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In this episode, Bill Zimmerman joins host Jason Mudd to discuss how the creator economy is transforming public relations and marketing strategy.

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Our Guest:

Our episode guest is Bill Zimmerman, a professor in the College of Communications at Penn State University. With a background in journalism and public relations, he recently authored a textbook on the creator economy. His academic work focuses on preparing students for the evolving landscape of influencer marketing, content creation, and digital media strategy.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. Why brands must understand the difference between influencers and content creators

2. The power of evaluating creators’ niche audiences instead of just follower count

3. Why trust, disclosure, and transparency are crucial in influencer partnerships

4. How to build an effective creator brief and why it matters for brand alignment

5. Tools and trends shaping the future of influencer marketing and PR education

Quotables

“Trust is the currency of the creator economy. It must be earned and maintained.” — @BillZimmerman

“A million followers doesn’t mean a million buyers. Engagement matters more.” — @BillZimmerman

“Creators are trusted more than institutions because they deliver real talk and transparency.” — @BillZimmerman

“You hire a creator for their voice. Over-directing the message kills authenticity.” — @JasonMudd9

“Disclosure isn’t optional. It’s ethical, smart, and legally required.” — @JasonMudd9

“The creator brief is quickly becoming the backbone of successful campaigns.” — @BillZimmerman

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend. You may also support us through Buy Me a Coffee or by leaving us a quick podcast review.

About Bill Zimmerman
Bill Zimmerman is an assistant teaching professor at Penn State University’s College of Communications. He brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles as a newspaper reporter and PR professional. Bill holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and another in higher education from Penn State, along with accreditation in public relations.

A thought leader in the evolving world of digital media and PR education, Bill authored a textbook on the creator economy and is launching a content creator certificate program at Penn State. His work is helping shape how future PR and marketing professionals approach influencer strategy, creator partnerships, and audience trust in the digital age.

Guest’s contact info and resources:

Bill Zimmerman on LinkedIn

Understanding the Creator Economy: Making Digital Media Work for You

Additional Resources:

Influential.co

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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In this solocast episode, On Top of PR host Jason Mudd discusses what every company must know about media relations before hiring a public relations firm.

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Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. Media relations is just one part of strategic public relations

2. What makes a story newsworthy

3. What journalists really care about when evaluating your pitch

4. Why relationships don’t guarantee coverage

5. What PR tools you shouldn’t buy until you’re ready

Quotables

"Public relations is not only media relations. Media relations isn’t what most people think it is either." — @JasonMudd9

"Earned media must be earned. If someone guarantees coverage, you’re buying ads, not PR." — @JasonMudd9

"The only audience that matters is the journalist’s audience — not your CEO or marketing team." — @JasonMudd9

"Great [news] stories beat great [media] relationships." — @JasonMudd9

"PR is a long-term business strategy — not a one-time campaign or quick win." — @JasonMudd9

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend. You may also support us by buying us a coffee or leaving us a quick podcast review.

About Jason Mudd, Axia Public Relations

Jason Mudd is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he’s worked with brands including American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon.

Jason founded Axia Public Relations in 2002. Forbes named Axia one of America’s Best PR Agencies. At Axia, Jason oversees strategic communications for national clients and leads top PR talent. Clients love his passion, innovation, candor, commitment, and award-winning team. He consults with leadership teams at billion-dollar global business-to-business and business-to-consumer brands, advising them on spokesperson training, crisis communications, analytics, social media, online reputation management, and more.

In an increasingly tech-forward world, Jason’s grasp of the technological demands companies face helps his multiple-sector clients reach their target audiences. After teaching himself HTML in 1994, Jason helped pioneer internet marketing strategies as an early adopter of e-commerce, search engine optimization, and social media, inspiring tech giants like Yahoo. He speaks to corporations and industry groups and writes about PR trends and best practices for American City Business Journals and other national outlets.

Guest’s contact info and resources:

Jason Mudd on X

Jason Mudd on LinkedIn

Axia Public Relations

1:1 consultations and training with Axia

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

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In this episode, Linda Zebian joins host Jason Mudd to discuss the challenges journalists face in maintaining work-life balance and how PR professionals can better support them. She shares industry insights from Muck Rack, explores newsroom pressures, and offers strategies for improving media relations.

Tune in to learn more!

Our Guest:

Linda Zebian is the senior director of communications at Muck Rack. She leads internal and external communications strategies across the enterprise. Her work spans across messaging, issues management, media relations, social media, and employee communications. As Muck Rack’s first-ever communications hire, Linda brought extensive experience from The New York Times, where she spent 10 years in various communications roles. She was named a “Woman to Watch” by PRWeek in 2024 and recognized for her leadership in Ragan Communications’ 2023 Top Women in PR list.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. The current state of work-life balance in journalism

2. Key stressors impacting media professionals today

3. How PR professionals can improve relationships with journalists

4. The evolving landscape of newsroom workflows

5. Strategies to support journalists’ well-being and efficiency

Quotables

"The media industry has changed dramatically, and work-life balance is a bigger challenge than ever." — @LindaZebian

"Journalists are under immense pressure. PR pros can help by being mindful of their time and needs." — @LindaZebian

"The relationship between PR and journalists should be built on trust, efficiency, and respect." — @JasonMudd9

"Empathy in media relations goes a long way. Understanding journalists' workload can improve PR success." — @LindaZebian

"Being strategic and concise in your pitches will make journalists more receptive to your stories." — @JasonMudd9

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend, buy us a coffee, or leave us a quick podcast review.

About Linda Zebian

Linda Zebian is the senior director of communications at Muck Rack, where she leads internal and external communications strategy, including messaging, issues management, media relations, social media, and employee communications. She joined Muck Rack in January 2022 as its first-ever director of communications, bringing a wealth of experience in media and corporate communications.

Before working at Muck Rack, Linda spent a decade at The New York Times, where she held various communications roles supporting growth, product, and technology teams. She played a key role in reinforcing the company’s innovation and financial success, driving subscription growth, and strengthening brand affinity. Prior to that, she worked at Consumers Union, managing media relations for Consumer Reports. She began her career as a reporter at Folio before transitioning into conference programming for Red 7 Media.

Linda was named a “Woman to Watch” by PRWeek in 2024 and a “Top Woman in PR for Leadership” by Ragan Communications in 2023. She frequently giv

Support the show

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.