Leaps

Why is it so hard to get CEOs to share their insights? Even the ones that see the value in it. "For some of our clients, the CEOs are harder to get time with than others." That’s what a PR consultant said to us on a demo call recently. He was considering Leaps because about 40% of his clients (particularly the CEOs) weren’t always available for regular contact. So he was exploring other potential ways to get responses from them. Basically, a way to “prompt them with questions to elicit those ideas when we can't get them on the phone or in person.” This isn’t the first time we’ve heard this. You talk to them at the beginning of the engagement to get the ball rolling. But then you struggle to get time for regular calls on their calendar. And it’s not because they’re not willing or don’t see the value. They hired you, after all. Sometimes, it's just hard to find huge chunks of time to sit down and share their stories, insights, or comments as regularly as you want. And that leads to delays, missed opportunities, and moments where you can’t get a comment or response to a journalist or reporter in time. That’s why we’re huge advocates for making it as easy as possible for them. With Leaps, we prioritized building features specifically to get you timely responses without making CEOs or other SMEs feel burdened: ▪️No learning curve: They don’t need training or tutorials. ▪️No signups required: They can respond without needing to create accounts. ▪️Voice-to-text options: They can answer questions without typing a single word. All they have to do is talk. ▪️Mobile-optimized: They can respond on the go, so no need to wait till they're on their laptop or desktop. ▪️Save progress: They can return to partially completed answers without pressure to finish everything at once. ▪️Automated reminders: You don’t have to chase them and they don't have to remember; we’ll remind them for you. All this increases your chances of getting regular responses. I think Gini Dietrich phrased it perfectly when she said: "Leaps helps you get what you need from SMEs in a timely and efficient way that doesn’t make them feel like you’re taking up too much of their time." ✨️That last part is key: when they FEEL like this is something that they can fit in their schedule and isn’t taking up huge chunks of their time, then they’re far more likely to respond. And we’re working on adding more highly requested features to further increase your chances of getting timely responses. What other methods have you seen work for getting timely responses from CEOs or other C-level executives you’ve worked with? #Comms #PR

If you're in comms or content, your job has gotten a lot harder over the past few years. It feels like the list of things you have to do and the skills you have to learn keeps growing because 👉🏽 AI is shaking things up. 👉🏽 Search has evolved. 👉🏽 What audiences want or expect from your content keeps changing. And now, besides learning AI tools, there’s something else that’s a huge part of your job description: managing and nurturing SME relationships. Because if your business/client wants to hold attention and build trust with their audience, you can't just create content for the sake of it anymore. It’s about amplifying real human experiences, stories, and expertise — from your executives, in-house experts, industry influencers, customers, etc. These are the people with lived experiences and stories that AI can’t make up. Your SMEs are one of the most valuable people you have on your team. And managing and nurturing those SME relationships is now part of the job. ❌️ You can’t wing it or put it off for later. ❌️ You can’t use and dump them. ❌️ You can’t afford to rely on broken systems to gather their stories and expertise. ✅️ You need solid processes to make your relationship with SMEs work — something that’s sustainable and is a win-win for both of you so you all don’t end up burnt out. ✅️ You need to learn how to to properly communicate with them — about your needs and expectations, their needs and expectations, etc. so there’s no confusion. ✅️ You need proper communication channels so that there’s a seamless flow of information on both ends and nothing falls through the cracks. That’s why I’m passionate about what we’re building (and will keep building) at Leaps to make this part of your work a lot easier. And what you’re seeing now is only just the beginning. We’ve only just scratched the surface. #Communications #content

Whew! That was a long break from LinkedIn. (Well, at least a break from posting on LinkedIn.) But it was absolutely necessary. Last year was a revealing one for Rennie and me. We built version 1 of Leaps with a simple goal: make capturing SME insights easy for expert-led content creation. Since then, so much has happened: - We started by offering free trials. - Then paused trials and focused on demos. - Later, began offering it only to buyers who requested it during calls. - Now, we’re considering bringing back free trials with a brand-new flow. - We discovered who our ideal customers are (and tbh, this gets clearer every day). - The list goes on. And since December, we’ve been knee-deep in planning/building version 2 of Leaps (coming soon!). What a ride it’s been! So, here I am, officially back to LinkedIn posts for the year. Happy New Year, people! 🎉 #LinkedIn

If you’re not intentional about inclusivity, it won’t suddenly appear in your your companies, in your communications, in your PR communities, etc. You have to consciously take steps to make sure you’re building an inclusive culture. Because, honestly, we can tell when a company is doing it just to tick a box, not because it’s really part of their culture. That’s why, in today’s #LeapsPRSeries, I interviewed Ari McDaniel (Ari Kill),M.A., a seasoned PR pro and founder of the Black Tech Public Relations Society, to discuss how PR professionals can go beyond optics and build truly inclusive PR efforts. Ari shares personal insights, lessons from her years of experience in PR, and practical advice for making sure that inclusion isn't just another trend that comes and goes. Swipe to read her insights 👇 #PR #Comms #InclusivePR #DEI

A lot of comms teams are going about gathering SME insights the wrong way. Especially with larger companies and bigger PR agencies. From our conversations with comms teams, they're having these issues: ❌️ They’re finding it hard to get SME participation at all. ❌️ They’re not getting SME insights on time. And they’re hoping a tool like Leaps can magically fix everything. But after digging deeper, it’s clear the issue isn’t first about tools or processes. It’s about relationships — or the lack of them. If your SMEs don’t know you, or worse, haven’t agreed to contribute, a tool won’t make them respond to your requests any quicker. We had a conversation with a comms team at an enterprise company not too long ago. And they had thousands of potential SMEs and wanted a tool to help them gather their insights. But they didn’t want to introduce themselves or ask the SMEs to opt in beforehand. Spoiler: That approach doesn’t work. Here’s what does work: ✅️ Build relationships or get opt-ins from SMEs first. Ideally, your SMEs should know who you are. Which is where consultants and boutique agencies usually have no issues. But for larger teams, this isn’t always possible. So if you have a lot of SMEs, I’d suggest using an opt-in process. That could mean creating a form or sending them a Leaps’ SME database invite link. Let SMEs fill out their basic contact info and specialty and get added to your SME database. This serves as their agreement to participate. Trust me, this initial step would save you a lot of headache down the line. Once you’ve done this, that’s when Leaps can come in to simplify your process of collecting, organizing, and using their insights. On the SME side of things, Leaps makes it easier for them to respond so you have a higher chance of getting faster and timely responses. 👉🏽 Automated reminders to keep your request at the top of their inbox, reminding them of the deadline. 👉🏽 No learning curve or signups required for them. 👉🏽 They can respond with voice-to-text feature so no typing necessary. All they have to do is click and talk. 👉🏽 They can respond on the go, on the phones, without needing to be on a laptop/desktop. 👉🏽 They can respond when it’s convenient, save their progress, and return to it so it doesn’t feel like it’s taking up a lot of their time. But for this to work, it’s relationships/SME buy-in first, tools second. That’s how you increase your chances of getting timely, quality SME insights. What has your experience been getting SME buy/in or opt-ins as a comms pro? #Communications #PR

You’d have to be living under a rock to not know that AI is transforming the PR world. It wasn’t too long ago that Prowly’s PR Trends 2025 report revealed that 74% of PR pros believe AI-powered tools are the future of PR. But I’m sure this stat is no surprise to you. Conversations about AI in PR have been increasingly popular over the past year. I recently posted on LinkedIn about how I had noticed AI adoption is so high in the PR industry and asked PR pros in my network why this is happening. And I got a comment from Rowan Toffoli, an AI-powered executive communicator, that stood out to me: “As communicators, we do so much and have to wear so many hats. I don’t think our portfolios are sustainable without AI.” I got intrigued and wanted to, as ChatGPT would say, “take a deep dive” into her last statement: “I don’t think our portfolios are sustainable without AI.” So I decided to interview her as part of our #LeapsPRSeries to hear her thoughts. She shares: ▪️ which PR tasks AI supports most effectively ▪️ the biggest challenge other communicators face when adopting AI tools: “Drop by AI” and much more. Swipe to see her insights 👇 P.S. I’ll be interviewing more PR & Comms pros for content like this in our #LeapsPRseries — Follow me here on LinkedIn (Rennie Ijidola) and follow the hashtag as well to tag along :) #PR #Communications #AIinPR #AIforCommunicators

We’re working on Leaps 2.0 this year. And that means: - Talking to our customers (PR & comms pros) and gathering their feedback. - Building with and for them to create solutions that truly meet their needs. For 2025, these are a few things we're focusing on: ✅ Shipping new features fast. ✅Exploring new ways AI can help PR pros make the most of the SME insights they receive. ✅Nailing our customer success and retention. ✅Delivering so much value that our customers naturally become advocates. ✅Having more conversations with our ICP and focusing our efforts on engaging them. It’s a big year ahead, but I’m ready for it! ---- Hi! I’m Rennie, co-founder @ Leaps — an easier way to collect, organize, and use your SME's insights without unnecessary meetings. If we’re not connected yet, I’d love to meet you!

Being married and co-founders —what a journey it's been. One of the best things about having my husband as my cofounder is that this season of building Leaps hasn’t driven us apart. It’s brought us closer than ever. As a startup founder, you spend so much time with your cofounders. You’re talking to them constantly, going through the lowest lows and the highest highs together — the mistakes, the wins, the learnings, the imposter syndrome, and the late nights. That kind of shared experience creates a unique bond. And for me, that bond has strengthened our relationship. Of course, our entire relationship doesn’t revolve around being business partners (we’ve had to set some boundaries to make sure it doesn’t). But having someone who truly gets it because they’re in it with you makes the long days and tough nights much easier. Today on your birthday, I’m celebrating you, Victor Ijidola. I couldn’t imagine anyone else by my side on this wild ride. Your vision, your drive, your integrity, your creativity, your wisdom, your leadership, your unwavering support, your love. It's one in a million ✨️ If I had to make the choice all over again, I’d still choose you as my husband and as my co-founder. Welcome to the best days of your life. Happy birthday! Pls join me in wishing Victor a happy Birthday 🎂🥳

As we head into 2025... Announcements will soon start rolling in. Y’know, “We’re thrilled to announce...” and all the usual lines. I’ve used them myself, so no shade here — but we all know they’re way overused at this point. There are fresher, more engaging ways to share news and highlight what we’re proud of. That’s exactly what I’m exploring today with PR expert Lindsey Bradshaw. She’s sharing: - her go-to phrases for sharing good news — without resorting to “We’re thrilled to announce...” - and more strategies for telling brand stories in a way that grabs attention. ... and more! Swipe to see her insights! #LeapsPRseries #PR #Comms

One of the first things we did in the PR space was build relationships and get social proof from PR pros. Why? Because no one knew us. So that’s where we started from. But what I’ve learned since then is that having social proof does more than just open doors. It shifts the entire conversation. It brings respect and a willingness to listen, even when people have objections. PR and comms pros, for example, always want to know how others in their field are using Leaps and what their experience has been. And when that social proof comes from someone they know or trust, it’s a game changer. Word of mouth has been huge for us lately. Many people are signing up for demos just because they’ve seen or heard another PR consultant or comms leader talking about Leaps. By the time they get on a call, they already have that context — and it changes the tone of the conversation. That’s why we’re focused on not just getting customers, but building genuine connections and getting advocates. My favorite thing to hear is when, after a demo, someone says, “I’m going to tell others about this!” In a tight-knit space like PR, that’s everything for us. And we're so thankful for those that have done that so far. Even if the person sharing isn’t an influencer or doesn’t have massive LinkedIn engagement, their word almost always leads to someone else signing up for a demo. And when they do have reach? The ripple effect is even bigger. So in 2025, we're doubling down on listening to our customers in the PR space, providing so much value to them, and building for them. Because when we do that, we're building a community of people that are willing to spread the word about Leaps with their network. ------------ Hi! I’m Rennie, co-founder @ Leaps  — an AI tool that helps PR pros and teams get insights from execs and SMEs — no calls, no meetings — and turns them into detailed content outlines.   If you'd like to see a demo before the year runs out, let me know and I'll send a scheduling link where you can pick a time that works for you so we can chat 😊 #PR #Comms