Why business acumen is critical for PR professionals today

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Ron Culp joins host Jason Mudd to discuss why business acumen now outweighs writing skills in PR hiring, the three stages of a corporate PR career, and five practical ways to build business acumen at any career stage.Tune in to learn more!Meet Our Guest:Our guest is Ron Culp, a professional-in-residence at DePaul University and a former corporate chief communications officer. He brings decades of experience across government, corporate communications, public relations agencies, and higher education, where he helps prepare the next generation of PR professionals.Five things you’ll learn from this episode: 1. Three stages of corporate public relations2. Why business acumen has taken over writing skills as the top thing employers want3. Five practical ways students and young professionals can build business acumen4. Why understanding how your company makes money changes the decisions you make5. Why business acumen matters Quotables"When what you're doing isn't having any impact on the business, you really have to question it. If you don't, you're gonna start being questioned." – Ron Culp"You just make better decisions if you have a sense of what the business is all about." – Ron Culp"Good writers are good thinkers, always has been the case, and good writers can be trained." – Ron Culp"If we can't figure out how they make money, then I'm not sure we can be the trusted strategic partner that we need to be." – Jason MuddIf 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:Ron Culp on LinkedInRon Culp's blog: culpwrit.comAgeism in the workplace: Hiring bias, careers, and the future of workHow trusted strategic advisors influence leadersAdditional Resources:Marketing leaders are reframing reputation management as a revenue strategyTraditional PR doesn’t work anymoreHow to turn social and reputation management into a revenue operating systemListen to more episodes of the On Top of PR with Jason Mudd podcastFind out more about Axia Public RelationsIf you like this episode, you're going to love this:How public relations changes business outcomesHow communications professionals shape business successMaximizing Agency Partnerships with Mark RiggsRecorded: August, 2026Support the showOn 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.