Tiffany Rafii, CEO of UpSpring, discusses the critical role authentic thought leadership plays in driving business growth and fostering forward-thinking innovation on latest PR's Top Pros Talk video podcast with Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media.

Doug opens the conversation by asking how thought leadership can significantly amplify a brand’s influence, asking Tiffany for her approach. Tiffany emphasizes the importance of innovation, stating, “If you continue to show what you have and what you’re doing, then you’re really going to attract just more of the same. So, I think it’s incredibly important that you’re innovating in whatever your industry or market is and sharing those ideas and innovation.”

She adds that it’s not always about immediate implementation, but about positioning the brand as forward-thinking: “Not all of them need to be high-level or even something that could be implemented immediately, right? But more ideas about how you can propel that industry forward.”

Doug shifts the conversation to media relations, highlighting the value of using internal spokespeople over external experts, noting, “From our survey of broadcasters, they prefer an internal spokesperson to interview than a hired outside expert by a 3 to 1 margin.” He then asks Tiffany how organizations can identify the right internal spokesperson.

Tiffany stresses the importance of aligning goals with authenticity: “What are we trying to accomplish? Who can speak to that topic in the most authentic way?” She continues, “I think the biggest mistake that’s made from a strategy standpoint is not having that goal initially, because then you’re just putting forward the person that you think should be representing the firm, as opposed to the person who should be representing the thought.”

Doug agrees and builds on this by noting that while the CEO or CFO might be crucial for financial topics, a more nuanced approach is needed for thought leadership. He adds, that having a spokesperson relevant to the topic of discussion also brings diversity into the picture.

Doug then asks Tiffany about the right approach to preparing spokespeople for media engagements. Tiffany acknowledges the varied readiness levels, explaining, “For some people, it’s just sort of in their blood, and for others, it just takes more time to do media training and prep them.”

Doug agrees with Tiffany’s insights and highlights the importance of placing spokespeople in environments where they’re likely to succeed. “It might be easier internally, for example, to develop skills or speak on a panel than jumping right to doing a broadcast interview,” he explains.

Toward the end of the discussion, Doug and Tiffany reflect on how thought leadership impacts business growth. Tiffany stresses the importance of authenticity in building trust with clients: “People want to believe in what they’re buying now.”

She further emphasizes that “The clients that we have who walk the walk and give us the opportunity to shed light on a lot of those initiatives are the ones that we’re seeing have tremendous growth.”

In closing, Tiffany Rafii, celebrating her 15th anniversary as CEO of UpSpring, underscores that true thought leadership not only fuels business growth, but also drives industries toward greater creativity, collaboration, and collective problem-solving.

D S Simon Media is well known as a leader in the satellite media tour industry and produces tours from its studio and multiple control rooms at its New York headquarters. Clients include top brands in healthcare, technology, travel, financial services, consumer goods, entertainment, retail and non-profits. Established in 1986 the firm has won more than 100 industry awards.

View all of the interviews in the “PR's Top Pros Talk” series. Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected].