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 Public Relations podcast that changes that.

Host Doug Downs talks with the communicators, executives, and strategists who understand that strategic communications 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 and strategic communications 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 strategic communications for your organization, you cannot afford to guess. Follow Stories and Strategies wherever you listen to your public relations content.

Podcasting since 2020 • 284 episodes

Public Relations Stories and Strategies

Latest Episodes

In Public Relations, Different is Better than Better

Take Sally’s FREE Fascinate TestRecorded at PRSA ICON 2026 in Orlando, bestselling author Sally Hogshead explains why being different is more valuable than being better, why...

October 27, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 253 • 17:40

REPLAY Accreditation vs Certification for Communications Pros

This replay comes from a conversation I had last week at PRSA ICON 26 in Orlando. Which is better accreditation? Or certification? This episode originally aired in October 2024.Sia Papageorgiou challenges the traditional idea of accredit...

October 24, 2026 • 22:27

The Knowing-Doing Gap: AI Ethics in Public Relations

There's a gap between knowing AI ethics and practicing them, and it's where reputations go to die. Research for PRSA's Board of Ethics and Professional Standards mapped it across 10 essential AI ethics competencies, from critical thinking and e...

October 20, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 252 • 16:59

The Hidden Rules of Workplace Emojis: What Gen Z Wants You to Know

Three out of four office workers now feel like they need to use emojis at work, according to Statista's research on workplace communication. But almost nobody stops to ask what that emoji is actually doing once it lands in an inbox, a Slack thr...

October 13, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 251 • 20:48

A “Jolly” Rebranding Case Study

What do you do when the name that built your reputation suddenly makes you look stuck in the past? Jolly SEO was a company founded on solid SEO strategies and infrastructure. But “S E O?” Ugh that’s soooo 2021.So ...

October 06, 2026 • Season 5 • Episode 250 • 20:01