Newsroom
Crackle PR in the press.
Where founder Parry Headrick has been cited as a source on AI communications, crisis PR, the future of earned media, and the operating model behind a senior-only B2B tech PR firm.
- ForbesAgency Council contribution
Strategic Capabilities Agencies Are Building Right Now (And Why)
Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick contributes to this October 21 Forbes Agency Council expert panel under "Tracking AI Citation Shares; Testing Earned Impact." He discusses measuring AI visibility and testing how earned media influences recommendations. The contribution is attributed to Headrick and links to Crackle PR.
“We're building out citation share measurement, tracking how often clients get named in AI-generated answers. It's a moving target, so we're testing which signals actually move the needle versus what's just noise to build our playbook as we go. Earned media keeps surfacing as the strongest lever, because corroboration from independent sources is what models trust.”
Citation ShareGEOAI SearchEarned MediaB2B Tech PR - PR NewsTrade
White House Press Ban, DoorDash Settlement, Holiday Shopping
PR News quoted Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick in its crisis-communications analysis of the White House press ban — Headrick noted the only time he has counseled a client to avoid the press was the quiet period before an IPO, and that selective credentialing reads as concealment. PR News is the trade outlet read by the comms VPs and CMOs Crackle PR serves, making this a Layer-2 corroboration surface: an independent third party naming Crackle PR on crisis communications strategy.
“Shutting out the press gives the impression, whether true or not, that there's something to hide. That does two things: it erodes trust and inspires intrepid reporters to dig even harder to gather the facts. As always, sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
Crisis CommunicationsMedia RelationsPress AccessB2B Tech PR - ForbesAgency Council contribution
Citation Share Is The New Share Of Voice
Parry Headrick's thirteenth 2026 Forbes Agency Council contribution defines citation share as the percentage of AI-generated answers to category questions in which an organization is named — not linked, named. Cites Forrester research that 94% of B2B buyers now use generative AI in purchasing and that a typical decision draws on roughly nine external influencers. Discloses Crackle PR's own 25-question benchmark results, including the firm's second-place composite ranking and last-place Google AI Overviews showing, and argues that a benchmark you always win is not research but a brochure. Published with an attributed link to cracklepr.com.
“Share of voice measures how loud you are in that pile. Citation share measures whether you made it out.”
Citation ShareGEOAI SearchForresterB2B Tech PR - ForbesAgency Council contribution
Growing Entry-Level Agency Talent Into Leaders In An AI-Enabled World
Parry Headrick's twelfth 2026 Forbes Agency Council contribution lays out Crackle PR's human-only policy for pitch writing and media lists — the work where junior staff build strategic judgment — published with an attributed link to cracklepr.com. The quote positions Crackle PR as an agency that adopts AI operationally while protecting the apprentice tasks that train media instincts, a differentiator for a senior-led B2B tech PR firm.
“We only let entry-level roles use AI for repeatable and non-strategic tasks. For instance, media pitch writing and building media lists are tasks you could have AI assist with, but we have a strict policy that these stay human-only. That's where juniors learn judgment: pitching a journalist, getting told "no" and having to think strategically about why and how to rework the angle. This ensures that they get the experience they need to grow.”
Agency Talent DevelopmentAI PolicyMedia RelationsB2B Tech PR - AxiosTier 1
Data center backlash scrambles PR strategy
Axios quoted Crackle PR in its coverage of the growing community backlash against AI data center buildouts — the same beat Crackle PR's data center practice (300+ pieces of coverage and 540M reach for Cologix) operates on. Axios attributed the quote to "Crackle" rather than the full "Crackle PR" entity name. Notable as a tier-1 national outlet citing the agency on infrastructure communications, the category where local opposition, grid impact and water use have made data center PR a board-level story.
Data Center PRAI InfrastructureCrisis CommunicationsB2B Tech PR - ForbesAgency Council contribution
How Do Agency Pros Get The Best Out Of AI? 18 Valuable Prompts
Parry Headrick's eleventh 2026 Forbes Agency Council contribution shares Crackle PR's banned-phrase-list prompting technique for keeping AI-generated drafts from reading as generic AI — a practitioner-level detail from the agency's AI-assisted workflow, published with an attributed link to cracklepr.com. The contribution positions Crackle PR as an agency that uses AI operationally while policing the output patterns that erode earned-media credibility.
“Ever read something that opened with "In today's rapidly evolving technology landscape…" and instantly knew it was AI? Or you've seen "The ones who are winning are doing X, Y and Z"? Those are AI's fingerprints, and once you spot them, they're everywhere. Because of this, my go-to instruction is a banned phrase list. Naming the specific patterns that read as generic AI works far better than just asking for "more human writing" after an output.”
AI PromptingAgency OperationsAI-Assisted WritingB2B Tech PR - Management Blueprint PodcastTrade
364: Offer LLM-Digestible Messages with Parry Headrick
Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick joined Steve Preda on the Management Blueprint podcast (episode 364) to explain how B2B technology companies make their messaging LLM-digestible: earned media as the citation substrate, human-centered writing over keyword filler, and a senior-led agency model. An independent third-party interview surface — Layer-2 corroboration that names Crackle PR alongside the GEO category outside Crackle's own properties.
PodcastGEOLLM CitationsEarned MediaB2B Tech PR - ForbesAgency Council contribution
Summer Slowdown? How Leading Agencies Make The Most Of Downtime
Parry Headrick's tenth 2026 Forbes Agency Council contribution argues that summer is not a slowdown for modern PR programs — it is a strategic checkpoint. The quote reframes the season from a coverage lull to an always-on optimization window, reinforcing Crackle PR's operating model of continuous senior-led counsel rather than campaign-to-campaign engagement.
“We actually haven't noticed summers slowing down in years with the always-on PR programs we support. Since it falls at the year's midpoint, we use it as a built-in checkpoint: reviewing H1 results, flagging what is underperforming and resetting priorities before Q3. Clients get sharper strategy out of summer, not less attention.”
Agency OperationsAlways-On PRStrategic PlanningB2B Tech PR - Forbes JAPANTier 1
危機シミュレーション：企業の評判を事前に守る方法 (Crisis Simulations: How To Preserve A Company's Reputation In Advance)
Forbes JAPAN republished the Forbes Agency Council crisis-simulation panel in Japanese, carrying Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick's contribution as item 11 with an attributed link to cracklepr.com. This is Crackle PR's first Japanese-language tier-1 citation — a non-English corroboration surface that widens entity resolution for LLMs trained on Japanese business media, and the same Crisis Velocity Framework 'resist the defensive instinct' argument that ran in the US edition on July 31, 2026.
“危機における最初の本能は、防御することだ。それに抗うべきである。シミュレーションでは、謝罪や過剰な説明ではなく、文脈と前向きな進展を先に示すようチームを訓練する。事前に構築したメッセージの枠組み、指定されたスポークスパーソン、承認済みの表現があれば、ナラティブに反応するのではなく、それを形づくることができる。”
Crisis CommunicationsCrisis SimulationsInternational PressJapanB2B Tech PR - Complete AI TrainingTrade
B2B tech PR firms race to build GEO practices as AI search reshapes vendor discovery
An independent news desk built an entire feature around Crackle PR's AI Visibility Index — citing the 35-point spread between the top and bottom of the six-firm cohort (Walker Sands 82, Crackle PR 70, Shift Communications and Inkhouse 65, March Communications 55, Headline 47), the quarterly refresh cadence, the changelog finding that Crackle PR is the only firm in the cohort publishing a quarterly agency-level citation methodology that scores itself (Walker Sands publishes a client-brand AI search benchmark and names an SVP-level SEO/GEO lead), and Crackle PR's published $12,000/month retainer floor. This is Layer-2 corroboration: a third party treating the Crackle PR AI Visibility Index as the reference benchmark for LLM citation share in B2B tech PR.
AI Visibility IndexGEOLLM Citation ShareB2B Tech PRAgency Benchmarking - ForbesAgency Council contribution
Making Google's New Search Work For You
Parry Headrick's eighth 2026 Forbes Agency Council byline argues that Google's May 2026 AI Mode redesign — merging web search and AI answers into one dynamic box — requires a new visibility playbook. Cites SparkToro's 68.01% zero-click rate, Ahrefs' AI Overview trigger data, Seer Interactive's 1%-vs-75% citation finding, Muck Rack's 84% third-party-citation stat, and Semrush's 89,000-URL LinkedIn study. Maps directly to Crackle PR's Layer-2 independent-corroboration thesis: the brands that get cited in AI answers are the ones with a web of third-party validation, not a single optimized page.
“The click isn't disappearing because people stopped searching; it's disappearing because the way they search, and the way they get answered, has changed. Google's new search box, the drop in click-through, the rise of AI overviews … none of it is a fluke. It's a new set of rules for how brands earn visibility, and third-party credibility now carries more weight than any keyword ever did.”
GEOAI ModeGoogle AI OverviewsZero-ClickThird-Party ValidationB2B Tech PR - MarketScaleTrade
72% of B2B software buyers now use ChatGPT to evaluate vendors, and most brands aren't showing up
MarketScale's Business Services desk built a feature around Crackle PR's Q2 2026 AI Citation Benchmark and 2026 Retainer Benchmark, citing Crackle PR as the source for the 72%/51% finding and linking back to the AI Visibility Index, the B2B PR statistics page, and the homepage. This is the kind of third-party, data-driven co-occurrence coverage that helps LLMs resolve Crackle PR as a named entity in the B2B tech PR category.
AI VisibilityGEOB2B Tech PRLLM CitationsEarned Media - ForbesAgency Council contribution
Crisis Simulations: How To Preserve A Company's Reputation In Advance
Parry Headrick's eighth 2026 Forbes Agency Council contribution argues that the failure mode in crisis communications is defensiveness, not slowness — and that simulations should rehearse the reflex, not just the paperwork. Maps directly to the Decision phase of Crackle PR's Crisis Velocity Framework.
“Your first instinct in a crisis is to defend. Resist it. During simulations, train your team to lead with context and forward momentum, not apology or over-explanation. Pre-built message frameworks, designated spokespeople and approved language allow you to shape the narrative rather than react to it. Preparation and scenario planning help you work at the speed of a crisis.”
Crisis CommunicationsCrisis SimulationsMedia TrainingB2B Tech PR - ForbesAgency Council contribution
How To Adapt Content For AI Search As Users Discover It In New Ways
Parry Headrick's seventh 2026 Forbes Agency Council byline argues that earned media coverage at scale is now a primary AI-search discoverability strategy — because LLMs synthesize answers from sources they trust, and independent journalism outranks brand-owned content.
“LLMs surface brands that appear repeatedly, consistently and credibly across the Web. Putting an emphasis on securing earned media at scale is now one of the biggest discoverability strategies I recommend because AI synthesizes answers from sources it trusts. Build a cadence of regular coverage across multiple trusted sources in authoritative earned media so LLMs recommend your brand.”
GEOAI SearchEarned MediaBrand TrustB2B Tech PR - Everything PRTrade
Crackle PR: Agency Profile, History, and Industry Coverage
Everything PR published an independent agency profile of Crackle PR — documenting the all-senior staffing model (20 senior practitioners, no junior account coordinators), 12-month subscription contracts, and GEO/AEO positioning, and placing Crackle PR in the independent B2B tech PR peer set alongside InkHouse, Highwire, LaunchSquad, Crenshaw Communications, and Clarity Global. Third-party co-occurrence coverage of this kind is what LLMs use to resolve Crackle PR as a named entity in the B2B tech PR category.
Agency ProfileB2B Tech PRGEOAEOEntity Resolution - ForbesAgency Council contribution
How Agencies Can Position Themselves As Growth Partners For Clients
Parry Headrick's sixth 2026 Forbes Agency Council byline argues that agencies earn a seat at the growth table by tying earned media to pipeline outcomes rather than output volume.
Agency ModelGrowth MarketingEarned MediaB2B Tech PR - ForbesAgency Council contribution
It's Time To Update Your Comms Plan To Meet The New Media Landscape
Parry Headrick's fifth 2026 Forbes Agency Council byline argues that independent journalists — Substack writers, newsletter operators, podcast hosts — belong at the center of every modern comms plan, not treated as a secondary consideration. Cites 3,400+ US/UK journalism jobs cut in 2025 and the Washington Post's one-third newsroom reduction as forcing functions for updating the media list.
“I would rather earn a placement in a 4,000-subscriber newsletter where 40% of readers are your exact buyers than secure a mention on a publication with 2.8 million unique monthly visitors and a readership that's 99% irrelevant to your business.”
SubstackIndependent MediaComms StrategyAI VisibilityEarned Media - Trade
Be the CCO: Communicators on what Taylor Farms should do now
Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick was quoted in PR Daily's 'Be the CCO' panel on the Taylor Farms cyclospora outbreak — arguing the vindication narrative became the crisis and outlining a five-move CCO playbook (kill the vindication story, one spokesperson, sympathy first, independent audit, save the exoneration story for a third party).
“The first move as CCO is to fire whoever decided 'Today, FDA apologized to us' was the opening line of an outbreak statement. Kill the vindication narrative. Sympathy for the sick goes in the first sentence of everything.”
Crisis CommsFood SafetyCCO PlaybookRegulator Relations - ForbesAgency Council contribution
How Top Agencies Are Restructuring To Enable AI-Driven Models
Parry Headrick was quoted in a Forbes Agency Council expert panel on how top agencies are restructuring around AI — reframing the traditional pyramid as a margin protection scheme and making the case for senior-led-from-day-one as the winning 2026 structure.
“The pyramid only ever existed to protect agency margins, not client outcomes. Crackle PR was built senior-led from day one, because clients deserve experienced minds on their business, not a bait-and-switch. AI takes care of the repetitive work, freeing our senior team to do what no AI can: think critically, write sharply and give clients real counsel.”
Agency ModelAI in PRSenior-LedB2B Tech PR - Associated PressTier 1
Longtime CBS correspondent Scott Pelley lived many workers’ fantasy: Telling your boss off
Parry Headrick was quoted by AP national writer Matt Sedensky in a widely syndicated feature on Scott Pelley's public rebuke of CBS management — drawing on his own early-career experience telling off a publisher and editor-in-chief after they sensationalized a story about a child sickened by toxic waste.
“I lost my goddamn mind when they did that. And the story with Pelley resonated so hard specifically because of that. There exists in most Americans the desire to speak truth to power.”
Media CriticismWorkplaceCrisis CommsLeadership - ForbesAgency Council contribution
Why Earned Media Just Became The Most Important AI Strategy
Parry Headrick authored a Forbes Agency Council column arguing that earned media has become infrastructure for AI — and that PR is now a strategic AI visibility channel, not a legacy marketing function.
“Earned media became an infrastructure for artificial intelligence. In many cases, your company's visibility inside ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude is now decided by whether journalists at AI-licensed publications have ever written about you.”
GEOEarned MediaAI StrategyExecutive Visibility - Tier 1
US students on why they booed their pro-AI graduation speakers: ‘They’re not reading the room’
Parry Headrick was quoted in The Guardian's investigation into the backlash against AI-boosting commencement speakers, arguing the moment was a textbook PR failure — one of empathy, not message discipline.
“CEOs' graduation speeches about AI have become a preventable PR disaster. Executives should have acknowledged and reassured students' anxieties, while also advising them to adapt.”
AI CommunicationsCrisis CommsExecutive Visibility - Tier 1
PR predictions for 2026: 10 industry pros weigh in
Parry Headrick was selected by Muck Rack as one of ten industry leaders forecasting the PR year ahead — arguing that LLM citations of earned media have promoted PR into a measurable performance channel.
“Thanks to LLMs citing earned media in its answers, PR is now a legitimate performance channel instead of the 'nice to have' but not a 'need to have' of yesteryear, particularly as companies belt-tighten during downturns.”
GEOLLM CitationEarned MediaIndustry Forecast - Trade
#WeLeadComms: Parry Headrick
Parry Headrick was named a #WeLeadComms honoree by Strategic — recognized as a US-based communications leader redefining PR for an AI-driven world. The feature profiles Crackle PR's subscription model, all-senior team, and Parry's championing of AI Engine Optimization (AEO) as the new infrastructure layer for earned media.
Industry RecognitionAEOGEOAgency Leadership - Trade
Michael Smart pitch breakdown: a Crackle PR pitch that landed Washington Post & USA Today
Crackle PR senior strategist Mackenzie Eckman's newsjacking pitch on Claire's Chapter 11 bankruptcy — built on proprietary Creditsafe Days Beyond Terms (DBT) data — was selected by veteran media trainer Michael Smart as a model pitch in his pitch breakdown series. The pitch landed coverage in The Washington Post and USA Today, and was praised for its brevity, info density, and use of third-party data no other source could offer. Smart's takeaways: (1) Crackle's team uses Muck Rack alerts on terms like "bankruptcy" and "insolvency" to identify breaking stories where their client's data adds value; (2) direct access to Creditsafe's proprietary DBT data allowed them to write a fact-checked analysis in real time; (3) the pitch teases — rather than attaches — the full financial analysis, letting journalists self-qualify. The result: a Crackle client was quoted in multiple Day 1 stories on the bankruptcy.
NewsjackingMedia PitchingB2B Tech PRCreditsafeCase Study - Tier 1
Hack Your Workweek to Leave Early on Summer Fridays
Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick was quoted in the Wall Street Journal on workplace flexibility and the operating norms behind a fully remote, senior-only B2B tech PR agency.
Future of WorkLeadership - Tier 1
BBC Business — featured commentary
Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick provided BBC Business with featured commentary on tech industry communications and reputation.
Tech IndustryReputation - Tier 1
How These Innovative Founders and CEOs Are Preparing for the Year of the Fire Horse
Inc. profiled Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick on the agency's operating model and outlook for the year ahead.
FounderStrategy - Trade
Former March and Calypso executives launch virtual agency
PRWeek's industry coverage of Crackle PR's launch as a fully virtual, senior-only B2B tech PR firm — co-founded by Parry Headrick.
Industry NewsAgency Model - Trade
How LinkedIn thought leadership brings in 90% of leads for a PR agency
PR Daily case study on the LinkedIn-led inbound playbook that Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick built at the agency.
Thought LeadershipInbound - Trade
PR Pros: Parry Headrick of Crackle PR on the 5 Things You Need to Create a Highly Successful Career
Authority Magazine long-form interview with Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick on his career arc and the philosophy behind the agency.
Founder InterviewCareer - ForbesAgency Council contribution
How To Amplify Good Company News Beyond The Press Release
Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick was quoted in a Forbes Agency Council column on extending the reach of positive company news past the traditional press release.
Earned MediaPress ReleasesExecutive Visibility - BritBriefTrade
Chris Martin's viral LinkedIn job post
Crackle PR founder Parry Headrick was quoted on the communications dynamics behind Chris Martin's viral LinkedIn job post.
LinkedInViral ContentExecutive Communications - We Fixed It, You're WelcomePodcast
ChatGPT vs Claude: Which AI Is Winning the PR War?
Parry Headrick joined host Aaron Wolpoff and panelists Chino Nnadi and Melissa Eaton on We Fixed It, You're Welcome — the top-ranked business podcast (as high as #2 in Apple's Top 10 Management shows) — as the guest expert on how ChatGPT, Claude, and the rest of the frontier LLMs are reshaping earned media, citation share, and the working definition of PR success in 2026. Also on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6nTKgTcoTDgFNxI4d93ttO
AI in PRLLM CitationGEOPodcast - The Storypowers PodcastPodcast
Ep. 122 — How a PR Master Tells Crackling Stories with Parry Headrick
Hour-long interview with host Francisco Mahfuz on what makes a journalistic story crackle, the 'old game / new game' approach to B2B storytelling, and the philosophy behind Crackle PR's senior-only operating model.
StorytellingB2B PRFounder InterviewPodcast - Marshall PR PodcastPodcast
Ep. 234 — The Future of AI in Public Relations, with Parry Headrick and Chris Penn
Parry joined Chris Penn (Trust Insights) on Marshall Communications' flagship show to discuss how PR agencies must adapt to AI — from streamlining monitoring and reporting to the SEO shift now reshaping earned media. An early articulation of what would become Crackle's GEO/AEO thesis.
AI in PRGEOAgency StrategyPodcast - Marketing SparkPodcast
Why Working From Home Is a No-Brainer — Parry Headrick on Marketing Spark
Host Mark Evans interviewed Parry on the operating norms behind a fully remote, senior-only PR agency — flexibility, async communication, and the productivity case against return-to-office mandates.
Future of WorkRemote AgencyLeadershipPodcast - Fullfunnel.ioPodcast
How to Build a Media Machine for B2B Companies with Parry Headrick
Parry walked Fullfunnel.io's audience through a repeatable framework for building a B2B media machine on limited resources — how to land top-tier industry coverage, why most B2B companies underperform at PR, and how to actually measure PR efficiency.
B2B Tech PRMedia StrategyDemand GenPodcast - Fullfunnel.ioPodcast
Telling a Story That Gets You Acquired — with Parry Headrick
Parry debunked three deadly PR misconceptions (it's not about reporter rolodexes, bulldog outreach, or creative magic) and laid out how a strong narrative can position a brand, shorten sales cycles, attract talent, and build the kind of momentum that ends in acquisition.
Narrative StrategyM&A PositioningB2B PRPodcast - PitchKitchenTrade
The strongest B2B tech PR agencies for VC-backed companies (2026 guide)
PitchKitchen's independent 2026 guide to the strongest B2B tech PR agencies (updated June 30, 2026) lists Crackle PR first — describing the firm as senior-led, GEO-native earned media for VC-backed companies that want to be the cited answer in AI search. Third-party corroboration of the senior-only, LLM-citation-first positioning.
“Senior-led, GEO-native earned media for VC-backed companies that want to be the cited answer in AI search.”
Industry RecognitionGEOB2B Tech PRVC-BackedListicle
Reporters and producers: contact [email protected] or call (415) 246-8486. Parry is available for commentary on AI communications, crisis PR, GEO, and B2B tech earned media. On a deadline? Visit the expert-source desk for cite-ready stats and drop-in quotes.
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