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© 2026 Copyright, Jennifer R. Farmer

The PR Whisperer

Author, Crisis Communications Expert, Strategic Communications Advisor

Category: Blog

The Path to Media Attention is Action

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Throughout my career, I’ve met countless people who had lofty dreams and larger-than-life aspirations. Most of them were passionate about a particular issue, and they wanted the world to know. It’s not hard to understand why; media attention offers a type of validation that signals to clients, potential clients, funders, allies and others that an individual is making a positive impact.

For much of my career, I’ve worked to help leaders and organizations receive media attention for the incredible work they were spearheading.

One thing is certain; media attention is highly addictive. Regardless of how much one gets, there’s usually a desire for a bit more. The exception, of course, is when the media is lambasting an individual. Outside of negative coverage, many people have an insatiable appetite for media coverage.

What I want us all to appreciate is the path to sustained media coverage is action. Action precedes coverage.

When I think about truly remarkable leaders, I realize that they are active; they are constantly doing something in furtherance of their calling or working to influence positive change.

Think about some of the highest profile individuals we know. Think of Tyler Perry for example. When Perry got the idea to produce stage plays, he reported investing all he had on his first show, only to attract a mere 30 people. I read somewhere that he spent $12,000 – his life savings at the time – on the show, rented out a theater and a little more than a couple dozen people showed up. He had this experience for years before ultimately finding success.

I’m uncertain if media coverage was the goal for Perry initially. He wanted to write amazing plays. The coverage he’s received is a byproduct of fulfilling his mission.

If you’re under pressure from colleagues who want to be recognized in the court of public opinion, encourage them to get busy doing the work. Help them tease out the pieces of their work that may be most appealing to the media and be a thought partner offering honest feedback. Listen for what’s unique about their work and then use the uniqueness as an entry point to pitch them to the media.

If you’re an executive desiring more publicity, the path to notoriety is sustained, long-term action. By “action,” I mean doing work that you truly care about, and work that fills a void.

For example, I recall arranging a meeting with media executives and colleagues from LIVEFREE who work on gun violence and mass incarceration. The discussion went well, and resulted in media coverage. While I set up the meeting, the discussion would have been futile if my colleagues didn’t have a body of work that demonstrated their promising approach to addressing gun violence and mass incarceration. Had they lacked experiential evidence of their work, the interview may have gone poorly.

I want us all to understand that a communicator’s role is to amplify; it’s to serve as a megaphone testifying to what is already occurring. They can’t create the action, but they can promote it once there is forward movement of your goals and work.

Moreover, understand that with increased coverage comes scrutiny. If you’re praying for a larger platform, be sure to carry an umbrella but you’ll have rain as well as sunshine.

The bottom line: If you want media attention, get busy working on your craft or your life’s purpose. I’m confident you’ll find that media coverage is a byproduct of sustained action.

Jennifer R. Farmer is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC.  Check out our blog posts and subscribe for updates. 

 

 

Avoid These Three Common PR Mistakes

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By Jennifer R. Farmer

If you are a public figure, you are likely to grant media interviews and respond to media inquiries. To boost your success and ensure a strong brand, avoid these common PR mistakes.

1. Getting Too Comfortable in Public Appearances or Media Interviews

One of the most common PR mistakes occurs when a leader gets too comfortable. When leaders no longer approach interviews or public appearances with the level of intentionality and care that they deserve, they are bound to make a mistake. This can happen when a person has extensive experience giving media interviews or public appearances, and therefore doesn’t believe they need to prepare. This can happen when a person knows a lot about the topic they are discussing; they can become over-reliant on their knowledge and fail to be diligent in preparation. When leaders get too comfortable, they may let their guard down, or be more playful than the current moment demands. When a leader gets too comfortable, they may say things that ordinarily they would not say. The antidote is to approach each interview or public event with precision and careful preparation. 

2. Going Off Script/Getting Off Message

You’ve seen this happen. A leader gets up to make a speech and before they get into the meat of their remarks, they may say, “I’m not going to use my written remarks,” or, “I’m going to go off script.” The crowd may get excited, believing that they are going to get an authentic version of the person before them. However, public relations staff, campaign managers and political consultants get scared because they know going off script is a recipe for disaster. When you give a speech, you’ve likely spent time thinking about what you want and need to say. When you plan your speech, you have likely do so from a place of calm. This allows the leader to think carefully about the main messages that must be conveyed. But when you scrap your remarks and “speak from the heart,” you could be moved by emotion and that’s not always a good thing. If the crowd is fired up, you may similarly get fired up and say something that may feel good in the moment, but will haunt you afterwards.

3. Speaking for Too Long

While it may be to an interviewer’s advantage to record a long interview with you, it is not always in a leader’s best interest to accept lengthy media interviews. Similarly, when you are giving public remarks, be mindful that you do not speak for too long. If you are giving a keynote speech, you may have a longer speech. But if you are solely offering remarks, keep those remarks tight and too the point. In an effort to take up space, some leaders will speak entirely too long. And in the multitude of words, there is always a chance that you may say something you should not say. If you can keep your remarks to 10-15 minutes, or 30 minutes in a key note, you stand a better chance of delivering focused and tight remarks.

For more tips, see this video on other PR mistakes.

Jennifer R. Farmer, known as The PR Whisperer, is a crisis communications expert, podcast host, and small business owner.  When she is not working, she enjoys visiting and reviewing bakeries.

We Do Not Have to Accept Maltreatment in Order to Improve

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Years ago, I listened to a financial podcast every morning while getting ready for work. In that season, I felt like I needed the podcast to become a better version of myself. The podcast host was rambunctious and would often raise his voice. I’m sure some of this was for entertainment purposes, but overtime, I began to question why I started my day listening to someone raising their voice. It was stressful.

In time, I realized I did not have to listen to stressful content in order to make life changes. I began to ask myself, ‘at what point did I come to believe it was ok to be scolded in order to be inspired to make changes?’ What happened in my life that I became desensitized to this sort of communication style?

This question has haunted me ever since. I realized that sometimes we can become so desperate for change that we will do anything, or accept anything, in order to achieve the change, we seek. I’m a proponent of personal growth, but there are conditions around what I’ll do to achieve it. And when something no longer works for me, I’m learning to walk away. That’s what I think more of us should do when it comes to self help coaches or leaders who have a habit of berating their audience and base.

You Do Not Have to Let Anyone Berate You

This guidance is top of mind when I hear about the viral moments of people such as Juanita Bynum or Kim Burrell. Both have gone viral in recent days. Burrell has been accused of scolding a woman who was singing along with her at church. And Bynum has been accused of chastising church goers for their attire and behavior in church.

What I want us to appreciate is that loud isn’t always right. A person can be loud and still be wrong. A person can have a large platform, or large following, and still get it wrong from time to time. Additionally, we can learn and grow without being berated or publicly humiliated. In listening to the comments of Bynum and Burrell, the words that came to mind were ‘mean and unnecessary.’ Their behavior in those videos struck me as contrary to how I’d want to be communicated with.

Here’s why. When there are areas in my life that need correction, I am more prone to change when I feel like change is possible. When people are mean and cruel, I cannot hear them because I am too focused on their words or behavior. What is more, when I make mistakes and receive correction from God, the correction doesn’t feel oppressive or degrading. God is loving, long-suffering and not willing that any would perish. God is also a gentle coach, urging us to do and be better, but from a place of love. Even when we suffer the consequences of our actions, God can come alongside us and provide grace to help us endure.

Conviction and Condemnation

In Christian circles, there is a lot of conversation around conviction and condemnation. The bible is clear that there is “there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Condemnation makes you feel hopeless. Conviction underscores the need to change but does so without oppressive shame.

In 2024, I want us to appreciate that we do not have to sit through harassment in order to get better. If you feel shame, if you feel an overwhelming sense of fear, if you feel like your sense of self has taken a hit, do not ignore those feelings. You can hear the truth, a truth that may be hard to swallow, and still not feel despair or hopelessness. You deserve to be handled with care, even when you receive correction.

 

Jennifer R. Farmer, aka The PR Whisperer®, is an author, lecturer and strategic communications expert. Check out our blog posts and subscribe for updates. 

 

 

Guard Your Heart: What You Watch and Listen to Can Help or Harm You

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What you watch and listen to has a profound impact on your psychological and emotional well-being. It influences how you think, what you believe, how you feel and how you interpret the world.

That’s why, years ago, I set an intention to guard my heart and avoid violent and hateful content. It doesn’t matter how much I have been anticipating seeing a movie; I will skip or end the movie, if there is a scene depicting any form of abuse. After seeing and reading about the many Black people who were beaten or killed by police, I realized I had to do something different.

Following the distribution of disturbing images or video, receivers can experience a sort of post-traumatic stress. And when it comes to the treatment of marginalized people by those in positions of power, I felt I was unwittingly inundated with images of violence, death and abuse on social media, in the news, and in pop culture. I wasn’t there when it happened. I didn’t know the victims or their families. And yet, the images and scenes of violence haunted me.

Although I tried to scroll past the images when using social media, or turn the channel when consuming the news, it was almost impossible to block all horrific and hateful content. Our society obsesses with this sort of thing and it is on multiple communication platforms.

However, exposure to horrific content is anything but benign. Even trigger warnings that indicate content can be challenging, are insufficient. The mere mention of a trigger warning, can be triggering. And once one has been exposed, one cannot help but be adversely impacted.

There is data backing up my point. BBC explains, “It turns out that news coverage is far more than a benign source of facts…it can sneak into our subconscious and meddle with our lives in surprising ways. It can lead us to miscalculate certain risks, shape our views of foreign countries, and possibly influence the health of entire economies.  It can increase our risk of developing post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression. Now there’s emerging evidence that the emotional fallout of news coverage can even affect our physical health – increasing our chances of having a heart attack or developing health problems years later.”

If you want to learn more about how what you consume impacts you, see this article.

Jennifer R. Farmer is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC.  Check out our blog posts and subscribe for updates. 

Claudine Gay: Breaking Barriers is Not the End of the Story

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There was always going to be something that detractors would have found to remove her from the coveted leadership post.

Some of us celebrate the ascension of Black women to leadership positions, and we should also remember that the more visible a Black woman is, the more scrutiny she will face. The more confident she is, the more some will demand her acquiescence. The more unbowed she is, the more she will be viewed as a threat. Until racism, sexism, homophobia and misogynoir are uprooted, advancement for Black women will always be fraught.

Far from the end of the story, ‘breaking barriers’ is a chapter in a complicated book. Even when Black women thrive and blaze new trails, they still need a reservoir of well-connected, well-funded, and well-positioned supporters to ensure that their promotion is not short-lived. They also need leaders who will not surrender to the whims of outspoken critics.

This is top of mind given the resignation of Claudine Gay who was the first African American and first Black woman appointed as president of Harvard University. She served just 6 months in the role, the shortest tenure in the school’s 388-year history. Gay faced intense criticism following her response to a rise of antisemitism on campus, and allegations over improper attributions in some of her scholarly work, a claim Gay categorically denied.

To be clear, antisemitism has no place in our society. No one should go to school and fear being attacked based on their religion or ethnicity. I also believe the attack on Gay was rooted in conservative backlash to progress. There was always going to be something that detractors would have found to remove her from the coveted leadership post.

Unfortunately, I fear this sort of thing will play out time and time again, especially given the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling in June 2023. While the ruling applied to race in college admissions; some activists and scholars believe it will extend to programs designed to address racial inequity.

What happened with Gay appears to be indicative of a broader backlash on racial progress. The storyline may be different, but if there isn’t systemic change, the result will be the same – ousting those who are different or preventing them from accessing opportunity in the first place. We must hope and work for something different.

Jennifer R. Farmer is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC.  Check out our blog posts and subscribe for updates. 

Be The Person Who Refuses to Quit

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How do you handle failure?

By Jennifer R. Farmer

What should you do when you make a mistake and your mistake is public.

One of the biggest public relations faux pas that people make is being unable to forgive themselves and to keep going. For people who strive to do the right thing, failure is can be a tremendous set back. But maintaining a strong brand, is about finding a way to keep going and to be consistent.

Now, it is certainly important to acknowledge your mistake, to apologize and to make amends. In some instances, it is also important to step away, discover how you got off track, and heal so that you can move forward. The goal has to be rectifying the current issue so you can resume your life’s work and calling.

However, in some instances, we can become so immobilized by our failure that we shutdown…completely. I’m not certain we should do that.

Be the person who refuses to quit. Take time away from the spotlight to heal, grow, repair harms, etc. But then get back in the game and keep going. Understand that all of us fail, some of us just have our mistakes publicized.

Additionally, when I think about the people who have accomplished great things in the world, they have all experienced a degree of failure. And the bigger their reach or platform, they greater the potential they have to make a mistake. Please remember that no one accomplishes great things without an internal commitment to keep trying, indeed to keep going. No one achieves success without a few bumps and bruises.

The question becomes what has this situation come to reveal or teach. Once you know the answer, work on absorbing the lesson. Then vow to get back in the game and to keep going.

You simply cannot stop a person who refuses to give up. Be that person.

Be Wary of Idolizing Christian Leaders

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Unfortunately, in America, we place an inordinate amount of confidence in faith leaders, celebrities, and even influencers.

For those of us who have grown up in, or been proximate to, the Black Christian church, the scandal involving T.D. Jakes is heartbreaking. Jakes has faced speculation over his relationship with media mogul Diddy, ne Sean Combs. It is disheartening to see a person with a large ministry caught up in a scandal. And yet, this moment is an opportunity to shift our focus from Christian celebrity to Jesus.

We see Christian leaders in their element and believe that they have it all figured out. But we should keep things in perspective. It is true that preachers can provide a light for our path and fuel for our journey. However, our hope must rest in Jesus alone.

Unfortunately, in America, we place an inordinate amount of confidence in faith leaders, celebrities, and even influencers. If we are not careful, we can make these people, or people with large platforms or ministries, proxies for God. But nothing and no one should be exalted higher than God. Not our church, not our political party, not our guns, and certainly not our money. The bible says in Exodus 20:3 “thou shall have no other God before me.”

If we are mindful of this central command, it changes how we see and hold others, even the people we admire. We can esteem Christian leaders and be grateful for their talents and gifts, but we have to be careful to not to idolize them. We also have to be intentional about praying for them and for us – that they, or we, do not fall into sin, and that we each walk worthy of our calling.

It is true that Jakes is a master orator, phenomenal preacher and wise businessman. But he is still human. He, like the rest of us, is still capable of falling away from the gospel we hold dear. And yes, a person can pastor a church, or be in a Christian leadership position, and still fail miserably. Think of all the examples in the bible (David, Samson, Saul, Eli, Hophni and Phinehas) of people who were still in their positions, but did evil. The bible says in I Samuel 16:14 that “the spirit of the Lord departed Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.”

If we are going to serve God, we must orient our hearts back to God and do so daily. The moment we stop seeking Christ, we begin to fall away. The moment we idolize others, and try obsessively to please them, we fall away. The moment we cease to be accountable to other Christians, we make ourselves vulnerable to attack. What is more, in Acts 2:42, Christians are offered a template for how we should govern our lives: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

But for years, I thought that there were super Christians and then the rest of us. I no longer believe in super Christians, any more than I believe in super heroes. The people who are strong in their faith are people who consistently seek God and people who are in close community with other believers. We cannot do the Christian walk alone.

If you are reading this and feel far from God, you can acknowledge where you are, seek forgiveness, and ask God to restore you. You do not have to live in shame or condemnation. And you do not have to continue down a dead-end road. With humility, you can try again.

I also want to note that this situation is a reminder that consuming Christian content alone isn’t a fulfillment of our duties. And yet, this is a subtle temptation. I recall stumbling upon prayers by Dr. Cindy Trimm and Pastor Dawn Davis Lawrence on YouTube, and sermons from faith leaders like Jakes, and listening to those items on repeat. Before long, I began thinking that merely consuming that content was sufficient. It wasn’t. It isn’t. God wants our unique sacrifice of praise and prayer. It doesn’t have to be fancy and it doesn’t have to sound like the person with the large online platform. It simply needs to come from us. Christian content can supplement our devotion time, but it can’t substitute it.

I’m clear that for many, the matter involving T.D. Jakes is disappointing. I would gently and lovingly urge us to set our hearts and minds on Jesus. We should also be careful what we consume and how much we consume. We do not need to turn into investigators, trying to discern fact from fiction. Our job is to pray that we do not fall into sin, pray for justice and accountability, and pray for the desire to seek God — consistently.

Jennifer R. Farmer, aka The PR Whisperer®, is an author, lecturer and strategic communications expert. Check out our blog posts and subscribe for updates. 

Someone Needs Exactly What You Have to Offer

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It doesn’t take a lot to make a difference. It takes presence, commitment and a willingness to be inconvenienced.

By Jennifer R. Farmer

I’m going to tell you something that may surprise you.

You may think you don’t have much to give; you see your offerings and wonder whether you can truly make a difference. But someone needs exactly what you have to offer. You have no idea how your gift can change the trajectory of another person’s life.

This was my revelation after a full circle moment.

Let me paint the picture. I got my first job at 14 through a jobs training program here in Franklin County, Ohio.  It was an initiative that offered jobs to low-income youth during the summer months, and sometimes during the school year. This was terrific for my family as we were struggling financially.

My first job through the program was with the Franklin County Department of Jobs and Family Services. My boss was a young Black woman named Tracy; although I can see her face, I regret that I cannot recall her last name. I remember her because she treated me like I was her little sister or even a daughter.

My second boss in that program was Marie Hardin. She ran the Equal Employment Opportunity division of the city of Columbus. She was more than a boss; she became a mentor and close friend. She observed my interests, passions, growth edges and took me under her wing. Eventually, she began picking me up some weekends and taking me to her house. This was a much-needed escape as we lived in a neighborhood devastated by gun violence. It was not uncommon for my family and I to fall to the ground upon hearing gunshots around us. And the first time I witnessed a dead body was in that neighborhood – outside of my house in fact after a man was shot in his head and died on the curb just feet from our porch. I’ll unpack the trauma of gun violence in another essay, but for now, I want to focus on Marie and her mentorship of me and others.

Marie lived in a middle-class Black neighborhood; the kind I didn’t know existed prior to meeting her. She later began taking me to church where her daughter Alice was a pastor. Her daughter started a charm school, and before long, we were going to restaurants learning how to sit at a table and eat properly. It wasn’t just me, often my sister tagged along, and Marie and Alice involved other Black girls. They taught us about etiquette, communicating effectively and what it looked like to thrive. I recall going on family outings with Marie, once traveling to Kentucky with her to see her son and his family. He owned horses and that was fascinating for me; I remember thinking, ‘a real Black cowboy.’ It was cool to travel, see the country, and acres of greenery. Once again, it was a pleasant escape.

Through Marie, I saw a life that I didn’t previously know existed. I now had something to dream about because Marie exposed me to it. She must have intentioned to show me that more was possible because she was always involving me in one thing or another. As an adult with children of my own, I now know how big a risk it was for my mom to allow her 14-year-old daughter to go off with a woman she didn’t know. But I so happy she did. One person can’t fulfill a child’s needs independent of community. Marie became my community.

I loved her because she invested in me without expecting anything in return. Not only did she embrace me, but when I had my first child at 22, she embraced him as well. We went from her picking me up some weekends, to her picking up me and my son. She didn’t shame me for being a young, unwed mom. Instead, she taught me how to be a woman and mother. She was an example. I saw her fully engaged with her family and her church. I learned how to cook watching her – I saw her skin fish, clean it and fry it. I observed her baking pound cakes and other sweet treats. And most of all, I saw her involved in the community she loved so much.

You can imagine my surprise when I became involved in the campaign of a local leader who is connected with Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin, Marie’s grandson. A leader in his own right, seeing the Council President brought up so many memories of my time with his Marie. I fought back tears when I saw him at a public event. I wanted to share with him how his grandmother impacted my life. It wasn’t just work experience that I acquired – it was life experience. She was the first person who showed me that more was possible.

I offer these observations to remind you – and me – that it doesn’t take a lot to make a difference. It takes presence, commitment and a willingness to be inconvenienced. Marie would often pick me up and then drop me off. She was undoubtedly busy, but never too busy for me or the other girls in whom she invested. The world needs more women like Marie – I hope to be one.

You Only Get So Much Time. How Will You Use Yours?

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I’m going to tell you something that may surprise you.

You may be failing to effectively utilize your time and make a difference.

We have a limited amount of time to make change. We have a limited amount of time to make a difference. The question becomes, what are we doing with our time?

The truth of the matter is that our lives our fragile. When I think about the frailty of the human experience, I am reminded of this scripture in the bible, found in John 9:4, “I must do the work of him who sent me while it is day. Night comes and no one can work.” John 9:4

In this passage, Jesus was clear that even his time was limited. He was on assignment and he took that assignment seriously.

When I hear ‘night is coming and no one can work,’ I think about seasons in life when it is impossible to work. There are seasons when we have more or less capacity. There are seasons where we could like to do more, but simply can’t. Maybe we’re constrained by a health condition, a lack of finances or other challenges. And certainly there are seasons when we could definitely do more, but sometimes don’t.

‘Night is coming and no one can work,’ also reminds me that I do not have unlimited time on earth. Each of us are living in the dash between when we are born and when we depart this earth. This acknowledgement is not meant to discourage us, but to remind us to be sober and diligent in what we do with the time before us.

The question becomes, how am I using my time and am I using my time in a way that will honor God. Am I accomplishing all that I can with the gifts God has given me. Are you accomplishing all that you can with the gifts bestowed on you?

Now, I get it. When one is healthy, or when one has the advantage of youth, it is really easy to feel that we will live forever. It is easy to put off for tomorrow what could be done today. Resisting this urge is not always easy.

I recall having breakfast at The Secret Garden Cafe in Occoquan, Virginia with my friend, Meghan Dotter. The restaurant, which was nestled inside Northern Virginia, was one of our favorites. We must have been speaking about goals, when Meghan looked at me directly and said, “What are you waiting for?” It was a direct but kindly inquisitive question. In that moment, I grappled with the question.

If I’m honest, I think I was afraid to do or be more. I thought I needed the permission of my bosses. I may have been afraid of shining. But the question reminded me that I only get so much time. And I’ve decided to use it wisely and judiciously.

How about you?

Jennifer R. Farmer, aka The PR Whisperer®, is an author, lecturer and strategic communications expert. Check out our blog posts and subscribe for updates. 

Four Questions Communicators Should Ask at the End of the Year

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What are you asking yourself to inform how you operate next year?

By Jennifer R. Farmer

I love to hear people say, ‘you’re not asking the right questions.’ There is an art in learning to ask the right questions, and asking the right questions will help you develop an appropriate course of action. We cannot always get what we need and want if we do not ask the right questions.

To that end, I am trying to develop a practice of getting curious and of asking the right questions. And the end of the year is a perfect time to reflect on the prior year and what I want for the next. Here are four questions I think all communicators should ask, particularly at the end of the year.

  1. What is working? The end of the year is a good time to assess what strategic communications tools worked that year and which ones did not. In many offices, things tend to slow down towards the end of the year, and this lull can be great for reflecting. There are things that I routinely do, that I realized this year, are not worth the time. I am committing to making changes in 2024 and beyond. Have you thought about what has worked and what you may want to change?
  2. What is working now but may not work in the future? In the ever-changing media landscape, I am clear that some of the things we do today to generate media may not work in the future. For instance, the emergence of AI will change how we pitch, how we contact reporters, and how we land stories. I imagine that some of the software that public relations professionals use to gather information will become more intuitive; we’re not just talking about helping you generate the right headline, but also helping you identify which reporters are most likely to cover your story. What are you doing to prepare for the changes that AI has wrought?
  3. What is my plan to grow my email and SMS list? Over time, brands will continue to develop their own content platforms. This continues to be an effective way of distributing a message, and getting your audience to take action. The end of the year and the beginning of a new year, when communications professionals are writing strategic communications plans, is a good time to assess the growth in your email and SMS lists. What steps are you taking to grow these lists?
  4. Was my budget sufficient to meet prior and anticipated needs? The end of the year is a good time to assess whether you budget was sufficient and whether it was effectively allocated. For instance, was there funding for sponsoring events and workshops? Was there funding for social media advertising? Was there funding for speakers should you decide to convene more in person events? Was there funding for professional development? Where there conferences that you wanted to invest in last year but were restrained due to your budget. Your budget determines your engagement so carefully think about where you want to engage and the cost for doing so. Thinking through this periodically throughout the year and certainly at the end of the year will set you up for success in the year to come.
  5. Who did I build relationships with and who do I still need to connect with? I remind myself all the time that there are people who would cover the work I care about if I and my clients have the relationships with them. Building relationships with reporters is not just a good idea, it is a necessary idea. At the end of the year, I tend to assess who I want to know and work with the following year. From there, I think through strategies to engage such people. I also ask my network who they know that I should know and vice versa.

If you use the end of the year to reflect on the prior year, what questions do you ask of yourself and/or your team? Also, in what other end of year planning are you engaged?

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