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There was a time when business and political activism were separate. Or so we are led to believe by those who tell us companies shouldn’t get involved in politics. Business is business, non-partisan, a bit like the civil service or journalism.

We often talk about the importance of creating eye-catching messages. One message we saw this week succeeded in grabbing attention.

What would you do if a senior leader was dismissive of the media opportunities you secure and was reluctant to be interviewed?

Have you ever wondered what journalists think of your attempts to grab their attention and gain crucial coverage?

How do you feel when one of your competitors is across the airwaves giving their thoughts on a story?

Much of the way we work has changed. For many, the Monday to Friday 9-5 has been replaced by a hybrid model where the working week is split between home and the office.

The relationship between PRs and journalists has often been a bit strained. Journalists have often complained about being spammed by emails and inundated with calls.

Do you find your media spokespeople are unwilling to be briefed ahead of media interviews? Perhaps, with a busy diary, they are hard to tie down for briefing and feedback sessions.

The bean counters have certainly been busy lately. Amid the coverage of the storms that have battered Britain for the past few days, several brands have been announcing price hikes.

It hasn’t felt like there have been many good news stories lately. But the decision by the chief executive of the Co-op to take time out to help her children with their exams has won the company plenty of praise.

The NHS, United Airlines, Carhartt, Next, Ocado, Morrisons – these are just some of the big-name brands that have found themselves walking a reputational tightrope as companies are increasingly drawn into making decisions about the health and safety of their workforce.

Many brands are grappling with sustainability and purpose. They are topics that regularly come up in conversation with our clients who are increasingly wanting help telling sustainability stories.

Have you played Wordle yet? If you haven’t, you’ve probably noticed some of your friends posting cryptic grids of different coloured squares on social media and either lamenting or boasting about their vocabulary skills.

Get your earphones ready – we have launched a podcast. The Media Landscape, presented by Julia Belle, combines a guide to the stories you need to know about with predictions and insight on those likely to be coming up on the news agenda.

Sustainability can be a vast and complex issue. We know it is something many organisations are grappling with and struggle to go beyond targets and promises. And it is a subject that delegates increasingly want to discuss during our media training courses.

What do two statements made almost 50 years apart have in common? The answer is they both serve as painful reminders of the danger of negative language.

at is the most trusted source of information? Traditionally, people might have suggested the government. Perhaps the media. How many would cite the internal communications of their business?

It has never been easier for organisations to get their messages out. Social media, video and email mean it takes just the click of a button to begin communicating with customers.

Covid placed internal comms teams in the spotlight like never before. As the working world changed dramatically almost overnight, internal comms professionals had an integral role in communicating new ways of working and ensuring employees felt safe and supported.

Many thought-provoking questions were posed during our webinar about building better relationships with your spokespeople.

How do comms teams show their worth, validate their work and prove they are making a real difference? These are not new questions. But they are being asked more frequently as comms teams are hit by budget and visibility pressures and a greater focus on analytics.

Have you been asked to make something mundane ‘go viral’? Perhaps you have been requested to gain front page national newspaper coverage for a niche or hyper-local story.

It’s your worst nightmare at work: taking that phone call that says there’s been a fatality. No matter how long you’ve been with the comms team or how tough a PRO you are, nothing can really prepare you. There is that overwhelming feeling of shock followed by a hundred questions in your head which you don’t know the answer to. Then you have to put your own emotions aside as you know the media will soon be hammering on your door expecting/demanding answers.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson's A-level memory lapse offers critical media training lessons on personal storytelling, preparation, and responding to questions effectively. Learn how to avoid similar pitfalls.

Spokespeople are precious. You need them to tell your story and make the most of media opportunities. And they are crucial for protecting your reputation when things go wrong.

When it comes to thought leadership, podcasts continue to go from strength to strength.

We all want to create memorable, meaningful messages. Whether you are delivering media interviews, responding to a crisis, writing, or trying to cut through the noise on digital channels, getting those messages right is crucial to standing out from the crowd.

We love receiving questions from our clients and media training blog readers about communication challenges they are facing.

We’ve got a webinar coming up soon about the science behind making messages memorable – you may have received one or two emails about it… Having listened to our expert panellists discuss some of the topics they will cover during the event, I know it is going to be one you won’t want to miss.

Imagine being a new start-up and almost immediately finding yourself trending on social media. Not only that, but you generate coverage in the Financial Times and Daily Mail. Sounds great, right?