Justin Brady

Every marketing person in the world has heard the all-too-familiar phrase, “should we start a podcast?” at this point. Before you start buying equipment, however, you should know the benefits of starting a podcast. Like every other marketing or communication effort, no plan = failure. As a pro podcaster, I can tell you the benefits…

As a professional podcaster and past radio host, I hear a lot of sad podcast intros. To do a podcast intro the right way, put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Why did they click and what do they expect? I’ll tell you what they don’t want: drawn-out intros and the host reading someone’s bio. Here’s…

A startup CEO was telling me a tragic story. His PR firm had scored him an incredible earned media opportunity but hadn’t solidified his messaging, mission, vision, or even brand optics first. The result was a fascinating interview for the media and zero engagement from the audience. For founders, it’s an easy mistake but an…

Interviewing a guest for a podcast, radio, or a livestream is difficult. While it does take experience to get right, there are a few strategies that are helpful to know. If you’re seeking a better understanding of how to host live shows and interview guests, this is for you. I’ve interviewed Presidential candidates on live…

Apple is pulling manufacturing out of China. As AI makes its way into manufacturing, this will be more common with US companies eventually bringing manufacturing home. We’re about to see the 4th Industrial Revolution. A.I. cuts overseas jobs, bringing more to the USA Many AI alarmists believe technological advances will remove jobs, and while that’s…

Quality inbound leads come from great educational and informative articles, videos, and podcasts. And one way to harvest great content of this nature is from salespeople. No, seriously. I’ve seen great content strategy success from this very straightforward process. I instruct salespeople to listen for common or recurring questions and concerns and write down those…

Being a startup founder is intense. Whether bootstrapping or knee-deep in a fundraising round, founders know their ability to absorb information is critical. If this is you, however, please be careful accepting advice. Some see advice-giving, not as an opportunity to help, but to feed their ego and mask their inadequacy. I was reminded of…

It’s confusing trying to get news coverage for your brand, your event or your organization. As a PR person for big national tech brands, I get it. Let me give you one simple tool that will forever change how you look at getting news coverage: promoting your brand is a matter of value exchange. Getting…

As people pump their brands, LinkedIn has been flooded with low-value advice. To cut through the noise and get more impressions on LinkedIn, here’s one thing you can do right now: summarize your post in the first few sentences. See? I just took my own advice. You knew before reading this article if there was…

You can dramatically increase the effectiveness of your communication in 30 seconds to get more email responses. When writing your email next time, remove as many “I” references as possible and focus on “you.” It sounds subtle, maybe even useless, but this high-focus approach works wonders. What is high-focus language? Joe Thomas teaches about what he…

As a leader, have you tried to get workers back in the office? Did they resist? Yes, it can be a huge boost to your productivity, but if you do it the wrong way, you’ll achieve the opposite. The biggest reason for resistance in returning to the office is that workers don’t understand the point…

Startup founders and even small or local businesses want to know how to get free press, or what we public relations folks call “earned media.” The process is quite simple in theory: Trade value you have for value a journalist wants. Starting as a PR outsider, I saw the grotesque way the industry worked and…

With 10,000 showing on your email app and a constant barrage of time-sucking meetings, how do you go about reducing emails at work? It’s not just you. Emails are out of control. The coolest tech companies on earth use me for PR/comms and email overload is a big hindrance to their performance. That’s why I…

“How do I go about marketing my business ideas?” It’s a question I’m commonly asked. The answer to this question is counterintuitive. Right now, you believe having a better idea is your advantage, but that’s actually not true. No one cares about the better idea, they care about people who communicate to them on a…

“Just post about it on social media,” people tell you. Ha! Podcasting content is great for growing a social media presence, but if you want to grow podcast listeners, it’s not effective. Understanding how to market your podcast the right way requires human connection and maximizing face-to-face experiences. I’m a pro podcaster. My past guests…

Preparing a podcast guest for their interview is just as important as the interview itself. You can have a confident host, unique topic, great production, and nice microphones, but still create a crappy show if your guest isn’t prepared. As a pro podcaster myself, it breaks my heart when a great interview opportunity goes to…

For the first time, I decided to open my insights page to a contributing writer. His name is Jacob A. Stewart. Due to his insightful feedback on a recent LinkedIn post of mine, I offered this section as a platform for him to expand on his thoughts. Jacob A. Stewart Bio When preparing for meetings…

Every founder and CMO wants pay-for-play PR. The idea is alluring— a PR agency would get paid strictly on every win they deliver. But the value of pay-for-play PR is fool’s gold; and I’ll explain why you, as a founder, might not actually want it. First, it’s based on the idea that a “big win”…

My clients have been featured in publications like The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, and I’ve previously written for publications like The Washington Post so I’m often asked the following: how long does PR take to get results? In my experience, getting results for publication relations (PR) efforts is dependent on quite a few factors.…

What’s the biggest mistake I see when people are ready to get their message out, get big press wins and ramp up their web traffic? They start WAY too late. Even if you don’t have the cash, I’ll explain how to do PR without a budget for it. This way, you can build the foundation…

As workers found themselves free of the physical workplace, many anticipated the end of the butts-in-seats management era. In what feels more like The Truman Show than a workplace, however, the surveillance didn’t change when they left, and it won’t change when they come back. The employee performance software obsessions might even get worse. Butts-in-seats…

As workers found themselves free of the physical workplace, many anticipated the end of the butts-in-seats management era. In what feels more like The Truman Show than a workplace, however, the surveillance didn’t change when they left, and it won’t change when they come back. The employee performance software obsessions might even get worse. Butts-in-seats…

Are blogs dead for those growing a business or building influence? Absolutely. Blogs are for personal opinions, rants, journaling, and emotional tirades. While it’s true that crap will continue to exist for decades, readership will continue to decline and die. Don’t create a blog, instead focus on keeping your website updated with relevant resources that…

It’s not your imagination and it’s not a bug—LinkedIn is removing hyperlinks from your comments. The change came to mobile and is rolling out to desktop. Although this seems to be hit or miss (hyperlink comments are presently working for me), this might be an alarming new direction. LinkedIn removing links from your comments is…

A founder approached me this week telling me of his good fortune: his company will soon by on the Nasdaq billboard in downtown New York City! “What should I do?” the founder asked. “Know what happens when people Google your company,” I said. Anticipating the actions of your audience is a PR superpower. Nasdaq Billboard…

Increasing your web traffic ultimately comes down to great content. Generally, the more great content you post, the more traffic will result. But one concern you may have is how to avoid helping competitors with content strategy you develop with your own budget. I get it. Before I started my own content strategy, I had…

A great interview on a podcast is nothing like a natural conversation. It should sound natural to listeners, but that only happens with proper preparation, fresh perspective, well-structured notes and landing questions. Here are 4 core components that will teach you how to prepare for a podcast interview and sound like a pro. As a…

The lines between advertising and public relations are often blurred, and while they do have some crossover, they also have distinct characteristics. Both have tactical and strategic differences with varying timelines as well. As a PR guy myself, here’s how I explain it: the difference between public relations and advertising is about who’s talking about…

If you want to know how to start a company podcast, you’re in the right place. My podcast is the single best way I attract customers. A few past guests have even worked on projects and have become customers. I’ve also worked with a few companies on their own podcasts. I’ve made mistakes and achieved…

Every founder is like a new parent. After months of anticipation, friends and family react as you expect: excitement and celebration. But when it’s time to introduce your creation to the world, you learn the sad truth—no one cares. Journalists don’t mob you with interview requests and customers don’t overwhelm your contact forms. This can…

A marketing shift is upon us, possibly stemming from the great 2020/21 disruption. Seasoned marketing professionals like John Jantsch and Troy Dunn have drawn the same conclusions: creating educational and interesting content in the form of articles, videos, and podcasts isn’t optional. It must be top priority. If you are searching for an alternative to…

It’s a bit surprising, but executives at your company can unwittingly sabotage your publicity and communication strategy. Obviously, this can have detrimental effects, but if you work ahead and prepare, you’ll be well prepared to amplify your company to the masses. Before you ambitiously seek to get executives interviewed in the media, make sure you…

You’ve heard it before: 20% of businesses fail in their first year, 30% in their second, and 50% are gone after five. My first startup failed, so trust me when I say this: it hurts like you can’t imagine. But because no one plans for it, when your startup fails, you don’t learn anything. If…

“You have such a great radio voice,” I was told often during my stint in live radio, and now that I’m podcasting, it’s “you have such a great voice for podcasting.” But here’s my secret… I cheat! I use technology that enhances my voice and a few vocal tricks that make my show sound polished.…

How do you measure ROI on PR? It sounds impossible because analytics can’t possibly track platforms like TV and Radio, but it works. As an PR guy, I’ll share clever methods you can use starting today. After reading this, founders and marketers alike will be able to measure results and collect lead information, regardless of…

I overheard someone explain a really awful PR strategy. To build a relationship with a journalist, they explained, just ask them to meet over a glass of wine and offer your assistance. As a writer for top publications myself, I’ve seen this attempted, and guess what: I deleted every email. No one wants to build…

If you have a newsletter, you probably know the advantage of a large subscriber number. If you’ve spent time growing ,it you also know how much time it can take. That’s why it may be tempting to take a shortcut and buy a list to import, growing it overnight. But should you? Should you buy…

The reason websites like this one get a lot of organic web traffic is simple: I post consistent, well-written, well-researched, very valuable, educational information. Period. This is the single biggest SEO tool companies have but never utilize. I’ll explain why and detail how to create content for your company that attracts people. Before we get…

The obvious benefit when getting media coverage for your startup is the rapid spread of your message to millions of potential customers at a low cost. But the alarming majority of founders screw up when reaching out because they never stop to consider why listeners, readers, or viewers of media brands would care about their…

How much does PR cost? It’s the question you really want to know, and the question PR companies don’t want to answer. Ok, so here goes: anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 per month or higher. As a PR and Comms guy, I can tell you it’s a broad range because the field is nuanced, flexible…

Congratulations! You got an interview in that paper, or that TV show you were targeting. Your mom is impressed and it can be great for your brand, but don’t waste the full potential. To squeeze all the value from your success and get some sweet web traffic, you need to know best practices on how…

The global supply chain suffered back-to-back heart attacks with near-fatal results. On the heels of a global pandemic, the clogging of a single canal is all it took. Like a health issue, these symptoms shouldn’t be ignored. Technology is the cure, which is why lawmakers should exercise caution when regulating AI and Automation. For my…

A few sentences of copy were entered, and bam— an AI “writer” completed coherent paragraphs on a video call as my fellow founders and entepreneurs watched in amazement. We were all blown away. The tech is impressive, but should you use AI to write articles? If you want to connect to others and evoke an…

The most stupid thing you can do as a podcaster is sharing an Apple Podcast link as a way to attract engagement from your audience on social media. When you consider how to share a podcast the right way, sending your show to only 34% of the overall podcast audience is not a great idea.…

Medium can be a great tool to write down your thoughts, especially if you don’t have a platform of your own. But if you do have a platform of your own, it’s probably not the best choice. The cons of writing for Medium may outweigh the pros. First, it’s important to note my perspective comes…