IT’S A PR THING

FIFA World Cup — A Relationship Building Blitz
The 2026 FIFA World Cup not only brought the world's best "football" to American soil — it also brought the world's people together. And what happened next was something no marketing campaign could have planned. 
In this episode, we listen to the mass of social media commentary that poured in from fans around the globe — their shock, their delight, their gratitude, and yes, their apologies. From the size of a Costco to the generosity of strangers buying rounds for people they'd never met, from Texas Roadhouse revelations to a TSA ranch-dressing crisis, the world got to see America as Americans know it to be — warm, generous, big-hearted, and a little extra.
From the Tartan Army, to the Norwegians who introduced us to Erling Haaland, to the John Denver sing-alongs that filled stadiums and united nations, and the farewells from people genuinely sad to see it all end -- it was a time most will never forget. 
But underneath all the fun, there's something much bigger here — a real-world demonstration of what happens when people tune out the media and spend time together. This year's World Cup games in the United States can be described as relationship capital at it best, built one interaction at a time, on the grandest possible stage.
This one may leave you smiling.
 

Relationship Skills: The Biggest Differentiator in the AI Age
This is PR's time. And the rest of the business world is starting to catch up to what we already know.
A recent Associated Press article pulled together workforce experts from Harvard, Gartner, McKinsey, and Jobs for the Future — and they all landed in the same place: as AI becomes more prevalent in the workplace, the skills that will matter most are the ones that build and sustain human relationships. The things AI simply cannot replicate authentically or effectively.
Sound familiar? It should. We said it first in Episode 54.
In this episode, we walk through the five differentiators these experts identified — reading people, critical thinking, conflict resolution, ethical judgment, and relationship building — and connect each one directly back to what PR professionals do every single day.
This is your moment to shift your mindset, step into your value, and claim the seat at the table that has always belonged to you. The AI age isn't a threat to what we do. It's the one of the greatest validation our profession has ever had.
Article mentioned in the episode
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 woman who can't stop talking about PR?) https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E

Better HOA Boards, Higher Home ValuesIt all comes down to communication and culture
When the acronym HOA gets attached to a home listing, it's a red flag for a lot of buyers — and it's not the fees that scare them. It's the relationship.
In this episode, we're giving some free PR counsel to HOA boards — because the gap between a dysfunctional board and a high-functioning one usually isn't money or legal expertise. It's communication and culture.
We'll walk through five practical tips that help HOA boards build better relationships with their homeowners, what each one means for the board itself, and the real property-value impact for everyone in the community.
And for our Indiana listeners — we'll show you how these five tips align with the new HOA laws taking effect July 1 under House Enrolled Act 1115.
Whether you sit on a board or write a check to one — this one's for you.
 
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 woman who can't stop talking about PR?) https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E
 

PR Classroom vs. Real World - An Intern's Perspective 
There's the classroom, and then there's the real world.
PR student Faith Wheatley gives us a compare and contrast between classroom learning and her own recent internship experience — including five excellent tips for students looking to succeed in their first or next internship.
Faith speaks from a serious, hands-on internship experience: planning and helping to execute a major event, and a multi-day trip to Washington D.C. for a women's leadership program. She shares what she learned, what did or did not translate from the classroom, and offers straight advice for students looking to up their prospects in the career game.
Her words can teach all of us — students, instructors, and employers alike.
 
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
 

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
 
 

AI Is Exposing PR's Real Problem And It's Not What You ThinkIf 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

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
 
 

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
 
 

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

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