Latest / Skin Anarchy / Becoming Holiday Ready: Brand Strategy For Holiday PR & More Ft. Founder of BCENE PR, Brittanie Clement Price

Transcript

Becoming Holiday Ready: Brand Strategy For Holiday PR & More Ft. Founder of BCENE PR, Brittanie Clement Price · Skin Anarchy

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Screen True.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: This is your host, Ekta, and I have such a wonderful guest today.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited about this episode because um I consider her to be truly a dear friend and a huge supporter of our show since the very beginning.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I am just so thrilled that I had the opportunity to interview her today for um this wonderful series, which is um wisdom of women on Wednesdays.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: So um without further ado, I want to introduce you guys um to the founder and principal of Be Seen Public Public Relations, uh Brittany Clement Price.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the show, Brittany.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited to be hosting you.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, Ecta, I have full body chills with that intro.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: I am just so pumped to be here right now.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: Ecta when I go way back.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I'm just it was like when you asked me to come on the show, I was like, Are you sure?
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, let's hang out.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's do it.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, no, it was like a no-brainer for me.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to interview you back then.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like when we heard because you've just always been like, you know, one of those uh PR executives that I was like, she really knows what she's doing.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like I've always really just you know, I've always known that about you.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm just like so excited that we're doing this because this episode for everyone listening is going to, if you are a brown brand founder or anyone thinking about starting a brand, or you don't know anything about public relations, trust me, you're gonna learn a lot.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna learn a lot.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I can't wait to dive in, Brittany.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: But I want to get started with you.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to tell um us everything, you know, like where did it all begin for you?
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Why, you know, how did you choose public relations as your route?
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: And like just walk us down memory lane.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: Where do I start?
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so I desperately wanted to be a doctor like you.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: What?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think I was watching yes, I was like watching Gray's Anatomy.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: I was like in a in like an era of like watching way too much like doctor TV.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um that I ended up going to school for comms, and I was just like one of those anomalies that um was taking a bunch of prereqs um for med school and then like fell into a communications class and was like, oh, I like this.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, it it kind of took me down the rabbit hole of public relations.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't even realize that was like a thing that you could do.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so yeah, I started, I was like wanted to be a surgeon like Meredith Gray, and then found my way into comms and um I graduated in 2011.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: So that just tells you I'm a little bit older and ended up in an agency in Washington, DC, um, that happened to represent um Sassoon Salon.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um I don't know if you remember Sassoon, but it was like one of Oh my God, yeah.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, one of the biggest hair care brands in the world.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I was fortunate enough to um represent them across North America and really kind of fell into the beauty space.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's like kind of serendipitous that I fell into it and was um fortunate enough out of, you know, early in my career to make my way to New York Fashion Week every season and represent the hairstylists behind the scenes and really got to know the key players.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and fast forward to 2017, um, I uh my partner at the time was traveling a ton and my agency at the time was going through a big merger.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: And uh at one point I was like, and maybe you can relate to this, I was like, I want to be able to travel and have my own time.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: And so I decided to start freelancing, which was like a big girl jump for me to move from like big agency life to like freelancing on my laptop and my PJs, but here we are.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um fast forward, you know, uh seven years now, I've been doing this and I've been so fortunate to represent really some of the best names in Clean Beauty.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Ulika, For You by Tia, 4io.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, really I turn national beauty brands into bona fide media darlings, really with the power of public relations.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: So it's been such a wild journey.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: I get to meet amazing people like you along the way.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I really wake up every do, every day doing what I love, which is just such a gift um in this day and age.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: You are so like just I I love that you would have made an amazing surgeon too, by the way.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if you ever decide to switch gears, let me know.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Because honestly, I mean, you're just one of those people I feel like that can like you know how like some people just they you you can just do it all.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: I know everyone out there listening, like you they can just do it, they can switch that, you know, thing.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: And but I mean, it's just I it doesn't surprise me, you know, when you said that you went freelance and then you were like, okay, I'm just gonna do this, and then it was, you know what I mean?
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: You made it happen.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's amazing.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't surprise me at all about you because your personality, like I just, you know, I know that that is something that you can accomplish.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that because I feel like, especially with the way that entrepreneurship is, from what I've learned so far, just through this podcast um about brands and founders and stuff.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, like that uncertainty, like being able to deal with that and like come out of it and just be so successful is just phenomenal.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: So huge hats off to you.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like, thank you, Act.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: I feel best.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: No, but I mean it, like I really, really admire you as an executive.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that um be seen for everyone listening is an award-winning agency.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like this isn't just like some, I mean, uh, you know, Renee, you're very humble and you know, I value your value your humility, but it's actually a like a very like top-notch, you know, firm.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so you've really created something magical here.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I really want to learn more about it.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I I think especially for the all the brand founders out there, I would love to like kind of dive into kind of a um, I don't know, like walk us through some things, you know what I mean?
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: And clarifyings for us if that's cool.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like um PR is one of those things that can feel so like mystical, right?
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, oh my gosh, you got on like today's show.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how'd you do that?
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: Or like, what do I need to get on today's show?
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: Or it can feel very mysterious, or even um, I know for a lot of brand founders, they come to us and they're like, I don't even know where to begin.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: Or worse, yeah, they've like gone to an agency and have been burned, right?
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: Where they're like, this agency was working for months, do we need to get any results?
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what where were the hiccups there?
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so it can feel very confusing and daunting.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I'm here to simplify that for everybody.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: And you're right.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's I mean, I've gotten emails, you know, and I'm not even like, I have no idea.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: I was telling firmly, I was telling Britney before the episode started that, you know, there are some brand founders, there are people out there that reach out to me and that ask for advice.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I have no idea.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like, I know it can be confusing for brand founders, you know, especially if if there's like you know, predatory kind of people out there, you know what I mean?
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: So I yeah, you're absolutely right in what you said.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: But I want to get, I actually want to dive in with, you know, um really understanding like a brand.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: So say someone, you know, starts a brand, like a skin caroline, right?
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: And they're starting to do great, they have a good following of people, you know, they're they're getting there, you know, they're getting their their feet kind of thing.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: And but they don't know if they're ready yet or not, you know, for an actual like media presence, you know what I mean?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like a PR firm to come in and bring that kind of media presence to them.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like, can you explain it to us?
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what how do you know if your brand is ready?
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are things that you like need to kind of start thinking about, you know what I mean, as you're progressing through your entrepreneurship journey and towards that route?
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: Such a good question.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we often get brands at like different stages of their their growth.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: Either they're at like, you know, ground zero and they don't even have a brand, like they just have an idea or a concept or um maybe like some tester products that they're working on, um, all the way through to like full-scale international company retails at like Sephora and Ulta and everything in between.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so when I get on the phone with a new brand or a founder, we really, we really look at like five different key areas.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: So preparing for public relations, it's it's really not as simple as just like hiring an agency and like pushing, you know, pushing play and hoping for the best.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, we find like most of the PR-ready um brands often are, you know, they're the brainchild of like the most well-prepared teams.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you have the thoughtful founders that are really thinking through their brand concepts.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I get on the phone with a founder, I'm thinking through, okay, do you have these things?
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: I'm looking for, is it new news?
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Are you doing something different in the space that hasn't been done before?
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, have you substantiated your claims?
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: Do you have clinical trials?
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because right now, you know, I you know this more than ever.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: Consumers and um really editors right now are more uh they're more conscious about the marketing claims that brands are making.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know if we can curse on this, but they can sniff the bullshit, right?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like they're claiming all these things that they're clean, they're green, you know.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but we really want to look at the efficacy testing of the brands that we're working with.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the second thing I would say is is there a timely tie-in for what's happening right now in the space?
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so right now we're recording what in June.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so typically right now we, and we'll get into this, I'm sure, a little bit later, but we're actually looking at long leave pitching for holiday.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we want to look is look at is is there something relevant um and newsworthy that's happening right now in the beauty space or in the overall national consumer space that we can um serve this up to an editor too and get them interested in a larger story?
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: I would say yeah, right.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um the third thing is like high-rose photos.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I can't do anything.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: I can't get you placed anywhere unless I have beautiful, beautiful product and brand photos.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I'm anytime a brand comes to me and they're like, hey, we have this idea for a pitch or like a PR campaign, I'm like, cool, show me your assets.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I need to see those before we can even think about talking to an editor.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, if you're gonna invest time, money, and energy, um, definitely put those into beautiful creative and photo assets so I can serve those up to editors and producers.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then the last two things we can talk a little bit about is um samples, um, editors, and you know this, Ecta, I'm sure you get pitched all the time.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: Is you want to try the product, you want to experience it.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes, yeah.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Because that you can't talk about it if you if you don't try it.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly, exactly.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, talking about those claims that the brand is making, you want to make sure the editor can experience those those claims, you know, like is it is it a sunscreen made for um, you know, darker skin skin tones?
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: You want to send those to editors that can experience that and and know that it's not gonna show up white on your skin.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if you're making claims that it's made for all skin tones, you know, you really want to make sure that you're substantiating those claims.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then the last would be affiliate marketing.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we can talk about this a little bit later, but we're in a wild editorial space right now.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, pay to play.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: I have a lot of questions for you around this.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 11:07
  unknown: Yeah.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: Bring it on.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about it.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um we definitely want to ensure that you know you're set up uh to be successful in a very crowded beauty space.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: And you know what?
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: I I can't wait to dive into that, but just to like kind of backtrack a little bit about what everything you said, you know, and like go through it a little bit, because I think these are things that although like, you know, we're sitting here chatting and and we I now see them also like, you know, I can look through your lens and see them as true fundamentals of like, you know, pitching or like whatever it might be for a brand.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: But it's really shocking that, you know, when entrepreneurs like sometimes like I won't even lie, like sometimes I'll ask a brand, you know, hey, um, I need imagery from you.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And like if they don't have a PR firm, they're usually kind of confused about that.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, what do you mean by that?
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like what do you mean by assets?
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what does that word mean?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: And even things like that confuse people.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so I feel like it's like so interesting what you said because we've shifted into this world.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: I and correct me if I'm wrong, Brittany, but like I from what I've observed, we've we're shifting into the space now with public relations where people are now like kind of I think overstepping, you know what I mean?
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like I feel like there's this like professional, um, obviously, you know, PR is this professional realm of like understanding how things work in terms of growing a brand, but then you have this like, you know, a segue into what we're gonna talk about, which is affiliate marketing and you know, a lot of um uh what do you call it?
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um influencers and people just talking about the brand, you know.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like they get I feel like uh brand founders get caught up in this like limbo of like, do I even need all this stuff?
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: Do I need to follow this, like, you know, this more professional protocol of like approaching my growth?
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: So like I I even noticed that, you know, as a podcast.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: So it makes total sense what you said.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, marketing is number one, it's changing every single day.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what used to be, you know, working two weeks ago might not work today.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we just had AI come online.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we could talk this could be like a whole nother episode, but there's so many different channels, and like you know, there's only so many finite resources that you have.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: So, where is the best, highest use of your time and money and where to put that as a brand founder?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's really it can be treacherous.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: Now, you know, I want to, I really want to dive into affiliate marketing because you know, let's talk about it from like just like as if like just talk to me like I'm like a child.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: I have never heard of the word before, the term before, you know, like the what is affiliate marketing?
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: Why is it important?
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Why do we need to care about it?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like, just you know, give us like a T on that.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're like totally uninitiated and have no idea what affiliate marketing is, that's live under a rock like me.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's totally fine.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so affiliate marketing really is it's a system in which um third-party publishers, and we're gonna call those affiliates, um, they're actually compensated and they're paid for promoting products and services.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: So they create content.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: So either an article or for instance, perhaps a podcast, and they are paid for generating sales and traffic that actually stem from creating that content.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: And believe it or not, you probably see this every single day.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: If you're surfing the internet, you are probably getting plugged into some affiliate program, whether you know it or not.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna give you a real life example.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um recently I just moved and I need, I like lost a bag and I needed a hairbrush.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, but I have like fine hair, so I need a particular type of hairbrush.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: So I go to Google fine hairbrushes, like what are the best ones, right?
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I land on a cosmopolitan article, right?
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: The best 10 fine hairbrushes uh that our editors have tried and loved.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I click on that article, I like scroll down, I like read some of the reviews, and I click on buy now.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: It directs me to Amazon or it directs me to a direct-to-consumer website, right?
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: And then I decide, okay, I'm actually I like this product, it's got great reviews.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna add it to my cart and I'm gonna add a few more things because I've moved and it's a hot mess.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_01: And then I check out.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: Well, what actually happens on the back end is that um either Amazon or direct to consume your direct-to-consumer website, um, you have the live sale.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: A part of that sale actually goes back to the publisher.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: It would go back to Cosmopolitan.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: So Cosmo would probably get anywhere from 10 to 15% of that sale.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so yes, the products are absolutely reviewed by the editors and they're giving their like third-party stamp of endorsement, um, that stamp of credibility.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: But the publisher, we're in an era where like newsrooms are shrinking because ad dollars are shrinking.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um so Cosmo has actually found a way in many, many, many publishers.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean like CNN, New York Times, like you name it, they all have these affiliate programs set up where they would get a commission of that sale from the from the brand or from Amazon.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really gone mainstream.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: You see it every single day if you are shopping online.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's, you know, it is they're pretty transparent that their revenue is based on an affiliate model.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's interesting because I feel like I just learned something because I always like I associate it now with just influencers.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like I don't think about media anymore in that because I feel like magazines have gone out of style, you know what I mean?
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: In a weird way, of the sense of like, you know, um, unfortunately, it's an unfortunate thing because really who you should be getting advice from is editors, you know, I'm gonna be honest.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: But like I feel I didn't know that I didn't know it it still works like that, but I do know that there are influencers that are always talking about, you know, oh I you know, link this in my list or whatever, you know what I mean?
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like these are the best things I like, must-haves, whatever.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: But like, you know, that's where I think that a lot of people get lost.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I actually deal with this too, in the sense of like we are a podcast, so when I talk to brands, they're always like investing in this like UGC world.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I just I don't understand how like why why?
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: Because I mean, I get it.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: You want to be referred, you want you know, you want somebody to tell you if something is good or not, but I feel like I mean, you know, like what do you how do you feel about that?
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what how do you feel about that?
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like the whole UGC thing, because I don't I don't know if it's working, I can't tell if it's working.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you can't tell because it's working, because it is working, yeah.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: So meta.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, user-generated content.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's a way I think it's interesting.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: I can see it from the brand side, and then I can see it from the consumer side because I'm always looking at things from like a marketing perspective.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: From a marketing perspective, what we have found is that consumers are getting really, really smart and savvy as to like what feels authentic, right?
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so like I I don't know about you, but I don't really shop on ads anymore.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like I see an ad, I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't, I don't know about you, I don't click on it, right?
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: But I see like an influencer that I love and adore.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: And um she she happens to have the same problem that I do, right?
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like it could be anything from beauty related to like I'm, you know, I'm a mama too.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: So she has this, this like trick or this toy or this whatever that solves a problem for me.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: She shows how it works, she gives her opinion on it.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: And then next thing you know, I'm like filling up my Amazon card and like I've been totally influenced um by this person.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: And it feels very authentic to me.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: I know in the back of my head that I'm being targeted, right, as a consumer, but it feels better than the experience that I get with like, uh, what are they called?
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_01: They're they're called like um like display ads, right?
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: Those like flashy things that you see on websites, they retarget you and they follow you around.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm talking about?
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: So I I think it goes both ways, but I'm also like, where are we gonna get to the point where we're oversaturated with influencer and UGC content?
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know where that tipping point is.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think we're there yet, but I think we're well on our way.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's interesting.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: I like what I like how you, you know, explain that because yeah, I think it's is definitely at like it might be in a limbo period or in a place where it's not obvious enough yet for me, somebody like me, you know.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, that's that's interesting.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I guess really, you know, just also expanding on that, you know, uh you had mentioned, you know, this is a really great time to be pitching for like holiday season, right?
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: So like um I want to talk about that a little bit and uh talk about, you know, brands, um, you know, how they should be approaching this season in terms of like where should their efforts be going when it comes to getting people's eyes on their products?
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like, should they be sending products out?
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: Should they be like, what should they be doing?
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're asking about this, like right now.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: Because for marketing and PR folks, Christmas comes in July.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: So here we are.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I've created like a ton of like like uh joking content on my TikTok about this because it's like we are in ramp up season right now for holiday, um, whereas like most folks aren't even like thinking, they're like enjoying their summer, and I'm like like picking out photos from holiday shoots.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I'm so glad you're talking about this right now.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: We work with a number of beauty and lifestyle brands on holiday content uh gift guide preparation.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so as a rule of thumb, we do we make the recommendation to have like all photos, like um photos, assets, promotions.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: Really, um, I would say ideally the first week of July would be super rad, but we know that like, you know, schedules are crazy.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's hard to get, you know, shoots in.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: So even if we get samples, um like product samples in that we send to editors, photos, and like any like holiday pricing in by like July, August, um, we have a much better chance of getting that into the hands of editors, um, positioning the products in a certain, you know, well-received light, um, and then ideally landing coverage.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: You'll start to see gift guides, they're coming out earlier and earlier every year because you know, especially with affiliate folks want to be able to have enough time to have people shop.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so in our experience, a long lead story is, and when I say long lead, that's typically print.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: We pitch those out about six to nine months in advance.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I actually did have one Hearst editor tell me she was like planning content for 2024 right now, which I'm like makes my head spin.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine?
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine a podcast next year?
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: Do you do that?
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: How long is your leader?
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, well, no, we we do.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: I I am kind of planning, but not like that.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, I I don't really plan anything in my life, though.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: But like, I mean, that's crazy though.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's nuts.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, they they are back though.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: Editors always say that too, because they're always like, I remember like when I first started Syncanarchy, I know what you mean because it was so hard to just get a minute with them because I was interviewing.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: so many of them in the beginning and I was like just come on my show and to everybody was would be like right now is a really bad time like I have so much to do for next year.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like what are you talking about?
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's not even August yet.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like what is one doing?
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah no it it's it's crazy and they work like nonstop.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I I get it.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah but I mean that's interesting though that you have to have this time frame and that you need to plan for that.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: I mean that's really really important for brands to understand I think that's a huge takeaway here is that you know um that what you just said which is you know give it a few months so that you can actually prepare well so you know they so you're saying that brands should start preparing for around like July to be able to send out all of the stuff right absolutely yeah and you really want to have like you know if you're a brand new brand um and you you know I would say set aside like at least a hundred products right that like if your PR agency could send or your publicist or freelancer could send out um because what we find is like the more products we can get into folks' hands the better chance that we have of landing gift guide coverage.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then also like making sure you have high res assets.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: So if you can't actually like if you have like a very high end luxury product and you're like Britt we cannot send samples out of this like unless it's like Vogue that's asking for it.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: Which we get like you know founders are strapped we're all we're all bootstrapping our way through life right now.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: So in that case we would say then we need high res photo assets.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like we need to have solid photos.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: They need to be like your brand your product photos need to be on like a white background um so that way they can lift lift the product out and put it in their their layouts um and then ensure you have like lifestyle photos of like the product in use so we can show editors like how it's actually used.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah six to nine months is about what we're looking for.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's the lead time um but you want to start really pitching that come like July August.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's interesting.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's really interesting and I and I like what you said about the um the photo thing because I think that's very important especially in this digital age you know I mean obviously you know that you know with editorial press you know has just completely shifted in the last like what two years?
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean since I started the podcast right like it's completely transformed to from like you know more like print like half and half to just fully digital like I I don't think there's any print anymore.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: So that's yeah I know rip print I know oh my god I don't I didn't even think about it it makes me sad that's it just you know but but I mean that's really interesting in the sense of like what you had originally mentioned about like the hairbrush analogy that you gave us where it's like you know that is how we're consuming you know as consumers we're we're looking for options and you know editors need that time to yeah like make their guides you know and put it together so that makes sense okay so uh if you're a small brand plan for six to nine months basically get yourself ready for this kind of stuff cool yeah okay so now what about because I know that there's a lot of stuff right for the holidays like we see all sorts of stuff like you see gift boxes you see freaking you know admin calendars you see like everything right so like let's talk about that like what is it that we really should be focusing on like if you're a small brand or a medium sized brand or like what do you advise your clients to do with this kind of stuff yeah so it's a I'm gonna give you such a consulty answer which I like hate doing but I'm like it all depends on like what you have um it all depends so it like you know what types of products like tend to fare well during holidays um usually you see and you know this from experience as a consumer right as like someone that has purchasing power sets and kits work really really well gift bundles um holiday themed products think of like stocking stuffers like miniatures do really really well um anything that's like beautiful and unique um that people would be like proud to show off or give in like um one of my favorite pitches to actually write is like what to give for um white elephant gift exchanges like something a little bit odd and quirky right yeah um or something yeah but you wouldn't like you wouldn't buy for yourself but that you would love to receive like I love writing pitches about that because like I think of like high end like a high end fragrance like something like that would be like would do lovely in a gift guide.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: But we do find a few different product categories don't do as well um during holiday because you really want to save that for like new year, new you or perhaps like winter um you know think about seasonality your skin tends to dry out during the winter or there's going to be a seasonal change.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: You don't really want to be pitching like skincare or um healthy aging products during that time just because it's very crowded and we don't tend to see a lot of pickup on that.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah so you want like the kind of like the glitz and glam around that time because everyone's looking for the the cool stuff basically yeah who did all the cool stuff on holiday yeah I mean I mean I I guess it's all cool but yeah I know what you mean it's like more like eye catching more like it grabs your attention yeah that makes sense I mean honestly like especially with like how like consumers like I don't know about you but like I am that consumer that will literally shop the day before Christmas.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: Oh like I think a thousand percent literally like I will run you know what I mean to a store and grab what I need to like wrap everything like so I feel like I feel like if you are a brand and you're able to just kind of do that homework for consumers it makes sense completely what you say because if I can go and just pick up like you know what I mean like a gift like a pat a bundle or something right it has like everything I need and if it's like a skincare thing like you know it has got like an overnight mask in it you know it's got like the cool little sleeping eye patch thingy whatever you know like stuff like that it makes sense like it's more catchy and it's quick and I feel like with the hustle and bustle like you're more likely to sell those you know so it it makes sense.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_01: Can I add to that I would say a couple things brands really want to want to think about is like one shipping right like if you can market the fact that you can get things to them by by Christmas or by Hanukkah or by like the new year if you can um arrange your shipping such that like you can get it there quickly I think that's great for like last minute shoppers like you and I um can't personally get my life together before then but if you can arrange your shipping and market that in a way that makes sense to a consumer of like for the last minute shoppers that makes total sense.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: And then to your point you made such a great point about like bundling it together it's like you can re-merchendize what you already have and make that pitchworthy.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_01: So like if you have a sleeping mask and you have a um you know a cute lip gloss and you have like all these different products you can just re-merchendize them and bundle them to make them giftable um we call it putting lipstick on a pig um because like it's like if you don't have the thing to pitch, you can re-engineer a way to pitch it and to make it newsworthy.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that takes obviously a super smart PR person, but then also being willing to like you know do some back work on your D2C site or on your Amazon storefront.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: So that actually you know that's really interesting Brittany because I always wondered this because I feel like with PR, I mean I'm not gonna lie to you, you know, I I think the boundaries do get blurred a little bit right because I mean you guys do so much and I always I've been saying this I swear since the beginning of Century Anarchy that PR executives are some of the most like brilliant people I think I've ever met in my life.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: You guys have this ability to multitask like no other but at that same time you're not like you know superheroes either right I mean there's limits to what you can like do in terms of how to position a brand what a brand should do to every like small detail.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: So like you know do you often find yourself in situations where you have to like advise a brand like oh you should probably put these things together like these are your products that do well put them together.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: I mean do you ever find yourself in those kind of situations?
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_01: Oh absolutely absolutely I think a good PR executive worth their salt um you know you have you have somebody like me who's like been in in the business for a very long time right so I can advise on those things whereas like if and this is where it goes back to like when you interview your PR agency if you have like a junior account rep on it who like you know it's just like a a media relations machine which is like some brands need that right they just need somebody to like get in be scrappy and like you know pitch the the pitch the heck out of your products.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: But I I find that the brands that come to us they're really looking to they need more of they need um they need a cheerleader they need a therapist they need somebody in their court that's going to help them like advise and really position them in the right way.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: So more often than not the clients that come to us and that I really enjoy working with are looking for more of that like high level subject matter expertise you know understands not only what's happening in the digital space but like really wholesale what's going on in retail like where where where are those retailers that we should be going after how does retail actually affect how we're pitching um because it all kind of ties together.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah more often than not we're getting brands that really need that holistic 360 view of marketing and PR and how those two work hand in hand.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: That makes sense yeah that makes really because I've always see that's why I asked you because marketing and PR to me have always been this like you know what I mean like this marriage between the two.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like you know you I it's like every time I you know find myself like for example with you like you know you're an amazing executive and so anyone else that I you know feel is just really really great at their job and they're in PR I'm like you know marketing like the back of your hand.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean like you can really tell a brand what to do and when to you know what I mean so that's I feel like like what sets a good PR firm like for me personally like I can see that now having been in these shoes of you know being pitched and stuff that that sets PR firms apart because there's a lot that don't know how to do that like at all.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: You know so that's interesting.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah I I'm I'm sensing that there's gonna be you know we had like PR 2.0 right when like influencers came online right I'm gonna date myself but like back in like 2011 when mommy bloggers like started to turn into these like mega influencers we saw a big like tectonic shift in like the public relations industry.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: I think we're seeing another wave and another shift um I would say definitely that started like last year.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_01: I think we're seeing another shift in the marketing and PR landscape.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I think you know if I had any advice for like a you know founder right now it's like find somebody that can do both.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: Find somebody that can flex on both because the two really work hand in hand.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's like one thing to have a publicist that can like pitch all day every day but it's another it's totally you're gonna hit a totally new level of growth when you find somebody that can really flex on both sides.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm so glad you brought that up.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and you know what it's I kind of have a follow-up question too you know to that because I feel like you know especially with this digital landscape now do you feel like like the PR industry is like kind of like consolidating in a way in in that you know in that regard because like you know what I mean like it's like you either get a good PR firm or you get screwed and you're stuck with somebody who stole your money basically I mean that's how I see it.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah it's like such a bummer when I find um you know brand founders believe me you know I I own my own company too and I they come to me and I like relate so hard when they're like Brit I just like I feel like I've I I've lost faith in in in your industry because I I got burned and I'm spending all this time talent energy like just trying to get this brand off the ground and then they come to me and it's just heartbreaking right because it's like maybe they didn't have the right assets in place or maybe the expectations were mismanaged or maybe the PR agency like just kind of they just like kind of shit the bed you know it's like they they just didn't have the right tools in place to to make it successful.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_01: Or they didn't have someone actually giving them the hard truth of like hey actually that that product is is not it's not pitchworthy right now.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: Let's see if we can reengineer and re like rework this or maybe we should start with some thought leadership pitching right like let's start to like build up your brand as a founder.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_01: So really finding somebody that like can advise I think um rather than just like pitch um I think it's just so important because you know we all spend especially brand founders you spend so much it's when you when you create a product it's like creating a baby it's yours and it's you it's it's really hard to see that and it's really hard to watch that you want to you know you want to put it in the best hands possible.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: You know you want to but you know set it up for success.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely and I feel like you know this is something that I'm very passionate about because like there you know like I know for a fact like you know I mean you were there in the beginning when Skinarity started and like you know you gave us like you know so many opportunities and I and I I've had that you know very few people in this industry like the PR industry um I've encountered like yourself you know I can count you guys on you know two hands literally because I mean it's like it you either see the potential or you don't you know what I mean and it's like this honed in skill that you guys have and I think for brands I just want to say like you know in a very heartfelt way that I think if you're a brand founder out there and you don't have a PR firm rather than just going for some firm that's just maybe cheaper or whatever that correct thing is that's hooking you on them maybe save up a little bit.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_00: And just go to the right people because like the in terms of like you know return of investment when it comes to PR, it's like it's exactly what you said, Brittany it's like you kind of have to know your stuff.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: You got to have uh you know both your feet and you know one in marketing one in the PR side you know you got to know the industry.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think for a lot of brands they kind of get like you know um they get stuck in this like you know short-term gains versus really going to somebody and putting their dollars in the right places you know what I mean and then before you know it you've run out of$50,000 and you don't know what to do anymore.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know like it's it it's really it's sad, you know, to see that I literally want to record this and like put everything you just said into my pitch deck.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like yes this is exactly what I'm talking about because it's no yeah it's true though.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_00: I mean at the end of the day like you know because I the thing is here's here's my thing as a complete outsider and you please add to this if I'm saying anything wrong or whatever.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like I feel like PR's role is to refine you.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's to refine you.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_00: And if you don't have an agency that can that knows how to do that you're just giving people your money you know and I see that a lot and it's crazy because I think because we're in the podcast side of things we're not just like straight up editorial you know what I mean like it's like I see it more for some reason and I always wonder to myself like why are you in such a rush as a as a new brand and founder to get a PR firm?
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_00: Why don't you figure out what your needs are first and then go and find those right people like you know and so I I just I think that that's where the homework really needs to be done.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I think for me that's where my question is for you as well is that that homework, you know, where should brands go to really do their homework on PR, you know firms like obviously you know B seen PR guys, FYI, huge candidate here, okay?
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_00: Let's be honest.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_00: But you know if like just to you know get their feet wet like what would you recommend to brand founders just to get started in doing their homework?
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh can we just talk about the elephant in the room?
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's pricing.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone's talking about pricing it's like oh PR is so expensive.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like well I mean yeah it takes a lot of time talent energy to get placed and to like really build that brand authority and credibility for consumers.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_01: And so I I like literally wrote out a script of like I want brand founders to like steal this script of it is not always apples to apples when you're shopping for PR agencies.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_01: So just like if you are going to take notes if you're like a note taker on this you know on this podcast here's a couple questions.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_01: If you like get on the phone with a PR agency and you're just like interviewing and shopping around a few things I like want you and like ask you to ask your PR agency.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_01: One is how much support the agency is going to dedicate to the brand and the account like is that in terms of time is it terms of placements you know is it going to be an account manager or like an intern or is it going to be like an executive with long-term experience so that's the first question you want to ask.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_01: Second is what types of results does this agency drive like you need to be asking for case studies like is you know similar case studies if in your brand is it a skincare brand a hair care brand like have you worked with this type of product before in your past okay it's data data from data data points oh my gosh you're a scientist like of course you know um definitely it's data yeah and then um look PR and I'm just gonna like shoot straight with you it is notoriously difficult to track and report return on investment.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um so if you need if you're like the type that like I need dollars to cents to know exactly what my ROI is on PR, I'm gonna say PR is not for you.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah you can't do that with podcasts either by the way F Y I supporting there you know some of these sales that I get from my podcast interview.
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's so much like I I can't I'm not even gonna go down that road because you're gonna have me here for 30 minutes just ranting.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be about me rather than me interviewing you.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: But no I mean I really I I hear you there though it is like that ROI portion is it you that needs to be clarified in the mind of brand founders for sure.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely um and so the last question I would ask is like hey agency what do you like provide me in terms of reporting and insights and how often do I get the reporting and insights um we ask all of our clients for access to Google Analytics.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_01: I want to know exactly I want as much data as possible to know that what we're doing is working for you.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna ask for access to your Google Analytics um I'm gonna set up you know a tracker in there to ensure that like we are driving website traffic.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_01: And if you have affiliate marketing I'm gonna set that up for you too to ensure that we're actually driving sales because with affiliate marketing we talked about not being able to you know connect ROI to PR but with affiliate marketing because it is pay to play technically you're able to actually like bridge that gap um but that's only with affiliate.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_01: So ask your agency what types of reporting and insights you're gonna get and then how does that actually you know ladder back up to your brand growth?
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know what KPIs, what key performance indicators is your marketing or PR agency looking for um and so that's you know some of the basic questions I would ask whenever you get on the phone with a PR agency.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_00: I love that that's such a nice shortlist and for our own listing by the way I'm going to definitely compile the that shortlist Brittany that you just meant you know you list off here because I think that's a really really great place to start you know because there are so many brands I mean you know this you I mean you see them every day right new skincare brands especially everyone's coming up you know how many times people tell me you know I I think I'm just gonna start a line and I have to tell them like why like why why why don't right now don't do it please don't like because there's so much saturation in this space like it's crazy.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like what is what okay what are you seeing is gonna be like the new hot next like what like what's coming up I don't even I couldn't even begin to tell you like what hasn't been invented yet nothing is coming that's what I'm saying like literally like the science is at a standstill right now with skin health like it's it's crazy to me because you know even like you know no matter what niche you're in no matter what industry you're in like it's like you have to evaluate like is this the right time for me you know it's like and that's where I feel like also with PR people get confused because they think that you guys just have a magic wand you know what I mean and it like if you don't have a good product there's nothing anyone can do for you.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_00: There's just not much you can do there, you know so yeah like but how do you deal with that though?
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever had situations like that where you've been with you know I mean you don't have to name anybody but like if there's like a brand you're just like oh my god how am I gonna get you you know like out there because your product is not there yet or something garbage.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah you suck.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_01: We call that repositioning Ecta.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah okay uh yeah there are I mean first things first is like I we always ask to try the brand before we put it into the hands of editors because at the end of the day it's like to your point no we cannot wave a magic wand to be like hello Heather Muir of Real Simple magazine you need to write about this because we're friends like no absolutely not like we can't do that.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_01: And what I find is like often I've had a few executives come to me recently they're like but you have really great relationships like why can't you just like leverage those relationships I was like it does like relationships especially right now yes they're great but like they don't they don't matter as much as the story.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_01: They don't matter as much as the product efficacy like I could have my my sister could be the you know editor in chief of Vogue and she wouldn't write about me if I didn't have a kick ass product and a kick ass story.
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like it that doesn't matter anymore.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_01: And so your question was yes I've absolutely turned on brands where I'm like I cannot like you out of this not with your consciousness because eventually yeah it's gonna get back to a consumer.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah no I mean that's so real though.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that you I love your like you know just candid response thank you for that.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like I know it's it's it's one of those you know on the spot questions kind of thing but it's true.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I I see that, you know what I mean?
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I wonder that about like, you know, from your like just you know, walking a day in your shoes kind of thing, right?
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, gosh, I couldn't even imagine trying to reposition, as you said, this brand because there's nothing to position, you know, it's just like there.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I mean it's it's you know, I I think that that's something also that brand founders, you know, we need to consider.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think all of us, like, you know, if you're gonna go into entrepreneurship, and you know, it's funny because I had actually asked the same question, Brittany, to a VC that I interviewed as well for like seed stage funding.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_00: And she had given me a very similar response as you had, you know, just to, you know, kind of parallel things a little bit for the audience out there, you know, it's like there's nothing that can be done if you don't believe in what you're selling, you know what I mean?
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you haven't done that white space homework and that real nitty gritty, like, am I really creating something here?
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: Am I just like duping something or whatever that is?
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, there's nothing anyone can really do that you because that that's that's called innovation, right?
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_00: That's called coming from you.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I guess.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: So okay, so round I want to round everything out because I really want you to give me some advice for young professionals.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like they need it, and you know what?
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's crazy because every time I put a like an intern post up, um, my PR intern posts go like crazy and I get a person in a day.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I know a lot of people are going into PR.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_00: I know a lot of young professionals are wanting to go into this field.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_00: However, I think that there's definitely something to be said about what they should be doing to prep themselves.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_00: I want to get your advice on that.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you could give us some like nuggets of wisdom for them.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, the biggest piece of advice.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I have two.
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_01: Can I give two?
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_01: My first is like you're not okay.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_01: I think like getting jobs and like dating are very similar.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you need to do a lot of it to figure out most importantly, not what you like, but what you don't like.
• 46:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think that is more valuable than anything in this world is figuring out what you don't like.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll give it a real life example.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_01: I and which and like what your like superpowers are.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_01: I um felt like my very first like intern job, I ended up uh working at an event planning agency.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_01: And they're actually one of our clients now, believe it or not.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I just like adore the founder, but I was not an event planner.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm not an event planner.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_01: I don't like it, I don't enjoy it.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_01: I had great experience doing it and learned exactly what I don't like.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_01: And that was more valuable to me than anything I've ever experienced because like dating, it's like you get to figure out like, oh, I don't like that quality, or like I don't like talking to that person that way.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_01: And you get to figure out like the magic of like where your superpowers are.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_01: And so that would be my first piece of advice to someone trying to get into this industry because it's not for everybody and it's definitely not for the faint of heart.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_01: That makes sense, yeah.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then my second piece of advice, um, write as much as possible, like get your hands on all types of different writing because I would say 90% of my day is spent writing, like writing email comms to clients or to writing pitches, um, writing PR plans, writing talking points.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I and I love writing.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_01: So, like if you don't like writing, do not get into PR.
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_01: It is not, you're not going to enjoy it.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's not gonna be fun for anybody.
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so get your hands on as much writing as possible because I find my best writers are my best publicists.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they are like the hardest workers that I have.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_01: And they just and they and they enjoy it.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_01: They enjoy seeing their pitches get picked up, and it's like it's it's the it's the best experience ever when you finally get like a hold of that producer or a hold of that journalist.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like you just light up because your writing is really what sold them.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I'd be my two pieces of advice.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_00: So you think like journalism might be like a good minor or something to like take the like for a thousand percent.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_01: One thousand percent.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_01: We're actually seeing a lot of journalists migrate over to people, they're coming to the dark side.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they're coming for the arc.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_01: So we see a lot of freelancers, which is great because like we need we need all the help we can get.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_01: The brand, you know, brands need all the help they can get.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that you know, that's really, really solid advice because I actually, you know, just I've noticed that as well, you know, in just my very small endeavors of getting peer interns to help out, you know, with our emails and stuff.
• 48:31
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just like it, it's like they're deer and headlights, you know what I mean?
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's just like they don't know what to even say to write back to say yes, you know, like okay, or something.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like a pitch is a long way away, you know what I mean?
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's like just you know, that initial like breaking the ice or like you know, getting into like how to interact with people and stuff.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I can totally see what you mean.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's solid advice.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I hope everyone listening out there, if you are somebody that is, you know, considering public relations as your career path, like, you know, definitely take heed to what Brittany said and you know, like learn from the really great publicists out there.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, Brittany, you're one of the greatest I've met, you know, and so I I really, really value your advice.
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that that, you know, young professionals, honestly, you guys need to start reaching out.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's another thing is like if someone wants to reach out to you, Britt, can would would that be okay if we like the please do?
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_01: I hold um what's called like office hours on Fridays.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so it like I treat it as like a hot seat.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if you know folks are looking for some like advice or just some like experience, um, we're here for that because I know for me, like I I stand on the shoulders of giants.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like I did not get into this position without the female founders and owners and agency folks that like really carried me.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so my my hope is to like hand you know, hand my hand out to the next um woman that's looking to do the same.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I honestly I thank you so much.
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_00: This has been so fun, and I could literally talk to you for like a whole series.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_00: We should do that.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_00: We should do that we should do it.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm here for it.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely for real.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like I feel like that would be so beneficial.
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I and I just love learning from you about this because it's such a it's a gray field, you know what I mean?
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_00: PR is a very gray area, you know, for I think of most of us out here.
• 50:23
  SPEAKER_00: So um, but yeah, thank you so much, Brittany, and for everyone listening out there.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you guys love this episode and I would love to hear your feedback, you know, and your insights.
• 50:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are a brand founder, you know, um, did this help you?
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know, all the insights that Britney shared about, you know, getting ready for the holiday season and you know, just affiliate marketing, all those um nuggets, you know.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to hear from you what your feedback is, what you want to hear more about in terms of PR.
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, uh, thank you so much, and I will be back next time.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 50:57
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• 51:02
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• 52:01
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