August 12, 2024 • 42 mins
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@breannaaponte
@thesoftlifeceo
Website:
www.thesoftlifeceo.com
Community:
www.thesoftlifeceo.com/society
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you can't sell yourself to me, how am I
supposed to sell you to other people?
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Hey, I'm Brianna Aponte, your host of the Self Life
CEO podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
I dropped out of college at the age.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Of nineteen to start my first business. I worked seven
days a week, wore way too many hats, and was
the true definition of a hustler. Years later, I'm finally
living the dream that I worked so hard to make
my reality. I've transitioned from a hustler to a self
life CEO, working only two days a week to maintain
and run a high earning business that gives me the freedom.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
To live a life I love.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Now it's my mission to help as many entrepreneurs as
I can elevate their brand, increase their income, and reclaim
their time. Join me and guest experts as we share
our transparent journeys, work smart, not hard, strategies, and the
behind the scenes of running a successful brand in business.
You're tuned in to the Self Life CEO.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
What's up? Everyone?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Welcome to another episode of Self Life CEO.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Today, I have the pleasure.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Of speaking with Mariah Oates, who is a publicist known
for her expertise in elevating brands and businesses through Stretti
Public Relations. With a passion for storytelling and understanding of
media dynamics, she has successfully guided clients through the complexities
of ER because we.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Know it can be complex.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
She is here dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs, offering practical tips
and strategies for those seeking media exposure without breaking the bank.
We are super excited to welcome you, Hey, Mariah. Hi.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Okay, First of all, that intro is better than my bio. Okay,
and I need that.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
We can cooin it, girl, you can take it. You
can take it.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah. Nice.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I'm so excited to have you here.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
And I do want to give a little bit of
insight to those listening because I actually had the pleasure
of working with Mariah as a client, and Wow, the
girl definitely knows what she s talding about when it
comes to PR. We actually did a consultation call as well,
and she really did an amazing job of explaining of
how PR can benefit both Drey and I's business and brands,
both as individuals.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
But also as a couple.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And so it's really exciting to bring her here because
there's so many things in the world of PR that
I feel like entrepreneurs don't know. So in order to
get started, Mariah, just share a little bit about you,
your journey, what inspired you to pursue PR as a career,
and then we can jump on into our interview.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yes, so talking about myself is so weird, okay, because
if you know anything about publicists, we like behind the scenes. Okay,
but I am Mariah. I have been a publicist now
for almost ten years. Crazy to say, honestly, And it's
crazy because I got my career like when it started,
I was in front of the camera. So I'm a
comms girl through and through. I was in front of
(02:33):
the camera. I was on MTV, ESPNU, I was the
sports broadcaster, running up and down the field, getting the interviews.
I was doing all of that, and then after college
I realized that I wasn't getting a job as fast
as I wanted to. I've even worked as like a
news anchor in Baltimore and done all the things, and
realized that wasn't for me. So I started googling careers
(02:55):
and communications. Okay, this was like twenty fourteen, and I
found can this Nicole. I always talk about her. She's
my mentor, and I reached out to her. Now this
was when can I pick your brain? Was a thing? Okay,
And I reached out trying to seek an internship because
I was like, public relations feels like it kind of
has all the skills that I've done between writing in
front of the camera, et cetera. And then I reached
(03:17):
out for an internship, and honestly, the rest is history.
I launched my PR agency ooh twenty sixteen, and I
ran my PR agency and that was phenomenal. I got
a lot of experience and then I actually closed my agent. Well,
I left my agency in twenty twenty. When I became
a mom. My passions kind of shifted and I went
(03:38):
and to become director of Communications and Development at mam
Toto Village, where a black maternal health nonprofit. So I
served black moms and I do freelance PR on the side,
So I do all things, all things that is so amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
I always love hearing people's journey and like what it
all looked like before what we see, So thank you
so much for sharing that. Now, I did mention that
I feel like PR can sometimes feel like a mystery
to entrepreneurs, especially new entrepreneurs. So can you take a
moment and break down what a publicist does and then
how you add value to a business with your PR services.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Yeah, so a publicis really we manage your reputation.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Right.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
A lot of people think like, oh, a public is
the same thing as marketing a marketing manager. Absolutely not true.
PR and marketing goes hand in hand though that we'll
talk about a little bit later. But a publicis we
manage your brand reputation. So, yes, we do things like
create press releases and we pitch to media outlets, but
a lot of our job is storytelling. Our job is
to tell the public why they should care about you
(04:40):
and what you have going on, and we do that
through a bunch of avenues. Whether that can be getting
you an event so that you can network and enhance
your circle, or we're pitching you to media outlets so
that your brand can get out there. We're helping you
with campaigns so that you can increase your awareness and
your reach, And it kind of just depends on whether
you have an inspiring story when you tell people they
need to care, you have an event coming up, or
(05:02):
you are launching some type of initiative. So all in all,
we are making sure that your brand is out there,
you have a great brand reputation, and people care about
what you care about.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
I love that, and I love that you mentioned storytelling
because I feel like that's what marketing is, right. It's
so much of telling your story in a way that
captivates your audience and gets them to do whatever it
is that you want them to do. So let's dive
a little deeper into the storytelling. How do you help
your clients with like crafting their brand narrative and what
(05:32):
tips do you have If someone is right now thinking
about their brand messaging and they're like, I don't even
know where to start.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah, I mean it really starts from the discovery call
for me. Okay, I offer a free thirty minute discovery call,
and in that time, I really try to get to
know who you are as a person. And yes, I
care about why you're seeking me out right and like
what your business needs, but I really want to get
to know you and your personal mission because at the
end of the day, people will buy a product because
(06:00):
they bought you, They buy into you, So in that time,
I'm really trying to dig deep into your mission or why,
what really sets you apart because yes, we have so
many quote unquote oversaturated industries, but that really doesn't mean anything,
because that means that there's a space for you, but
we need to figure out where you land. So really
we take that time. So then if you become a client,
we really dive into your PR strategy, so again kind
(06:21):
of going into the layers of who you are, why
your product, initiative, event, whatever you're trying to get out
there is important, and why the community cares, and we're
figuring out one who your target audience is, like who
are we actually talking to, where do they live, why
do they care? How are we going to get to
these people? And we kind of develop a PR strategy
in that way. So if you are thinking about, you know,
(06:42):
hiring a publicist, I would just consider like what makes
you unique within your industry, so that that's where we
need to start.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I love that And as she said, she does a
free consultation and it is very helpful because every client
that Mariah works with is very different and has different
and so you need that one on one time to
kind of talk about what your goals are and then
she can appropriately provide you with insight of like what
that looks like for her to provide PR specifically for you.
(07:11):
So let's talk about some common misconceptions about PR and
essentially like how you address them when your clients come
to you with these misconceptions.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
I love talking about this because I love being like
Iget that's not right. So one again, PR and marketing
are the same. They go hand in hand, and I
really do think to have an effective strategy in general,
you need both. But marketing is more advertising and the
goal is typically sales. With PR, it's storytelling, it's getting
people to buy into you. It's more long term. A
(07:44):
misconception also is that PR is a microwavable business. Absolutely no,
I don't take on a client and a lot of
publicists I know. We don't take on clients for less
than three months because we need time to one learn
each other, right, We need to have time to throw
some things at the wall and see what sticks. It
also takes time for us to build relationships with reporters. Now.
Typically we do have, you know, a wealth of networks
(08:06):
and connections. That's what you're paying us for. But sometimes
we get a client that may not be necessarily within
our niche reporters change out all the time. The new
cycle changes, so again we need that time. And people
often say, like, oh, I have a publicist, I'm going
to be famous. The word famous, like what is?
Speaker 2 (08:26):
No?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Not necessarily or people think that as soon as I
get a publicist, I'm going to be in Forbes.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
No. No.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
One of my great friends, Paulianna Rede, she always says,
if you are not a local hero, then why should
the national people care? Right, So a lot of people
always say, oh, I want Forbes, I want Black Enterprise,
I want all of these national campaigns. But you haven't
even touched your local news yet. You haven't even tapped
into your local community yet, you haven't been anywhere people
aren't talking talking about you within your own radius. So
(08:57):
I think that's another misconception. Another thing. Maybe it's like
all we do is handle media. All we do is
write press releases, and yeah, that's a big part of
the job, but it's not. It's not everything. So yeah,
so those are like the couple things that come top
of mind. Oh one more thing that I would say,
pr is a luxury service and people think that they
(09:18):
always need a publicist, and that's not always true. It's
not always true. There's a lot of things that you
can do yourself, and there are a lot of steps
that you probably should take before you look into hiring
a publicist. So as soon as you launch your business,
you don't need a publicist. You don't need to tell everyone.
You have to make sure your infrastructure is good. You
have to make sure that you have strategy in place
in other departments, you have to make sure you have
(09:39):
a team. Honestly, make sure everything is together, because once
you hit the press, that means all eyes are on
you and you have to be able to make sure
that you can maintain and scale your business. So, yeah,
those are my misconceptions.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I love that you added on the one about that
you know you don't need.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
It right away, and actually you would probably get.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Denied as a client if you came right away because
you don't have the things in place that makes them
a good fit. So for entrepreneurs who are just starting out,
when do you think is the right time to hire?
And what are like some specific signs that indicate when
the business is actually ready for PR.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
That's a great question. So when you're first starting out,
I would say, do you have a following, do you
have a fan base, do you have clients. Do you
have testimonials? So, for instance, I'll talk to the people
who may have a product. Have people tried the product?
Have you tried working with influencers? Do you have a
full marketing strategy? Have you ran ads? What are people
(10:38):
saying about your stuff? Is your product actually working? That's
a big thing too. Making sure that you have the
infrastructure in place. Is everything okay with your business? Is
everything tightened up? Do you have professional headshots? Do you
have marketing materials? A lot of things that seem like
common sense, as in collateral, people don't have. Do you
have headshots? Do you have a professional bio? Do you
(10:59):
have an actual website? Do you have an email that
doesn't say at gmail dot com? And that's important because
some people will think, oh, it's not credible, you know,
if you don't have an actual website, but it's true.
And also, do you have a press kit, a media kit?
Do you know what that is? It's all of these
things that make sure that you have, you know, things
in place. Also, I would say, do you know what
(11:21):
sets you apart from other people? And it's okay that
if you don't, but you have to kind of have
an idea and I would also say being able to
sell yourself, because if you can't sell yourself to me,
how am I supposed to sell sell you to other people?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Are you ready to go from hustler to soft life ceo?
I'm here to help.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
I've created the soft Life Society, a membership based community
where I provide weekly events such as group coaching calls,
brand and social media audits, masterclasses and featured guest speakers.
Get access to members only in person events, and discounts
on soft life CEO services.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
And here's the best part. You can join.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Today for free visit the soft Life Ceo dot com
backslash Society and use code free trial for thirty days
free access.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
That is so good.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
And one of the questions that I had was what
are like the key qualities that you look for in
a client to ensure they're a good fit for your service?
And you pretty much mention like that foundational things like
what you kind of have to come to the table
with or at least be in a space where you're
willing to invest in those things. Are there other qualities
that you look for specifically when you're thinking about what
(12:23):
clients to take on or not take on.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah, I'm looking for someone who is adaptable. It's really important.
I just feel like obvious little here man. I feel
like it's super important for you to be adaptable because
the new cycle changes all the time. We have to
be able to pivot and you have to kind of
manage your expectations. So I'm looking for someone who's going
to be flexible, not just with me, but flexible and
what could happen. Also, someone who is able to be trained.
(12:48):
And when I say trained, i'm speaking media trained. Someone
who is able to articulate clearly what your goal is,
what your mission is, and why people should care. Because
media training is also a big part of public relations. Like, yes,
you can hire a publicist and get these interviews, but
can you do the interview well? Are you going to
be able to sell yourself? Is there buying? Are you relatable?
(13:08):
I'm looking for people who have that kind of that
star quality. And I say that because I have worked
with a lot of introvert clients who I love to
this day. But if you if you're not gonna let
me push you out that comfort zone, ooh, we're gonna
be fighting and pulling teeth because it is important. And
also just someone who is ready to do the work.
It takes a lot. We are a team. Yes, I
(13:29):
can do my job, but you have to do yours too.
You have to be promoting your business more. You cannot
just rely on public relations or your publicist to do
the work because you have to be doing it too.
We work in tandem. So that's kind of like my
ideal client, honestly, adaptable, ready to do the work.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
And everything that you just said is what it means
to have a good coach, like a good someone who
is really behind you, saying like I know what it
takes for to get results, but guess why I can't
do it all alone. That's the same thing I tell
my clients. It's like, do not come to me if
you're not ready for partnership, because that's what it is. Like.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
We both have a job to do here and it
only works if we both do our parts. So I
absolutely love that.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Now, let's go back to our business owners or our
entrepreneurs who are building their brands, building their business and
they're not in a space where they're yet ready to
invest in PR. What are some things that they can
do to gain some media exposure.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Yeah, I mean I think that that kind of goes
into like maybe what your social media strategy is really
amplifying your community and building an audience people to advocate
for what you have going on, because honestly, truly, you
can get traction just off word of mouth. If everybody
in the community is talking about what you have going on,
then everybody's going to want to care. People are going
to want to talk about that as long as you
(14:42):
have a great social media presence because honestly, in today's age,
we know that social media is run in the world
and it's a part of what your marketing strategy has
to be. As long as you are tapping into your
audiences and your community, then I mean, I think that
that's a great start. You can also kind of do
pr on your own a little bit, and I'm going
(15:03):
to tell you a couple of tricks to do so.
So if you would also like to kind of reach
out to a news a news outlet or something, use
social media in the sense of finding contacts. So if
you're interested in kind of getting reporters and building that network,
looking to use your Twitter, advanced search typing keywords like editor, associate, editor, producer,
(15:24):
you can also I think harrow is still working. It's
help a reporter out, so it's ha RO and you
can sign up to their subscription list and every day
they'll send out like a list of reporters who are
looking for quotes and things and kind of build You
can provide a quote or something for whatever topic that
they're looking for, as long as it's a good fit
for you. You can also use sites like media bistro
(15:46):
to find contacts that are a little on the cheaper side.
And I would just say build your network, get out
there in the streets, honestly, that's and connect with people
on a human level. I will say that journalists are reporters.
I know that that is their job, but they are
human and they love to talk to people. Connect on
social media, not even just to pitch them. Because if
you don't have a publicist or you're not ready to
(16:06):
be like hey, I want to be featured, connect with them,
engage with their stuff on social shoot them a DM
because that way they'll get your name in their mind
and be like, oh, what is that product? Actually, I
do want to talk to you, and you can kind
of get earned media that way as well, and also
start utilizing all of your channels do your own marketing.
So YouTube, if you can, Instagram, stories, Facebook, Twitter, like,
(16:26):
don't settle for just one platform. Create your own media.
So if you're doing you know, how to videos or
whatever your business is for speaking, start speaking on your
Instagram platform so that people can view you as a speaker.
Start putting yourself in position to be the thought leader
that you want to be seen as. And I do
a great job of that.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
You know, I was just gonna say this is so
fitting timeline wise, because you know, for years I had
done at the service that you had gotten with me
the instrument over and we just recently switched over to
calling it social builder, and we're focusing on all the
mediums out there because we're like YouTube, having a podcast,
(17:08):
having a blog so that you can drive SEO traffic
to your website, utilizing TikTok. It's like, because if you
create content for one platform, if you think about it,
whatever platform that is, that content can then be repurposed
into fitting the content types for all the other platforms
out there. It's just that you have to have a
strong strategy saying that you're going to be on all
the platforms, But you don't have a strategy, yet you're
(17:30):
just going to be looking dumb and confused. But if
you have a strong strategy, you can implement that strategy
across all the platforms and really be getting the maximum
exposure for your brand and your business. So I love
that you said that, and it's just you know, validation
for me that we made the right decision with them
switching it over to Social Builder and focusing on all
those things.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
So that is awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Get my free training from Hustler to Self Life CEO
which includes my untold Entrepreneurial Journey, the Self Life CEO Roadmap,
am I winning recipe for elevating your brand and increasing
your income and reclaiming your time. Head over to the
Soft Life ceo dot com backslash free training.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Now.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
I know sometimes it can be difficult for us to
picture something fitting on us until we maybe hear an
example or you know, see that example. And so can
you share a success story where your PR strategy significantly
impacted the client's brand or business and what were the
key factors that led to the success.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Yes, okay, I'm going to talk about I don't have
any favorite clients, so if you are heard this, I
don't have favorites, but I do want to talk about
one in particular. Okay. So I worked with The Black
Hair Experience for years now, so I feel like I
can talk about all kinds of things that I've done
with them because I've navigated just being their publicist to
moving into partnerships with them and everything else. But when
(18:50):
we first met, it was the height of the pandemic, okay,
and they were opening their first location. So for context,
the Black Hair Experience is a selfie museum that celebrates
black hair and culture, and it was founded by two
black women, currently owned by one and it is now
all around the world, around the country. But anyway, they
(19:11):
were opening their first location in Atlanta in the pandemic,
which was already an interesting thing. Right now, you're telling
people to come somewhere, well, we're supposed to be inside, okay,
and having to navigate that, so having to create multiple
pitch angles and strategies in order to get people out.
So thinking like, oh, we have highlighting, like oh, we
(19:31):
have time slotes where people won't be together. It's a
perfect time to get out of the house, but also
be by yourself because we're limiting the spots. Get a
time to kind of just get in tune with black hair,
black culture, making sure that we don't lose ourselves. Giving
you an opportunity to see yourself because we know everyone's
going crazy with mental health in the pandemic. Now we're
having to hold a mirror to ourselves. Well, let's go
(19:53):
look at ourselves somewhere all of these different angles, right,
And then it allowed them to open up a second
location in DC, and I pitched a lot a lot
of local news because what I wanted to do is
make sure that they were a local hero. They're not
from here, so I had to make sure that everybody
in the area was talking about them. And there was
no platform too small, and that is also another big thing.
(20:15):
Another big thing I would like to highlight is like,
there's no platform too small because if I can typing
your name on a Google search and something comes up,
that's automatically a win for you. So there's no platform
too small. Don't think you have to go straight to forward.
You can talk to your local blogger even if they
have fifteen hundred followers, that's fifteen new people that saw you.
So that's just something a little tivot. So making sure
(20:36):
that I hit every single platform that I could find
out here, and then inviting them out. That's another thing.
If you have a business or a store, or a
product or something that people can see, people can touch,
something tangible, inviting people out, giving people samples, all of
that is important too, So making sure that they can
talk about it after the fact. So inviting them out
to a private party, a private influencer and media only
(20:59):
launched before the public even got a chance. That adds
exclusivity to them. So not only are we're painting this
story and telling everybody in the DNB like what's popping,
what's coming now, what's new, why you need to come,
but now we're inviting you out to see a first
hand for an exclusive look. And then after that making
sure that they had giveaways and goodie bags and things
that they can post on their story because now they're
(21:19):
sharing with their audience before it even hits the media platform. Right,
So now we're tapping into their audiences on social. Here's
another thing. Once the articles went live, we're sharing them
on our platform. This is actually something that might seem small,
but it really goes a long way, not just with
the journalists but to your own audience. One yes, we
want to brag, Okay, we were on the radio, honey,
and we're going to post that on our page. But
(21:41):
also now we're tagging the people who interviewed us, because
now they're going to repost it, and now we're getting
the tapping into their audience. But also it's building rapport
and relationships. So that's another thing. So making sure that
I'm building relationships. So right now, I've done pr Right,
We've done all the interviews. We're tapping into all the blogs,
we're inviting people out, we're giving them something tangible, we're
(22:01):
tapping into their social media strategy. And all of this
allowed us to get national coverage as well, because once
the news started getting out and we're inviting people from
other places local areas too. We're in DC, which is
metropolitan area. Where's happening in Virginia, where's happening in New York,
what's happening in Philly? Come on down for a train ride.
Don't worry, it's not too far, come on down. We're
inviting people everywhere, and that also helped us increase our reach.
(22:24):
So I say all that to say, working with them,
just in the DC pop up, I was able to
secure I want to say it was twenty seven twenty
seven outlets, and one being Team Vogue, which was a
really big thing for me. That was my first Team
Vogue hit, and also for them because that put them
out on a national scale. So another thing that I
just thought about is a part of another angle is like, yes,
(22:44):
they do these pop ups, but we're also talking about
at that time, two black women entrepreneurs. Right now we're
talking about more than just just what they're doing. It's
like what they mean to the culture. So now I'm
actually painting a picture of who they are as people.
Then we also have angles like two women in business
as partners. That's also a whole other conversation. And then
(23:05):
it's like, if you have sponsorship or partners that you're
working with during this launch, how do we even secure
sponsorship in partnership? Now we're tapping into another lane that
can go to other media outlets. So yes, we're focused
on their pop up, but it also gave me opportunity
to pitch them about other things and get actual personal
features as well.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Okay, So because you mentioned the angles, I do have
a question that just came to mind. I was like,
I wonder how this works. So let's say you have
a client and they have such a great story that
they have like five to six different angles that you
really could kind of take with.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
It as a PR expert.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Do you take all the angles and kind of run
them at the same time and.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
See what sticks, or do you have a way of.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Identifying which angle would be best and kind of testing
one and then trying the next one, so on and
so forth.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
That's a good question. So it really depends a lot
of the time. The angles would depend on when what's
happening in the news cycle and then the platform itself. So,
for instance, if I was gonna use Exona Cole, for example,
she posts a lot of lifestyle content, So if there's
an angle that would go with what she's already posting
about or what her target audience focuses on, like black millennials,
(24:17):
then I'm going to go with an angle that's fitting
for that. If I'm going to pitch to like black enterprise,
I'm talking about money, I'm talking about how they built
their business, I'm using that type of angle. So it
really just depends on the platform and then what's happening
in the news cycle, because a lot of times an
angle can come from what's already happening in the news. So,
for instance, right now we're in a heavy political season.
(24:37):
If something about your business can tie into maybe what
one of the candidates have in their I don't know
what the word is, but like whatever they want to
talk about, yeah, and their policies and things like, then
we can tie it into that. So, for instance, if
you were talking about black maternal health, for example, and
you were talking about Kamala Harris, like, oh, she's an
launched her blueprint for black maternal health. Here's what we're
(25:00):
doing to combat these and fill the gaps. You see
what I'm saying. So it kind of depends.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
That makes sense, Okay, So I would like to know
when businesses do take throughout and they're trying to do
or handle their own pr what are.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Some of the biggest mistakes that you see them make.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Maybe putting out things before it's fully fleshed out, And
that can be as small as like content. It's like
you can tell you didn't put much thought behind that
content you're posting, just so that you're posting, but there's
no strategy behind it, and that can look inauthentic and
the worst thing you want to do is be inauthentic,
because nowadays, especially if your business catering towards gen Z,
(25:43):
they can spot that out them out the way. So
anything about being inauthentic, trying to rush, just trying to
get out there just for the sake of getting out there.
And also if you're trying to have a long term
publicist but you don't really have anything to talk about
long term, that's also something that I feel like is
a mistake. It's like, Oh, I think I need a
publicist or retainer for a year, but what are we
(26:06):
working on? What are we doing? And I think that's
probably some of the biggest things. It's just like either
not knowing when you need a publicist, trying to give
one too early, not having much to talk about, or
putting out things that make you look inauthentic.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Okay, So this is my last question to ask for
you before we jump into our members Q and A.
So this one I wanted to ask because there might
be someone listening to this episode that is maybe thinking
of getting into the PR industry themselves. So what is
one piece of advice that you would give to that person?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Seek hands on experience? I know, we're in a different
time and people are like, we want to get paid
and all these things, but sometimes the opportunity outweighs that
dollar amount because if you're not making it today, you
will because of that experience. Network, network, network, public relations,
being a publicist, anything in this field incomes in general,
(27:02):
is about who you know. Let's be serious, So please
get out there, get in the streets, take the internships, volunteer,
work at events, get on those red carpets, do all
the things you can to build your resume. Because as
much as we care about your education, I didn't major
in PR, So just take that with what you need,
but go get some experience.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
I love I love that you mentioned the money thing
because that is always my first piece of advice for
anyone in any industry that wants to do anything. It's like,
if you don't have the hands on experience, and sometimes
that means offering your service up for free just to
learn what works and what doesn't work, and to be
able to get testimonials and feedback to know what you
(27:42):
can do to be better. It's like, how dare you
charge somebody for something that you don't even know what
you know?
Speaker 3 (27:48):
So on the put in. You have got to do
what is necessary to be able to.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Build trust with your audience, because the worst thing you
could do is have somebody pay you. They have a
terrible experience. Now they running in these streets talking about
I don't trust that girl.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
She took my money and she ain't do this like that.
And then now you have a reputation that isn't so pretty.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
So unique crisis management right, yes, yes, And you know
what's funny is that, now that I think about it,
when I first launched my PR agency, I took one
to clients for free for way longer than I probably
should have, but it was about a year, and I
did everything with that client just so that I could
have the experience, the case study, the networks and something
(28:30):
to even put myself out there. And that really counterpalled
in me.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
So listen, when I first launched and got into doing branding,
I took all of my closest friends. That's why if
you look around, all my friends are popping. I did
all these they social their branding, like their strategies, their content, everything,
and it was hard work and it took like six
to seven months of my time, like really making sure
(28:55):
and then if you think about it, even after that
small time of working quote unquote for free, those people
become walking billboards for your business. And then they continue
to come back because what they had, what you did
for them, what you sustained for them. Like that client
that you worked with for a year, she wants to
let that go, so you know she's coming back to
a contract.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Yeah, it's like.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
You gotta invest your time, y'all.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
And especially because I love that you mentioned that you
didn't have a degree, Like you didn't go to school
for that, and that is like the prime way of
looking at any industry that's out there, whatever it is
that you want to get into, Like it's not a
thing anymore where most people require for you to have
a degree. Like if I wanted to work with Mariah
as as her being my PR specialist, I'm not going
(29:40):
to say, so can forward me over a copy of
your degree?
Speaker 3 (29:43):
So I can you know?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
So in college for this, people are going to work
with you because of your experience, because of your portfolio,
because of your resume. So if you don't got the
coins to invest in like a strong mentor or some
accelerator program, it's going to teach you every thing you
possibly need to know, then you need to invest your time.
And I honestly, especially at the beginning, if you don't
(30:06):
really know if something is for you yet, I would
always say invest your time over money because you're going
to learn so much more with your time.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
So I love that. Thanks girl.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
And you mentioned the word crisis, which is exciting because
our very first community member.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Question is all about crisis.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
So when it comes to pull this back up here, okay,
here you go, how do you handle a PR crisis
for a client? What steps do you take to mitigate
damage and to protect their brand?
Speaker 1 (30:38):
You know, that's a great question, and I'm gonna say this,
not every publicist can't handle crisis. Okay, So if just
in case y'all need some crisis management, bet your purposis
very well. But honestly, it really depends. I cannot tell
you from my own personal experience that there is a
actual like blueprint to it, because one, you have to
(30:58):
identify what the crisis is and is it really your crisis?
That's a big thing, like how detrimental to your business isn't?
And does it need a response?
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Right?
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Because we all know that today's news is yesterday's news. Tomorrow,
and we just need to decide decide if it's really
a crisis. If it is, then we need to go
head into that pros and cons. Okay, if we handle it,
do we need to release a statement and then again
going back to authenticity, who are we talking to and
who is this statement for? Because how many times have
we read a statement and was like okay, girl, your
(31:27):
publicist wrote that, or like okay, you just care about
your business. You really don't care about us, right, So
really making sure that you identify who your statement is
for and make sure you're actually talking to those people.
And then also how are you going to rectify it?
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Right?
Speaker 1 (31:40):
So, for instance, you had a product that just I'll
use hair, For example, your shampoo was working for a time,
you change your recipe up and now it's burning people's scout.
How are we going to fix that? Okay? What you
need a statement, and then you need to show what
you've learned. Okay, acknowledge what you've done, and then try
to explain to everyone the state that you're taking to
rectify it, and then show how much you actually care,
(32:03):
whether you're giving people free product to try, you're getting
some of your testimonials that's a very specific example, but
hopefully you get where I'm going with that, so that
you can make sure that you're getting community buy in again,
because one thing we can all resonate with is we
all make mistakes. It just depends on how we learn
from it and how we grow.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Our next question is how do you measure the success
of a PR campaign and are there specific metrics that
you focus on.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Yeah, so it kind of depends on what the campaign
is and how long the client is around and what
their goals are. But if I was to get something
broad and high level, I'm always tracking press, so making
sure that I have a tracker. I used to use
my coverage page or my coverage book. It might be
my coverage book, but I can upload all the media
(32:47):
hits and track the clicks and the analytics from it,
and which is important to see how far my reach went. Also,
if you're doing something for sales or attending rates for events,
tracking the attendance rate, again how much press. But typically
that's that's a pretty much the metrics. It really just
depends on what your goals are and what your campaign consists.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
So and quick follow up questions. So when a campaign launches,
do you actually have like a post campaign situation where
you like sit down, your review everything and there's like
a you know what to make sure we do or
don't do next time. So it's like you and the
client are constantly growing together.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Absolutely everything we do has a debrief and that includes
what did you guys do to accomplish or get to
the goal that we had set? And then what did
I do? What tactics do we feel like work? What
tactics do we feel like we could try again next time.
Sometimes it's also a time issue, and then also you'll
notice like, oh, we released this at a time where
something else was happening in the news and it was
(33:45):
out of our control. And that's another thing about PR
going back to misconceptions for a second, is like everything
that we do, there's no guarantee. You can't call a
journalist and be like, hey, you need to put this in.
That's not really how that works, because if they have
their own editorial calendar, can news happen, they have competing stories,
or their editor was like, oh this is really good,
just not right now. We can't do anything about that.
(34:07):
So we can guarantee the effort, but we can't guarantee
the results.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
That makes a lot of sense. Can you share some
tips for crafting a compelling press release that gets noticed
by the media?
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Oh? Absolutely? First thing first, that's that subject line. That
header has to be compelling, and it has to get
to the point because and I'll even tie a press
release into a pitch. Your journalist or whoever's reading this,
they have five seconds. Okay, They're getting plenty of press
releases and pitches a day. How are you going to
make your standout concise, to the point and clear and compelling.
(34:43):
That's it. And making sure that you have all of
your assets there too. So and I know this is
simple common sense to some, but common sence in common
Making sure you have an active email address on their
a phone number that works, a clear name, the event details.
If I'm skimming it, can I see the most pertinent information?
Speaker 3 (35:00):
Guess what your girl is?
Speaker 2 (35:01):
Finally, on YouTube, I'm posting weekly content, including behind the
scenes of my soft Life, all things entrepreneurship, and the
journey of my husband and I starting our family. Head
over to YouTube and subscribe to my channel, Brianna Ponte.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
The Soft Life CEO question is.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Can you recommend any resources or tools for small businesses
looking to dy their PR.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Yeah, so again utilizing Harrow h Roo help a reporter
out using hunter io, I would look into any media
database that'll help you find journalists, so like media Bistro,
muck rackets expensive, but there's a bunch that you can
google and find again utilizing social media, Twitter, advanced search,
typing in keywords. Editor journalists check into your your local news.
(35:47):
You can go on their website, call the assignment desk,
just figure out what they're news, they're looking for, who
the producers are, and you can kind of send emails
that way if you want to put like if you
want to put together your own press release, we do
have wires where you can just put a press release
on a wire and journalists can pick it up. So
(36:08):
that way you really don't have to do any pitching.
It's kind of like a cheeico. But there's some called
twenty four to seven this PR newswire. Again, they range
in price, but some may be affordable and within budget
that might just be easier.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Thank you for sharing that and everyone. These things will
be listed in the show notes should you want to
check them out. Next question is what is the most
challenging part of your job as a publicist, and how
do you overcome it?
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Oh challenging part Honestly, it's like it's the fear of
the unknown, right, Like I'm sending. I could be sending
like thirty pitches a day, right for a client or
two clients, and I don't have I don't get any
hits back. That is like an ego bust. That is
like what am I gonna tell my client? Because they're
not gonna know I'm doing my job, but I am
(36:54):
like it's like Russian Roulette of what's gonna work? Yeah,
I think that that is stressful. And it also just
it's like storytelling, Like I'm really passionate. If I look
at the trajectory of my career, everything has been rooted
in storytelling for black women, black people, people of color,
and it's just like if people aren't picking it up,
it's like, why don't you care as much as me?
But that's really it. I mean outside of events and
(37:17):
like the actual stress of a day, but that can
be an indie field. So if you're running an event
that day, the running around, the managing talent, the lists
and things like Otherwise, I love it is there.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Anything that you've done to boost your confidence or to
make sure that when things like that happen you don't
get down on yourself, Like any type of like self
love affirmations or work that you've done that you can
share with us.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
Honestly. You tapping into my community, my community of publicists
and journalists, honestly and just saying it communicating. I talk
a lot with my IG stories about what my real
life is like, and the amount of people who resonate
that really helps me because when I'm talking to other
public I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm not getting through
(38:02):
They're going through the same thing. So it's like really
remembering that I'm not alone. And it's not a testament
to like my writing, it's not a testament to the story.
It's just what it is and it's just a part
of the job. So but utilize the community because we
all going through the same things.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Yeah, amen, sister, Look that's why I started one because
I'm like, nobody wants to feel alone.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
You don't want to feel alone.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
You want to have people you can go to ask questions,
and you also want to see like, oh snap, I'm
not the only person that's going through this so awesome.
All right, what is the process for using PR services
to promote a particular event? And I feel like you
kind of talked about this when you mentioned the experience
with your client, but you know, if you can go
into a little bit more detail, maybe, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
So marketing an event versus like a product or a person,
they all kind of start the same. It's about timeliness,
it's about creating a press release for the event, creating
a media list, inviting people out. So I would say,
like my process would be establishing a PR strategy, creating
a media list for people you want to invite to
(39:05):
the event, creating a press release to send out to everybody,
and then building a list of press so that you
can do kind of like a press run. So if
it's local, obviously highlighting all these local local outlets, and
then even highlighting like what you're doing on a national
scale and kind of trying it to like another angle
that other platforms might want to pick up, even if
that's just talking about you throwing this event and who
(39:25):
the event is for. So if it's like I'm empowering
women and you know, oh, why do we care we're
doing these you're gonna learn these tips and YadA yadayadas.
So that's kind of it. I mean it's all the same.
It's one site, one site PR and then the behind
the scenes, which is like the media and stuff.
Speaker 3 (39:41):
That makes sense, all right.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Our last question is I've worked as a communications director
for clients in the international market but found.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
It difficult to get some traction for them in the US.
Do you have any advice for overcoming that?
Speaker 1 (39:55):
For one, shout out to Mike Comms director. Okay, I
see you out there. It's kind of hard to talk
about specifically because I don't know the ins and outs,
but I will say when pitching anywhere, so if you're
international trying to bring it to the US market, it
just has to be relevant. Like that's really like the
number one thing that I can say that's probably broad
and high level, is like you have to tap into
(40:16):
something that's going on here to make it relevant to
these audiences and really make sure you know who you're
talking to here. A lot of people try to tap
into markets that maybe like their specific audience isn't reading
and meet them where they are and not demographically, but
like what platforms are they tuning into and that's kind
of like high level where you can start nice.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
Okay, I did think of one question. I was like,
this is actually pretty important and I didn't ask it.
Can you give us and you don't have to share
your specific rates, but like an overall range of what
PR services can typically look like.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
Yes, that's a great question, because budget, I feel like
it is like this dark cloud over people when talk
about PR. Honestly, I would say day, you should probably
be willing to spend about three thousand dollars a month minimum,
because the publicists can range. You can get some work
for three thousand dollars a month or twenty thousand dollars
a month. It really just depends.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
I would like for you to take a moment to
just kind of shout out your social handles so everyone
can make sure that they stay connected and plugged with you,
and shout out that beautiful website of yours.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
Yes, honestly the website chef kiss. My instagram is Mariah Eoates.
Last name is Oates. Thank you so happy. Please email
me dm me.
Speaker 3 (41:33):
Y'all, thanks for tuning in to Soft Life, CEO.
Speaker 2 (41:36):
I hope that today's episode gets you a little bit
closer to achieving your definition of a soft life. If
you're ready to start the journey from hustler to soft
life CEO, go to the Soft Life ceo dot com
Backslash Society for a thirty day.
Speaker 3 (41:48):
Free trial in my coaching community.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
If you found this episode helpful, share it with a friend,
leave a review, and don't forget to subscribe.
If you can't sell yourself to me, how am I
supposed to sell you to other people?
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Hey, I'm Brianna Aponte, your host of the Self Life
CEO podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
I dropped out of college at the age.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Of nineteen to start my first business. I worked seven
days a week, wore way too many hats, and was
the true definition of a hustler. Years later, I'm finally
living the dream that I worked so hard to make
my reality. I've transitioned from a hustler to a self
life CEO, working only two days a week to maintain
and run a high earning business that gives me the freedom.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
To live a life I love.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Now it's my mission to help as many entrepreneurs as
I can elevate their brand, increase their income, and reclaim
their time. Join me and guest experts as we share
our transparent journeys, work smart, not hard, strategies, and the
behind the scenes of running a successful brand in business.
You're tuned in to the Self Life CEO.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
What's up? Everyone?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Welcome to another episode of Self Life CEO.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Today, I have the pleasure.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Of speaking with Mariah Oates, who is a publicist known
for her expertise in elevating brands and businesses through Stretti
Public Relations. With a passion for storytelling and understanding of
media dynamics, she has successfully guided clients through the complexities
of ER because we.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Know it can be complex.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
She is here dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs, offering practical tips
and strategies for those seeking media exposure without breaking the bank.
We are super excited to welcome you, Hey, Mariah. Hi.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Okay, First of all, that intro is better than my bio. Okay,
and I need that.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
We can cooin it, girl, you can take it. You
can take it.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah. Nice.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I'm so excited to have you here.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
And I do want to give a little bit of
insight to those listening because I actually had the pleasure
of working with Mariah as a client, and Wow, the
girl definitely knows what she s talding about when it
comes to PR. We actually did a consultation call as well,
and she really did an amazing job of explaining of
how PR can benefit both Drey and I's business and brands,
both as individuals.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
But also as a couple.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And so it's really exciting to bring her here because
there's so many things in the world of PR that
I feel like entrepreneurs don't know. So in order to
get started, Mariah, just share a little bit about you,
your journey, what inspired you to pursue PR as a career,
and then we can jump on into our interview.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yes, so talking about myself is so weird, okay, because
if you know anything about publicists, we like behind the scenes. Okay,
but I am Mariah. I have been a publicist now
for almost ten years. Crazy to say, honestly, And it's
crazy because I got my career like when it started,
I was in front of the camera. So I'm a
comms girl through and through. I was in front of
(02:33):
the camera. I was on MTV, ESPNU, I was the
sports broadcaster, running up and down the field, getting the interviews.
I was doing all of that, and then after college
I realized that I wasn't getting a job as fast
as I wanted to. I've even worked as like a
news anchor in Baltimore and done all the things, and
realized that wasn't for me. So I started googling careers
(02:55):
and communications. Okay, this was like twenty fourteen, and I
found can this Nicole. I always talk about her. She's
my mentor, and I reached out to her. Now this
was when can I pick your brain? Was a thing? Okay,
And I reached out trying to seek an internship because
I was like, public relations feels like it kind of
has all the skills that I've done between writing in
front of the camera, et cetera. And then I reached
(03:17):
out for an internship, and honestly, the rest is history.
I launched my PR agency ooh twenty sixteen, and I
ran my PR agency and that was phenomenal. I got
a lot of experience and then I actually closed my agent. Well,
I left my agency in twenty twenty. When I became
a mom. My passions kind of shifted and I went
(03:38):
and to become director of Communications and Development at mam
Toto Village, where a black maternal health nonprofit. So I
served black moms and I do freelance PR on the side,
So I do all things, all things that is so amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
I always love hearing people's journey and like what it
all looked like before what we see, So thank you
so much for sharing that. Now, I did mention that
I feel like PR can sometimes feel like a mystery
to entrepreneurs, especially new entrepreneurs. So can you take a
moment and break down what a publicist does and then
how you add value to a business with your PR services.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Yeah, so a publicis really we manage your reputation.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Right.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
A lot of people think like, oh, a public is
the same thing as marketing a marketing manager. Absolutely not true.
PR and marketing goes hand in hand though that we'll
talk about a little bit later. But a publicis we
manage your brand reputation. So, yes, we do things like
create press releases and we pitch to media outlets, but
a lot of our job is storytelling. Our job is
to tell the public why they should care about you
(04:40):
and what you have going on, and we do that
through a bunch of avenues. Whether that can be getting
you an event so that you can network and enhance
your circle, or we're pitching you to media outlets so
that your brand can get out there. We're helping you
with campaigns so that you can increase your awareness and
your reach, And it kind of just depends on whether
you have an inspiring story when you tell people they
need to care, you have an event coming up, or
(05:02):
you are launching some type of initiative. So all in all,
we are making sure that your brand is out there,
you have a great brand reputation, and people care about
what you care about.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
I love that, and I love that you mentioned storytelling
because I feel like that's what marketing is, right. It's
so much of telling your story in a way that
captivates your audience and gets them to do whatever it
is that you want them to do. So let's dive
a little deeper into the storytelling. How do you help
your clients with like crafting their brand narrative and what
(05:32):
tips do you have If someone is right now thinking
about their brand messaging and they're like, I don't even
know where to start.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah, I mean it really starts from the discovery call
for me. Okay, I offer a free thirty minute discovery call,
and in that time, I really try to get to
know who you are as a person. And yes, I
care about why you're seeking me out right and like
what your business needs, but I really want to get
to know you and your personal mission because at the
end of the day, people will buy a product because
(06:00):
they bought you, They buy into you, So in that time,
I'm really trying to dig deep into your mission or why,
what really sets you apart because yes, we have so
many quote unquote oversaturated industries, but that really doesn't mean anything,
because that means that there's a space for you, but
we need to figure out where you land. So really
we take that time. So then if you become a client,
we really dive into your PR strategy, so again kind
(06:21):
of going into the layers of who you are, why
your product, initiative, event, whatever you're trying to get out
there is important, and why the community cares, and we're
figuring out one who your target audience is, like who
are we actually talking to, where do they live, why
do they care? How are we going to get to
these people? And we kind of develop a PR strategy
in that way. So if you are thinking about, you know,
(06:42):
hiring a publicist, I would just consider like what makes
you unique within your industry, so that that's where we
need to start.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I love that And as she said, she does a
free consultation and it is very helpful because every client
that Mariah works with is very different and has different
and so you need that one on one time to
kind of talk about what your goals are and then
she can appropriately provide you with insight of like what
that looks like for her to provide PR specifically for you.
(07:11):
So let's talk about some common misconceptions about PR and
essentially like how you address them when your clients come
to you with these misconceptions.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
I love talking about this because I love being like
Iget that's not right. So one again, PR and marketing
are the same. They go hand in hand, and I
really do think to have an effective strategy in general,
you need both. But marketing is more advertising and the
goal is typically sales. With PR, it's storytelling, it's getting
people to buy into you. It's more long term. A
(07:44):
misconception also is that PR is a microwavable business. Absolutely no,
I don't take on a client and a lot of
publicists I know. We don't take on clients for less
than three months because we need time to one learn
each other, right, We need to have time to throw
some things at the wall and see what sticks. It
also takes time for us to build relationships with reporters. Now.
Typically we do have, you know, a wealth of networks
(08:06):
and connections. That's what you're paying us for. But sometimes
we get a client that may not be necessarily within
our niche reporters change out all the time. The new
cycle changes, so again we need that time. And people
often say, like, oh, I have a publicist, I'm going
to be famous. The word famous, like what is?
Speaker 2 (08:26):
No?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Not necessarily or people think that as soon as I
get a publicist, I'm going to be in Forbes.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
No. No.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
One of my great friends, Paulianna Rede, she always says,
if you are not a local hero, then why should
the national people care? Right, So a lot of people
always say, oh, I want Forbes, I want Black Enterprise,
I want all of these national campaigns. But you haven't
even touched your local news yet. You haven't even tapped
into your local community yet, you haven't been anywhere people
aren't talking talking about you within your own radius. So
(08:57):
I think that's another misconception. Another thing. Maybe it's like
all we do is handle media. All we do is
write press releases, and yeah, that's a big part of
the job, but it's not. It's not everything. So yeah,
so those are like the couple things that come top
of mind. Oh one more thing that I would say,
pr is a luxury service and people think that they
(09:18):
always need a publicist, and that's not always true. It's
not always true. There's a lot of things that you
can do yourself, and there are a lot of steps
that you probably should take before you look into hiring
a publicist. So as soon as you launch your business,
you don't need a publicist. You don't need to tell everyone.
You have to make sure your infrastructure is good. You
have to make sure that you have strategy in place
in other departments, you have to make sure you have
(09:39):
a team. Honestly, make sure everything is together, because once
you hit the press, that means all eyes are on
you and you have to be able to make sure
that you can maintain and scale your business. So, yeah,
those are my misconceptions.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I love that you added on the one about that
you know you don't need.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
It right away, and actually you would probably get.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Denied as a client if you came right away because
you don't have the things in place that makes them
a good fit. So for entrepreneurs who are just starting out,
when do you think is the right time to hire?
And what are like some specific signs that indicate when
the business is actually ready for PR.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
That's a great question. So when you're first starting out,
I would say, do you have a following, do you
have a fan base, do you have clients. Do you
have testimonials? So, for instance, I'll talk to the people
who may have a product. Have people tried the product?
Have you tried working with influencers? Do you have a
full marketing strategy? Have you ran ads? What are people
(10:38):
saying about your stuff? Is your product actually working? That's
a big thing too. Making sure that you have the
infrastructure in place. Is everything okay with your business? Is
everything tightened up? Do you have professional headshots? Do you
have marketing materials? A lot of things that seem like
common sense, as in collateral, people don't have. Do you
have headshots? Do you have a professional bio? Do you
(10:59):
have an actual website? Do you have an email that
doesn't say at gmail dot com? And that's important because
some people will think, oh, it's not credible, you know,
if you don't have an actual website, but it's true.
And also, do you have a press kit, a media kit?
Do you know what that is? It's all of these
things that make sure that you have, you know, things
in place. Also, I would say, do you know what
(11:21):
sets you apart from other people? And it's okay that
if you don't, but you have to kind of have
an idea and I would also say being able to
sell yourself, because if you can't sell yourself to me,
how am I supposed to sell sell you to other people?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
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I'm here to help.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
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Speaker 3 (11:52):
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Speaker 3 (12:03):
That is so good.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
And one of the questions that I had was what
are like the key qualities that you look for in
a client to ensure they're a good fit for your service?
And you pretty much mention like that foundational things like
what you kind of have to come to the table
with or at least be in a space where you're
willing to invest in those things. Are there other qualities
that you look for specifically when you're thinking about what
(12:23):
clients to take on or not take on.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah, I'm looking for someone who is adaptable. It's really important.
I just feel like obvious little here man. I feel
like it's super important for you to be adaptable because
the new cycle changes all the time. We have to
be able to pivot and you have to kind of
manage your expectations. So I'm looking for someone who's going
to be flexible, not just with me, but flexible and
what could happen. Also, someone who is able to be trained.
(12:48):
And when I say trained, i'm speaking media trained. Someone
who is able to articulate clearly what your goal is,
what your mission is, and why people should care. Because
media training is also a big part of public relations. Like, yes,
you can hire a publicist and get these interviews, but
can you do the interview well? Are you going to
be able to sell yourself? Is there buying? Are you relatable?
(13:08):
I'm looking for people who have that kind of that
star quality. And I say that because I have worked
with a lot of introvert clients who I love to
this day. But if you if you're not gonna let
me push you out that comfort zone, ooh, we're gonna
be fighting and pulling teeth because it is important. And
also just someone who is ready to do the work.
It takes a lot. We are a team. Yes, I
(13:29):
can do my job, but you have to do yours too.
You have to be promoting your business more. You cannot
just rely on public relations or your publicist to do
the work because you have to be doing it too.
We work in tandem. So that's kind of like my
ideal client, honestly, adaptable, ready to do the work.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
And everything that you just said is what it means
to have a good coach, like a good someone who
is really behind you, saying like I know what it
takes for to get results, but guess why I can't
do it all alone. That's the same thing I tell
my clients. It's like, do not come to me if
you're not ready for partnership, because that's what it is. Like.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
We both have a job to do here and it
only works if we both do our parts. So I
absolutely love that.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Now, let's go back to our business owners or our
entrepreneurs who are building their brands, building their business and
they're not in a space where they're yet ready to
invest in PR. What are some things that they can
do to gain some media exposure.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Yeah, I mean I think that that kind of goes
into like maybe what your social media strategy is really
amplifying your community and building an audience people to advocate
for what you have going on, because honestly, truly, you
can get traction just off word of mouth. If everybody
in the community is talking about what you have going on,
then everybody's going to want to care. People are going
to want to talk about that as long as you
(14:42):
have a great social media presence because honestly, in today's age,
we know that social media is run in the world
and it's a part of what your marketing strategy has
to be. As long as you are tapping into your
audiences and your community, then I mean, I think that
that's a great start. You can also kind of do
pr on your own a little bit, and I'm going
(15:03):
to tell you a couple of tricks to do so.
So if you would also like to kind of reach
out to a news a news outlet or something, use
social media in the sense of finding contacts. So if
you're interested in kind of getting reporters and building that network,
looking to use your Twitter, advanced search typing keywords like editor, associate, editor, producer,
(15:24):
you can also I think harrow is still working. It's
help a reporter out, so it's ha RO and you
can sign up to their subscription list and every day
they'll send out like a list of reporters who are
looking for quotes and things and kind of build You
can provide a quote or something for whatever topic that
they're looking for, as long as it's a good fit
for you. You can also use sites like media bistro
(15:46):
to find contacts that are a little on the cheaper side.
And I would just say build your network, get out
there in the streets, honestly, that's and connect with people
on a human level. I will say that journalists are reporters.
I know that that is their job, but they are
human and they love to talk to people. Connect on
social media, not even just to pitch them. Because if
you don't have a publicist or you're not ready to
(16:06):
be like hey, I want to be featured, connect with them,
engage with their stuff on social shoot them a DM
because that way they'll get your name in their mind
and be like, oh, what is that product? Actually, I
do want to talk to you, and you can kind
of get earned media that way as well, and also
start utilizing all of your channels do your own marketing.
So YouTube, if you can, Instagram, stories, Facebook, Twitter, like,
(16:26):
don't settle for just one platform. Create your own media.
So if you're doing you know, how to videos or
whatever your business is for speaking, start speaking on your
Instagram platform so that people can view you as a speaker.
Start putting yourself in position to be the thought leader
that you want to be seen as. And I do
a great job of that.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
You know, I was just gonna say this is so
fitting timeline wise, because you know, for years I had
done at the service that you had gotten with me
the instrument over and we just recently switched over to
calling it social builder, and we're focusing on all the
mediums out there because we're like YouTube, having a podcast,
(17:08):
having a blog so that you can drive SEO traffic
to your website, utilizing TikTok. It's like, because if you
create content for one platform, if you think about it,
whatever platform that is, that content can then be repurposed
into fitting the content types for all the other platforms
out there. It's just that you have to have a
strong strategy saying that you're going to be on all
the platforms, But you don't have a strategy, yet you're
(17:30):
just going to be looking dumb and confused. But if
you have a strong strategy, you can implement that strategy
across all the platforms and really be getting the maximum
exposure for your brand and your business. So I love
that you said that, and it's just you know, validation
for me that we made the right decision with them
switching it over to Social Builder and focusing on all
those things.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
So that is awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Get my free training from Hustler to Self Life CEO
which includes my untold Entrepreneurial Journey, the Self Life CEO Roadmap,
am I winning recipe for elevating your brand and increasing
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Speaker 3 (18:06):
Now.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
I know sometimes it can be difficult for us to
picture something fitting on us until we maybe hear an
example or you know, see that example. And so can
you share a success story where your PR strategy significantly
impacted the client's brand or business and what were the
key factors that led to the success.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Yes, okay, I'm going to talk about I don't have
any favorite clients, so if you are heard this, I
don't have favorites, but I do want to talk about
one in particular. Okay. So I worked with The Black
Hair Experience for years now, so I feel like I
can talk about all kinds of things that I've done
with them because I've navigated just being their publicist to
moving into partnerships with them and everything else. But when
(18:50):
we first met, it was the height of the pandemic, okay,
and they were opening their first location. So for context,
the Black Hair Experience is a selfie museum that celebrates
black hair and culture, and it was founded by two
black women, currently owned by one and it is now
all around the world, around the country. But anyway, they
(19:11):
were opening their first location in Atlanta in the pandemic,
which was already an interesting thing. Right now, you're telling
people to come somewhere, well, we're supposed to be inside, okay,
and having to navigate that, so having to create multiple
pitch angles and strategies in order to get people out.
So thinking like, oh, we have highlighting, like oh, we
(19:31):
have time slotes where people won't be together. It's a
perfect time to get out of the house, but also
be by yourself because we're limiting the spots. Get a
time to kind of just get in tune with black hair,
black culture, making sure that we don't lose ourselves. Giving
you an opportunity to see yourself because we know everyone's
going crazy with mental health in the pandemic. Now we're
having to hold a mirror to ourselves. Well, let's go
(19:53):
look at ourselves somewhere all of these different angles, right,
And then it allowed them to open up a second
location in DC, and I pitched a lot a lot
of local news because what I wanted to do is
make sure that they were a local hero. They're not
from here, so I had to make sure that everybody
in the area was talking about them. And there was
no platform too small, and that is also another big thing.
(20:15):
Another big thing I would like to highlight is like,
there's no platform too small because if I can typing
your name on a Google search and something comes up,
that's automatically a win for you. So there's no platform
too small. Don't think you have to go straight to forward.
You can talk to your local blogger even if they
have fifteen hundred followers, that's fifteen new people that saw you.
So that's just something a little tivot. So making sure
(20:36):
that I hit every single platform that I could find
out here, and then inviting them out. That's another thing.
If you have a business or a store, or a
product or something that people can see, people can touch,
something tangible, inviting people out, giving people samples, all of
that is important too, So making sure that they can
talk about it after the fact. So inviting them out
to a private party, a private influencer and media only
(20:59):
launched before the public even got a chance. That adds
exclusivity to them. So not only are we're painting this
story and telling everybody in the DNB like what's popping,
what's coming now, what's new, why you need to come,
but now we're inviting you out to see a first
hand for an exclusive look. And then after that making
sure that they had giveaways and goodie bags and things
that they can post on their story because now they're
(21:19):
sharing with their audience before it even hits the media platform. Right,
So now we're tapping into their audiences on social. Here's
another thing. Once the articles went live, we're sharing them
on our platform. This is actually something that might seem small,
but it really goes a long way, not just with
the journalists but to your own audience. One yes, we
want to brag, Okay, we were on the radio, honey,
and we're going to post that on our page. But
(21:41):
also now we're tagging the people who interviewed us, because
now they're going to repost it, and now we're getting
the tapping into their audience. But also it's building rapport
and relationships. So that's another thing. So making sure that
I'm building relationships. So right now, I've done pr Right,
We've done all the interviews. We're tapping into all the blogs,
we're inviting people out, we're giving them something tangible, we're
(22:01):
tapping into their social media strategy. And all of this
allowed us to get national coverage as well, because once
the news started getting out and we're inviting people from
other places local areas too. We're in DC, which is
metropolitan area. Where's happening in Virginia, where's happening in New York,
what's happening in Philly? Come on down for a train ride.
Don't worry, it's not too far, come on down. We're
inviting people everywhere, and that also helped us increase our reach.
(22:24):
So I say all that to say, working with them,
just in the DC pop up, I was able to
secure I want to say it was twenty seven twenty
seven outlets, and one being Team Vogue, which was a
really big thing for me. That was my first Team
Vogue hit, and also for them because that put them
out on a national scale. So another thing that I
just thought about is a part of another angle is like, yes,
(22:44):
they do these pop ups, but we're also talking about
at that time, two black women entrepreneurs. Right now we're
talking about more than just just what they're doing. It's
like what they mean to the culture. So now I'm
actually painting a picture of who they are as people.
Then we also have angles like two women in business
as partners. That's also a whole other conversation. And then
(23:05):
it's like, if you have sponsorship or partners that you're
working with during this launch, how do we even secure
sponsorship in partnership? Now we're tapping into another lane that
can go to other media outlets. So yes, we're focused
on their pop up, but it also gave me opportunity
to pitch them about other things and get actual personal
features as well.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Okay, So because you mentioned the angles, I do have
a question that just came to mind. I was like,
I wonder how this works. So let's say you have
a client and they have such a great story that
they have like five to six different angles that you
really could kind of take with.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
It as a PR expert.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Do you take all the angles and kind of run
them at the same time and.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
See what sticks, or do you have a way of.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Identifying which angle would be best and kind of testing
one and then trying the next one, so on and
so forth.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
That's a good question. So it really depends a lot
of the time. The angles would depend on when what's
happening in the news cycle and then the platform itself. So,
for instance, if I was gonna use Exona Cole, for example,
she posts a lot of lifestyle content, So if there's
an angle that would go with what she's already posting
about or what her target audience focuses on, like black millennials,
(24:17):
then I'm going to go with an angle that's fitting
for that. If I'm going to pitch to like black enterprise,
I'm talking about money, I'm talking about how they built
their business, I'm using that type of angle. So it
really just depends on the platform and then what's happening
in the news cycle, because a lot of times an
angle can come from what's already happening in the news. So,
for instance, right now we're in a heavy political season.
(24:37):
If something about your business can tie into maybe what
one of the candidates have in their I don't know
what the word is, but like whatever they want to
talk about, yeah, and their policies and things like, then
we can tie it into that. So, for instance, if
you were talking about black maternal health, for example, and
you were talking about Kamala Harris, like, oh, she's an
launched her blueprint for black maternal health. Here's what we're
(25:00):
doing to combat these and fill the gaps. You see
what I'm saying. So it kind of depends.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
That makes sense, Okay, So I would like to know
when businesses do take throughout and they're trying to do
or handle their own pr what are.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Some of the biggest mistakes that you see them make.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Maybe putting out things before it's fully fleshed out, And
that can be as small as like content. It's like
you can tell you didn't put much thought behind that
content you're posting, just so that you're posting, but there's
no strategy behind it, and that can look inauthentic and
the worst thing you want to do is be inauthentic,
because nowadays, especially if your business catering towards gen Z,
(25:43):
they can spot that out them out the way. So
anything about being inauthentic, trying to rush, just trying to
get out there just for the sake of getting out there.
And also if you're trying to have a long term
publicist but you don't really have anything to talk about
long term, that's also something that I feel like is
a mistake. It's like, Oh, I think I need a
publicist or retainer for a year, but what are we
(26:06):
working on? What are we doing? And I think that's
probably some of the biggest things. It's just like either
not knowing when you need a publicist, trying to give
one too early, not having much to talk about, or
putting out things that make you look inauthentic.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Okay, So this is my last question to ask for
you before we jump into our members Q and A.
So this one I wanted to ask because there might
be someone listening to this episode that is maybe thinking
of getting into the PR industry themselves. So what is
one piece of advice that you would give to that person?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Seek hands on experience? I know, we're in a different
time and people are like, we want to get paid
and all these things, but sometimes the opportunity outweighs that
dollar amount because if you're not making it today, you
will because of that experience. Network, network, network, public relations,
being a publicist, anything in this field incomes in general,
(27:02):
is about who you know. Let's be serious, So please
get out there, get in the streets, take the internships, volunteer,
work at events, get on those red carpets, do all
the things you can to build your resume. Because as
much as we care about your education, I didn't major
in PR, So just take that with what you need,
but go get some experience.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
I love I love that you mentioned the money thing
because that is always my first piece of advice for
anyone in any industry that wants to do anything. It's like,
if you don't have the hands on experience, and sometimes
that means offering your service up for free just to
learn what works and what doesn't work, and to be
able to get testimonials and feedback to know what you
(27:42):
can do to be better. It's like, how dare you
charge somebody for something that you don't even know what
you know?
Speaker 3 (27:48):
So on the put in. You have got to do
what is necessary to be able to.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Build trust with your audience, because the worst thing you
could do is have somebody pay you. They have a
terrible experience. Now they running in these streets talking about
I don't trust that girl.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
She took my money and she ain't do this like that.
And then now you have a reputation that isn't so pretty.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
So unique crisis management right, yes, yes, And you know
what's funny is that, now that I think about it,
when I first launched my PR agency, I took one
to clients for free for way longer than I probably
should have, but it was about a year, and I
did everything with that client just so that I could
have the experience, the case study, the networks and something
(28:30):
to even put myself out there. And that really counterpalled
in me.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
So listen, when I first launched and got into doing branding,
I took all of my closest friends. That's why if
you look around, all my friends are popping. I did
all these they social their branding, like their strategies, their content, everything,
and it was hard work and it took like six
to seven months of my time, like really making sure
(28:55):
and then if you think about it, even after that
small time of working quote unquote for free, those people
become walking billboards for your business. And then they continue
to come back because what they had, what you did
for them, what you sustained for them. Like that client
that you worked with for a year, she wants to
let that go, so you know she's coming back to
a contract.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Yeah, it's like.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
You gotta invest your time, y'all.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
And especially because I love that you mentioned that you
didn't have a degree, Like you didn't go to school
for that, and that is like the prime way of
looking at any industry that's out there, whatever it is
that you want to get into, Like it's not a
thing anymore where most people require for you to have
a degree. Like if I wanted to work with Mariah
as as her being my PR specialist, I'm not going
(29:40):
to say, so can forward me over a copy of
your degree?
Speaker 3 (29:43):
So I can you know?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
So in college for this, people are going to work
with you because of your experience, because of your portfolio,
because of your resume. So if you don't got the
coins to invest in like a strong mentor or some
accelerator program, it's going to teach you every thing you
possibly need to know, then you need to invest your time.
And I honestly, especially at the beginning, if you don't
(30:06):
really know if something is for you yet, I would
always say invest your time over money because you're going
to learn so much more with your time.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
So I love that. Thanks girl.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
And you mentioned the word crisis, which is exciting because
our very first community member.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Question is all about crisis.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
So when it comes to pull this back up here, okay,
here you go, how do you handle a PR crisis
for a client? What steps do you take to mitigate
damage and to protect their brand?
Speaker 1 (30:38):
You know, that's a great question, and I'm gonna say this,
not every publicist can't handle crisis. Okay, So if just
in case y'all need some crisis management, bet your purposis
very well. But honestly, it really depends. I cannot tell
you from my own personal experience that there is a
actual like blueprint to it, because one, you have to
(30:58):
identify what the crisis is and is it really your crisis?
That's a big thing, like how detrimental to your business isn't?
And does it need a response?
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Right?
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Because we all know that today's news is yesterday's news. Tomorrow,
and we just need to decide decide if it's really
a crisis. If it is, then we need to go
head into that pros and cons. Okay, if we handle it,
do we need to release a statement and then again
going back to authenticity, who are we talking to and
who is this statement for? Because how many times have
we read a statement and was like okay, girl, your
(31:27):
publicist wrote that, or like okay, you just care about
your business. You really don't care about us, right, So
really making sure that you identify who your statement is
for and make sure you're actually talking to those people.
And then also how are you going to rectify it?
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Right?
Speaker 1 (31:40):
So, for instance, you had a product that just I'll
use hair, For example, your shampoo was working for a time,
you change your recipe up and now it's burning people's scout.
How are we going to fix that? Okay? What you
need a statement, and then you need to show what
you've learned. Okay, acknowledge what you've done, and then try
to explain to everyone the state that you're taking to
rectify it, and then show how much you actually care,
(32:03):
whether you're giving people free product to try, you're getting
some of your testimonials that's a very specific example, but
hopefully you get where I'm going with that, so that
you can make sure that you're getting community buy in again,
because one thing we can all resonate with is we
all make mistakes. It just depends on how we learn
from it and how we grow.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Our next question is how do you measure the success
of a PR campaign and are there specific metrics that
you focus on.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Yeah, so it kind of depends on what the campaign
is and how long the client is around and what
their goals are. But if I was to get something
broad and high level, I'm always tracking press, so making
sure that I have a tracker. I used to use
my coverage page or my coverage book. It might be
my coverage book, but I can upload all the media
(32:47):
hits and track the clicks and the analytics from it,
and which is important to see how far my reach went. Also,
if you're doing something for sales or attending rates for events,
tracking the attendance rate, again how much press. But typically
that's that's a pretty much the metrics. It really just
depends on what your goals are and what your campaign consists.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
So and quick follow up questions. So when a campaign launches,
do you actually have like a post campaign situation where
you like sit down, your review everything and there's like
a you know what to make sure we do or
don't do next time. So it's like you and the
client are constantly growing together.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Absolutely everything we do has a debrief and that includes
what did you guys do to accomplish or get to
the goal that we had set? And then what did
I do? What tactics do we feel like work? What
tactics do we feel like we could try again next time.
Sometimes it's also a time issue, and then also you'll
notice like, oh, we released this at a time where
something else was happening in the news and it was
(33:45):
out of our control. And that's another thing about PR
going back to misconceptions for a second, is like everything
that we do, there's no guarantee. You can't call a
journalist and be like, hey, you need to put this in.
That's not really how that works, because if they have
their own editorial calendar, can news happen, they have competing stories,
or their editor was like, oh this is really good,
just not right now. We can't do anything about that.
(34:07):
So we can guarantee the effort, but we can't guarantee
the results.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
That makes a lot of sense. Can you share some
tips for crafting a compelling press release that gets noticed
by the media?
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Oh? Absolutely? First thing first, that's that subject line. That
header has to be compelling, and it has to get
to the point because and I'll even tie a press
release into a pitch. Your journalist or whoever's reading this,
they have five seconds. Okay, They're getting plenty of press
releases and pitches a day. How are you going to
make your standout concise, to the point and clear and compelling.
(34:43):
That's it. And making sure that you have all of
your assets there too. So and I know this is
simple common sense to some, but common sence in common
Making sure you have an active email address on their
a phone number that works, a clear name, the event details.
If I'm skimming it, can I see the most pertinent information?
Speaker 3 (35:00):
Guess what your girl is?
Speaker 2 (35:01):
Finally, on YouTube, I'm posting weekly content, including behind the
scenes of my soft Life, all things entrepreneurship, and the
journey of my husband and I starting our family. Head
over to YouTube and subscribe to my channel, Brianna Ponte.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
The Soft Life CEO question is.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Can you recommend any resources or tools for small businesses
looking to dy their PR.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Yeah, so again utilizing Harrow h Roo help a reporter
out using hunter io, I would look into any media
database that'll help you find journalists, so like media Bistro,
muck rackets expensive, but there's a bunch that you can
google and find again utilizing social media, Twitter, advanced search,
typing in keywords. Editor journalists check into your your local news.
(35:47):
You can go on their website, call the assignment desk,
just figure out what they're news, they're looking for, who
the producers are, and you can kind of send emails
that way if you want to put like if you
want to put together your own press release, we do
have wires where you can just put a press release
on a wire and journalists can pick it up. So
(36:08):
that way you really don't have to do any pitching.
It's kind of like a cheeico. But there's some called
twenty four to seven this PR newswire. Again, they range
in price, but some may be affordable and within budget
that might just be easier.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Thank you for sharing that and everyone. These things will
be listed in the show notes should you want to
check them out. Next question is what is the most
challenging part of your job as a publicist, and how
do you overcome it?
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Oh challenging part Honestly, it's like it's the fear of
the unknown, right, Like I'm sending. I could be sending
like thirty pitches a day, right for a client or
two clients, and I don't have I don't get any
hits back. That is like an ego bust. That is
like what am I gonna tell my client? Because they're
not gonna know I'm doing my job, but I am
(36:54):
like it's like Russian Roulette of what's gonna work? Yeah,
I think that that is stressful. And it also just
it's like storytelling, Like I'm really passionate. If I look
at the trajectory of my career, everything has been rooted
in storytelling for black women, black people, people of color,
and it's just like if people aren't picking it up,
it's like, why don't you care as much as me?
But that's really it. I mean outside of events and
(37:17):
like the actual stress of a day, but that can
be an indie field. So if you're running an event
that day, the running around, the managing talent, the lists
and things like Otherwise, I love it is there.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Anything that you've done to boost your confidence or to
make sure that when things like that happen you don't
get down on yourself, Like any type of like self
love affirmations or work that you've done that you can
share with us.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
Honestly. You tapping into my community, my community of publicists
and journalists, honestly and just saying it communicating. I talk
a lot with my IG stories about what my real
life is like, and the amount of people who resonate
that really helps me because when I'm talking to other
public I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm not getting through
(38:02):
They're going through the same thing. So it's like really
remembering that I'm not alone. And it's not a testament
to like my writing, it's not a testament to the story.
It's just what it is and it's just a part
of the job. So but utilize the community because we
all going through the same things.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Yeah, amen, sister, Look that's why I started one because
I'm like, nobody wants to feel alone.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
You don't want to feel alone.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
You want to have people you can go to ask questions,
and you also want to see like, oh snap, I'm
not the only person that's going through this so awesome.
All right, what is the process for using PR services
to promote a particular event? And I feel like you
kind of talked about this when you mentioned the experience
with your client, but you know, if you can go
into a little bit more detail, maybe, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
So marketing an event versus like a product or a person,
they all kind of start the same. It's about timeliness,
it's about creating a press release for the event, creating
a media list, inviting people out. So I would say,
like my process would be establishing a PR strategy, creating
a media list for people you want to invite to
(39:05):
the event, creating a press release to send out to everybody,
and then building a list of press so that you
can do kind of like a press run. So if
it's local, obviously highlighting all these local local outlets, and
then even highlighting like what you're doing on a national
scale and kind of trying it to like another angle
that other platforms might want to pick up, even if
that's just talking about you throwing this event and who
(39:25):
the event is for. So if it's like I'm empowering
women and you know, oh, why do we care we're
doing these you're gonna learn these tips and YadA yadayadas.
So that's kind of it. I mean it's all the same.
It's one site, one site PR and then the behind
the scenes, which is like the media and stuff.
Speaker 3 (39:41):
That makes sense, all right.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Our last question is I've worked as a communications director
for clients in the international market but found.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
It difficult to get some traction for them in the US.
Do you have any advice for overcoming that?
Speaker 1 (39:55):
For one, shout out to Mike Comms director. Okay, I
see you out there. It's kind of hard to talk
about specifically because I don't know the ins and outs,
but I will say when pitching anywhere, so if you're
international trying to bring it to the US market, it
just has to be relevant. Like that's really like the
number one thing that I can say that's probably broad
and high level, is like you have to tap into
(40:16):
something that's going on here to make it relevant to
these audiences and really make sure you know who you're
talking to here. A lot of people try to tap
into markets that maybe like their specific audience isn't reading
and meet them where they are and not demographically, but
like what platforms are they tuning into and that's kind
of like high level where you can start nice.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
Okay, I did think of one question. I was like,
this is actually pretty important and I didn't ask it.
Can you give us and you don't have to share
your specific rates, but like an overall range of what
PR services can typically look like.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
Yes, that's a great question, because budget, I feel like
it is like this dark cloud over people when talk
about PR. Honestly, I would say day, you should probably
be willing to spend about three thousand dollars a month minimum,
because the publicists can range. You can get some work
for three thousand dollars a month or twenty thousand dollars
a month. It really just depends.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
I would like for you to take a moment to
just kind of shout out your social handles so everyone
can make sure that they stay connected and plugged with you,
and shout out that beautiful website of yours.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
Yes, honestly the website chef kiss. My instagram is Mariah Eoates.
Last name is Oates. Thank you so happy. Please email
me dm me.
Speaker 3 (41:33):
Y'all, thanks for tuning in to Soft Life, CEO.
Speaker 2 (41:36):
I hope that today's episode gets you a little bit
closer to achieving your definition of a soft life. If
you're ready to start the journey from hustler to soft
life CEO, go to the Soft Life ceo dot com
Backslash Society for a thirty day.
Speaker 3 (41:48):
Free trial in my coaching community.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
If you found this episode helpful, share it with a friend,
leave a review, and don't forget to subscribe.
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