Visibility Vibes: November 2025 PR Horoscopes for Grounding and Growth

by Megan Breakenridge | Oct 31, 2025 | Visibility Vibes

Scorpio shadow, Taurus grounding, and the slow return of light for PR pros and thought leaders.

The air feels heavier in November — quieter, but charged. Scorpio season opens a portal for transformation, a time when the unseen shapes the visible. It’s not about chasing the spotlight; it’s about understanding what happens when the lights dim and strategy turns inward.

Under the Full Moon in Taurus (Nov 5), stability meets this depth, anchoring change to something solid. Then Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius (Nov 9 – 29) pulls us back to refine, rewrite, and reframe. The New Moon in Scorpio (Nov 20) draws us even deeper, where clarity can only be found through stillness.

When the Sun enters Sagittarius (Nov 22), the mood finally shifts — the fire returns, but now it burns with purpose.

This month reminds us that visibility has a shadow side — and that’s where renewal begins.

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Aries (March 21 – April 19)

Visibility Vibe: The Taurus Full Moon early in the month grounds your ambitions. Review financial plans or client partnerships before Mercury’s retrograde begins. The Scorpio New Moon helps you release what drains your focus so something truer can take shape.

Personal Vibe: Rest isn’t retreat — it’s how your next breakthrough finds you.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

Visibility Vibe: The Full Moon in your sign on Nov 5 puts you in the spotlight. Accept it — you’ve earned it. Use Mercury’s slowdown to fortify your systems and prepare for long-term stability. By month’s end, expansion feels inevitable but grounded.

Personal Vibe: Let confidence be quiet and certain. The world can feel your steadiness.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

Visibility Vibe: Mercury retrograde in your opposite sign asks you to slow conversations and listen between the lines. What’s unsaid may matter most. The Scorpio New Moon renews trust and sharpens discernment.

Personal Vibe: Silence is strategy. What you withhold now will reveal its value later.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

Visibility Vibe: The Taurus Full Moon illuminates your audience — your work reaches people ready to receive it. As retrograde clouds clarity, the Scorpio New Moon reawakens your creative pulse and emotional voice.

Personal Vibe: Vulnerability is your magnetism. Let sincerity lead the story.

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

Visibility Vibe: Career energy is high, but delays ask you to trust timing. The Scorpio New Moon favors strategy over spectacle — refine your message before you roar.

Personal Vibe: Power grows in patience. Let mystery do part of the work for you.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

Visibility Vibe: Mercury retrograde might scramble details, yet it also perfects your craft. The Taurus Full Moon supports teaching, publishing, or long-range planning. Wait for clarity before finalizing.

Personal Vibe: Precision is peace. Repetition isn’t wasted — it’s how mastery takes form.

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

Visibility Vibe: The Taurus Full Moon shines on shared ventures — if a partnership feels uneven, Scorpio season will expose it. Adjust the balance before the year closes.

Personal Vibe: Boundaries can be beautiful. Balance isn’t about pleasing; it’s about truth.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)

Visibility Vibe: The New Moon in your sign on Nov 20 is a mirror and a doorway. Step through it deliberately. Mercury retrograde may delay external progress, but internal clarity is the real prize.

Personal Vibe: Transformation doesn’t require noise — only courage. Let your depth lead.

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)

Visibility Vibe: With Mercury retrograde in your sign, words echo louder than intended. Edit for meaning, not volume. When the Sun enters Sagittarius on Nov 22, your optimism returns sharper and wiser.

Personal Vibe: Reflection fuels truth. The lesson is already waiting inside you.

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)

Visibility Vibe: The Taurus Full Moon favors measurable wins; document them. Mercury’s retrograde slows plans, but that pause polishes your long-term vision. The Scorpio New Moon supports quiet collaborations that later speak loudly.

Personal Vibe: Stillness isn’t stagnation. Strategy is your art form.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)

Visibility Vibe: The Taurus Full Moon highlights community and belonging. Revisit group projects that lost momentum — they might deserve revival. The Scorpio New Moon turns your focus to leadership that uplifts others.

Personal Vibe: Influence expands through integrity. Let authenticity be your gravity.

Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

Visibility Vibe: The Scorpio New Moon awakens intuition — your creative instincts are sharper than analytics right now. Mercury’s retrograde may blur logistics, but inspiration cuts through fog.

Personal Vibe: You navigate mystery by feeling, not forcing. Trust the current.

🔮 Disclaimer

Content created with Astrology Birth Chart GPT and intended for entertainment and creative inspiration only. Neither Amy Rosenberg nor Veracity, including its affiliates and employees, claim to be professional astrologers. These forecasts are not intended as guidance for legal, financial, business or personal decisions.

How Quiet, Introverted Voices Are Redefining Thought Leadership

by Amy Rosenberg | Jun 16, 2025 | Posts, Public Relations, Thought Leadership

In an era of eroding trust in the media, traditional PR strategies no longer hold the same sway they once did. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, the public now places more trust in business leaders than in the media, NGOs or government agencies.

That shift isn’t just about perception — it’s an invitation to rethink who we hear from, and how. Quiet, introverted voices are beginning to resonate more than ever before, especially when paired with a strategic, content-driven approach to PR: thought leadership.

By thought leadership, I don’t mean the kind that requires a stage and spotlight. You don’t need to grace a TEDx stage or command a huge team to be a thought leader. In today’s landscape, quiet thought leadership — crafted through content and amplified through earned media — may be the most sustainable and scalable way to establish credibility and drive visibility.

Getting Started: Pick a Topic, Do the Research, Start Writing

The best way to ease into thought leadership is through writing. Not only is it low-cost and easier to control, it gives you the opportunity to gather supporting research and hone your positioning before venturing into interviews or speaking engagements.

If your written thought leadership contains one or more of the following elements, it becomes much more likely to get picked up by third parties — whether that’s in a media story that links back to your blog post, a bylined article placed through a pitch, or even a paid advertorial that’s viewed as credible because it reads like a true editorial.

Strong written thought leadership pieces typically include:

Data and Research: Use reliable sources to back up your point — you don’t need to conduct original research but you do need to cite it clearly.
Trends and Predictions: Offer your take on where the industry is heading or why a recent shift matters. Even if your predictions miss the mark, they create a foundation for follow-up commentary.
Opinions and Beliefs: Start with low-risk viewpoints if you’re unsure but don’t shy away from offering a distinct perspective. That’s where real thought leadership starts to take shape.

Once you’ve outlined your message, there are three primary formats to consider:

1. Blog Posts for Your Website

Your company blog is your home base. It’s where you control the message, the tone, the format and the call to action.

For SEO purposes, make sure these posts are published under the thought leader’s name — not just the generic “team” or “marketing” tag. Include subheads to help organize your points and add scannability. Use bullet points or pull quotes to highlight key research.

Remember: you’re not writing an ad. You’re sharing expertise.

2. Guest Articles and Bylined Posts

Getting your writing placed on a third-party site — especially a media outlet or industry publication — adds credibility and visibility. These articles — sometimes called “bylined” or “contributed” content — feature your thought leader as the named author and ideally include a short bio and a link back to your site.

To get placed, these pieces need to be relevant, timely and genuinely useful. Editors can sniff out a disguised sales pitch from a mile away. Instead, pitch your perspective as insight their readers need — not a promotion they didn’t ask for.

3. Sponsored Content (aka Advertorials)

If you’re determined to be published by a particular outlet and can’t land it organically, advertorials may be an option. Yes, they’re paid placements but they still need to offer real value to avoid being dismissed as fluff.

Advertorials can be especially useful when launching a campaign or entering a new market and many reputable outlets now offer these as part of a larger content package. You may even be able to negotiate added value like social promotion or newsletter placement.

Just remember: sponsored or not, the writing still needs to pass editorial muster. Keep it useful and engaging — not self-congratulatory.

Amplifying Written Content Through Speaking and Interviews

Once you’ve built a foundation of written content, the next phase of quiet thought leadership involves using that material as a springboard for interviews and speaking opportunities.

Podcast Interviews

Podcasts are having a major moment. In 2024, decision-makers turned to podcasts for industry developments and product news 93% more in comparison to 2019, according to GWI’s 2024 Global Media Landscape report. Moreover, podcasts have more influence over decision makers than ads, radio, blogs and magazines.

Not only are podcasts great for reaching niche audiences, they also offer a relaxed setting where your thought leader can practice articulating their ideas out loud. Start small, pitch strategically and link back to your written pieces whenever possible.

Media Interviews

While earned interviews with journalists are harder to control than bylined articles, they still offer excellent exposure. Often, interviews are the result of a strong pitch or well-positioned blog post. You don’t have to lead with this strategy but be ready when the opportunity arises — and make sure your thought leader is prepped to stay on message.

Speaking Engagements

If your thought leader wants to eventually get on stage, written content is a great gateway. Once your team has developed a body of work around a topic, you can begin submitting speaking proposals to trade associations, professional groups or conferences in your industry.

Start local if national events feel daunting. Chambers of commerce, local chapters of professional organizations and nonprofit groups are all great entry points. Speaking doesn’t have to be a major keynote — panels, breakout sessions and workshops also count.

And don’t overlook the marketing power of simply attending and networking at these events. Speaking is just one facet of thought leadership — your presence alone can build visibility.

Balancing SEO Consistency and Inclusion in Thought Leadership

Thought leadership doesn’t just build credibility — it also helps strengthen your visibility in search results. When content across your site, media placements and podcasts consistently features the same expert in connection with a specific area of expertise, Google is more likely to recognize that person as a trustworthy source. This is what the E-E-A-T framework — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness — is all about: consistency in authorship, with the same expert attached to relevant pieces across platforms, signaling trust and authority to Google.

That doesn’t mean all content must come from the CEO — or that the CEO even should be the face of everything. In fact, many CEOs prefer to stay out of the spotlight, and that’s a perspective we don’t talk about enough in our extrovert-centric culture. Organizations can still elevate multiple thought leaders under E-E-A-T, as long as each expert is clearly tied to a distinct topic area and remains consistent across channels. This helps maintain clarity in authorship and strengthens the credibility of each voice.

The key is to assign clear lanes. Your HR lead might consistently publish around workplace culture. Your finance director can weigh in on industry trends. Your founder can speak to vision and leadership — even just a few times a year, through ghostwritten posts or select interviews.

This approach preserves authorship consistency, supports SEO and helps build authentic credibility across departments. It also reflects how trust is built today: not from one all-knowing figurehead but from a constellation of people inside your organization who speak to what they know best.

What Quiet Thought Leadership Looks Like in Action

If this sounds like a lot of moving parts, that’s because it is. But it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.

Here’s what a sustainable quiet thought leadership workflow might include — especially for the person helping the thought leader behind the scenes:

Mapping out a 3- to 6-month editorial calendar for topics
Writing or ghostwriting content in blog or article form
Pitching that content to media outlets or podcast hosts
Scheduling podcast or media interviews
Identifying speaking opportunities and submitting proposals
Managing follow-up and relationship-building with third parties
Tracking placement performance and SEO results

Whether you’re developing your own thought leadership or supporting someone else within your organization, the path forward is the same: build a steady rhythm of credible, consistent content. Quiet thought leadership offers a clear strategy — one rooted in trust, depth and long-term visibility.

Final Thoughts

Thought leadership isn’t about ego. It’s not about being the loudest or most followed person in the room. It’s about showing up with insight, sharing what you know and building trust in a way that’s genuine and scalable.

Quiet thought leadership may not get as much attention on social media but its long-tail impact is undeniable. If you want your PR to work harder — and smarter — this is where to start.

Featured Image Courtesy of Kristina Flour From Unsplash

Transform Your Team With a People-First Management Style

by Mike Rosenberg | Nov 23, 2022 | Agency Life, Posts, Thought Leadership

Here’s How.

Over the last year or two, we’ve witnessed a fundamental realignment of our relationship with work. Broad trends like the Great Resignation, quiet quitting, and the ongoing debate over the legitimacy of remote work have exposed a significant rift between employers and employees. Some business leaders have responded by questioning the commitment and dedication of today’s workers. Others have doubled down on the same outdated management practices that drive these trends (see Elon Musk and Twitter) in an effort to wrestle back control.

Neither of these approaches is the correct way to meet this unique moment. Employees will continue to have higher expectations for their careers and the people in leadership positions around them. Consequently, business leaders must respond by re-examining the way they lead rather than continuing to reinforce authoritarian, position-driven management practices.

My Leadership Influences

I’ve been fortunate to spend most of my career leading people. And while I’ve never been drawn to a top-down management style, it took me several years to define my own leadership practice. Apart from my work experience, I’ve drawn inspiration from two important sources.

The first is my cultural identity of being Jewish, which places great importance on supporting those who are less fortunate than you. This deeply-ingrained outlook helped me discover my second great source of leadership inspiration: The Rotary Club of Portland.

For those unfamiliar with Rotary, it’s an international service organization that encourages people to unite and take action for good across the globe. One of the things I find most appealing about Rotary is its Four-Way Test, which helps members make sound and ethical decisions.

The test includes four questions:

Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to ALL concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to ALL concerned?

The words truth, fair, goodwill, better friendships and beneficial are purposely written in all-caps to remind members of the most critical elements of this test. When I refer to the test, I also include all in uppercase letters as a personal reminder to center equity and inclusion in my decisions.

Defining a Leadership Approach

My cultural identity and experience in Rotary helped lay an ethical foundation for my leadership approach, which I’ve used in my work with Veracity, and other endeavors, like chairing the Oregon Ethics in Business Awards. As I lead, I use those ethical principles to foster four important actions that guide my daily work and interactions with my team members:

1. Encourage Diversity of Thought

You’ll be amazed at what you can learn when you accept that you don’t know everything. One of my most important jobs as a leader is to unlock the potential, creativity and a sense of purpose within the individuals on my team. But that will never happen if I inflict a heavy, top-down management style that places primacy on my approach while penalizing my team when they demonstrate autonomy of thought and action. Instead, I seek to treat my team members as equals, each with their own valuable views, opinions and contributions. Over time, this builds people’s confidence and makes work more efficient, benefiting our business and clients.

2. Create a Culture of Trust

Encouraging diversity of thought goes hand-in-hand with creating a culture of trust. My team needs to know they can make decisions and mistakes without being second-guessed. They also need to know that I’m available whenever they need help. Building this type of culture will take work. As a leader, you need to take action to build trust by listening to your team and asking questions. This curiosity should extend beyond work and into life in general. By demonstrating that your relationship is more than just a transactional exchange, you’ll build a level of trust that can empower your team to do great things.

3. Have an Unselfish Mindset

Too many people view leadership as a zero-sum game, believing that if they give too much, they’ll lose out in the end. I believe this is a fear-based outlook that will only end up limiting leaders and their teams. In contrast, giving of yourself freely — whether it’s your time, knowledge or support — empowers your team to do much more than they could on their own. I’ve always believed that as a leader, I’m in a position to prove my worth to the people I lead, and giving generously is one of the best ways to accomplish that.

4. Foster Leadership in Others

These first three actions ultimately lead to the fourth, which is fostering leadership in others. This goal moves beyond individual autonomy into something even more remarkable, where team members feel confident and free enough to lead from wherever they are. However, fostering leadership in others is only possible when leaders listen to their team to learn what excites them about their work. It’s only possible when team members know they can make honest mistakes and fail in a safe and supportive environment. It’s only possible when business leaders are unselfish enough to turn their personal power over to others. But businesses can accomplish almost anything when all these pieces fall into place.

The Benefits of This Leadership Style

In my experience, managing with a people-first perspective creates happier teams, less turnover, and better results. It’s even allowed me to evolve my role at Veracity from the CEO and CMO to an advisor focused on business operations, marketing and client strategy.

We’ve even brought this inclusive leadership style to our client work. Rather than operating from a fear-based perspective by protecting our expertise and knowledge, we empower our clients to learn what we do and why we do it, even turning some roles over to them if it’s a better fit. As a result, we build stronger relationships and deliver better bottom-line results.

This management style has also been successful in other industries. When Art Barter became CEO of Datron in 2004, he committed to a people-centric management style many people call servant leadership. After six years of using this approach, the company’s revenue grew from $10 million to $200 million.

It’s Time for a New Approach

At its core, leadership is about influence. Under a traditional business model, leaders gained influence through their position and explicit authority over their direct reports. While this approach is effective in its own way, it doesn’t always build loyalty among employees or inspire them to do their best work. By contrast, a people-centered leadership style seeks to be more egalitarian by recognizing the team’s existing abilities and using your tools as a leader to help them find more success in their work. This approach builds influence not through position but by an earned trust. Ideally, employees feel more appreciated for their work, in control of their future and more engaged in the company’s mission.

Become a Better Leader for Your Team

If you’re a business leader who wants to help your team thrive individually and collaboratively in this new business environment, here are a few steps you can take:

Ask your team more questions: This effectively demonstrates that your team’s opinion matters. Focus on searching questions that elicit better answers to show how much you value feedback.
Be open to questions: Have an open door (or email, or slack or phone) policy for any and all questions. Never make someone feel like they should have known or not asked a question.
Take small actions: Sometimes, even small things can make a big difference in how your teammates perceive you. Actions like not correcting an employee during a client call, or adding your ideas when not needed to assert power or listening without interrupting demonstrate that you trust your team and want to foster a safe learning environment.

Underlying all of this is the simple idea that the leader’s place is to serve by empowering their team to be their best. That way everyone wins, from the ownership to the customers, to the employees. Making this perspective change could be all it takes to transform your leadership style into one that keeps pace with our evolving ideas of work and how it intersects with our lives and ambitions outside of it.

Featured Images courtesy of Jason Goodman via Unsplash

I’m PR: Seeking Organizations Desiring Stronger Brands

by Cailyn Tegel | Jun 22, 2022 | Digital PR, Posts, Public Relations

Hi, my name is public relations, but you can call me PR. I’m currently seeking an organization that wants to build a relationship with me. I wear many hats that can elevate your organization’s position and reputation in the marketplace. If you are looking for an organized, strategic, good-looking partner, then we might click!

A Little About My Family

I am pretty versatile, and my past relationships could agree. Many people associate me with my cousins, marketing and advertising, and yes, we are very close but usually function differently. We are all in the family of communication, but I earn my work, whereas advertising pays for it, but we both deliver messages and inspire action among key audiences.

My Everyday Life and Hobbies

No day is the same for me. I am everywhere, juggling many projects at once. Keeping my calendar updated is very important, so if you’re looking for me, you can surely find me there.

Although I’m not always by the book. I love spontaneous news pitches or a good networking opportunity. But don’t get fooled, I will always put my organization first and can pen you in if you need a quick pick-me-up or a coffee.

My favorite hobbies include:

Searching the news for topics my organization could comment on
Pitching my thought leaders for podcasts, speaking engagements or bylined articles
Writing A LOT, whether it be a blog post or press release
Planning events and meetings
Building relationships with reporters

via GIPHY

Extras about me:

Favorite catchphrase: “Hi, I am checking to see if you received my last email?”
My biggest pet peeve: No response
Favorite shows: Sex in the City (Samantha!) and Schitt’s Creek (Alexis!)
Biggest value: Honesty
Favorite podcast: The PR Talk Podcast (Obvi!)

My Love Language

Understanding and supporting my organization’s mission and goals is a high priority. I also consider its key audiences and the messages it wants to deliver. One of my favorite books is A Modern Guide to Public Relations by Amy Rosenberg. She speaks so highly of me while explaining how I work. The book discusses my strategies when developing a campaign, while providing examples of some related tactics. As you can already tell, I am all about planning ahead and carefully choosing my strategies and tactics for each initiative. Basing my plans around audience customization and achieving my organization’s objectives is key to my love language.

What I Know About Organizations

An organization’s brand is one of its most valuable assets. Audiences can instantly recognize groups like Nike, Apple and McDonald’s. But they are more than just their names and logos. Most importantly, they evoke specific responses from their target audiences. I can be used to achieve desired responses (what you want people to think, feel or do) when they associate with you. I use my understanding of those aimed responses to create plans to reflect positively on my organization’s brand, but I am also there if the plan backfires.

What Would Make Us a Perfect Match

My perfect match is an organization that understands a good relationship takes time. We won’t know everything about each other overnight, so you can’t expect results right away. A perfect match must be open to new ideas and opportunities. When I find a new organization, things will change, and I need to know you are prepared.

Fun Date Ideas

Every date doesn’t have to be different. I understand that consistently showing up is very important, but I did think of some fun things we could do together. These are not just for our first date, but the future of our relationship!

Create a newsworthy press release (here is an example) and send it to the media for coverage
Hold events for a particular community cause and ensure press is invited
Create articles and blogs from thought leaders to show what you know and garner backlinks to your website
Conduct company-wide volunteering efforts and donation campaigns
Have thought leaders from your organization go on TV, radio, and podcasts

via GIPHY

How to Get My Attention

If you read through my profile and thought: wow, I need PR in my life, then go ahead and swipe right! I would love to get to know you and see if we could build a strong relationship. There are many ways to reach me, and one of them is through this contact form. If you don’t think you are ready, ease yourself in by learning more about me in this excellent guide to my modern life.

Thanks for visiting! XOXO

Featured Image courtesy of Canva

Why You Need to Create an Effective Content Marketing Strategy

by Mike Rosenberg | Apr 14, 2021 | Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Digital PR, Posts, Public Relations

Way back in 1996, when the internet was still in its infancy, Bill Gates wrote what has now become a famous essay entitled, “Content is King.” In this essay, the Microsoft founder described the future of the internet as a place to distribute and monetize content. “.. [T]he broad opportunities for most companies involve supplying information or entertainment,” he wrote. “No company is too small to participate.”

Gates’ essay is so well known because his predictions proved to be remarkably accurate. Twenty-five years later, the internet is awash in podcasts, videos, blog posts, songs, photographs and anything else that can be digitized. Much of this content is free. However, many creators and corporations have figured out how to leverage their talent and available tools to sell content online. What’s more, internet users have shown a near-endless appetite for this material. From searching how-to videos on YouTube, streaming the latest release on Spotify, or reading someone’s take on the day’s political news, billions of hungry eyes are eager to consume relevant content.

What is Content Marketing?

It didn’t take long for digital marketers to use these online tools to produce content for their clients. Unlike digital marketing, which is a more overt attempt to sell products or services, content marketing distributes information using digital platforms to build community and brand affinity or help people make decisions.

Let’s consider skis, for example. Where digital marketing uses tools like search engine marketing and social media advertising to sell someone a pair of skis, content marketing attempts to create an experience around skiing or mountain adventures, while still pursuing traditional marketing goals. This could be through explainer videos that teach consumers how to maintain tune their skis or an infographic that helps someone choose the type of skis that are right for them. Content marketing aims to create material users find valuable so they’ll associate those positive feelings with a particular brand when they eventually make a purchase decision.

Content marketing is a popular technique in business-to-business marketing campaigns, where traditional digital marketing tools are less useful. Companies can accelerate prospects through their sales funnel by creating content that explains crucial products or anticipates potential customer’s questions or objections.

Examples of Content Marketing

This technique is as old as marketing itself. However, content marketing has become increasingly popular as more and more of our daily activities move online. Over the years, some companies have found very clever ways to send their brand messages using the approach.

In 2015, the Unilever-owned brand Dollar Shave Club launched Mel, an online magazine that focuses on lifestyle and culture topics from a man’s perspective. While Mel targets the same audience as Dollar Shave Club, it doesn’t sell razors. Instead, it’s become a respected outlet for thoughtfully written content with a distinct voice. While Mel is now its own company with a dedicated website, some of its content is cross-published on the Dollar Shave Club site, which shows how versatile this kind of content can be.

Content marketing isn’t only about writing. Search the free stock photo site Unsplash for home office images, and you’ll find a series of photographs provided by Dell’s XPS brand of laptops. These images feature sleek and modern workspaces that any home office warrior would covet, with the sleek and modern XPS laptops front-and-center. Every blogger or web developer understands the value of free stock photography. In this instance, XPS has found a way to harness that built-in demand and provide helpful solutions that also happen to send a strong brand message.

Photo by XPS on Unsplash

The goal of these two examples is not to make a conversion. Instead, they associate a brand with an attractive aesthetic, relatable point of view or aspirational identity. When a purchase decision comes further down the line, it will hopefully be informed, in part, by the content the buyer consumed up until that point.

How Can Content Marketing Drive Public Relations?

Public relations professionals can use content marketing techniques to drive public opinion or sentiment in the same way marketers use content to drive customer behavior. In early 2019, Slack, the popular workplace messaging app, revealed an extensive logo redesign that was met with… mixed reviews. As part of the launch, Slack published a piece of content on its website explaining the very practical reasons why the change was so necessary. Even though not everyone appreciated the new logo design, Slack’s rationale for the change was widely cited by the media. As a result, their content marketing had driven extensive media coverage (see Google News results) including links from 392 domains.

Media Coverage for Slack via Google News

Fifty years ago, a leading business automation company likely would have issued a press release explaining a significant brand change. Today, companies can steer the conversation through carefully created talking points while achieving better results using tools like a company-owned blog and social media channels.

It doesn’t take controversy for content marketing to be a successful PR strategy. PR experts can take day-to-day content like blog posts, videos, white papers, podcasts and more, and break them into smaller, more digestible pieces they can use in many different ways. When done correctly, content marketing creates flexible assets that sales, marketing and PR professionals can use to bring more attention to your brand. It only requires an overarching strategy that guides those efforts

Utilizing Your Team to Create a Winning Content Marketing Strategy

Fortunately, you don’t have to be Unilever or Dell to develop an effective content marketing strategy. Instead, you need a focused approach that defines your audience, goals, and deliverables. Here are a few things to consider as you begin developing your own content strategy:

Define Who You’re Talking To:
Every piece of content you create should begin with its audience in mind. Start by defining your audience and the solutions you’re trying to provide.

Set Your Goals:
Next, define what you want to accomplish with your content. This step will inform how you distribute what you produce and the tools you’ll use to measure success.

Inventory the Deliverables:
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. If you don’t have the time or resources to produce videos, don’t try and force it. Instead, assess your company’s strengths and create content that aligns with what you’re best at.

Measure and Repeat:
Track your content marketing efforts and draw on those results to improve whenever possible.

Content Strategy Checklist

Of course, not every company has the in-house resources necessary to undertake a fully realized content marketing strategy. In these instances, organizations may look to outside marketing or PR agencies to fill in the gaps or lead content marketing efforts. Under these circumstances, companies will get the best results by treating third-party agencies as full-fledged team members who are just as invested in the company’s success as its employees are.

“No Company is Too Small to Participate”

Just as Bill Gates predicted all those years ago, any company can benefit from a thoughtful content marketing strategy. In the age of content, your corporate voice is a vital component in relaying your brand message and value proposition to potential customers. Because without it, consumers will certainly get the information they’re seeking somewhere else.

Featured Image of courtesy of insung yoon via Unsplash

Staying Ahead of the Puck that is Google with Michael Cottam [Podcast]

by Amy Rosenberg | Feb 24, 2021 | Podcast, Public Relations, SEO

Staying Ahead of the Puck that is Google with Michael Cottam

“I skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” — Wayne Gretzky.

Somewhere in the middle of the PR Talk conversation I had with Michael Cottam he cited this quote in reference to how he approaches search marketing. This means that Michael doesn’t just focus on what Google is doing, he broadens his view to what Google will be doing. There couldn’t be a more fascinating way to think about the ever-evolving topic of search, and especially how it relates to PR.

Michael Cottam is a renowned search engine optimization (SEO) expert who many in the search industry already know. Beyond providing highly-coveted search consultation for clients, Michael is the founder of Visual Itineraries, which he calls his SEO “sandbox” because it is where he tests search theories for clients.

Always full of great information, I am normally talking with Michael either at a busy conference or while collaborating on a mutual client. So I took this dedicated time to really dig in and get my questions answered. Even if my questions are in the weeds or are very technical, I don’t care because it will help us help Veracity’s SEO PR clients!

Listen on Spotify

Listen on iTunes

Google Podcasts

Listen on Stitcher

Battle of the SEOs: Does Michael Agree with Rand About Links?

First, I had to know if Michael agreed or disagreed with Rand Fiskin’s notion that links are not nearly as important as they once were for SEO (check out the last PR Talk interview with Rand titled “The Wall Street Journal Problem” for more context).

Michael wholeheartedly agreed with Rand.

The backstory is that Google used to rank web pages higher in search engines by relying on quantifying their external links. But now, Google has improved its ability to recognize quality content within web pages. While links are still important, websites that thoroughly cover specific topics will in turn rank for those specific topics.

Google’s E-A-T Attempts to Take the Consumer’s Place

Michael explains that in addition to links, Google is now considering “E-A-T,” which stands for “Expertise, Authority and Trust,” to rank web pages. For example, Google can determine the authority of a web page by attempting to discover who wrote the page and then follow a trail back to previous content by that author. If the author has written authoritative posts and been included (mentioned) as a source in other websites, Google will consider them an expert, thus trusting the page. Therefore, thought leader names are becoming just as important, or possibly even more important, than company names — in terms of establishing credibility and resulting SEO.

Since Veracity handles a lot of guest article placement for thought leaders, I wanted to dig into this concept further. I would think that name credibility could be built by landing many guest article placements. However, Michael said that interviews (or getting names included in articles) by credible third-party sources (such as reporters) are just as important. You want a mix of both to build your thought leader’s name, as well as the company name.

The E-A-T concept allows Google to mechanically re-create what consumers would see along the decision-making process and ultimately what websites they would click on. In this way, Google essentially acts like a consumer to serve its customers (web searchers).

Schema Markup Can Help Us Tier Press Lists

Back to my favorite topics of links, if all else is equal, of course you’d place more intrinsic value on the website article that also provides a followed link to your website. However, we could also review the “schema markup” (a type of structured data) of web pages. This hidden code enables search engines to understand what the page actually is about — so it can more readily appear in searches. For example, appropriate schema markup will tell Google that a webpage is really a press article, as well as who published and wrote it.

PR people should not inquire or advise press/web contacts about schema markup. This is a much bigger deal than simply asking the press to add a link into a previously written article. Additionally, there are ways we can discover who is using ideal schema markup in order to tier websites/press by using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool or Rich Results Test to see if the site is using structured data (see more about these tools in this Search Engine Land article).

Are No-Follow Links the Devil?

For a long time we have been talking about no-follow links not being very great for SEO. However, Mike Rosenberg has been unsure about this for a while, so we posed the question to Michael Cottam.

He said that Google cares very much about “user-generated links” (links generated by others), which are found on social media sites, such as LinkedIn and Twitter, and on forums and places like Reddit and Quora. You want a mix of outside press (links and/or mentions from other websites) and buzz from user-generated links, which are no-follow, because they show what is hot right now.

However, there should be a natural bell curve pattern in the links. You don’t want to do a bunch of Facebook ads to generate comments and links for users at only one time. Ideally, you’d get some outside press coverage first and then share that article on social media (with some budget behind it) to show Google that people are also talking about you, which will increase the search impact of the original article.

We talked about so much more in the interview. More detailed questions — such as how to approach keywords when writing press materials — were answered. And larger topics, such as: 1) how search and PR teams can effectively work together, and 2) if search and PR could ever be combined into one role. That was an easy no!

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About the guest: Michael Cottam

Michael Cottam is the founder of Visual Itineraries, a sales closing and lead-generation tool for travel agents, and is an independent SEO consultant, focusing on technical organic search engine optimization, Panda optimization, and Google penalty recovery. The former SEMpdx board member is currently involved in the Rotary Club of Greater Bend, where he recently moved to be closer to the outdoors.

Connect and follow Michael on social media:

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