Jessi Hempel

Give me an opportunity to talk about B2B PR and I'm all in! Thank you to Evan Kirstel B2B TechFluencer for having me on to talk about how PR can help business-to-business companies build, maintain and protect their reputations. We also chatted about my book, B2B PR That Gets Results. Thanks again, Evan! #B2Bmarketing #B2BPR

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There's so much talk about using AI to generate content, especially now that tools like ChatGPT make it look so easy. But is that coming at a cost to the reader experience? I'm a huge fan of (properly using) AI. It's been great at summarizing meetings. I use it sometimes to generate headline ideas or to generate a first draft of social media copy. I'm legitimately amazed at how fast this technology is developing. But as someone who has been "generating content" for newspapers, websites, blogs and social media since MySpace was the dominant social platform, I see far too many companies rushing to adopt AI for content generation without question. It seems so easy — because it is. Upload some reputable, trustworthy data sources (at least, please tell me you're doing this), click a couple buttons and you've got a story ready to go! Unfortunately, going this route ignores a lot of success factors. - Is it going to rank on Google? (No — the algorithm wants human experience and expertise that AI can't magically generate.) - Is it something that will add value for your customers? (People don't really want to read awkward AI copy, and will just bounce.) - Is it going to read well? (Unless you're also a robot ... no.) Instead, use AI to *assist* human writers. It's great at summarizing interviews, gathering key data points and helping you brainstorm. It can generate a first draft that gives you a structure to work with, if you're stuck. AI is a wonderful tool as an assistant, but it's not a long-term content strategy. While the technology changes over time, one thing doesn't — people want to trust that the article they're reading will help them out. Seeing how often people add "Reddit" on the end of their Google searches just confirms this. If you really want to stand out among your competitors and get long-lasting results, don't use AI as a content generator. Use it to help your human writers and editors do their job better.

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This is it. This is the battle between so many comms professionals and their clients. If you’ve hired us to help you get coverage, to get attention, believe us when we tell you: you gotta do something. If we are telling you that the thing that *you are* doing is not going to get attention, remember you are paying us to know that and to help focus your efforts and dollars accordingly. (It’s why you should bring your comms team in at the beginning, during ideation, so that we can pressure test it alongside your creative and account teams.) Newsrooms are decimated. People’s attentions are divided not just by apps and platforms but by issues and culture. You have to have a plan and you have to do some heavier lifting to get your brand or messaging to break through. (Hit me up if I can help you figure this out!)

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Curious about AI and its potential cultural impact? Check out this infographic Workhuman created to synthesize the main talking points of #WHSpotlight, the show for HR and enterprise leadership looking to future-proof their workforces.

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Us Comms folks are wired to navigate tricky situations. MacGyver was my favorite show growing up. ‘Mac’ had a knack for solving problems and extensive scientific knowledge.  → He could unlock a vault with a paperclip and some bubble gum. Comms doesn’t always have all the resources, either. But we know how to play the hand we're dealt. - Assess the situation  - Explore options  - Make it work Being great at Comms requires us all to be MacGyvers. → A mix of expertise, experience and resourcefulness. We're strategic. We're scrappy. We're problem solvers.

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Life often moves at a frenetic pace. The last thing our readers want or need from us is a story that tells only a piece of a jumbled picture. I’ve long been a proponent of enterprise reporting: deeper stories about why things happen the way they do. During a Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus newsroom vision meeting last week, I identified different approaches to reporting that may help us better serve readers: 1. A higher percentage of enterprise stories 2. Swarming high-interest stories with follow ups 3.  Providing clarity stories 4. Creating takeaways from dense reporting. Of these four, clarity stories are the least comfortable for many of us in the newsroom. We report each new development in an ongoing issue, so we don’t see the need to retell the larger story from those already-reported parts. There’s a misguided assumption that readers should be up to speed on our previous reporting.  That’s where the “clarity” comes in. Sometimes we need to step back with fresh eyes and tell the whole story in a concise or narrative format, with the result being readers who understand what happened and why.

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State of play: A recent Memo report found that 56% of CCOs are reporting to the CEO — an increase of 34 percentage points since last year. I loved seeing insights like that in Eleanor Hawkins's Axios Communicators Newsletter this week. It's a topic that is becoming increasingly important as the look of C-Suites continues to change each year. A separate report by the Observatory of Corporate Reputation found that CCO+ roles have increased by roughly 88% within the Fortune 1000 since 2019, outnumbering traditional CCO roles for the first time. I have been a long-time advocate of the CCO reporting to the CEO, indicating the importance of the role as well as its differentiating the position from the CMO which is complimentary but has a different lens to the brand. This hasn't historically been the case but I love to see this shift and its continued trend upwards! https://lnkd.in/gwEeuKxu

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Good article on the value of original quality content and risks of GenAI’s generics & distortions today when AI volume is everywhere online. The image simulation is cool example!

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What can jazz teach us about modern leadership? #client Sisense CEO Ariel Katz shares key insights in Forbes: * Like skilled band leaders, effective leaders set direction but give their teams room to innovate * Top performers need space to "solo" - just as data scientists and developers bring unique perspectives * The best innovation happens when teams feel safe to experiment and occasionally miss notes * Deep listening - to both what's said and unsaid - keeps teams in harmony Read more about balancing structure with creative freedom in today's fast-paced business environment: https://lnkd.in/gZ-Nac7U #Leadership #Innovation #TeamManagement Ariel Katz Aircover Communications

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What is one skill that differentiates Chief Comms Officers from their C-suite peers? We are dot connectors. 🔗 We can connect the dots between seemingly disparate initiatives and messages. ↔️ We tend to have a wide-ranging remit that enables us to see across the organization. 🧩 Because storytelling is core to what we do, we can fit all the pieces of the puzzle together to tell one larger story. 💡We love digging into audience insights, which means we can tailor that story to different audiences. That’s true even with employee communications. 🎯We can channel what employees want to speak to their direct needs. We can also help build bridges to connect internal efforts while breaking down silos. ⁉️What do you think? Does this ring true for those of you who are communications professionals?

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Super important read from our insights and analytics team Message Lab:

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What do you see coming for marketing and communications pros in the year ahead? 🔮 Each year, my respected friend and colleague Frank Strong puts together a DOOZY of a post. This year, it features advice from FORTY experts. Delighted to be included along with all these SMART folks. 😌 “My prediction for 2025 is that forward-thinking businesses who understand AI-based search will put an emphasis on instituting a consistent public relations program. PR pros can help you find opportunities to increase your brand’s visibility. Now, with the era of AI-based search upon us, PR matters more than ever because you want your business to show up EVERYWHERE. Why? The more your company is featured, the more likely it’ll be to appear when someone searches using a platform like Perplexity, for example. (While AI-based search currently comprises a much smaller portion of search than Google, it’s growing.) If you care about AI understanding your business and recommending you, then your biggest investment should be in public relations, as Christopher Penn, co-founder of Trust Insights, puts it.” Be sure to read the post for all the insightful predictions. #publicrelations #b2bmarketing #corpcomms

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Knowledge work >> pseudo-productivity I implore all people leaders (or just anyone interested in how to reduce burnout and improve company culture) to give this podcast a listen. Some thoughts it provoked for me: - Micromanaging knowledge workers is the fastest way to suppress success. - If you spend your days putting out fires, you don't get anything of significance done. - The work-life balance isn't a concept created to assuage the workforce. Companies are not separate from their workforce. Companies are the sum of their workforce. Balanced workers make better companies. Leaders need to become macromanagers, not micromanagers. Be transparent about not just the WHAT but the WHY. Hire people who know what they're doing and then let them do it. Foster a climate of slow productivity and do fewer things, really well. And listen to this podcast every 6 months.

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Join our experts as they dive into PR Newswire's groundbreaking AI innovations. We'll explore: ✨ How AI is revolutionizing #PR & comms ✨ Our unique solution that leverages historical data to offer press release insights ✨ Findings from our State of the Press Release Report on how PR pros are embracing #AI Save your spot now and join us as we drive the AI conversation forward!

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Snort laugh session yesterday with the inimitable Liz Miller of Constellation Research, Inc. about holiday bots. We desperately wish for bots that: 🤖 Outline the perfect holiday family hosting/visiting schedule when there are multiple places to be and things to bring. Would include persona definition, including a personality rating, age range, and weighted joy meter (as in whose joy are you most focused on?). Output would include menu and/or potluck dishes to prepare, ingredients needed, gifts to bring, when you need to make your way to said events (with driving directions), and how long you should be present at each event. Could even include suggested responses to Aunt Mildred's grumblings or Grandpa Joe's political digs. 🎁 Create the gifting list. Inputs would include the past five years' of gifts by recipient to avoid unintentional duplication, recipient personas (see above), and cost range. Output would include budget allocation, from/to suggestions - including deciding what Santa will bring, and links to suggested gifts, with the option to "buy now." Could also include a suggestion list for Mom's stocking ;-) Buh-bye manual gift list spreadsheets and complex caldendaring. 😵‍💫 HELLO bot-driven organization and orchestration. 🧘‍♀️ Talk about OUTCOMES! What bot do YOU wish for this season... for customer experience, employee experience, or yourself? Let your imagination run wild and share! Who knows? Maybe you'll get a good laugh out of it, too... or inspo for a new AI bot? #TheresABotForThat #AllABotVerint #GratitudeForGiggles

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Afraid of AI? Read this Fast Company article by @Cliff Jurkiewicz with actionable insights for business leaders to help mitigate risks related to AI and bias.

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Conversations I’ve had with media leaders and peers this year have centered around a common theme: the need to break out of traditional bubbles. The focus is shifting toward more human-centered engagement—listening directly to those impacted by the work we do and fostering trust through authentic dialogue. This highlights a critical point: trust is built not just through what we say, but through how well we listen and adapt. I’ve been prioritizing three words to inspire me this year: 🎯Clarity 🤝Connection ✍️Authenticity These words continue to guide how I approach every conversation, decision, and story. What words have inspired your work this year, and how have they shaped the way you lead and communicate? I completed my last business trip of the year; here I am outside my bubble and in the bubble of NYC. :)

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October 7 is the one-year anniversary of the worst attack on innocent Jewish people since the Holocaust. I spoke with Axios reporter Eleanor Hawkins about how schools and businesses can prepare for Oct 7 and everything else that’s brewing domestically and internationally. Cultural competency, adherence to stated policies, clear communication and more are how you get it right. Companies and schools trying to acknowledge the day to broadly include the entire conflict since that day may have good intentions. But they may do so at their peril if they don’t factor in how this anniversary resonates with their audiences. There is a time to mourn all of the lives lost in the Middle East war, but 10/7 is not the date to address all things and all people. And if they’ve adopted the “neutrality” posture and it doesn’t directly impact their organization they don’t need to comment. Unless, of course, something happens on campus, in the workplace or on social media that directly implicates them. But that never happens. Buckle up.

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Looking for a great read that explains the interconnections between emerging technologies? Sick of lazy tech writers who ask which technologies will "win" without understanding that they're all connected? Want deep dives into the future of work and VR; how to think like an AI native; and the future of experiences and mobility, among many other topics? Check out the Fast Future Blur, a collection of collaborative essays written by the faculty of the The Fast Future Executive! Available now wherever books are sold. https://lnkd.in/e2YsEa2T

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