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While A. LOT. has been written about Google’s algorithm leak from earlier this year, I took more of a #B2B approach. In this piece for Future B2B – with thanks to solid guidance from Melissa and excellent editing help from Susan – I dove into how Google tends to approach more niche and B2B publishers in its search engine (hint: it’s not always that favorable) and the world of #slop. Both of which point to the need for proper content curation. https://lnkd.in/gXuPiYHx

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This week's PR Roundup looked at: ✅ Data on X's (formerly known as Twitter) downward market valuation spiral ✅ Nonverbal communication and the making of a Kamala Harris meme ✅ An opportunity for communicators and academics to bond and share new research at the Institute for Public Relations 2025 Bridge Conference. As we all know, users/advertisers generally gravitate toward entities with a good reputation—X's chaos and advertiser exodus shows what happens when that reputation is sullied. Brand Finance provides us with the data that proves how this impacts market value. And if you watched the presidential debate (but who am I kidding, even if you didn't you were bound to hear SOMETHING about it this week), you may have noticed that words didn't always speak as loudly as Kamala Harris's facial expressions. In a world where traditional media trainers may say to remain stoic when public speaking, the VP is breaking all the rules, making a real non-verbal impression. And finally, check out IPR's Call for Presentations! Thanks to Richard Haigh, Isabelle Dienstag, Rebecca Evans and Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D., APR for their insights this week. And, I'm curious—let me know what you are seeing in regards to your organization and clients utilizing or backing away from X. Is it still part of your strategy? Happy weekend!

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New directions from Office of Management and Budget for agencies for how to successfully, securely, safely buy #AI tools and technologies. My story breaks down the new 36-page memo.

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The evolution of influence - how is public relations changing? The new Notified/PRWeek report examines this very question. We surveyed 155 leading PR pros to learn how to build stronger trust with stakeholders, the best ways to combat misinformation and how corporate storytellers feel about AI in 2024.   Get the findings now: https://lnkd.in/gayFpq9J #PublicRelations #PR #AI

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I'm not a journalist anymore, but I still play one for brands (hehehe). No, really! My favorite moments on projects are when we can help clients shift their mindset from thinking "organization first" to "audience first." Just as great editorial #storytelling prioritizes the needs of its audiences—their need to be informed, educated, or enlightened—we help brands recalibrate their narratives with their audiences at the center. One of the ways we do this is by helping them operate like mini newsrooms for their brand. Just like a beat reporter is constantly digging for the most compelling angles to write about, we help brands unearth the stories buried in their own expertise or points of view. Just like a great editor can help shape a raw idea into a powerful narrative, we help brands craft stories that resonate with their target audience. And just like photojournalists and designers capture stunning scenes and create immersive stories out of numbers, we help brands bring their data to life through visuals and interactive experiences. By focusing on the audience's needs and crafting narratives that genuinely engage, brands can build trust and foster deeper connections. It's not about selling; it's about providing value and provoking thought. Who better than journalists, or former journos, to get you to think with their stories? #journalismcareers #brandstorytelling

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From The Fix Media's weekly newsletter recommendations – NYTimes looks into publishers building audiences on WhatsApp. For example: ▪️ For Noticias Telemundo, a major Spanish-language outlet in the US, the messenger became a bigger source of traffic than X. ▪️ Financial Times has three topical channels rather than one general one: “the financial markets (209,000 followers), the Israel-Hamas war (53,000 followers) and the U.S. election (22,000 followers)” ▪️ Vox and The Atlantic have huge followings but don’t view the platform as a source of traffic. While small, “[WhatsApp] Channels is one of the few sources of traffic trending upward”. The irony, of course, is that WhatsApp is owned by the same company as Facebook, which has burned publishers in the past.

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New: The bulk of Google's historic adtech antitrust trial wrapped up last week. Now thoughts turn to what remedies the judge might impose, should she rule against the tech giant. The DOJ and 17 state attorneys general are seeking a breakup of the company. But a brute-force spinoff could "cripple" publishers, according to Richard Kramer and Rocco Strauss at Arete Research. They make the case for instead turning Google's Network ad business into a public-benefit corporation, with capped fees and no ties to the Google mothership. Read more over at Business Insider https://lnkd.in/eNxDGW4H #google #adtech #antitrust

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More on the AI front: OpenAI has partnered with Hearst in a content agreement, permitting the use of Hearst's newspapers and magazines to train its products, including ChatGPT. Get ready to experience ChatGPT citations and direct links to Hearst content, ensuring transparency and accessibility to original stories. Hearst, a renowned publisher with over 40 newspapers and 20 magazines, will receive compensation as part of the agreement. Specific terms of the deal, however, have not been disclosed. #OpenAI #Hearst #ChatGPT #AI

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Thanks to Business Wire and #AssociatedPress for presenting an informative online seminar, "The Role of #Visual #Content for #Journalists and #PR Professionals." #PeterBanda #AnthonyBrito Jerry Touslee spoke about the advantages of adding catchy images and videos to promote corporate successes, tell the stories about how new products were developed, and differentiate a company's news from its competitors. As a former corporate trainer and university professor, now focused on content marketing and thought leadership creation, I know firsthand the value of a compelling visual. It's not just a matter of ever shortening attention spans. Some people are visual learners. The power of an instructive and engaging visual is one reason why nearly seventy percent of companies not using videos in 2024 say they plan to do so. https://lnkd.in/eMJGsk-6

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We often say that the term "brand" represents "a promise made and a promise kept." What we mean is, a great brand embodies the commitment it makes to its audiences—the expectations it sets, and most importantly, how it fulfills those expectations consistently over time. I know it sounds abstract! And I admit, when I first started working with clients after a decade and a half of being a journalist, it felt a little abstract to me too. That is until I started digging into this work, and seeing the challenges from the client's perspective. The more I could help them articulate their values to the world, the more I saw how that helps them connect with audiences and drive business success. What better way to make those connections than #storytelling! That's what I love about the work I get to do: together with brilliant people like my friend Karine Bailly, we help brands turn this abstract concept into everything from storytelling campaigns that pack a punch to editorial strategies that stand the test of time. As Karine writes in her latest essay for Long Dash, "When editorial content reflects a firm's brand and strategic goals—framed in a way that is useful for audiences—that very content becomes a powerful tool for informing, engaging, and credibly differentiating the firm." No brand can afford to be passive when it comes to shaping its own narrative. Why would you want to? Why not share your point of view, or your vision for the world you're trying to create? Why not stand out and be useful to your audience? You'll be setting yourself up for long-term success by building trust, credibility, and lasting relationships with the people who matter most to your brand. #BrandStorytelling #EditorialStrategy https://lnkd.in/gqYae2Rd

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Right now, the bestseller "Substack Mastery" is being published, chapter by chapter, on this site. At no cost. I love writing on Substack; it's a great environment, the readers aren't trolls or frauds, and I can be confident of genuine engagement with my posts. What are you waiting for? Go, check it out. Learn how to use Substack for profit and fun. For free!

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Really good piece from Brian Morrissey on Ad buying in the age of AI. Lots of good takeaways, but here's my favorite: "Clients will slow the adoption of AI tools. One agency executive voiced the familiar lament: clients are often stuck in the past. Well, more to the point, marketing executives at brands have bosses who are still asking about how much is going to brand vs performance (it’s all a mix nowadays) and for reach/frequency numbers in digital. (I can remember when there was a push for a digital GRP, which never made sense.)" #AI #adtech #martech https://lnkd.in/gTvcUr3D

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There's so much talk about using AI to generate content, especially now that tools like ChatGPT make it look so easy. But is that coming at a cost to the reader experience? I'm a huge fan of (properly using) AI. It's been great at summarizing meetings. I use it sometimes to generate headline ideas or to generate a first draft of social media copy. I'm legitimately amazed at how fast this technology is developing. But as someone who has been "generating content" for newspapers, websites, blogs and social media since MySpace was the dominant social platform, I see far too many companies rushing to adopt AI for content generation without question. It seems so easy — because it is. Upload some reputable, trustworthy data sources (at least, please tell me you're doing this), click a couple buttons and you've got a story ready to go! Unfortunately, going this route ignores a lot of success factors. - Is it going to rank on Google? (No — the algorithm wants human experience and expertise that AI can't magically generate.) - Is it something that will add value for your customers? (People don't really want to read awkward AI copy, and will just bounce.) - Is it going to read well? (Unless you're also a robot ... no.) Instead, use AI to *assist* human writers. It's great at summarizing interviews, gathering key data points and helping you brainstorm. It can generate a first draft that gives you a structure to work with, if you're stuck. AI is a wonderful tool as an assistant, but it's not a long-term content strategy. While the technology changes over time, one thing doesn't — people want to trust that the article they're reading will help them out. Seeing how often people add "Reddit" on the end of their Google searches just confirms this. If you really want to stand out among your competitors and get long-lasting results, don't use AI as a content generator. Use it to help your human writers and editors do their job better.

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Join our experts as they dive into PR Newswire's groundbreaking AI innovations. We'll explore: ✨ How AI is revolutionizing #PR & comms ✨ Our unique solution that leverages historical data to offer press release insights ✨ Findings from our State of the Press Release Report on how PR pros are embracing #AI Save your spot now and join us as we drive the AI conversation forward!

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Attention PR professionals: How do you feel when you see your press statement used across platforms with the same headlines and paragraphs as you sent it?

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