Neha Jolly

Those who say PR doesn’t work should seriously re-evaluate—just look at the Vijay Mallya x Raj Shamani podcast. In just 4 days, the episode crossed 20 million views on YouTube. The engagement was unprecedented—not just in numbers, but in sentiment. For years, Mallya has been at the center of one of India's most controversial financial sagas. But one well-structured, long-format conversation flipped the narrative from scandal to story. This isn’t about glorifying or justifying anyone’s past. It’s about what context, long-form storytelling, and humanization can do when executed with the right platform, tone, and timing. People listened. Business leaders took note. Many even empathized. That’s the power of right media strategy at scale. Not an ad. Not a legal defense. Just a mic, a host, and a compelling narrative arc. What this proves: A reputation is never beyond repair—it's just waiting for the right retelling. Perception is fluid, and long-form content is the new court of public opinion. Strategic PR isn't about cover-ups—it's about showing up differently. As communications professionals, this should inspire us—and remind brands, founders, and even public figures—the story isn’t over until you tell it on your terms. Would love to hear what others in the PR, branding, and creator ecosystem think about this shift in how we’re consuming "truth." #PR #Communications #BrandStrategy #CrisisComms #VijayMallya #RajShamani #Storytelling #MediaMatters #PodcastMarketing

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I've worked with ~10 content writers over two years, and the best ones I know are what I like to call "𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴". They put themselves in the shoes of their readers aaaannnd...𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬. What do I mean by "overthink" though? It's not just about "understanding the audience" or doing research. (I mean that's the bare minimum) It’s about asking questions like: ❓ 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘫𝘢𝘻𝘻 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱? ❓ 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘺? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥? ❓ 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 {𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤} 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦? 𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺? ❓ 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩? 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘥𝘥? ❓ 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴? Then, using these questions to ruthlessly edit their own piece until they've explained something in the clearest, most concise way possible. All of this combined leads to a reader experience that's as smooth as butter. 🧈 It also makes their editors' lives so, so much easier. I saw someone who said "𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨" on LinkedIn and this is exactly what hard writing is: 1. Putting yourself in the shoes of your readers 2. Overthinking 3. Editing ruthlessly And great writers do this over and over again. What other qualities do you think great content writers have? Share them down below 👇

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The Silent Killer of Workplace Morale: Favouritism It’s important to talk about the ugly truth many employees whisper about but rarely call out - favouritism at work. It’s that manager who gives the best projects, promotions, and perks to their inner circle while others work twice as hard for half the recognition. It’s that colleague who gets away with mediocrity because they’re “liked.” And let’s not forget the ones who are constantly overlooked - not because of lack of talent, but because they don’t fit the preferred mold. Favouritism isn’t just unfair - it’s toxic. It kills motivation, breeds resentment, and fuels quiet quitting. It’s one of the biggest reasons why great employees leave. Why bother giving 100% when the outcome is already decided? Some leaders justify it as “rewarding loyalty.” But let’s be honest - if loyalty means turning a blind eye to incompetence, that’s not leadership. That’s just nepotism in disguise. If your workplace thrives on who you know rather than what you do, you don’t have a performance culture - you have a political one. What’s your take? Have you ever seen favouritism at play in your workplace? How did you deal with it? Drop your thoughts below. #WorkCulture #Leadership #Favouritism #ToxicWorkplaces

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To all the 'PR' professionals, who have an existential/ identity crisis, remember this. 1) It starts with being called a 'PR' professional - you are actually a 'strategic alliance between the company and its stakeholders' 2) You have the power to observe, build narratives, read rooms and counsel senior leaders 3) You can bridge the communication gap across the org and bring everyone on the same page 4) You can see stories where there are boring narratives 5) You can see the outside-in picture and assess the difference between brand, marketing and real growth Please use that leverage. However, do not, 1) Restrict yourself to a pageboy/ girl 2) Not question facts 3) Succumb to selling every press release/ launch 4) Be afraid to be upfront about the difference between brand/ marketing and PR 5) Restrict yourself to thinking you are only an external liaison Remember, you are the bridge between the Company and ALL its stakeholders and have to bring them all together by personalising messages. Obviously, this is a strategic role, not something everyone can perform. Chin-up.

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Workplace Loyalty Is Dead. And That’s on You. . . . 52% of employees would rather peace out than lose #flexibility. 60% would #quit over a bad manager. But sure, let’s keep blaming “Gen Z entitlement” instead of asking why people are sprinting for the exit. Here's what Randstad India’s Workmonitor 2025 survey spells out in black and white — #employees aren’t sticking around for outdated rules, #micromanagers, or workplaces that think “casual #Fridays” count as #culture. They want: ✅ Flexibility (because logging in at 9:00 sharp doesn’t make anyone better at their job) ✅ Growth (real learning, not another LinkedIn course nobody asked for) ✅ Leadership that actually leads (not just forwards emails with “LMK if this sounds good!”) And yet, some #companies still act shocked when people leave, refusing to settle for the bare minimum. - You treat flexibility like a “perk”? Your top talent is already job hunting. - Your top-level managers are out of league? Employees are quietly quitting before they actually quit. - No career #growth? People will #outgrow you, whether you like it or not. The truth is, employees aren’t the problem—outdated workplaces are. The best companies get it. The rest will keep posting “We’re like a family here” while wondering why their #turnover is sky-high. I’ve been strongly rooting for a healthy work culture, and here's what I can confidently vouch for: 🔸 The best employees aren’t scared to leave. 🔸 The best companies aren’t scared to change. #WorkplaceCulture #FutureOfWork #Leadership #CareerGrowth #EmployeeExperience #WorkplaceTrends #TalentManagement #WorkLifeBalance #FlexibilityAtWork #ToxicWorkplaces

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Demand for content writers has seen a shift in 2025 And the sooner you understand this & come out of the bubble, the faster you move. AI is not replacing writers, but most valued skills for writers in an AI-driven market are shifting toward strategic and creative roles. → storytelling → content strategy → providing human oversight Organizations using AI writing tools report an average 59% reduction in time spent on basic content creation and an average 77% increase in content output volume. (source: Firewire Digital) So, if you think "just writing" is enough in 2025, it's time to reflect. The demand is more for "good writers" who can deliver beyond basics. Level up & upskill to expand to content strategy & more. #AI #contentwriters #contentwriting

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For the zillionth time, no. 'Any publicity is good publicity' is not a hard & fast rule or some goal to chase for every brand. Very often we see this quoted when some bad ad or a deliberate typo is discussed in social media (mainly among the marketing & advertisng crowd) saying, 'See, you are talking about it! So it met its objective!' But there's something called context. In what context is the brand being discussed, with what sentiment? And merely being talked about for a while is no guarantee of long term effect on brand affinity or sales. Also, some brands (notably in entertainment) thrive on notoreity. All brands don't have the stomach for it or should 'play' in that field. #advertising

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Based on real Incident Got a call for a “Copywriter” role today. I thought, great — finally, someone wants words that work. But then came the JD… and I started wondering if I’d accidentally applied to be the CEO of Contentland. Here’s what they wanted from their “copywriter”: 🌀 Brand strategy 🌀 Content calendars 🌀 Reels ideation 🌀 Scriptwriting 🌀 SEO-optimised blogs 🌀 Website content 🌀 Performance ad copies 🌀 Email campaigns 🌀 Taglines + slogans 🌀 Oh, and “basic designing skills would be a plus” I had one question: Just to confirm — is this a copywriter role or are you expecting me to pull a Bahubali and lift your entire marketing department on my shoulders? They laughed nervously. I didn’t. The call… mysteriously dropped. 😂 Here’s the truth no one wants to print in their job descriptions: A copywriter is not: 🚫 A content team of seven 🚫 Your fallback graphic designer 🚫 A social media manager with extra commas 🚫 A magician who can make ‘Buy Now’ sound sexy in 15 different ways… every day What we actually do: ✍️ Build narratives that sell without screaming ✍️ Shape your brand voice so people remember you ✍️ Turn briefs into punchlines, ideas into impact ✍️ Obsess over one word for 30 minutes because it matters Words aren’t filler. They’re your first impression. They’re why people click, convert, and come back. So next time you’re hiring a copywriter, remember: ✅ We’re not Swiss Army knives ✅ We’re not ChatGPT with arms ✅ We’re professionals — not productivity hacks #CopywriterLife #MarketingTruths #ContentStrategy #CopywritingHumor #FreelanceLife #CreativeProfessionals #HiringDoneRight #LinkedInHumor #WritersOfLinkedIn #ContentMarketing

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Team leads, CEOs: Your team members are not your family - you will certainly not do for them what you'll do for your family. So don't tell them they're your family. Having said that, just like for your children, there's value in teaching your team to catch fish rather than just giving it to them. You may think - why should I do that for someone who'll leave tomorrow or someday? For your family, you do stuff unconditionally, selflessly. But in the case of your team, let me appeal to your profit motive. Your team members may be with you for a day, a week, a month, or until you retire. You cannot predict how long they'll be with you, or how long you'll be with them. You can't even predict if after they (or you) leave, you'll ever work together again. Let's first take the worst case scenario - they leave you tomorrow and never cross paths with you again. If you teach them skills that'll make them independent, even a tiny bit, you'll hone your coaching skills at worst and gain a grateful ally at best. In the best case scenario, the colleague works alongside you for decades. So you'll want them to be skilled and independent. That'll help you delegate work to them confidently. The time and effort you spend training them will come back to you many times over in terms of how much value you can add to the organization as a manager, your team's efficiency, reduced attrition, your ability to take on larger, more challenging projects, and so on. People remember what you do for them as their manager. They talk about it to others. People in the industry get to know about you - good or bad - through your current and ex-colleagues. You gain a reputation, and your reputation can make or break your career. So this is an additional argument in favour of stocking them up with good vibes rather than bad. Another benefit is that if tomorrow you move to a new organization and need to hire team members - who better than the folks you've trained and trust? And if they trust you back, they'll be happy to join you! It's a win-win! Every manager is a sum of their individual team members. If the manager can do more or see farther, it is because, like Newton, they stand on the shoulders of their team. So it makes perfect business sense to help team members become greater and taller. #team #managing #teamlead #leadership #businessmanagement #humanresources #managingteams #delegation #CEO #business #industry #coaching #training #efficiency #attrition #projectmanagement

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Corporate life taught me one thing- Commas can cause #wars. It always starts small. You add a comma for #rhythm. Manager removes it for “simplicity.” And the client adds two back for “impact.” Next thing you know, a 15-minute review call turns into a grammar #debate. But here’s the thing- It’s never really about the comma. It’s about tone, #clarity, and how each person reads meaning differently. To a writer, that tiny pause can change emotion. To a brand, it can change #perception. As #writers, our job is to bring clarity where perspectives collide. So yes, commas cause wars. But if handled well, they can also build bridges between what’s said and what’s meant.

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