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 • 273 episodes

Public Relations Stories and Strategies

Latest Episodes

Can this AI Tool Spot Your Next PR Crisis Before You Do?

As a communications professional you’ve used ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot in the last 30 days. Probably in the last week. Probably earlier today. And at some point you’ve had the same experience: you put in a ...

August 18, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 243 • 23:16

Two Thirds of the Room but Almost NONE of the Corner Offices

In Canada, women make up roughly two thirds of the public relations profession. They are the majority in the classrooms, the majority in the entry level roles, and the majority climbing through the middle ranks. And then somewhere around the se...

August 11, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 242 • 20:24

Good Girls Are Quiet

Most women don't lose their voice all at once. It happens slowly, quietly, and with the best of intentions. They soften their tone here. They hold back an opinion there. They make themselves a little smaller, a little easier, a little less. Unt...

August 04, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 241 • 19:51

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