Public Relations Stories and Strategies

Every organization has a story people believe about it. Most leaders didn't choose that story. They inherited it, stumbled into it, or lost control of it somewhere along the way.

Stories and Strategies is the podcast that changes that.

Host Doug Downs talks with the communicators, executives, and strategists who understand that narrative isn't a marketing function. It's a leadership one. Each episode unpacks what actually shapes reputation, trust, and public perception at the highest levels, drawing on behavioral science, media intelligence, and the ethics that keep persuasion honest.

This is public relations at the level serious leaders need it. Not tactics and press releases. The thinking behind why some stories win and others disappear.

Ranked among the most listened-to public relations podcasts in the world, Stories and Strategies reaches leaders and communicators across six continents every week.

If you are responsible for the story people believe about your organization, you cannot afford to guess. Follow Stories and Strategies wherever you listen to your public relations content.

Podcasting since 2020 • 270 episodes

Public Relations Stories and Strategies

Latest Episodes

The Paradox of Polarization… Division Makes PR More Valuable

There’s a booming business in divisiveness. And PR is caught right in the thick of it.Recorded at the June 2026 IABC conference in Toronto, Doug Downs speaks with Fred Cook about A Quiet Shift, a report exploring how polarizatio...

July 28, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 240 • 15:07

Sticky Stories Start with the Itch Your Audience is Already Scratching

Generic messaging fails for a simple reason. It speaks to everyone, which means it actually speaks to no one. The messages that stick, the ones people repeat, forward, and act on, are never written for "employees" or "stakeholders" or "our valu...

July 21, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 239 • 20:50

Reputation Management vs Reputation Architecture

Reputation isn’t your shadow anymore. It’s your operating system. It’s no longer something you manage. It has already been decided, by AI, based on patterns inside your organization you may not even know exist. Most leaders still th...

July 14, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 238 • 23:31

Why the Future of IABC May Be Less Stage and More Circle

What happens when a conference has no keynote, no formal agenda, and no single expert at the front of the room? The new IABC International Chair calls this an “unconference” model. And it’s one glimpse of how professional associati...

July 07, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 237 • 22:09

Communications Needs a New Compass

As a communications professional you’re operating in the most complex information environment in history. Misinformation. Disinformation. AI generated deepfakes of executives saying things they never said. Audiences who have stopped trusting wh...

June 30, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 236 • 22:39