hawkins. And I agree - as long as the time investment is kept to a minimum and all parties are aligned on the goals of a "press release", there's still a place for them in the comms toolkit as a way to memorialise a moment in time. One add though. With data hungry LLMs looking for more and more content to ingest, and given the shift among many publishers to block the use of their IP, will we see a resurgence in the impact of press releases as influencers of AI answer engines? I predict yes.

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Working on countless Satellite Media Tours and video shoots over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of working with a wide variety of celebrities, athletes, business leaders, elected officials, and sought-after subject matter experts. 🌟 While their experience and expertise differ greatly, the best “talent” or spokespeople all share a few traits that make them great on camera. 🎥 📄Preparation. Great spokespeople come prepared. When you’re ready, it shows—you’ll speak with clarity and poise, handling unexpected questions with ease. 💪Confidence. A confident spokesperson is engaging and impactful, and this usually comes with preparation (see above). Speaking confidently not only helps project great images, it builds trust and helps connect to the audience. 🤝Kindness and Respect. You can tell a lot about a person by how they interact with everyone on a set. The best spokespeople treat everyone—from the makeup artist to the sound technician —with respect and kindness. We’ve worked with big names who go out of their way to acknowledge each crew member. This always creates a positive atmosphere from the get-go and it motivates everyone to give their best. Embrace these traits and you'll shine on camera and captivate your audience every time! 🌟🎥✨ #SatelliteMediaTour, #MediaTraining #VideoProduction

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Happy Thanksgiving to Our American Neighbours—From a Risk Communications Perspective Thanksgiving in the U.S. is the ultimate risk communications case study, and we can’t resist analyzing it: 🦃 Turkey Protocols: Undercooked? Health crisis. Overcooked? Reputation damage (sorry, Grandma). 🍷 Messaging Strategy: Can you steer the dinner conversation away from politics and onto safe topics, like football or pie? 🛒 Black Friday Risk Tolerance: A true test of personal resilience and crowd management. To our American friends, we wish you a joyful day of gratitude, good food, and graceful risk mitigation. Just remember: when tensions rise, clear communication and an extra helping of stuffing can save the day. Cheers from your Canadian neighbours, who’ve already celebrated but are still thankful for you! —- Igniting Clarity, Empowering Trust

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Happy Thanksgiving to Our American Neighbours—From a Risk Communications Perspective Thanksgiving in the U.S. is the ultimate risk communications case study, and we can’t resist analyzing it: 🦃 Turkey Protocols: Undercooked? Health crisis. Overcooked? Reputation damage (sorry, Grandma). 🍷 Messaging Strategy: Can you steer the dinner conversation away from politics and onto safe topics, like football or pie? 🛒 Black Friday Risk Tolerance: A true test of personal resilience and crowd management. To our American friends, we wish you a joyful day of gratitude, good food, and graceful risk mitigation. Just remember: when tensions rise, clear communication and an extra helping of stuffing can save the day. Cheers from your Canadian neighbours, who’ve already celebrated but are still thankful for you! —- Igniting Clarity, Empowering Trust

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Today's #MetricMonday is all about my LEAST favorite metric: impressions. Don't get me wrong, impressions are foundational to most #communications work, because what is a message worth if it's not seen or heard? But we've asked impressions to do far too much in measuring success. In truth, impressions simply indicate how many eyes were exposed to a message. A nice volume indicator, however, impressions don't tell us: 👉 If the audience paid attention to the message. 👉 How the audience received the message. 👉 If the message drove the intended call-to-action among the audience. Other data can answer those questions, which is why I always pair impression totals with other metrics in my analysis. Impressions are a great baseline metric, but you'll always need a qualifier to make it matter. SIDENOTE: Way back in my traditional PR days we'd use a multiplier to indicate how impressions in print would scale to real-world exposure. Because apparently if someone read a newspaper, they'd inevitably pass it to two other people to read the EXACT same clip. It was around that time that my distrust for impression totals began. Is that still a thing? I hope not.

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Demo'ing your technology can be an important part of your PR campaign. However, based on the current media landscape, they are very hard to secure if you are not Microsoft (for example). If you do land one with a journalist, the stakes are high to get it right. Based on my experience being involved with demos that have gone awry, here are two things you need to know before going into it.

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For Immediate Release. In an increasingly owned vrs earned media landscape it’s interesting to see data from Cision's PR Newsire report on the state of the press release. While it remains a strategic comms and content marketing tool for newsworthy announcements, narrative control and street cred, it’s also how you slice and dice it across your owned channels that extends its value and reach. ✔️ Journalists Still Want Releases - 74% of journalists say they want news announcements / press releases from PR professionals - 68% of journalists find press releases to be the most useful type of content provided to them by PR professionals ✔️ AI Did Not Write This Headline But - 49% of PR pros are using AI to generate attention grabbing headlines and 41% are using AI to write body copy ✔️ Show Don’t Just Tell - 72% of journalists said they used images and multimedia provided by a PR professional within the past year. "Visual content is processed in the brain faster and has been shown to remain in the memory longer than text, so including it with a press release will increase the chances the story will leave a lasting impression." ✔️ Orchestrate Distribution Across Owned Channels - To extend content value and reach PR pros slice and dice. 48% - Post bits on social media  37% - Write blog posts/articles  10% - Turn it into a video  5% - Other

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Why Strategic Communications Is a Must for Every Business Recently, many corporations have found themselves in the headlines, but not in the way they wanted. These situations underscore the essential role a seasoned communications leader plays in shaping a company’s public perception. Whether in-house or outsourced, having someone oversee the communications function is crucial. A strategic communicator supports your business plan, navigates challenging situations, and amplifies your story with priority stakeholders. Whether you're an early-stage startup, a well-established private business, or a publicly traded giant, each stage in your company’s journey requires a unique communications approach. Here's why prioritizing communications is a must for every business: 1.  Strategic Counsel and Advocacy 🤝 Communications leaders are trusted advisors, providing insights on public perception and aligning strategies with company values and goals. They evaluate how actions impact stakeholders, crafting messages for each audience. Integrating communication strategies into your core business plan prepares you to adapt to changing dynamics.   2.  Crisis and Reputation Management 🔥 Every business faces potential crises, threatening reputation and stability. A seasoned communications advisor is crucial for proactive crisis planning, working with leadership to swiftly address issues. They help preserve brand integrity by delivering transparent, honest, and timely information. As recent news cycles show, maintaining trust during a crisis demands experience and situational awareness.   3.  Brand Awareness and Storytelling 📣 Communications professionals build credibility with the news media to tell compelling brand stories through earned coverage or a combo of paid + earned. Marketing and comms teams must work in lockstep, ensuring a consistent, authentic, and cohesive brand message across all channels.   4.   Internal and External Message Alignment ✳️ Consistency in messaging across all organizational levels is vital. A great external strategy starts with an internal focus. Ensure employees understand business goals and their roles in supporting them. Aligning internal and external messaging maintains a cohesive culture and delivers a consistent brand narrative.   5.  Business Growth 📈 Strategic communication fuels business growth and transformation by crafting compelling content and narratives that highlight products, services, and initiatives. A communications advisor ensures an ongoing dialogue with priority stakeholders. Their awareness of current trends and media strategies enables you to seize opportunities and tell your story. Investing in a skilled communications leader or advisor is investing in the long-term success and resilience of your business. It's not just a nice-to-have but a critical component of a successful business strategy. #StrategicCommunications #BrandReputation #CrisisManagement #CorporateCommunications

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