Ep 40 | The New Rules of PR, Partnerships, and Personal Brand

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Unlearn: Redefining the Playbook for Modern Business

Asher Mathew & Kelly Sarabyn

41 episodes

4 days ago

The world is changing fast—what worked yesterday won’t guarantee success tomorrow. On Unlearn, we bring you visionary leaders, bold strategies, and groundbreaking ideas shaping the future of business, innovation, and leadership. This isn’t just about adapting—it’s about evolving. We challenge outdated thinking, break free from convention, and explore what it really takes to thrive in a world where the only constant is change. If you’re ready to rethink the way you work, lead, and grow, you’re in the right place.

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Ep 40 | The New Rules of PR, Partnerships, and Personal Brand

Unlearn: Redefining the Playbook for Modern Business

51 minutes 29 seconds

4 months ago

Ep 40 | The New Rules of PR, Partnerships, and Personal Brand

Natan Edelsburg, Chief Partnerships Officer at Muck Rack, joins Asher Mathew and Kelly Sarabyn on Unlearn to talk about what happens when a revenue leader outgrows the CRO seat. They unpack how modern PR is evolving, why media training matters more than ever, and how partnerships roles are becoming more dynamic and strategic than ever before. Natan shares his journey from early employee to CPO, the challenges of navigating internal change, and the power of authentic storytelling in a noisy world.

Chapters

01:03 – Natan’s Journey to Chief Partnerships Officer

10:00 – Why He Stepped Down as CRO

13:40 – Building a Role Around Partnerships & Evangelism

19:50 – Staying Focused on PR in a Distracted Market

30:32 – LinkedIn’s Role in Modern Comms

37:20 – What Makes a Strategic PR Campaign

40:35 – Why Media Training Is Essential

43:00 – Using AI for Smarter Media Prep

47:50 – Activating Relationships Through LinkedIn

Key Takeaways

1. Modern PR Requires Integration - Great campaigns span paid, earned, shared, and owned channels. PR isn’t just pitching anymore.

2. Media Training Isn’t Optional - Executives are expected to show up polished on every channel, not just in interviews.

3. Partnerships Can Be Evangelism - Natan’s role blends relationship-building with brand representation, showing CPOs aren’t confined to revenue KPIs.

4. AI Should Augment, Not Replace - Smart teams are using AI to speed up busywork—but keeping humans in the loop to protect quality.

5. LinkedIn Is an Underrated Power Tool - Relationship capital, activated thoughtfully, still opens more doors than cold outreach ever will.

Key Quotes

“You still want to do incubation stuff, but the company’s needs are highly specialized. That’s the trade-off every growth-stage exec faces.” - Asher Mathew

“While tech stacks change, relationships remain the most durable asset in go-to-market.” - Kelly Sarabyn

“Being media trained doesn’t mean being robotic. It means knowing your story and being able to tell it in a way that connects.” - Natan Edelsburg

Final Thoughts

Natan’s story is a reminder that career growth isn’t always up. It’s sometimes sideways, strategic, and self-aware. From building Muck Rack’s comms ecosystem to leading without a team, he’s showing what flexible leadership looks like. And with AI, PR, and social platforms evolving fast, the conversation doubles as a blueprint for staying relevant and trusted in any go-to-market function.