In this episode, Qwoted’s Shelby Bridges joins host Jason Mudd to discuss how AI, shrinking newsrooms, and faster news cycles are reshaping modern media relations and earned media strategies.

Tune in to learn more!

Meet our guest:

Our guest is Shelby Bridges, director of customer success at Qwoted. Shelby works at the intersection of PR, media, and technology, helping communicators build stronger relationships with journalists through smarter, more strategic data usage and platforms like Qwoted. She leads training, demos, and user initiatives that support agencies and brands in a fast-moving media landscape.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. Why modern news cycles now behave like breaking news by default

2. How shrinking newsrooms are increasing pressure on journalists and PR teams

3. Why responding within 48 hours significantly increases placement success

4. How AI is changing pitching, and why similarity is becoming a problem

5. Why diversification of angles and sources is critical for credibility

Quotables

“All news is almost breaking news now. It has to be told immediately and as quickly as possible because somebody else is already writing it.” — Shelby Bridges

“The people who are responding within the first 48 hours are the ones that are winning.” — Shelby Bridges

“Everybody should be able to use AI to pitch — but not to falsify data, personas, or companies.” — Shelby Bridges

“What journalists need is something that stands out and isn’t generic.” — Shelby Bridges

“If people in the room all look like you, you're not going to hear as good or thoughtful storytelling and insights as you might want.” — Jason Mudd

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.

Guest’s contact info and resources:

@sbridges0117 on instagram

Shelby Bridges on LinkedIn

Qwoted website

Qwoted resources

Additional Resources:

Journalist PR responses under 3% for third straight quarter

Journalists don’t want AI-generated commentary (and what to give them instead)

Top PR pros share their tips for earning U.S. media coverage

The best and worst media relations efforts from public relations professionals

How to use media relations strategically to boost SEO

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:

Making your media pitches stand out

The 4 R’s of media relations: Responsive, resourceful, rapid, and respect

Media relations best practices

Support the show

On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.