Why great writing starts with the audience [special guest post]
Successful writing is not just about selling a product or promoting an organization; it is about understanding the audience and creating messages that build trust and inspire action Great writing doesn’t just begin with the first sentence, hook or lede....Read More
28 PR and B2B marketing statistics from studies published so far in 2026
Mid-2026 data reveals AI delivering underwhelming returns while B2B marketing and PR grapple with fractured media, longer sales cycles, and the enduring value of trust and reputation Regular readers know I spend a lot of effort on these pages sorting...Read More
41 B2B marketing and PR statistics that provide us all with a status update halfway through 2025
What’s going well: CMOs, marketing budgets, alignment with sales What could be improved: Trust, conversions, and customer retention In the course of writing weekly blogs and a monthly newsletter, I tend to cover many marketing surveys and PR statistics. While...Read More
PR advice for those open letters and those marked up responses
Whether responding to the government, a competitor, a rouge employee, or a business deal gone sour – stick to the high road in those open letters and marked up responses; focus on the substance The open letter has become...Read More
Not just seen, but believed: trust is the new mandate for marketing and comms
Marketing and comms puts most of its emphasis on reach when we’d be better served by putting the emphasis on being believed The lack of trust that’s emerged in American society is pervasive. It’s woven into nearly every institutional pillar,...Read More
The 10 most-read marketing, PR and comms stories on Sword and the Script in 2024
These ideas span marketing budgets, studies on tactics, and sadly, goodbye to a couple of beloved brands in marketing and PR This blog was started in 2009 as a tool for my own professional development. A long-time (but since retired)...Read More
5 point memo to PR about Twitter from a survey of 2,000 journalists (to get the best results from PR, you must put effort into Twitter)
A survey by Muck Rack found 78% of journalists say Twitter is the most valuable network; 7 in 10 journalists still use Twitter to find sources Too many organizations treat PR and social media as separate things. Yet year after...Read More
The Basic Benefits and Drawbacks of Owned, Shared, Earned, and Paid Media
Understanding the unique characteristics of owned, shared, earned and paid media helps marketing and communications professionals consider how to weave these together to best execute an overall strategy A couple years ago, a startup founder and CEO approached me about...Read More
PR Coverage May have a Bigger Influence on SEO than Links
Media coverage PR earns can drive searches for branded terms which technical SEO experts say can be more powerful than even links or keywords for search rankings We’ve long known that PR can have a significant impact on search rankings,...Read More
Your Response to Business Reviews Might Count as Much as the Review Itself
Respond to reviews with diplomacy; while you may not change the reviewer’s mind, it will have an impact on other customers that read it A friend of mine with a small business was worried about a negative review. He’s a...Read More
