10 Questions Design and Remodeling Professionals Ask About PR

PR can feel like a black box for designers and remodeling pros, so we’re pulling the curtain back with the 10 questions we get asked nonstop. We talk about what PR actually is (hint: it’s not just “getting into a magazine”), why earned media builds trust in a way paid ads can’t, and how to think about visibility across online publications, local outlets, trade media, podcasts, and even speaking opportunities.

We also get practical about doing your own public relations without hiring a pricey PR agency. We unpack what journalists and editors are really looking for, how to turn your projects and expertise into story-ready angles, and why generic self-praise falls flat. Then we dig into photography expectations, including when professional photos are worth the spend and when high-quality iPhone images can be enough for the right kind of coverage.

From there, we zoom out into strategy: how fast PR can work when you focus, why long-term consistency compounds, and why local press often beats national logos for generating qualified leads in your region. We also clarify the relationship between PR and marketing, explain where press releases fit today, and share a mindset shift for handling rejection so you keep pitching without taking it personally.

If you want more visibility, more credibility, and a clearer path to media coverage that supports your business goals, hit play, then subscribe, leave a review, and share the show with a friend.

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Designer Discussions is an educational interior design podcast on marketing, PR and related business topics. 

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Designer Discussions is a partnership of three experts: Jason Lockhart, CEO of KABMS; Maria Martin, founder of DesignAppy; and Mirjam Lippuner, founder of Get Ink DIY

Episode Transcript

Jason Lockhart (00:00):
Hello, and welcome to Designer Discussions
with Jason and Miriam.
Today we are talking about the10 biggest questions designer
remodeling professionals haveabout PR.
Welcome to Designer DiscussionsPodcast with Miriam and Jason.
Tune in each week where wediscuss marketing, PR, and

(00:21):
business advice for designprofessionals.

Mirjam Lippuner (00:27):
Yeah, thanks, Jason.
Um people have lots of questionsabout PR.
And the first one actuallyusually is what is PR?
Like so many people are confusedabout what it is.
So many people think it's justabout getting featured in a

(00:47):
magazine.
But PR, like as a discipline inand by itself, it's actually
way, way broader than we havetime to go into here.
But what we're focusing on interms of benefits for design and
remodeling businesses is reallywhat I would call media
relations.
It's anything that gives youvisibility in the media, right?

(01:13):
So, but that doesn't just haveto be magazines.
That can be um it can be online.
Actually, most um media coveragenowadays is online.
There's only so many printpublications left.
There's a lot of different waysthat you can do that, which we
talk about in many of thepodcasts, um, where I speak

(01:34):
about the different ways to getum actually published.
But there's local media, there'snational media, there's um trade
media, there's lots of podcasts,you know.
It could be you speaking at anevent and getting visibility
that way.
Um, social media and PR exposurereally are also very

(01:58):
intertwined.
So it's very broad, and I wouldconsider anything PR that um
that you don't have to buy,right?
You don't write it yourself andyou don't have to buy it.
It's what we call earned media.
That really is what PR is.
A second question um I get a lotis like, I do I need to hire an

(02:23):
agency to get published?
And my answer to that isabsolutely not.
You do not need to hire anagency.
If you, if your business is ummassive and you're well
established and you have like amarketing machine behind you,
then I would say, okay, youprobably should um hire some

(02:44):
professional help um from peoplelike me.
But if you are um running adesign and modeling business
that's um small to mid-size, youcan absolutely um do it
yourself.
The most important thing is thatyou decide to do it and you are
consistent and maybe get alittle bit of help from people

(03:05):
like us in this podcast or inour academy program, where we
help um businesses do their ownmarketing in PR.
So yeah, you definitely do nothave to spend$5,000 or more
dollars a month to hire a PRfirm.
Then another question that oftenpops up is about what like

(03:29):
people don't know what they'relike, what would I be able to
talk to to the media?
I have nothing that's ofinterest to them.
And I'm like, that is completelywrong because the media are
always looking for content.
And in the design spacespecifically, there's so much
content that's being written ona daily basis.

(03:52):
Like we monitor um these topicsthat are out there and the
requests from media that are outthere very, very closely.
And I can tell you that everyday there's new um articles that
are being written about designtrends, um, about um insights
into projects, about umcommentary on whatever topic it

(04:14):
may be that's um and that'strending in the design industry.
It's always um something timely.
And what media really want isthings that are interesting to
their audience.
And what you already have, andlike your projects and what you
know, your um knowledge andexpertise about design and

(04:36):
construction really is ofinterest to them.
What they don't want, the typeof content they don't want, but
what people often want to share,is like is like how amazing you
are, you know, or how passionateyou are about your business, or
those generic um types ofstatements, like that's

(04:56):
advertising.
Okay, you're gonna have to paysomebody um to say that.
It's like what the media want isthings that are interesting to
the their audience, and youalready have that knowledge and
information built into you.
So you absolutely have things toshare that um are interesting.

(05:17):
Then another question that umoften comes up is about
photography.
I'm like, do you needprofessional photography?
And here on designerdiscussions, generally, I would
say that both Jason and I areadvocates that you do get
professional photography, atleast of the really key projects

(05:41):
that you have in a year.
It doesn't have to be everyproject, but the projects that
you're really proud of andexcited about, it is worth to
spend the money.
In terms of how the media usephotographs, things have changed
dramatically.
Like five to ten years ago, Iwould have said absolutely you

(06:02):
need to have professionalphotography.
That is not 100% true anymore,because there are a lot of um
media platforms that will acceptiPhone photos, you know.
It just depends what it is.
It if it's a glamour shot of aluxury project, it needs to be

(06:22):
professional, you know.
But if it's like some kind ofmakeover or maybe behind the
scenes, or just you're talkingabout a specific aspect of a
project that you're working on,the media um might very well be
willing to accept um likeself-taken pictures, I would

(06:44):
say.
And it's also because even eveniPhone cameras have come such a
long way.
So what you probably could getfrom a professional photographer
10 years ago, if you know whatyou're doing, um, you can get a
photo.
It's not the same, it's nevergonna be the same.
Photography is an art form, butit's good enough that um you can

(07:05):
you can definitely use it withthe media.
So I would say you just have toum discern which projects merit
um spending the money to get aprofessional photographer come
in and which ones don't.
Then another question I oftenget is like, Well, how long is

(07:27):
it gonna take for PR to work?
You know, and my answer to thatis twofold.
Um, in order to do PR well, it'sprobably and and in depth, it's
probably gonna take longer thanmost people want to hear.
It's really something, if you'reserious about it, it's something

(07:48):
you should always be doing.
Like it should always be in theback of your head.
You know, I know everybody has abusiness to run and other things
to do, but it's like if you wantto proactively do PR, you have
to have the PR filter on so youcan discern what um what type of
content you have that might beum worth sharing with the media.

(08:10):
But that being said, you canget, if you have never done PR
and you want to get mediacoverage, you can do that
quickly within within a month.
Um pretty easily if you put yourmind to it.
And it's definitely one of thetop, um, it's the top thing

(08:30):
really that I teach in theDesigner Discussions Academy.
And because people love um beingrewarded quickly for the effort
that they put in, and that isabsolutely doable and something
that works really, really wellfor design and remodeling
businesses.
So there's the quick press andthen there's the long-term PR

(08:51):
effort, which are really twoseparate things.
And um, you as a business haveto decide if one or both of
those um are something that youyou want and need um for your
business.
Obviously, I'm an advocate thateverybody should do both, but
not everybody listens to me.

(09:13):
Um then my sixth question thatcomes up quite a bit is about is
local press even worth it orshould I just focus on national
media?
It's like everybody wants to bean architectural digest, okay?
That's just actually that'schanging a little bit.

(09:34):
Um AD has lost um some of its umsome of its unique appeal, I
want to say, just with the waythat the media have changed, but
it is still probably the thegold standard.
And it's very difficult to getpublished in AD.
And if you have only doneminimal PR or none at all,

(09:58):
you're probably not gonna getfeatured in Architectural Digest
anytime soon.
But that being said, um myrecommendation for design and
remodeling businesses thatoperate mostly on a local
regional level is to mostlyfocus on local and regional PR

(10:20):
because that's where youraudience is, that's where your
prospects are, that's whereyou're gonna be getting new
projects from.
So why focusing on beingpublished in El Decor or AD or
House Beautiful?
If maybe that's what yourprospects read, but maybe, and

(10:43):
most likely more of them readthe little magazine that gets
put in your mailbox, sometimesfor free, you know, that
features um local news and andcoupons from local businesses
and um also stories about localprojects.
You know, that's probably yourbetter bet if you actually want

(11:05):
to use PR as a businessdevelopment tool and not just
for vanity.
It's like I'd say the bignational placements um for
regional businesses, it's reallymore about vanity than it is
about business.
So it depends what you want, youknow.
Also, um, that being said, youdo need to have a pretty good

(11:29):
portfolio of smaller mediaplacements in order to get the
bigger ones.
You can't just leapfrog right tothe top.
It's really something PR issomething that builds on itself
over time.
And Jason, you're gonna likethis question.

(11:50):
This is a question, it goes backto the the clarity of what is
what and what works how.
It's like what is the differencebetween PR and marketing?
And it's really the wrongquestion because in the way that
we um work it, PR really is partof marketing.

(12:14):
And my philosophy very much isthat your your marketing and
your PR, it's they're likethey're like different family
members, you know, but they allhave to work together um in
order for you to have aharmonious um and effective um

(12:35):
program in place.
So the the big difference reallyis that PR is it's I it's all
about getting that third-partycredibility that you don't pay
for.
I always say it's like word ofmouth, but it comes from more
reputable um sources.

(12:55):
So anytime a media outlet sayssomething about a great project
you produced or puts a quote ofyou in an article that is about
kitchen countertop trends orwhatever it may be, that really
makes you credible because itcomes from an outside source

(13:17):
that's reputable and you didn'tbuy it.
Like if you think about search,um, AI or or um even Google
search, it's like ads are nottaken into consideration.
They're not credible becauseyou're buying the space to say
how fabulous you are.
There is absolutely a place foradvertisements, by the way.

(13:39):
I am not poo-pooing paid mediaat all.
Um, but PR is valid, is like ifyou have the same amount of PR
like media coverage that'searned and media coverage that's
paid, the earned coverage is, Idon't even know how many times

(13:59):
more valuable than the paidcoverage because it has that
built-in credibility that you'llnever get from an advertisement
or from any kind of marketingwhere you go out and you say how
fabulous you are.
It's really much more impactfulif somebody else says it for
you.
That's um that's really thedifference.

(14:21):
Then a question that's beenpopping up more lately is I'm
like, Zach, what's a pressrelease?
And can I have a press releaseor how do you do that?
What is it?
Um, and the press releasehistory is kind of interesting
because um traditionally it'ssomething it's a, it's a it's a

(14:42):
very kind of structuredannouncement that big
corporations would put out toannounce news, you know.
Like think um when KohlerCompany would launch new
products or any kind of businessventure, we'd put out a press
release when I used to work incorporate that would let all the
media know what we're up to.

(15:02):
And it was more so somethingthat the big companies did, but
um things have changed andthere's a lot of um innovative
platforms out there.
Obviously, AI can write a pressrelease for you in about 10
seconds.
It's probably not going to bevery good, um, but it can
absolutely do that.
And then there's wire servicesout there that help you

(15:25):
distribute it to a lot ofdifferent um media outlets for
very little money now.
It probably ranges anywherebetween 150 to$1,000 to
distribute a press release.
So, and there it there'sabsolutely a place for that,
especially in uh times of um AIvisibility.

(15:50):
It's press releases are one ofthe tools that we use to help um
brands and businesses becomevisible um online.
But if you've if you're notdoing any other PR, I would say
don't worry about pressreleases.
But if you're thinking aboutincluding PR more as a strategic

(16:11):
discipline into your marketingmix, then it's something I would
encourage you to look at becauseabsolutely any size business
today can very well issue pressreleases and and make them
useful for the business.
And then the ninth question thatI guess is really a mindset

(16:36):
question, um, because peopleoften feel like they're not they
don't have enough expertise.
Um and I alluded to this alreadya little bit earlier, but it's
like everybody has this kind offear of not being good enough,
and maybe there's a level offear of rejection in there.

(16:57):
If you like, if you go to ajournalist and you say, Oh, I
have this great story for you, Ihave this great project for you,
and what if they're not gonnalike it, you know?
And like they may not like it,you know.
I've been rejected more timesthan I can count in my life, you
know, with pitches.

(17:18):
And that's just something youhave to be aware of.
That doesn't mean that yourcontent is not valuable, that
doesn't mean that your knowledgeis not valuable.
It just means that maybe itwasn't the right time uh or the
right topic.
And it's about, but you you havethis relationship.

(17:41):
So every time I was Jason'sheard this a million times, but
I always um compare it toserving coffee.
You know, it's like if you'relike in a coffee shop and
someone, you know, you'reserving coffee to people and
maybe that person's already hadenough coffee, you know, it's
too much caffeine, they can'thave anymore.
Like maybe they prefer teatoday, they're in the mood for

(18:04):
tea, you know, maybe they don'twant a hot beverage, they want a
cold beverage, you know, butthat doesn't mean they don't buy
coffee.
So if you serve them, if youoffer them coffee tomorrow or
next week or maybe next month,it's like, oh my God, I'd love a
cup of coffee, you know.
And that's kind of how media umare too.

(18:25):
It's like, like my job as a PRprofessional, and your job if
you want to do your own PR, isjust to you find content that's
relevant and you offer it up,and maybe they like it and maybe
they don't.
Um, but you just have to knowthat inherently you have you
have good, you have goodinformation, you have good

(18:46):
knowledge, you have goodcontent, you have good
photography, and it is valuablefor them.
It just might not be the righttime.
So it's always more of a not nowthan a no period.
And then the final question Iwant to address is like, so what

(19:07):
like what do you what should uhyou as a business focus on first
if you want to get PR?
Um I honestly think what youwant to focus on is clarity.
And Jason talks about this allthe time, but it's the same

(19:27):
thing for marketing and for PR.
It's like you really have to beclear about who you are, what
you do, who you serve, whatmakes you different, and what
projects you want more of.
And then that allows you tocreate a strategy to get the

(19:52):
types of PR that help youachieve those goals.
And it's not about perfection,um, it's really all about
consistency, you know.
And if this is some if you havedone that legwork, you know, and
you are in a position where yourwebsite looks representable,

(20:16):
that's a must-have.
Um, because if you if you reachout to the media, they may go
look you up.
You want to make sure you havesome current content on social
media.
You want to make sure yourwebsite's up to date and has all
the basics that Jason um laysout in his top 10 website um

(20:37):
things to pay attention to.
So if you have that, you canjust start slowly and and and
start building PR into yourmarketing mix and come back to
other episodes we've done aboutthe topic.
Or of course, um, if you'rereally interested in tackling PR

(20:58):
and your other marketing umefforts on on a more structured,
um, more strategic level, thencheck out our Academy program.
Yeah, and those are the mostimportant, um, biggest questions
um that I do get about PR on aregular basis.

(21:19):
And um if you have anyquestions, as always, reach out
to us.
And we hope to um hear and seeyou back here again in two weeks
on Designer Discussions.

Jason Lockhart (21:29):
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Designer
Discussions and all of thehelpful information.
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