Meredith in the Media: What Happens When a PR Veteran Flips the Model and Interviews the Journalists w/ Meredith Klein, Head of Consumer & Product Communications at Pinterest

Former Walmart and Pinterest comms leader Meredith Klein joins Perry Hedrick and Becca Chambers to break down how PR professionals can adapt to a fragmented media landscape where Substacks, podcasts, and independent journalists carry real influence. Klein shares how she built "Meredith & The Media" into a 3,500-subscriber resource by interviewing journalists directly, why visual brand consistency drives recognition, and how shareability and findability now matter more than legacy masthead placements.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why a recognizable personal brand, down to a signature hat, separates you from a sea of sameness [00:02]

• How journalists actually source stories through LinkedIn comments, social posts, and independent media [00:29]

• The integrated media mix: treating newsletters and podcasts as core channels, not extras [00:15]

• What PR professionals need to tell executives who still measure success by Wall Street Journal hits alone [00:20]

• Building a distribution flywheel by repurposing even small media appearances across every channel [00:30]

Meredith Klein is a 20-year PR veteran, founder of the Meredith in the Media Substack, and a contributor to Inc. Magazine, focused on spotlighting journalists and helping comms professionals navigate the new media ecosystem.

Listen now to discover how to modernize your media strategy by pitching with precision, building durable visibility, and meeting your audience where they actually consume content.

Check out her Substack "Meredith & The Media" here: https://meredithandthemedia.substack.com/