Advertise on podcast: Pitching Powerhouse

Two women get invited to speak on the same stage, at the same conference, in front of the same audience. One walks away with a check, and the other never even thought to ask if there was one. In this episode, Jen breaks down why so many women answer the budget question for themselves before an event organizer ever gets the chance. She unpacks the two mistakes hiding inside one simple question, "Is there a fee?", and shares the exact words to use the next time a speaking invitation lands in your inbox. Whether you're pitching a client or pitching yourself, this one sentence can change what you get paid. ➡️ Why booking a stage is a completely different skill set than landing a media hit ➡️ The word-for-word budget question to ask before you say yes to any speaking invite ➡️ What to ask for when the answer is "it's unpaid" ➡️ Why being grateful and getting paid are not opposites Jen's homework for you this week is simple. Before you say yes, before you start picking out the outfit, ask what the budget is. Press play, steal the script, and go crush it. 📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Video: → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/ 💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/ Like, comment, and subscribe if this resonated!

Jen's best friend is a golden retriever in human form, and she's also a lawyer who sees every hard thing coming and chooses happy anyway. In this episode, Jen makes the case that being positive isn't a personality trait, it's a decision you make again and again, especially when life is lifing. She breaks down what her friend Erika, a customer service call gone wrong, her grandma's honey and vinegar wisdom, a storyline on Ted Lasso, and a dear friend's lesson about the ampersand taught her about holding two opposite feelings at once. This isn't toxic positivity. It's finding the good on purpose while still feeling the hard stuff, and it changes what happens to you. ➡️ Why positivity is a choice you make over and over, and why it isn't toxic positivity ➡️ How shifting from frustration to kindness changes the way people show up for you ➡️ What Ted Lasso's Alice and the improv rule of "yes, and" teach about becoming magnetic ➡️ How the ampersand lets you feel overwhelmed and hopeful at the same time Try it this week. Next time life hands you something heavy, swap the word "but" for an ampersand and let both be true. Then tell Jen in the comments which ampersand you're holding right now. Be a golden retriever. Find the joy and bring it to someone else. 📌 Links + Resources: → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/ 💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

The pitch was timely, targeted, and genuinely good. The tiny detail nobody cared about got picked up, and the real story got nothing but silence. When you've pitched every angle you can think of and the media is still ghosting you, it's easy to decide you've lost your touch. In this episode of Pitching Powerhouse, Jen explains why that's not the case. She shares three reframes that turn silence from a verdict on your skills into a problem you can actually solve, plus why it matters more than ever in the era of AI discoverability. ➡️ Why silence is usually a hook problem, not a story problem, and how to write five headlines instead of five pitch angles ➡️ How access and exclusivity get small, niche outlets to say yes fast (and why those placements get amplified) ➡️ Why "we're holding this until October" is a win, and how to show it on your client report ➡️ How earned media on smaller, high authority outlets drives AI discoverability (GEO) Jen is also teaching a free class, Strategic Pitching in the Era of AI, where she walks through her proven four step pitching plan for getting AI models to recommend your clients. It's all new content and it's coming in September. Grab your seat with the link below, then go pitch something with a headline worth clicking. 📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Video: → Save Your Seat for the Free Class, Strategic Pitching in the Era of AI: https://jenerationacademy.com/masterclass → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/ 💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

→ Register Free for Strategic Pitching for AI Era Visibility: https://jenerationacademy.com/masterclass  We have all had this happen. You land an amazing opportunity for a client. You crafted an incredible pitch. You got the yes from the journalist. They're interested, they want to interview your client, and it lines up perfectly with the strategy you built around their goals and objectives. You send it over, all excited to share what you landed for them, and your client says: "We're gonna pass." So annoying. So frustrating.  And now you get to go back to the editor with nothing, which, let's be real, isn't just annoying. It's really embarrassing.You got the yes from the journalist. Your client got the email. And your client said pass. Now you have to go back to the editor with nothing, and a month later that same client wants to know why they aren't getting any coverage.  In the latest episode of Pitching Powerhouse, Jen breaks down what's actually happening when a client rejects the opportunities you bring them, and why "difficult" is almost never the real answer. Most clients are grading your work against a scorecard nobody ever explained to them. They can see the flashy placements their competitors are landing. They cannot see the strategy underneath any of it. In this episode she walks through three reframes, gives you the exact language for the alignment call that gets everyone back on the same page, and covers what to do when the client is fine but the deal itself is broken. ➡️ Why "difficult" usually means your strategy evolved and nobody resold it to the client ➡️ The plain language script for explaining AI discoverability, so small niche outlets finally make sense to them ➡️ Why clients ration their yeses, and the tracking habit that turns your ideas into proof ➡️ The three contract clauses that stop an underpriced account from draining you and your team If you have been avoiding this conversation with a client, this is your permission slip to book the call. Get on the same page, get your yeses back, and go crush it this week. 📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Podcast: → Register Free for Strategic Pitching for AI Era Visibility: https://jenerationacademy.com/masterclass → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/   💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

A client tells you they want Forbes. They can't tell you why. That's the exact moment most agencies get it wrong. In this video, Jen breaks down what to do when a client hands you a wish list of big-name placements with zero reasoning behind it. She walks through the discovery questions that uncover what a client actually needs versus what they're asking for, how to map that real goal to the right PR strategy, and why chasing vanity metrics sabotages the whole relationship. ➡️ The exact questions to ask on a discovery call to uncover a client's real goal, not just their wish list ➡️ Why credibility, sales, investor confidence, and validation each require a completely different PR strategy ➡️ A wild story about a viral Instagram foodie that shows what happens when a client isn't ready to handle the visibility they asked for ➡️ How to shift from being an order-taking vendor to an indispensable strategic partner Ready to stop taking client requests at face value and start leading with real strategy? Grab the Premium Positioning Audit linked below. It takes five minutes and shows you exactly where your positioning needs work. 📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Video: → Get Your Premium Positioning Audit: https://jenerationacademy.com/audit → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/ 💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

Niching down feels like cutting your client pool in half. Jen makes the case that the generalist is the one actually leaving money on the table. In this episode, Jen breaks down why narrowing your PR agency's focus is the opposite of turning away revenue. She walks through three reframes that turn niching from a scary subtraction into the clearest path to premium clients, higher retainers, and getting discovered in AI search. She also shares the exact fill-in-the-blank line for defining your niche and the script for handling leads who land outside your lane. ➡️ Why niching down makes you the obvious choice instead of one more fish in a crowded pond ➡️ The sneaky trap of staying broad: competing on price and defaulting to impressions ➡️ How to define your niche by client, stage, or outcome, not just industry ➡️ Why specialists win in AI search, plus the exact script for referring out off-niche leads Pick your pond, plant your flag, and become the go-to in a space you actually love. Watch the full breakdown now. 📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Video: → Watch the Masterclass Replay (How PR Agency Owners Are Making Themselves More Sought After Than Ever in the Age of AI): https://jenerationacademy.com/june → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/ 💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

Two clients. Same results. One renews every month and refers everyone she knows. The other churns the second her contract ends. After 21 years in PR, Jen has watched the era of reporting on impressions and reach quietly come to an end. In this episode, she breaks down what's actually keeping clients in the door for the agencies with the highest retention rates: moving the conversation from deliverables to outcomes, and tying the press you land to the one thing clients actually care about, their revenue. ➡️ Why two clients with identical results have opposite outcomes (and the frame that gets set before the work even starts) ➡️ How to shift your reporting from deliverables like impressions and reach to real business outcomes like pipeline and branded search ➡️ The AI discoverability reporting opportunity almost no one in PR is using yet ➡️ Why niching down is the lever that unlocks premium pricing and longer client retention If you're ready to stop competing on price and start selling revenue, this is the conversation that changes how you sell, how you retain, and how you grow.   📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Episode: → Save Your Spot for Jen's Free Masterclass (June 20th): https://jenerationacademy.com/june → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/   💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

Twenty-one years ago, Jen emailed a stranger on the internet, asked her to mail over a box of free product, and somehow turned that into a whole PR agency. Now she's pulling back the curtain on everything she'd keep, ditch, and lean into harder if she had to build her PR agency from scratch today. This is the honest version of two decades of trial and error, condensed so you can skip the long learning curve. ➡️ Why niching down on day one (who you serve AND how you serve them) is what actually lands premium retainers ➡️ How to offer introductory pricing without getting trapped at a low rate forever ➡️ The case studies, tools, and "yes to everything" habits worth cutting loose ➡️ Why rest, relationships, and your own instincts are the real business strategy in the age of AI 📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Video: → Free Live Masterclass "How PR Agency Owners Are Making Themselves More Sought After Than Ever in the Age of AI" (June 20): https://jenerationacademy.com/june → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant  → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab  → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/  💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/  Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

Join Jen's free live masterclass on June 20th and get the complete system for positioning, pipeline, and pricing your agency for the AI era: https://jenerationacademy.com/may PR and earned media budgets are predicted to double by 2027 because of AI. The agencies that understand why are already winning. There are two groups in PR right now. One is asking if the industry is dead. The other just had their best quarter ever. In this episode, Jen breaks down exactly what's splitting the market, why commoditized PR is getting squeezed, and what the agencies that are thriving are doing differently. The answer has nothing to do with experience or tools. It comes down to one decision most agency owners were never taught to make. In this episode: - Why it's not PR that's dying, it's a specific kind of PR - How earned media placements now feed directly into AI search results like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews - The positioning shift that turns you into the only logical choice for your ideal client - Why depth and authority are the things AI simply cannot commoditize Links + resources mentioned: → Free Live Masterclass "How PR Agency Owners Are Making Themselves More Sought After Than Ever in the Age of AI" (June 20): https://jenerationacademy.com/may → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/ Let's connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

You built a business to have freedom, and somehow ended up busier, more stressed, and chasing goals that don't even feel like yours anymore. In this episode of Pitching Powerhouse, Jen Berson gets real about what it actually means to build a business around your life, not someone else's highlight reel. If you've ever hit a milestone and felt nothing, said yes to clients or opportunities that drained you, or found yourself in hustle mode without knowing why, this one is for you. In this episode, you'll learn: ✅ The signs you're chasing the wrong goals and what to do instead ✅ Why your ideal Tuesday is the most powerful business planning tool you have ✅ How to audit your business for what's truly aligned vs. what's just noise ✅ Why your definition of success is allowed to evolve, and how to stop treating that as failure Your business should feel like yours. Start building it that way. 📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Episode: → Grab the Free Premium Positioning Audit: https://jenerationacademy.com/audit → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/ 💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

You built a business to have freedom — not to wake up exhausted and resentful of the thing you worked so hard to create. If scaling is starting to feel like a fancier prison, this episode is for you. Today I break down why growing your agency without protecting your energy leads straight to burnout, and share the exact strategies I use to scale sustainably — without losing my sanity, my boundaries, or my 3 p.m. pickup time. ✅ The five hidden energy drains that come with scaling (and why context switching is silently wrecking your productivity) ✅ How to batch your energy — not just your tasks — so your week is built around what actually fuels you ✅ The support infrastructure you need in place before you grow: systems, SOPs, team, and yes, personal support too ✅ Why saying no gets more powerful as you scale, and how to do it without losing the opportunity entirely Your energy is the engine of everything. Let's protect it. 📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Video: → Join the Agency Accelerator Mastermind: https://jenerationacademy.com/ → Get Your Free Premium Positioning Audit: https://jenerationacademy.com/audit → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant  → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/ 💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

Working mom guilt is real. But what if everything you've been told to feel guilty about is actually one of the greatest gifts you can give your kids? In this episode of Pitching Powerhouse, Jen gets real about what her two teenage boys have watched her build over the last 16 years running Jeneration PR and Jeneration Academy, and why she believes that letting your kids see you work isn't something to apologize for. It's something to be proud of. From ringing a bell at her desk to celebrate wins, to including her boys in Canva proposals, to being deeply intentional about what her sons are learning from internet content targeted at their age group, Jen shares a fresh, honest, and genuinely empowering perspective on work and motherhood. ✅ Why hiding your work from your kids may actually teach them to resent it ✅ How to talk about work with your children in age-appropriate ways that build their confidence and resilience ✅ The one non-negotiable rule Jen follows when the workday ends and family time begins ✅ Why now more than ever, ambitious moms are the antidote to harmful content targeting young boys Stop treating your ambition like something to hide. Your kids are watching, and what they see matters more than you know.   📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Video: → Free Premium Positioning Audit: https://jenerationacademy.com/audit → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/   💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

Scrolling through Instagram and stumbling on someone's six-figure announcement shouldn't ruin your day. But sometimes it does. Let's talk about that. If comparison has ever made you question your pace, your progress, or your worth as a business owner, Jen is talking directly to you in this one. She breaks down why the numbers people share online are almost never the full story, how to stop measuring your Chapter 1 against someone else's Chapter 10, and what it actually looks like to build a business around a life you love.In this episode, you will learn: ✅ Why the revenue numbers you see online are almost always gross revenue (not profit) and how that distorted picture is quietly wrecking your confidence ✅ How to create your own scoreboard so you stop chasing someone else's metrics and start celebrating the wins that actually matter to you ✅ What intentional business building really looks like, including why building slower around your kids, your priorities, or your dog walk is not falling behind ✅ How to find (and build inside) a community that celebrates your pace, your version of success, and your vision for your business You are not behind. You are building something different. Come find your people and let us cheer you on. 📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Video: → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Free Premium Positioning Audit: https://jenerationacademy.com/audit → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/ 💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

You're talented, experienced, and getting real results for your clients — so why are you still playing small? If you're undercharging, over-apologizing, or waiting for someone to hand you expert status, this episode is going to hit a nerve. Good. It's supposed to. Too many PR pros are shrinking themselves while less qualified people charge premium rates and take up all the space. The gap between where you are and where you deserve to be isn't about skill. It's about permission you keep waiting for that is never coming.   What You'll Learn: ✅ The Real Cost of Playing Small: Why undercharging and undervaluing yourself could be costing you six figures or more. ✅ How to Own Your Expertise: The exact language shift that can earn you tens of thousands of extra dollars immediately. ✅ Stop Waiting for Validation: Why no one is coming to declare you an expert and what to do instead. ✅ Attract Premium Clients: How showing up fully and sharing your wins magnetically draws your dream clients to you. If you are a PR pro who is ready to stop shrinking, start charging what you are worth, and finally step into the expert you already are, this one is for you.   📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Video → Free Premium Positioning Audit: https://jenerationacademy.com/audit-2 → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/   💬 Let's Connect Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/

Got an AI draft? Here's how to edit it so editors actually open your email. Nearly half of journalists say they're less likely to engage with pitches they can tell were written by AI. That means your robot-written emails are getting deleted before anyone reads past the first line. But AI isn't the problem. Lazy editing is. In this episode, I'm walking you through the exact process my Pitch Lab students use to turn generic ChatGPT outputs into pitches that get responses. What You'll Learn: ✅ Personalization Formula: The 3-minute research hack that proves you read their work and gets your pitch opened ✅ News Peg Strategy: How to tie your pitch to what's happening THIS WEEK so editors feel urgency ✅ Social Proof Placement: The one credential that matters and where to put it so it builds credibility fast ✅ Clear CTA Framework: Specific ask templates that get yes or no answers instead of radio silence Perfect for PR professionals, agency owners, and founders who want to stop getting ignored and start getting coverage. After tightening their pitches with this process, my students regularly see 20 to 30% response rates. 📌 Links + Resources Mentioned in This Video: → Download the Free AI Pitch Editor Worksheet: https://jenerationacademy.com/resources → Get Your Agency AI Assistant: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-agency-assistant → Join The Pitch Lab: https://jenerationacademy.com/the-pitch-lab → Subscribe to My Newsletter: https://jenerationacademy.com/ 💬 Let's Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenerationpr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenerationpr/ Website: https://jenerationacademy.com/