The Reputation Advantage
This episode of my podcast sits a little outside my usual territory. Most weeks I’m here talking about the psychology behind performance, leadership and how we show up. However, this week I’m taking you somewhere more practical: my guest is Steve Turner of Solomon Turner PR.
We talk about public relations, and how getting it right builds your reputation over time. It still fits everything I care about on this show, giving you an edge in life and business. Reputation is one of the quietest advantages you can have, so I think there’s plenty here worth your time.
Steve started out in journalism, working in TV, radio and sports broadcasting, before moving into advertising and then founding his own PR firm. He has run campaigns for names including Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy. He runs the business alongside his wife and business partner, Shelly Solomon, one of the first women to own an advertising agency in the St. Louis market in the US. Steve is also the author of PR That Works.
In this episode we cover:
Why PR is not the same as marketing or advertising. It builds relationships and trust over the long term, with what Steve calls a long tail.
The most common mistake. Treating PR as one-off publicity rather than a proper strategy.
Steve’s five-step plan. Set a clear objective, define your real audience, sharpen your message, choose the right delivery, and measure what actually works.
Why thought leadership matters most for smaller companies, where the leader is the face of the business.
How a book, a blog or a podcast appearance gives you third-party credibility that your own sales pitch never can.
The value of amplifying every piece of coverage across your own channels rather than letting it sit.
The main takeaway
If there is one thing I want you to carry away from this, it is this.
Reputation is not something that simply happens to you.
It is built, deliberately, over time.
Steve made a point that stayed with me. The most powerful thing said about you is rarely the thing you say about yourself. When a respected voice puts its name next to yours, whether that is an interviewer, a journalist or a fellow leader, it lends you a credibility your own pitch never can.
So treat your visibility as strategy rather than vanity. Decide what you want to be known for, then show up for it consistently, in the places the right people are already looking. It is a long game, and it rarely delivers overnight. But for a leader, being known for the right reasons is one of the surest advantages you can build.
Connect with Steve
Website: solomonturner.com
Book: getprthatworks.com
PR That Works: Real Strategies, Real Campaigns, Real Results (Amazon) brings together 28 strategies, 14 real campaigns and interviews with four leaders in the industry.
LinkedIn: Steve Turner
