HeadStart

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When we began HeadStart, our focus was helping startups - those businesses with great stories and great people trying to make a difference. We knew one thing to be true: PR should not just be a tool for big companies with big budgets, but should be accessible to smaller companies who need the awareness. Even as we've been fortunate to grow and diversify our client base, we will always have a sweet spot for startups. Our CEO and founder, Michael Stern, was recently a guest on the PR360 Podcast, where he shared all that he's learned while working to secure PR for startups - as well as the pitfalls of guaranteed media. Check out the full episode below for his insights!

Obviously measuring success matters - but using the right metrics is essential.

There's nothing we love more than a client success story, and this is one we're particularly excited to share. Lakia S. Elam, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP, the powerhouse founder of Magnificent Differences Consulting, LLC, came to us to strategize on how best to share her story with the world. After years of uncertainty as to how it would be received, an awful experience with a client led her to take matters into her own hands and tell her story on her terms. Lakia is an incredible person, as is her daughter Laniyyah, and it was an absolute pleasure and truly an honor to be trusted with this process. And the result was the best we could have hoped for: a lengthy, authentic and inspiring piece published in Newsweek. We began HeadStart to help share the stories that needed to be told, and this is a powerful example of exactly that. Check out the full article below and feel free to share it with everyone you know - Lakia is a force to be reckoned with and her story, as well as the lessons she has to impart, deserve to be front and center!

There's a reason why EARNED media is so sought after - it's not a guarantee, it's not something you can buy, and the goal is not to have the reporter work as your advertiser. Any opportunity to reach that many people comes with it a certain level of responsibility, and for the reporter, that responsibility is to provide their readers or viewers with something of value. Here's the unvarnished truth: what your product does or who will benefit most from your services does not fall into that category. There are plenty of great marketing tools that can be used to share that information, such as organic social posts, paid ads, and any number of paid placements. Think of an interview with a journalist as a mutually beneficial relationship: you give them something of value, they help increase your visibility in the public sphere. So the next time you have an opportunity to interview for your local news or a podcast, ditch the talking points on product features and instead offer up a genuine insight on the industry or background on a challenge that is being addressed by a new approach. PR has immense opportunity for value, but to make any campaign count, it's important to first recognize that value is in the eye of the reporter.

Let's stop wasting everyone's time and pitch stories that matter, the right way.

If there is one under-appreciated asset in the PR world, it's local press. So many people fixate on national news outlets and massive viewership numbers, but the journalists in your own backyard hold powerful sway over people you probably want to get in front of. Aside from the obvious answer of soliciting local press where your business is headquartered, get creative and lean into local in places you have partnerships, secondary locations, success stories, and any other (relevant) local tie in. Not only do local reporters often have more bandwidth for smaller stories, millions of people across the country are devoted viewers of their local morning or evening news - which means they already trust the person delivering the story. Aside from the fact that local news takes you one step closer to relevancy in a very overcrowded news cycle, the reality is that it often takes time to build up credibility and awareness to make national news or those bigger mainstream outlets interested in your perspective. Using that time to build your ramp with smaller podcasts and local media is win-win - you get great, consistent coverage, and there are relevant links that show up when a reporter searches for past media appearances while considering whether or not you're worth their time. For those in the back, here's the bottom line: never underestimate the power of local media. Whether you're looking to gain the trust of a new market or building your way up to broader national opportunities, local news is a gold standard for a reason. Respect those opportunities and make them count.

PR agencies are fond of telling clients that they have contacts at all the major outlets. It's a selling point, proof that they'll be able to get a story in front of a company's dream publications. Heck, we say it too, as our team has developed some pretty strategic relationships over the years. HOWEVER, those connections mean nothing if the story we have to offer up falls flat. If there's no human connection, no original thought, no reason for viewers or readers to care, it wouldn't matter if we had the editor of the New York Times on speed dial. Although that would be pretty cool. Moral of the story: the connections an agency has matter WAY less than the stories they are able to tell. We make new connections every day to suit the stories our clients want to share, that's the easy part. The hard part is digging deep to find a story worth telling, and that's the secret sauce that makes a pitch successful. So don't be swayed by the logos or the dangle of longstanding connections. Focus more on telling the best story, or on finding a team for whom storytelling is a superpower. The logos will follow.

If there is a golden opportunity in PR, it's the final question every reporter asks to conclude an interview: "Is there anything else you'd like to add?" For the uninitiated, let us spell it out for you - that question is a carte blanche pass to shove all of your talking points, promotional or otherwise, into a neat and tidy soundbite. If the interview focused pretty specifically on an industry trend at large but you want to talk about how your company is dealing with the change, this is your moment. Have the questions you've answered all skirted any mention of your product? Take this opportunity to (tastefully) self-promote. Whatever you do or say, be sure to say SOMETHING. This is not the question to pass on or the opening to squander. Be sure that any media prep you go through covers what you say when this moment arrives, and put your best foot forward when it does.

There's nothing more important than treating your people like people. Success is a team effort, so let's start with the basics and provide the best working experience we can.