How public relations changes business outcomes

In this solocast, On Top of PR host Jason Mudd discusses how public relations drives awareness, credibility, trust, and demand to create measurable business outcomes beyond media coverage. 

Tune in to learn more!

Watch the episode here:

5 things you’ll learn during the full episode:

1. Why organizations should measure PR by business outcomes instead of media outputs
2. How awareness can remove growth barriers for great products and services
3. Why earned media builds credibility that influences customer behavior
4. How visibility creates demand through real-world business examples
5. What marketing leaders should ask when evaluating PR performance

Listen to the episode here:

Quotables

• “Organizations invest in PR because they want business results.” — @jasonmudd9
• “The game didn't change; awareness changed.” — @jasonmudd9
• “Awareness gets attention, credibility earns trust, and trust influences behavior.” — @jasonmudd9
• “Public relations isn't magic, but when it's aligned with business objectives, it can be a powerful driver of business outcomes.” — @jasonmudd9
• “Awareness influenced credibility. Credibility influenced demand, and demand influenced business outcomes.” — @jasonmudd9

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.

Resources

Guest’s contact info and resources:

• Jason Mudd on X
• Jason Mudd on LinkedIn
• How the power of PR saved Twister
• PR Success Stories: From Struggling Startup to More Than $130 Million in Revenues
• PR Success Stories: Media Coverage for HeadBlade Creates $25,000 in Website Sales
• Axia Case Study Foundation Financial Group

Additional Resources:

• The power of PR
• How do you measure PR?
• 7 ways to build credibility using public relations
• 5 ways PR can generate buzz for your business
• Listen to more episodes of the On Top of PR with Jason Mudd podcast
• Find out more about Axia Public Relations

If you like this episode, you're going to love this:

• 3 ways franchisors can use PR to grow their company with John Hewitt
• PR research with Mark Weiner

Recorded:  June 15, 2026 

Find more On Top of PR episodes on: 

Transcript

Episode Transcript

00:00:07-00:00:31

Jason

Welcome to On Top of PR. I'm Jason Mudd, partner of Axia Public Relations. One of the biggest mistakes I see marketing leaders make is evaluating public relations based on outputs instead of outcomes. They look at media placements, impressions, mentions, share a voice. Those metrics can be useful, but they're not why organizations invest in public relations. Organizations invest in PR because they want business results.

00:00:31-00:00:44

Jason

They want greater awareness, more credibility, stronger trust, increased demand, and ultimately better business outcomes. Today I want to share four examples that demonstrate exactly that. These stories come from different industries and different eras.

00:00:44-00:00:47

Jason

But they all answer the same question.

00:00:47-00:01:05

Jason

How can public relations influence business outcomes? Let's start with the game Twister. Most people know Twister, few people know the role publicity played in its success. When Twister first launched, it wasn't an immediate hit. The product existed, the game worked, but consumers didn't fully understand it. Then publicity changed everything.

00:01:05-00:01:33

Jason

National media exposure introduced the game to a much larger audience. People suddenly understood it. They talked about it. They wanted to try it. Demand soon followed, and the business results followed demand. Here's what I want you to take away from that example. The game didn't change, awareness changed. I see this mistake all the time. Companies assume they have a product problem when actually they have an awareness problem. The product may be good, your service may be great, the customer experience might be perfect.

00:01:33-00:01:58

Jason

But if the right audience doesn't know about it, growth becomes difficult. As a marketing leader, one of the questions you should consistently ask is: do we have a product problem or do we have an awareness problem? Because those require very different and unique solutions. Twister reminds us that awareness can be a business constraint, and public relations can help remove that constraint. Another example I want to talk about is Maker's Mark.

00:01:58-00:02:13

Jason

Today, Maker's Mark is one of the most recognized bourbon brands in America, but there was a time when few people outside of Kentucky knew it existed. The founders were obsessed with quality. They developed a distinctive product. They made a memorable bottle.

00:02:13-00:02:33

Jason

They maintained incredibly high standards, but demand remained limited. Then a Wall Street Journal reporter visited the distillery. The resulting story introduced Maker's Mark to a national audience. Interest exploded. Demand surged. People across the country suddenly wanted to try a bourbon they had never heard of.

00:02:33-00:03:00

Jason

What's interesting about this example is that the publicity didn't improve the bourbon, it didn't change the recipe, it didn't change the quality. What it changed was credibility. And credibility is one of the most invaluable assets any organization can build. When a company talks about itself, audience listen one way. When a trusted third party tells a story, audiences often listen differently. That's why earned media continues to matter.

00:03:00-00:03:23

Jason

Not because it generates clips, not because it generates impressions, but because it can generate credibility. And credibility often drives demand. If you're overseeing a PR agency or an internal communication team, ask yourself this question. How are we building credibility? Because awareness gets attention, credibility earns trust, and trust influences behavior.

00:03:23-00:03:43

Jason

Our next and third example comes from an entrepreneur named Ted Green. Ted started losing his hair in his early twenties. Like many people facing that same situation, he began shaving his head. He quickly discovered something frustrating. The razors weren't designed for the job. So he created his own solution.

00:03:43-00:03:55

Jason

That product became headblade. When he approached established companies, they weren't interested. He received rejection after rejection. So he built a company himself. Then something happened.

00:03:55-00:04:08

Jason

National media outlets started paying attention. Details magazine, Playboy magazine, Time magazine. Suddenly a niche product had national visibility. Sales accelerated, the business grew,

00:04:08-00:04:28

Jason

Eventually, Headblade generated more than 10 million in revenue. Again, notice the pattern. Public relations didn't create the product. Public relations didn't invent the idea. Public relations helped connect the idea with the right audience. That's an important distinction. Many organizations are sitting on great ideas.

00:04:28-00:04:41

Jason

Great products, great services, great innovations. And the market doesn't always discover them on its own. Sometimes the secret missing ingredient is just visibility. And visibility can create opportunity.

00:04:41-00:04:57

Jason

Now let's bring this closer to home. Over the years, I've had an opportunity to work with dozens of organizations seeking to increase awareness, strengthen credibility, and support growth. One example is a company called Foundation Financial Group. Like many organizations,

00:04:57-00:05:23

Jason

They wanted business impact. The PR effort generated significant earned media visibility, but that's not the part I find most interesting. The real value came from what that visibility helped them accomplish. Increased awareness, enhanced reputation, greater credibility, support for business growth. That's the lens I encourage marketing leaders to use when they evaluate PR. Stop asking how many placements did we get. Instead,

00:05:23-00:05:46

Jason

Let's ask what changed because of the placements? Did awareness increase? Did credibility improve? Did shareholders' perception shift? Did demand grow? Did business results improve? Those are the questions that matter. Because public relations is not the objective. Business outcomes are always the objective. And that's the common thread.

00:05:46-00:06:11

Jason

Connecting all four of these examples. Twister, Maker's Mark, Headblade, Foundation Financial Group. Different organizations, different industries, different decades, same principle. Public relations influenced awareness. Awareness influenced credibility. Credibility influenced demand, and demand influence business outcomes. That's why I believe.

00:06:11-00:06:32

Jason

Marketing leaders should evaluate PR differently. Don't evaluate it solely on outputs, evaluate it on outcomes. Not just what was published, but what changed. Not just who saw the story, but what happened after that. Not just whether coverage occurred, but whether business objectives moved forward.

00:06:32-00:06:52

Jason

Because ultimately that's why organizations invest in public relations, not for publicity, for results. If you're managing a PR agency, challenge them to connect their work to business outcomes. If you're leading an internal team, challenge them to demonstrate business impact.

00:06:52-00:07:11

Jason

if you're evaluating your PR strategy, start by identifying the business outcomes you're trying to influence. Awareness, credibility, trust, demand, growth. Then build your communication strategy accordingly. Public relations isn't magic.

00:07:11-00:07:11

Jason

But when it's aligned with business objectives, it can be a powerful driver of business outcomes. That's all for this episode of On Top of PR. I'm Jason Mudd. If you found this discussion valuable, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and visit Axia Public Relations for additional resources to help you lead PR more effectively. Until next time, stay on top of PR.