Most entrepreneurs and business owners understand they need a comprehensive communications strategy to reach their target customers. However, all too many think that only means branding, marketing and advertising and forget to include public relations (PR). In particular, many small businesses and startups neglect this part of the communications equation.

This has always been a mistake, but that’s even more true today. Here, I explain how PR impacts brand credibility and customer trust, as well as how those seemingly ineffable factors connect to your hard revenue numbers.

The problem with investing solely in marketing

Investing only in marketing and ignoring PR is a problem because marketing drives awareness, but PR builds trust — and without trust, awareness doesn’t convert.

One study has put the number of consumers who believe advertisers have integrity at 4%. Customers’ trust in conventional advertising is also plummeting, especially for members of the younger generations. As Wharton Magazine reports, 84% of millennials not only dislike traditional ads but also distrust them.

Research also shows people don’t pay attention to ads and actively avoid them. According to consumer research firm Bulbshare, 63% of Gen Zers use ad blockers, meaning they don’t even see ads online. If they do come across one, 99% say they hit “skip” when given the choice.

In short, today’s consumers are savvy. They know how to follow the money trail and identify conflicts of interest. Indeed, the Content Marketing Institute has found that 80% of corporate decision-makers prefer to glean information from articles that are more objective rather than ads, which are recognized as biased and self-interested.

Meanwhile, today’s consumers increasingly prioritize ethics. B2B services company BusinessDasher explains that 84% of customers weigh companies’ ethics and values when considering a purchase, and 63% say they would like companies to adopt more ethical practices.

For companies that would like to expand their market reach, these statistics send a clear signal. Investing only in advertising and marketing is unlikely to move the needle. To develop a good reputation for your brand, you need to do PR.

Related: How to Make the Most of Your Public Relations

PR: Ethical strategic communications

PR differs from other communication strategies like branding and marketing because it specifically focuses on developing your organization’s positive reputation and earning consumers’ trust. While ads and marketing campaigns may attempt to tell people about the business’s great reputation, good PR shows them. It enables the business and its spokespeople to demonstrate ethical conduct rather than just making claims to this effect.

For instance, while a top PR team will draft and release press releases and media advisories on a company’s behalf, they will also seek out opportunities for the company’s leadership to serve as expert sources in the media. When the public needs help understanding current events and a journalist turns to a company’s spokesperson for expert analysis, the viewers understand that this person and their company are trustworthy. In addition, they come to rely on and appreciate the spokesperson’s valuable advice.

In the course of such an interview, the company’s representative may never even mention their product or service. By demonstrating their willingness to share important information, however, they signal their care for the greater good, their own sterling character and that of their company. This forms positive connotations in viewers’ minds. People come to associate the spokesperson and company with credibility and garner their trust.

Behaving in an ethical manner and showing goodwill tends to be more convincing than merely claiming to be good. This is how strong connections with customers can still be forged despite today’s cynical environment.

Related: How You Can Leverage These PR Strategies to Build Your Company’s Credibility and Trust — Even When Under Attack

How PR contributes to revenue growth

To be clear, PR is not a direct method of boosting sales or generating leads. Instead, it works in the background, burnishing your brand’s reputation and predisposing people to think highly of your company. This can pay off in the end, however.

Take Sears, Roebuck and Co. as an example. When the brand partnered with The Oprah Winfrey Show to provide Christmas gifts for 100 foster children, the results were staggering. After the episode aired, customer surveys showed an 11% jump in positive sentiment toward the brand — and people said they planned to spend 39% more at Sears.

The final impact? That single PR moment helped generate $13 million in new revenue.

In addition, father-daughter co-authors Al and Laura Ries studied 91 launches of new products in their book “The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR.” Those campaigns that incorporated PR were more successful than those that only deployed marketing approaches. Indeed, they conclude that PR is a better investment than advertising for most businesses.

In my own experience leading a PR firm, I can attest that campaigns sometimes generate so much new business that clients can’t scale fast enough and have to pause our services while they catch up with demand.

Enter the limelight with PR

Hiring a PR firm, especially one that can show a track record of success in your particular industry, is indispensable to make your brand image shine. This strategic communications approach avoids the common missteps of advertising and marketing while aligning with today’s customers’ preferences for ethical business practices.

For these reasons, more businesses should consider taking PR firms up on their offers of a free consultation call. There’s nothing to lose and the limelight to gain.

By now, most marketers have experimented with ChatGPT. You’ve probably asked it to write a blog outline, draft a few email subject lines or generate some Instagram captions. But if you’re still treating it like a vending machine — insert prompt, get content — you’re leaving a ton of value on the table.

The real power comes from what we call “prompt conversations”: a deliberate, iterative back-and-forth between you and the AI, where each response informs your next prompt. It’s not about asking for the perfect output upfront. It’s about collaborating with ChatGPT to create something better, faster — and often, more original than you could’ve come up with in isolation.

Here’s how to make that shift.

Related: 3 Tips to Know Before Using ChatGPT for Marketing

Think in stages, not prompts

Instead of expecting one prompt to give you a finished piece of content, break your process into phases: ideation, structure, drafting and refinement. ChatGPT shines when it has context, and a conversation gives it exactly that.

Let’s say you’re writing a blog post on cybersecurity for small businesses. Don’t just prompt: “Write a 1,000-word blog post on cybersecurity tips for small businesses.” That’ll get you something generic.

Instead:

1. Start with a role and outcome prompt: “Act as a content strategist. Give me five timely blog post angles on cybersecurity for small businesses.”

2. Follow up: “Take the second idea and create a blog outline with an intro, three main sections and a conclusion.”

3. Draft in pieces: “Now write the intro in a conversational tone. Mention a recent news event that makes this topic urgent.”

Each step improves quality and gives you control. Plus, it allows you to correct course if the AI veers too far from your intent early on.

Refine with micro-prompts

Most marketers underuse ChatGPT’s ability to revise its own work. Don’t settle for a “meh” paragraph. Tell it what to fix.

• “Make this paragraph more concise.”

• “Add a metaphor to explain this idea.”

• “Rewrite in the tone of a Seth Godin blog post.”

You’re not starting over; you’re editing collaboratively. This is where the “conversation” really kicks in — and where nuance, style and depth start to emerge. You’ll often be surprised by how well ChatGPT responds to creative nudges.

Related: 5 Mistakes I Learned to Avoid When Working With ChatGPT

Use it for strategic thinking, too

Prompt conversations aren’t just for content execution. They’re great for upstream thinking — like naming campaigns, testing messaging or exploring buyer personas.

For example:

ChatGPT will do the heavy lifting, and you’ll spot ideas you hadn’t considered. You can even ask it to role-play as a skeptical customer or a competitor, helping you pressure-test your messaging before going to market.

Build your prompt stack

Once you find sequences that work (e.g., for writing case studies, newsletters or landing pages), save them. Create a prompt stack: your own playbook of step-by-step conversations that consistently produce results.

This saves time and improves quality across your team. Over time, you’ll develop reusable frameworks for different content types, which reduces friction when onboarding new team members or scaling campaigns.

Beware of blind spots

As powerful as prompt conversations are, they come with caveats. ChatGPT’s job is to be helpful — even when that means inventing information that sounds right but isn’t. It will confidently cite fake statistics, create imaginary quotes or attribute real quotes to the wrong people. It’s not trying to deceive you; it’s trying to please you.

Always double-check facts, names and sources. If ChatGPT gives you a quote, Google it. If it cites a study, look for the original. Treat the AI’s content as a first draft that requires human judgment and verification.

Another pitfall: the language itself. ChatGPT has certain go-to phrases that instantly signal “AI-generated.” You’ve seen them:

• “In today’s fast-paced digital world…”

• “Unlock the power of [insert feature here]…”

• “Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise…”

These lines feel stale and generic because they are. Savvy readers (and editors) can spot them a mile away. Train yourself to recognize this filler language — and ask ChatGPT to rewrite with more specificity and originality:

• “Avoid clichés. Rewrite this intro with a punchy, unexpected opening.”

• “Replace this generic phrase with something vivid or visual.”

You can even paste in your brand’s existing content and prompt: “Match this tone and avoid generic marketing language.”

Another tactic is to proactively set constraints. For instance, tell ChatGPT: “Avoid using startup clichés or overused buzzwords.” You can also ask it to analyze its own writing: “Which phrases in this paragraph might sound too generic or robotic?” It’s surprisingly self-aware when asked.

AI can get you 80% of the way, but that last 20% — the polish, the precision, the personality — comes from you.

Related: ChatGPT is Becoming More Human-Like. Here’s How The Tool is Getting Smarter at Replicating Your Voice, Brand and Personality.

The marketers getting the most out of ChatGPT aren’t those who know the cleverest single prompts. They’re the ones who treat it like a junior collaborator: giving it guidance, pushing it to iterate and building on its outputs.

Prompt conversations shift your mindset from “asking” to “shaping.” And that makes all the difference.

Start a smarter conversation. Your content will show it.

Only when the stock market goes down do people start to wonder whether they have too much exposure to stocks (equities). Questions arise: Should I cut back? Should I buy the dip? What’s the appropriate allocation to stocks right now?

While the answer depends on many variables—your risk tolerance, age, net worth, current asset allocation, and financial goals—figuring out the right amount of stock exposure doesn’t have to be complicated.

A Simple Stock Exposure Litmus Test

If you’re a working adult, here’s an easy way to determine whether your stock exposure is appropriate:

Calculate your paper losses during the latest market correction and divide that number by your current monthly income.

This gives you a rough estimate of how many months you’d have to work to make up for your stock market losses, assuming no rebound. It is part of my SEER formula that helps determine your true risk tolerance.

Stock Market Exposure Example:

Let’s say you have a $1 million portfolio, fully invested in the S&P 500. If the market corrects by 20%, you’ve lost $200,000. If you make $15,000 a month, you’d need to work 13.4 months to make up for the loss.

If the idea of working 13.4 extra months doesn’t faze you—maybe because you’re under 45, enjoy your job, or have plenty of other assets—then your stock exposure might be just right. You might even want to invest more.

But if the thought of working over a year just to recover your losses is depressing, your exposure to equities might be too high. Consider reducing it and reallocating to more stable investments like Treasury bonds or real estate.

A Real Case Study: Way Overexposed To Stocks

Here’s a real example I came across: A couple in their mid-50s with a $6.5 million net worth at the beginning of the year, consisting of $6 million in stocks and $500,000 in real estate. They spend no more than $100,000 a year.

In the first four months of 2025, they lost $1 million from their stock portfolio, which dropped to $5 million. With a maximum monthly spend of $8,333 (or ~$11,000 gross), they effectively lost 90 months of gross work income—that’s 7.5 years of working just to recover their losses.

For a couple in their mid-50s, losing that much time and money is unacceptable. They already have enough to live on comfortably. A 4% return on $6 million in Treasury bonds yields $240,000 a year risk-free. That’s twice their spending needs with virtually no risk.

This couple is either chasing returns out of habit, unaware of their true risk tolerance, or simply never received thoughtful financial guidance.

As I consult with more readers as part of my Millionaire Milestones book promotion, I realize everybody has a financial blindspot that needs optimizing.

Time Is the Best Measure of Stock Exposure

Why do we invest? Two main reasons:

1. To make money to buy things and experiences.
2. To buy time—so we don’t have to work forever at a job we dislike.

Between the two, time is far more valuable. Your goal shouldn’t be to die with the most money, but to maximize your freedom and time while you’re still healthy enough to enjoy it.

Sure, you could compare your losses to material things. For example, if you’re a car enthusiast and your $2 million portfolio drops by $400,000, that’s four $100,000 dream cars gone. But measuring losses in terms of time is a far more rational and powerful approach.

As you get older, this becomes even more true—because you simply have less time left.

Here’s a table that highlights a Risk Tolerance Multiple as measured in terms of working months. Your risk tolerance will vary. You can construct the rest of the portfolio with bonds, real estate, or other less volatile assets.

My Personal Perspective on Time and Stock Exposure

Since I was 13, I’ve valued time more than most. A friend of mine tragically passed away at 15 in a car accident. That event deeply shaped how I approach life and finances.

I studied hard, landed a high-paying job in finance, and saved aggressively to reach financial independence at age 34. My goal was to retire by 40, but I left at 34 after negotiating a severance that covered five to six years of living expenses. I’ve acted congruently with how I value time – it is way more important than money.

Since retiring in 2012, I’ve kept my stock exposure to 25%–35% of my net worth. Why? Because I’m not willing to lose more than 18 months of income during the average market downturn, which tends to happen every three to five years. That’s my threshold. I never want to go back to full-time work for somebody else, especially now that I have young children.

They say once you’ve won the game, stop playing. Yet here I am still investing in risk assets, driven by inflation, some greed, and the desire to take care of my family.

Adjusting Stock Exposure by Time Willing to Work

In the earlier example, I advised the couple with $6 million in stocks to either reduce their exposure or increase their spending. Losing $1 million in a downturn equates to about 90 months of work income, based on their $11,000/month gross income.

If they’d be more comfortable losing the equivalent of just 30 months of income, they should limit their stock exposure to roughly $2 million. That way, in a 16.7% correction, they’d lose no more than $330,000.

Alternatively, they could justify their $6 million stock exposure by increasing their monthly income to $33,333, or about $400,000 a year. But more easily, boost their after-tax spending from $8,333 ($11,000 gross), to about $25,000 ($33,000 gross). That way, a $1 million loss represents just 30 months of work or spending.

Of course, it’s financially safer to boost income than to boost spending. But these are the levers you can pull—income, spending, and asset allocation—to align your portfolio with your willingness to lose time.

If you have a $6.5 million net worth and only spend $100,000 a year, you’re extremely conservative. The 4% rule suggests you could safely spend up to $260,000 a year, which still gives you plenty of buffer. Hence, this couple should live it up more or give more money away.

Time Is the Greatest Opportunity Cost

I hope this framework helps you rethink your stock exposure. It’s not about finding a perfect allocation. It’s about understanding your opportunity cost of time and aligning your investments with your goals.

Stocks will always feel like funny money to me until they’re sold and used for something meaningful. That’s when their value is finally realized.

If this recent downturn has you depressed because of the time you’ve lost, your exposure is likely too high. But if you’re unfazed and even excited to buy more, then your allocation might be just right—or even too low.

Readers, how do you determine your appropriate amount of stock exposure? How many months of work income are you willing to lose to make up for your potential losses?

Order My New Book: Millionaire Milestones

If you want to build more wealth than 93% of the population and break free sooner, grab a copy of my new book: Millionaire Milestones: Simple Steps to Seven Figures. I’ve distilled over 30 years of experience into a practical guide to help you become a millionaire—or even a multi-millionaire. With enough wealth, you can buy back your time, the most valuable asset of all.

Pick up a copy on sale at Amazon or wherever you enjoy buying books. Most people don’t take the time to read personal finance articles—let alone books about building financial freedom. By simply reading, you’re already gaining a major advantage.

Financial Samurai began in 2009 and is one of the leading independently-owned personal finance sites today. Since its inception, over 100 million people have visited Financial Samurai to gain financial freedom sooner. Sign up for my free weekly newsletter here.