IT’S A PR THING

Stephanie McFarland APR
  • 5.0 (3)
  • MARKETING

This is IT’S A PR THING, the show that helps you build relationships that build business. We’re bringing you a better understanding of what public relations is today, and how it can drive your business in ways you never knew it could. FeedSpot (feedspot.com) has named IT’S A PR THING as one of the top PR podcasts AGAIN in 2026 -- two years running. Find out how you can join the movement to change the conversation about public relations, and reclaim the definition of what we do that adds real value. 

  1. 5D AGO

    Episode 55 - Podcasting: Trust, Relationship and the Long Game

    Podcasting: Trust, Relationship, and the Long Game Podcasting is a long game — and this episode makes the case for why that's actually a good thing. While most voices in the digital space are chasing the next algorithm, there's a quieter, more powerful force at work in the world of podcasting: trust. And trust, built over time, is the foundation for relationship. This episode explores what happens when a podcast stops being about reach and starts being about relationships — with listeners who span continents, career stages, and areas of expertise. From communications veterans and international professionals to eager students just entering the field, each one a testament to what long-form conversation can build over time. If you've ever wondered what sustains a podcast beyond downloads and metrics — or what it really means to play the long game — this one is worth your time. Tune in.   JOIN THE MOVEMENT  Struggle no more to tell your leadership what your value is to the organization.  Join the movement to help change the conversation inside our organizations about public relations (a.k.a - communications, corporate comm, marcom, public-information office, etc.). We've heard you, seen your frustration on LinkedIn -- being disregarded, left out, treated like an afterthought. But we sometimes are creating our own headaches by how we talk about our profession. So we've designed some items we think you'll like -- and these "tools" will start the conversation for you. Check them out here!  NEW RESOURCE PAGE (a.k.a FREE STUFF)  Visit our new resource landing page to check out free downloads and tools to help you lead, manage and implement top-notch PR in your organization. Click here GOT TOPIC IDEAS? WE WANT TO HEAR THEM!  Send topic ideas and mailbag questions for a future episode to podcast@prthing.com We would love to hear from you!  HOST BIO (a.k.a. Who is this crazy woman who can't stop talking about PR?)  https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E

    12 min

  2. MAY 7

    Episode 54 - AI Is Exposing PR's Real Problem — And It's Not What You Think

    AI Is Exposing PR's Real Problem And It's Not What You Think If you've been in a room full of PR professionals lately when AI comes up, you already know the conversation is charged. The discussion about AI and PR is full of fear, defensiveness, resistance, and honestly, a lot of misplaced angst. And that's because the real threat isn't what most people think it is. In this episode, we're getting into what AI actually exposes about the state of PR today, why it's driving the profession to a critical crossroads — and why the clock is ticking on a decades-old problem that the field can no longer afford to ignore. How we respond right now will either define us or defeat us. The AI storm is coming. Is your PR team ready? JOIN THE MOVEMENT  Struggle no more to tell your leadership what your value is to the organization.  Join the movement to help change the conversation inside our organizations about public relations (a.k.a - communications, corporate comm, marcom, public-information office, etc.). We've heard you, seen your frustration on LinkedIn -- being disregarded, left out, treated like an afterthought. But we sometimes are creating our own headaches by how we talk about our profession. So we've designed some items we think you'll like -- and these "tools" will start the conversation for you. Check them out here!  NEW RESOURCE PAGE (a.k.a FREE STUFF)  Visit our new resource landing page to check out free downloads and tools to help you lead, manage and implement top-notch PR in your organization. Click here GOT TOPIC IDEAS? WE WANT TO HEAR THEM!  Send topic ideas and mailbag questions for a future episode to podcast@prthing.com We would love to hear from you!  HOST BIO (a.k.a. Who is this crazy woman who can't stop talking about PR?)  https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E

    10 min

  3. APR 23

    Episode 53 - How to Spot a Crisis Before it Happens: Issue Management Explained

    How to Spot a Crisis Before It Happens  ISSUE MANAGEMENT EXPLAINED  Most crises are preventable — that's a fact. But they're only preventable if you know what to look for. In Part III of our series on Crisis - Not Everything is a Crisis, we break down how organizational problems develop, why so many get ignored until it's too late, and what PR pros can do to support divisions and leaders in catching them early -- because the best crisis you'll ever manage is the one your organization never has. JOIN THE MOVEMENT  Struggle no more to tell your leadership what your value is to the organization.  Join the movement to help change the conversation inside our organizations about public relations (a.k.a - communications, corporate comm, marcom, public-information office, etc.). We've heard you, seen your frustration on LinkedIn -- being disregarded, left out, treated like an afterthought. But we sometimes are creating our own headaches by how we talk about our profession. So we've designed some items we think you'll like -- and these "tools" will start the conversation for you. Check them out here!  NEW RESOURCE PAGE (a.k.a FREE STUFF)  Visit our new resource landing page to check out free downloads and tools to help you lead, manage and implement top-notch PR in your organization. Click here GOT TOPIC IDEAS? WE WANT TO HEAR THEM!  Send topic ideas and mailbag questions for a future episode to podcast@prthing.com We would love to hear from you!  HOST BIO (a.k.a. Who is this crazy woman who can't stop talking about PR?)  https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E

    23 min

  4. APR 15

    Episode 52 - The First Hour of a Flare Up: Are You Reactive or Deliberate?

    The First Hour of a Flare-Up: Are You Reactive or Deliberate?  Today we cover Part 2 of our series on crisis — or rather, not everything is a crisis. This week we talk about when an incident first flares up, and how we as PR pros think, counsel and act in those moments – because that matters. A lot. The mindset we bring, the discipline we apply. It can make the difference between managing a moment and creating a bigger problem. In this episode, we dig into what it looks like to approach a flare up with discernment in those early minutes. How do you “read the room” in the court of public opinion? What's actually in front of you? How do you stay deliberate when the noise is getting loud, and it feels like things are heating up? This one will challenge you to evaluate yourself, and determine if you’re reactive or discerning and deliberate in that space between drama and crisis.   JOIN THE MOVEMENT  Struggle no more to tell your leadership what your value is to the organization.  Join the movement to help change the conversation inside our organizations about public relations (a.k.a - communications, corporate comm, marcom, public-information office, etc.). We've heard you, seen your frustration on LinkedIn -- being disregarded, left out, treated like an afterthought. But we sometimes are creating our own headaches by how we talk about our profession. So we've designed some items we think you'll like -- and these "tools" will start the conversation for you. Check them out here!  NEW RESOURCE PAGE (a.k.a FREE STUFF)  Visit our new resource landing page to check out free downloads and tools to help you lead, manage and implement top-notch PR in your organization. Click here GOT TOPIC IDEAS? WE WANT TO HEAR THEM!  Send topic ideas and mailbag questions for a future episode to podcast@prthing.com We would love to hear from you!  HOST BIO (a.k.a. Who is this crazy woman who can't stop talking about PR?)  https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E

    9 min

  5. MAR 25

    Episode 51 - McDonald’s CEO Burger-Bite Uproar

    McDonald’s CEO Burger-Bite Uproar   Faux Pas vs Crisis — Know the Difference When did our profession start calling every little flare‑up a crisis? A TikTok trend, a snarky comment thread, a logo people don’t like — suddenly everyone’s acting like the business is melting down. But most of these moments aren’t crises at all. They’re upstream matters that are manageable, or a faux pas with a short life span and a valuable learning opportunity. In this episode, we get into why PR keeps over‑labeling everything a crisis -- and how that habit distracts us from identifying the issues that could be tomorrow’s emergencies at best. Today we’ll walk through the spectrum of incident categories — the harmless creative misstep that gets a couple of days of flareup, the issue that starts quietly and grows over the decades until the industry is in decay, the emergencies that hit daily operations hard and fast, and the rare, true crises that actually reshapes a business for years. Buckle up and take a roller coaster ride today through real stories and case studies about the spectrum of incidents that can either make us or break us – and learn how to tell the difference.   JOIN THE MOVEMENT  Struggle no more to tell your leadership what your value is to the organization.  Join the movement to help change the conversation inside our organizations about public relations (a.k.a - communications, corporate comm, marcom, public-information office, etc.). We've heard you, seen your frustration on LinkedIn -- being disregarded, left out, treated like an afterthought. But we sometimes are creating our own headaches by how we talk about our profession. So we've designed some items we think you'll like -- and these "tools" will start the conversation for you. Check them out here!  NEW RESOURCE PAGE (a.k.a FREE STUFF)  Visit our new resource landing page to check out free downloads and tools to help you lead, manage and implement top-notch PR in your organization. Click here GOT TOPIC IDEAS? WE WANT TO HEAR THEM!  Send topic ideas and mailbag questions for a future episode to podcast@prthing.com We would love to hear from you!  HOST BIO (a.k.a. Who is this crazy woman who can't stop talking about PR?)  https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E

    14 min

  6. MAR 12

    Episode 50 - What Consumers Said. Why the FCC Is Acting on It.

    NEWS UPDATE: FeedSpot named IT'S A PR THING to its list of top PR podcasts in the world again - two years in a row, with IT'S A PR THING moving up four spots in 2026. Read more.    What Consumers Said. Why the FCC Is Acting on It.  Today's episode is a case study in the progress that demonstrates why it's important for companies to regulate themselves -- or else they'll invite regulation to be imposed on them. Consumers have been signaling their frustration with offshore call centers for years — and companies didn’t simply miss those warnings; they dismissed and disregarded them. Now they're facing the real possibility of federal intervention later this month. This development represents more than mere compliance. The FCC may very well be forcing companies to rebuild a stronger, more reliable U.S. customer service industry. Listen in and learn what can happen when companies repeatedly ignore consumer feedback.  JOIN THE MOVEMENT  Struggle no more to tell your leadership what your value is to the organization.  Join the movement to help change the conversation inside our organizations about public relations (a.k.a - communications, corporate comm, marcom, public-information office, etc.). We've heard you, seen your frustration on LinkedIn -- being disregarded, left out, treated like an afterthought. But we sometimes are creating our own headaches by how we talk about our profession. So we've designed some items we think you'll like -- and these "tools" will start the conversation for you. Check them out here!    NEW RESOURCE PAGE (a.k.a FREE STUFF)  Visit our new resource landing page to check out free downloads and tools to help you lead, manage and implement top-notch PR in your organization. Click here GOT TOPIC IDEAS? WE WANT TO HEAR THEM!  Send topic ideas and mailbag questions for a future episode to podcast@prthing.com We would love to hear from you!  HOST BIO (a.k.a. Who is this crazy woman who can't stop talking about PR?)  https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E

    10 min

  7. MAR 4

    Episode 49 - Brand Backlash: The Cost of Content Overload

    Brand Backlash: The Cost of Content Overload Consumers are officially hitting the wall. Five recent studies all point to the same thing: people are drowning in brand content, tuning out messages, and walking away from companies that won’t give them a break. In this episode, we break down what that overload is doing to the brain—fatigue, anxiety, decision paralysis—and why it’s eroding brand connection instead of strengthening it. Then we get to the proven and practical solution as we walk through the four stages of relationship development, what actually influences people in each one, and how to shift from pushing content to creating real connections that builds relationships that build business.  And we've posted the links to the five studies we mention in today's episode on our Resource Page. (So check that out.)  Lots to cover today, so . . . let's go!    NEW RESOURCE PAGE (a.k.a FREE STUFF)  Visit our new resource landing page to check out free downloads and tools to help you lead, manage and implement top-notch PR in your organization. Click here GOT TOPIC IDEAS? WE WANT TO HEAR THEM!  Send topic ideas and mailbag questions for a future episode to podcast@prthing.com We would love to hear from you!  HOST BIO (a.k.a. Who is this crazy woman who can't stop talking about PR?)  https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E

    12 min

  8. FEB 12

    Episode 48 - What Customers Are Begging For (and Taco Bell Gets It)

    What Customers Are Begging For (and Taco Bell Gets It) In this episode of IT’S A PR THING, we’re circling back to customer experience — not the buzzword version, but the kind that actually builds relationship capital. Today, we’ll cover a recent customer experience that demonstrates how much it matters when organizations make things easy, give people a way out of technology when they need it, and create moments that become memories. We’ll walk through what happened, why it stood out, and what it says about how we treat the people we work so hard – and invest so much -- to attract. We’ll also touch on what some of the pros — including the C-suite at Taco Bell — are saying about customer experience in a high‑tech world. Spoiler: even the most automated companies know that human touch is still the biggest differentiator. This episode is well worth a listen and a share! ************************************************************************ Struggle no more to tell your leadership what your value is to the organization.  Join the movement to help change the conversation inside our organizations about public relations (a.k.a - communications, corporate comm, marcom, public-information office, etc.). We've heard you, seen your frustration on LinkedIn -- being disregarded, left out, treated like an afterthought. But we sometimes are creating our own headaches by how we talk about our profession. So we've designed some items we think you'll like -- and these "tools" will start the conversation for you. Check them out here!  Bonus Resources Also, check out these bonus free resources to help you manage the PR function inside your organization, and deliver the value that earns you that seat at the table.  10 STRATEGIES TO TRANSFORM YOUR PR FUNCTION  FREE GUIDE - 8 STEPS TO MEASURE CUSTOMER EFFORT  GOT TOPIC IDEAS? WE WANT TO HEAR THEM!  Send topic ideas and mailbag questions for a future episode to podcast@prthing.com We would love to hear from you!  HOST BIO  https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E

    13 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

This is IT’S A PR THING, the show that helps you build relationships that build business. We’re bringing you a better understanding of what public relations is today, and how it can drive your business in ways you never knew it could. FeedSpot (feedspot.com) has named IT’S A PR THING as one of the top PR podcasts AGAIN in 2026 -- two years running. Find out how you can join the movement to change the conversation about public relations, and reclaim the definition of what we do that adds real value. 

Information

  • Creator
    Stephanie McFarland APR
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    IT’S A PR THING