B2B PR and Comms From an In-House Perspective

In this episode of PR Explored, host Michelle Garrett, a PR consultant, author, and writer, interviews guest Gina Rau about B2B PR and comms from an in-house perspective.  Rau recounts her “bowl of spaghetti” career across B2C and B2B, agency and in-house roles, and argues that broad experience helps partnership across marketing.  She contrasts in-house work—deeper company knowledge, broader responsibilities (internal/executive comms, thought leadership, organic social), heavy meetings, and greater accountability for consequences—with agency context-switching across accounts and the discipline agencies teach.  They discuss cross-team alignment challenges (stakeholder “word salad”), the accelerated pace in tech/AI, and PR’s growing importance as content shapes LLM/GEO visibility.  Rau emphasizes measuring business impact (pipeline influence, executive visibility, meaningful product coverage) and shares a McDonald’s campaign that used an economic impact study to change local perceptions.  They close on agency selection criteria, executive thought leadership on LinkedIn, and career advice to assess role and environment fit. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:24 Gina's Career Journey 02:55 Generalist Versus Specialist 04:47 In-House Versus Agency 10:50 Agency Skills and Rigor 15:03 Cross Team Alignment 17:28 AI Pace and Comms 19:46 PR Role in AI Era 25:51 Proving PR Impact 29:20 Reputation and Day One List 31:24 Internal Alignment Challenges 33:50 Scaling Internal Alignment 34:44 Messaging Changes Overdrive 35:41 Choosing Great Partners 38:17 Chemistry And Collaboration 40:51 Agency Partner Pushback Story 43:33 Meet The Real Team 45:13 McDonald's Perception Turnaround 52:25 Listening Before Influence 53:18 Authentic Executive Thought Leadership 58:46 Career Advice And Closing Show notes: Follow Gina Rau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginarau/ Follow the host:  Website: www.michellegarrett.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prstrategist/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PRisUs X/Twitter: https://x.com/PRisUs Threads: https://www.threads.com/@prwritergal Michelle's book - B2B PR That Gets Results - is available now Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here.  About the host: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, writer and author of B2B PR That Gets Results, an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker and podcast guest on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals.