Sarah Stanley

Let's keep learning! So many lessons came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the importance of clear communication about what we know and what we DON'T know about emerging infections. I'm happy to be part of the Council for Quality Health Communication: a group working to improve the quality of health information and increase trust among the public. New article by founding members Ken Rabin and Scott C. Ratzan on H5N1 in MedPage Today.

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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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The October monthly episode of our For Immediate Release podcast explores critical communication trends. Shel Holtz, SCMP, and I discuss six compelling topics, including Reddit's potential for crisis comms, the state of blogging in 2024, ethical concerns in celebrity news coverage, workplace connection challenges, and AI's impact across industries. In a blog post, I've set out some key takeaways that present opportunities for communicators, including leveraging Reddit for stakeholder engagement and preparing to guide organisations through AI adoption. Read more and listen now for valuable perspectives and insights on navigating today's complex communication landscape. https://lnkd.in/e5_CcMR2

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So here it is, the trickle down effect in real time: for those mid-sized companies that believe sustainability initiatives and reporting aren't relevant until mandated by US policy...you're very much missing the point/the bus/the electric monorail. It's not about policy, it's about global commerce. We are all connected. #sustainabilityreporting #esg #sustainablebusiness

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The Best C-Suite Communicators Keep it Real – and Meaningful 4 Ways Authentic Leaders Break Through As a comms pro, I’ve worked with many execs in a variety of industries. Those who do it best know leader communication isn’t as much about polished speeches and carefully crafted emails (what you say); it’s about how much of yourself you’re willing to reveal. These authentic behaviors create meaning while enhancing an organization’s culture and results. 1) Embrace your quirks and be human | Your quirks aren’t flaws, they’re features. Whether it’s a love for 80s rock or a penchant for cheesy puns, letting your personality seep into your communication makes you relatable and memorable. Authentic leaders make sure their true selves aren’t lost in translation. REAL DEAL: The most memorable leaders dig deeper than a favorite sports team or vacation spot. One leader talked about his struggles with training for a marathon and another shared about a new puppy’s impact on the family dynamic.  2) Share the struggles before congratulating the successes | C-suite leaders can seem untouchable and removed from the day-to-day. Break that illusion by sharing your failures and lessons learned. Admitting you don’t have all the answers doesn’t make you look weak, it makes you look real. Vulnerability breeds trust, and trust builds teams that perform. REAL DEAL: Leaders with a learning mindset build in a standing meeting agenda item that highlights recent missteps and celebrates learnings before recognizing the wins. 3) Be spontaneous and accessible | Scheduled town halls and prepared Q&A sessions have their place, but the most authentic leaders know the value of impromptu interactions. Drop into a virtual coffee chat or have a no-agenda meeting. Show up where your team doesn’t expect you. REAL DEAL: One CEO regularly popped on screen unexpectedly during small team Zoom calls, much to the surprise and delight of participants. When working from home, he would often have one of his children make an on-screen appearance. 4) Don’t just tell a story, tell your story | We all know that stories are stickier than facts and figures. Storytelling is a communication fundamental. But even more important to leadership communication is telling your story – revealing something about your history and experience that aligns to where your organization is going just hits differently. REAL DEAL: A retail CEO relates to 200k+ employees by talking about coming from frontline through the ranks and doing every job along the way… knows and understands your struggles. Authentic communication is your greatest tool as a leader. Keep it real, keep it human, and watch your influence and relationships grow. >>> What real examples would you add?

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This week, I'm thrilled to share a monumental guide that dives deep into the art of creating compelling brand messaging for advocacy campaigns. As public affairs practitioners, crafting a persuasive message is crucial, but it's a task we don't undertake daily. To streamline this complex process, I've turned to ChatGPT to help break down the task into manageable steps. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿? I detail a 27-prompt strategy that uses ChatGPT to: - 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: Set precise objectives to drive your campaign. - 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲: Ensure your messaging resonates with your values and desired public perception. - 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴: Generate innovative ideas and refine them into impactful messages. - 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀: Align your messaging across different media for consistent advocacy. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗧𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝗻? If you've ever found yourself recycling old messages or struggling to infuse creativity into your campaigns, this newsletter will transform your approach: - 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: Use AI to explore new angles and fresh perspectives. - 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: Save time with AI-driven prompts that guide the creation and refinement of your brand messaging. - 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: Ensure your messages are not only creative but also strategically aligned with your campaign goals. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀: Paid subscribers will gain exclusive access to the full archive of my interactive session with ChatGPT, providing a behind-the-scenes look at how each step was implemented for a hypothetical campaign against the carbon tax. ☝️You can subscribe by clicking 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 link in my bio☝️

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We’re only a few days into 2025 and the year is already throwing communicators challenges. These events remind us that while we can’t predict everything, we *can* prepare to face the unexpected with strategic, empathetic communications. In Matter Communications’ latest blog, I share predictions for the challenges companies are likely to encounter with increasing frequency and strategies for fostering a culture where crisis communications is proactive and integral, not an afterthought. https://bit.ly/3DOjuUR Our team actively supports organizations with protocol development, team trainings (including crisis drills), and real-time crisis management. If 2025 is your year to prioritize being crisis-ready, let’s connect. #CrisisCommunications #CrisisPlanning #PR #StrategicCommunications

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As a Gen Xer writing about and interacting with different generations personally and professionally, I am more than up for learning Gen Z lingo! Education and open communication are key to avoiding disconnection and misunderstanding.

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Internal comms teams have been grappling with this for a while. For a while it seemed easy to take political stands that were popular, but an organization needs to align the needs of ALL stakeholder, not just its employees. And that is even based on the (usually faulty) assumption that ALL its employees think alike on an issue. Maybe its time to bring back the apolitical "apathetic" workplace. Let work be work and in doing so, it might even remain one of the increasingly rare places, where people with divergent ideologies have to learn to get along. In a hyper polarized world, where we increasingly live and socialize in self imposed silos, work and school should provide a break. https://lnkd.in/gDmUKhzB

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Many brands want to share their DEI initiatives but fear the backlash that may ensue. Learn how to successfully message your DEI strategy in 2024 in our latest blog. #DEI #BrandStrategy

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If you work in the communications/media, you need to be reading SEMAFOR. This piece by Ben Smith and Maxwell Tani captures the fundamental changes in our industry centered around how mainstream news outlets aren’t the only ones influencing public opinion. "The biggest shift in contemporary politics and PR may be that the cost of an error has dropped, while the value of ubiquity has risen...Conversely, a fragmented media landscape means that you need to go on ten podcasts to reach the scale of audience a cable television show used to command. And so a new wave of public figures, and their advisers, will need to navigate in a looser and more forgiving media landscape."

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Communications: your company heart, soul, and brain might be in the right place, but if you can't articulate that -- or defend it -- it's going to show up on the bottom line. "CSOs often have the responsibility of communicating the company’s strategy, both to internal and external stakeholders to create buy-in for sustainable principles. 'One thing that is fascinating about the CSO role is how CSOs need to be superb communicators...'” #sustainabilitycommunications #sustainability

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Is your marketing sustainable? 🌳 If you've been listening to the MYP podcast for a bit now, you know I love a good event, even on #EarthDay 🌎 As someone who has worked for companies that celebrate April 22 all month long, and partnered with a #Sustainability team to communicate their “going green” progress globally four years in a row… You can expect I choose marketing strategies and tactics that are not just effective, but sustainable too. ♻️ Marketing (like events) costs a ton of money, energy and time, and often leave behind a ton of waste. Which is why I always suggest implementing marketing and PR strategies that aren't just money or time savers, but are better for the environment. 🍃💡 If being more thoughtful of the world around you sounds like something you need in your marketing, take a listen to Episode 40 this week. Here is a preview of the strategies that have stuck with me over my 10+ years in this industry + how they can help you be more sustainable in your biz too. 🌱 1️⃣ Go digital 📲 2️⃣ Invest in sustainable packaging, products or branding 📦 3️⃣ Be vocal about your sustainability choices 🗣 Ready to dive in? Head outside and take a breath of fresh air! It’s time you tuned in ---> https://lnkd.in/gqjYQzXY #marketing #sustainablemarketing #onlinemarketing #digitalmarketing #purposedrivenmarketing #CSR #intentionalmarketing #podcastmarketing #podcaster #marketingyourpurpose

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This article from Eleanor Hawkins really resonated with me. As communications professionals, we should be far removed from "spray-and-pray" message distribution or the "Whack-a-mole" reactive approach to crisis management. Our strategies and tactics should align with our clients' business goals, focusing less on the number of press releases and more on shaping the corporate strategy. I recently saw a deck from another PR firm, in which the key evaluation metric was "number of pitches sent." We have to move away from this as an industry and increasingly use data to create/protect value for our clients. Great read, as usual, Eleanor! https://lnkd.in/eBfh8cR7

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🍕 Start treating your press announcements like pizza. While the whole story is useful, slicing it up into individual pitches to highlight specific points for a variety of audiences is what makes news get consumed by more outlets and people. How many slices can you get out of your announcements?

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Communities step up their resilience and climate planning: Even before the start of what is expected to be a busier than normal Atlantic hurricane season, widespread rain and flooding have already begun to soak the South, putting millions at risk for flood damage and power outages among other threats. In fact, in the first five months of 2024, the U.S. has already been hit by disasters costing $7 billion, including storms, heavy snow and hotter than average temperatures. Communities and their infrastructure find themselves at the mercy of more extreme weather events, and they must take some immediate steps to adapt to the changing climate and mitigate damage. Fortunately, many cities and localities are tackling the challenge head-on by implementing policies and programs that help their communities improve quality of life and build more resilient communities. https://lnkd.in/evzad2Np

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Sustainability folks: when was the last time you had a 1:1 with your marketing / comms leads? If it has been more than a month, drop what you're doing, and set this up. Likewise, marketing / comms leads: do you know your sustainability team? If not, send them a note today to get acquainted. Simple connection does wonders for breaking down siloes and creating opportunities for some great sustainability storytelling.

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"Know your audience" and "be relevant" to them; focus on "their problem" not "your product." Why are these principles--the daily bread and butter for marketers worldwide-- so difficult to plug into our operating system for many of us working in climate communications? I just listened to an invigorating and insightful conversation between John Marshall, from Potential Energy Coalition and Dickon Bonvik-Stone on his brilliant Communicating Climate Change podcast that I strongly recommend to you. John highlights that climate change has a marketing problem, and indeed it does. He offers actionable advice that can be implemented immediately so that we stop preaching the parish and enlarge our influence to those with the voting, purchase and any form of power able to change things for good. As I await the results of the highly technical and somewhat enigmatic UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, known as #SB60 (you can't do more cryptic), John and Dickon's discussion makes it clear why, despite 30 years of climate negotiations, we still feel we've achieved only a fraction of the impact we need. Have a listen and let's keep talking to each other and understanding how to solve our marketing problem! I would love to read your thoughts. https://lnkd.in/e8Rh9kgr #climatecommunications #climatechange #climatecrisis #climatecomms #marketing #communications

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