Jamie Grabert

🔈 Thursday Thoughts: Demystifying How to Pitch to Local Media I recently secured coverage with several major local San Francisco Bay Area-based media outlets. Here's what I observed: 💡 No RSVPs: Broadcast media, such as TV and radio, tend not to RSVP to events. They just show up! 💡 Relationships Matter: It's crucial to have direct contact with assignment editors and individual reporters. While this sounds like common sense, I often see many (especially tech PR specialists) pitching irrelevant news to random reporters. 💡 Early Risers: Pitches need to go out early in the morning—sometimes as early as 4 am—to capture the attention of assignment editors, especially in broadcast media. 💡 Be a Producer: Due to newsroom budget cuts, the cameraman may also act as the reporter onsite. As a PR pro, you need to act as a producer and help shape the story. Amateur PR specialists often just stand by and watch the interview happen. I've seen this many times. They should be able to line up interviewees and provide background information to help shape the story. 💡 Cultural Competency: I often see PR 'pros" treat journalists who are people of color like second-class citizens. The journalists notice and remember this treatment. I've had several off-the-record conversations with POC journalists in mainstream media who have declined pitches from major PR agencies because of their attitude. 💡 Kindness Matters: Thank everyone after the interview is done. I take care of my journalists when they're onsite—I make sure they are fed and hydrated. 💡 Mass Email: Good news! Local media is open to mass pitches. However, make sure you include the right reporters and conduct one-on-one follow-ups. Entertainment, political, and community press are okay with mass pitches. However, do NOT do this with the tech press—you will end up on the naughty list. 💡 Hire Local: Local media outlets are not fans of big national agencies pitching local stories. It can come across as inauthentic. I recommend bringing on a regional PR specialist to help you navigate the local nuances. #PR #MediaRelations #MediaStrategy

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One Creator's Opinion Plummets a Company to Near Bankruptcy?! 🤯 Marques Brownlee published a video titled "This is the Worst Car I've Ever Reviewed" which was a detailed review of the Fisker Ocean. True to the title, he didn't recommend the car. The stock was at 75 cents per share on the day he published that video and is currently at 6 cents per share today. Shortly after the video went live, the Fisker team wanted to know how Marques got a hold of the car. They tracked down and called the owner of the vehicle that rented Marques the car for the review. They asked him a variety of questions and showed a lot of concern. Little did the Fisker team know the owner was recording the whole conversation and, shortly after, published it on TikTok. The TikTok went viral, and it has racked up 6+ million views so far. The video is definitely worth a watch: https://lnkd.in/gFmcWpJx MKBHD gave them another fair shot because they stated they've resolved many of the issues with an update. The video just went live and already has wracked up 990k views so far: https://lnkd.in/gNhtT__H Kudos to Marques for giving them a second shot. The real question is, did Marques really cause Fisker to lose that much value? No. Fisker has been losing value since their IP back in 2020. Do I think this is the perfect case study of the power of creators in the press? Absolutely. If you plan to offer a product or service to the public, be prepared for genuine reviews. Be prepared for consumers and creators to share their opinions about your company. Ensure that your product or service is truly valuable to the general public. If it is, this will build up your brand in the marketplace. If it isn't valuable, it will hurt you.

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With significant trade shows looming at the end of 2024 and a multitude of them on the horizon in 2025 -- When clients start hemming and hawing over whether to invest in having a PR pro on the ground with them at the biggest trade show in their industry, where they have a booth, new products and services to showcase, and even a speaker -- my answer is clear -- make the investment. Here's why: While not all industry trade shows have press attending, the ones that do require strategic planning and in my experience the ROI of bringing your PR team is evident: On-site media relationships: Face-to-face meetings build genuine connections that email can't replicate. Your PR team can secure spontaneous coverage opportunities. Without a PR person on site to identify media and make introductions, you could leave the show without ever having a press interaction. Real-time narrative control: When news breaks or competitors make announcements, your PR team can respond immediately and shape the convers tion. In addition, there will be major topics at the show, and your PR partner can help you be nimble by ensuring your thought leaders can weigh in and be part of that conversation. Content multiplication: One trade show generates weeks of content - from pre-show announcements to live social coverage to post-event feature stories. Executive visibility: If your PR team has helped secure speaking opportunities at the show, they should be there to help establish the follow-up media interviews, positioning your leaders as industry experts. The PR team can also read the room to see what part of the talk really engaged the audience and then coach your speaker for future talks! Competitive intelligence: Your PR team gains invaluable insights by monitoring competitor messaging and media reactions in real-time. They also will visit the booths of your competition and be able to ask questions to gather info. Pro Tip for Budget Planning: Keep trade show PR support separate from your retainer. Unless your retainer indicates a commitment for your agency team to attend a show, the budget has yet to be allocated. At Red Fan Communications, we offer dedicated day rates for our clients that ensure their assigned media relations professional focuses solely on their company—not juggling multiple clients at the same show. This means: #1 Undivided attention to their goals #2 Exclusive media relationship building #3 Real-time strategic support #4 No competing priorities #5 Maximum ROI from their investment We believe our clients and their stories deserve focused attention. The cost of hiring a PR team member is minimal compared to a company's overall trade show investment, especially when that team is solely dedicated to amplifying your presence. #B2BMarketing #PublicRelations #TradeShows #CorporateCommunications

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Don't sleep on Subtack! I've talked about this platform before, but it's still growing as more creators, influencers, and journalists jump on board for content creation and publishing. The audiences may be smaller, but they're also more loyal and engaged. This article breaks down how Substack can be a great tool for media relations. #MediaRelations #PublicRelations #EarnedMedia

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Good episode of 'Search Off The Record' covering a confusing topic for site owners and SEOs -- hreflang and internationalization. Includes... LDCP - 'Language demotion, country promotion', the lang attribute in html (and if Google cares about it), when and how to use x-default, the 'hreflang magic trick' (which I have written about several times), how only canonicals are reported in GSC (and why that can be frustrating for site owners/SEOs), why hreflang can work faster when provided via html (versus sitemaps), learn if hreflang used for discovery, and more. #google #seo

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Are you prepared to get fired? You should be. This week, here in the SF Bay Area, media watchers are buzzing about some high-profile sports radio announcers who got the axe, unexpectedly. Including a guy who’d been on the air for 28 years and, arguably, help build the station. The economics of legacy media are a $#!& show, so cuts are hardly a surprise. But when big-name talent with highly-rated shows aren’t safe, it’s a good reminder that the nobody has job security. Even if everything seems rosy with your current gig, you should take steps to prepare yourself for your next one. Four tips: → Get your site together. Regardless of what you do, you should have a “portfolio site.” More than a resume, it’s a site that collects achievements and shows your work. (Non-creative types, you should have site/portfolio, too!) Grab copies of your work, decks, and performance metrics NOW before you lose access to the server. Don’t wait until you need it; build now and maintain as you go. → Build your personal brand. (I know, it’s cringe. But it’s the way of the world.) You don’t have to be a prolific LinkedIn poster, but you need to consider who you are professionally and what value you bring to the table. Find avenues to demonstrate that value. Identify 3-4 ways a year you can “get out there” and show your stuff. Maybe that’s creating your own projects, sharing work on your social channels, writing an article, speaking at a conference, starting a side hustle. → ABCYN. Always Be Cultivating Your Network. You don’t have to do this in a sleazy sales-y sort of way, but you’re going to NEED the help of your connections at various points of your career. So make those connections. Grab coffee. Drop notes. Congratulate people when you see them do something awesome. Offer help to others. Be genuine, but make an effort to reach out. → Take the interview. Even if you love your job, you should always see what’s out there and keep your options open. It’s helps keep your interview chops sharp and it helps you understand your current value in the marketplace. You don’t have to lead ‘em on—if you’re not a serious candidate after the first meeting, you can withdraw your name. It's still worth it. “But I’m super busy with projects for my current employer. I don’t have time for all this.” YOUR career is at least as important as the work you’re doing for somebody else. Invest some time in yourself. Don’t wait for that unexpected meeting with your manager and HR to pop onto your calendar before you get your act together. P.S. Seriously, if you don't have an up-to-date portfolio site, do SOMETHING today to move the ball forward. Buy the URL. Write down the 2-3 projects you'd want to include. Pull the assets off the server that you'll need. Take a micro-step toward taking charge of your career. Do it!

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All you automotive marketing, comms, and PR people are no doubt used to the fire drill of preparing scripts and presentations for CES and NAIAS: Everyone wants to have everything nailed down before the holidays, but for one reason or another, this simply doesn’t happen. Perhaps you’re waiting on approvals, or your executive nixes the polished draft, saying the speech falls flat or doesn’t tell the right story. It could be that your outline reads well but doesn’t connect with a live audience. (You tested it being read live, right?) Or maybe your writer needs fresh eyes from someone who hasn’t lived in the company’s echo chamber. We’ve all been there — and have had to race to develop something new. Whatever the case, consider getting some outside help. Chris Terry, Telemetry’s Vice President of Strategic Communications, has been in the speechwriting game since 1997. He has written for executives presenting at the Traverse City management briefing seminar, the Chicago auto show, NAIAS, a $20 million global OEM dealer show, and more. He wrote much of Ford CEO Mark Field’s keynote address for CES 2015, and more recently, he wrote one of our client’s remarks for SXSW, explaining a technical subject in an easy-to-understand way. He’s a speechwriting enthusiast. (Yes, they exist.) To be clear, Chris does not work alone. He’s supported by a full-time team of editors who provide critical feedback. If you could use help writing a speech from scratch, punching up an existing draft, or recasting something to make it better address a specific audience, we’re here for you. Reach out to me directly at [email protected].

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As our world gets more fraught and complex, audiences are increasingly choosing news sources which are more visual, reports are more watched, less read, with YouTube continuing its rise. The implications of this trend for deep understanding of difficult issues is worth pondering. More people are concerned about how to grapple with the rising torrent of fake news, and many having doubts about how AI might be deployed by newsrooms. Edelman has partnered with the Reuters Institute for this annual report as we are all in the business of communicating and good, credible and trusted information is critical to everyone in that process

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The next phase for AI in PR will be the deployment of agentic solutions. What that will look like for agencies is a hotly debated topic, and views on how agencies will evolve to sustain their relevancy, are still polarised. My view is that in the next 36 months, the operational architecture of the brand-agency relationship will fundamentally change across five areas: 1. How agencies collaborate with clients 2. How agencies collaborate with journalists & alternative media 3. Work done by humans vs machines 4. Who agencies hire 5. How agencies charge Software, workflow automation, AI and internal people processes will envelop each of these board-level discussions - and underpinning this will be a technological transformation that unlocks a new way of working, delivering a new wave of business model innovation in PR. In April I wrote a piece for PRWeek about the industry needing a new taxonomy for PR agencies integrating AI into their work, and how I believed it was important to make the distinction between agencies adopting consumer-grade AI solutions, deploying prompt engineers, and those building their own proprietary technology. Further development of our software and evolving ways in which we collaborate with clients, agencies, and journalists, has lead me to add a new category to this original taxonomy - based on the rise of agentic PR. Below I have shared my thinking for how this will affect agency operations in the future, and provided some insights against business model changes we're witnessing first-hand. Thanks ever to Gideon Joseph, Paul Stollery (he/him), Darryl Sparey (Chart.PR, FPRCA, FCIPR), Nick Wilkins, Vinay Chaudhri, Kim Rubey (she/her), Justin Westcott, Steve Loynes, Marcus Exall, Justina Chung, Camille Oster, Robin Dhara, Simon Fransson, Piotr Bombol and Felix Meston for the mentorship, and providing a sounding board against this development of process and thinking.

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Is PR still relevant? Are #PR pros being pushed to the margins? I want to share @Bill Byrne's article in Agility PR Solutions as a follow up to my previous post on the continuing changes in the PR landscape from even just a couple of years ago. Bill clearly lays out 3 key areas PR agencies should incorporate (or reincorporate) now - as in immediately. #agencylife #marcomms #PR #PRPros #digitalmarketing https://lnkd.in/gGx-y2Hh

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The power of a “transmedia” approach. Henry Jenkins, the provost professor of communication, journalism, cinematic arts, and education at the University of Southern California, describes transmedia storytelling as a process in which integral elements are dispersed across multiple channels to create a coordinated entertainment experience. When first explaining the concept more than a decade ago, he cited The Matrix, which remains a quintessential example of a transmedia story told via three live-action films, a series of animated short features, comic books, and several video games. There is no single source; to grasp the entire Matrix universe, you need to experience them all. More @ https://lnkd.in/dNkkyYeq #storytelling #digitalcommunication #transmedia #crossmedia #brandstorytelling University of Southern California @Professor Henry Jenkins USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Anushka Kartha

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EV & EV charging executives: I’ve been guilty of these top 3 reasons that journalists might block a PR person 😭 Why? Because early in my PR career, clients asked me to. Stories I surely embarrassed myself by pitching include: 🙃A few rebrands and new websites 🙃A chatbot that utilized data from a well-known publication (spoiler alert: no other publication cared) 🙃An executive who was passionate about cigars 🙃A partnership with a video game client and a kids’ TV dinner brand And even though I knew my irrelevant pitch or over-the-top marketing speak wouldn’t secure a story, I always prayed that a journalist would get back to me with some *constructive* criticism that I could pass on to my client. Most of the time, I was ghosted 👻 But these failed pitches taught me two important lessons: ☝ I’m the expert in this situation. Clients are coming to me for my valuable counsel and RESULTS. They aren’t looking for a yes person. ✌️I don’t have to wait for feedback. I can get it as soon as I need it if I know who to ask. So, e-mobility executives, do you know who to ask for feedback on your brand’s PR & communications strategy? If you do, are they the expert your company really needs to grow? If you have any doubts at all, I want to help. Send me an email with your PR challenges or to set some time to discuss them: [email protected] 🔋Hi, I’m Alex! I run a PR consulting company for EV, EV charging and e-mobility brands where we focus on building good reputations, so your brand can reach its most ambitious goals 🚀 From Cision’s 2024 State of the Media report:

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When executed well, embargoes are a great way to build trust and rapport with the journalists you work with most often and establish relationships with new contacts. When used incorrectly or too often, it could hurt your credibility and waste journalists’ time. Get more tips in my latest blog 👇

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Navigating the complexities of technology markets can feel like wandering through a maze. Without the right guide, it’s easy to get lost. Many PR agencies might lead you in circles, trying to learn your industry as they go. You need a partner who knows the way, with a deep understanding of your sector and established media relationships. This knowledge can turn a daunting maze into a clear path forward. Seek out the experts who can guide you straight to your goals. Looking for direction? See what that might look like: https://lnkd.in/ejvu8yQE #PRStrategy #B2B #IndustryExpertise #RankinPR #TechPR

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Thanks, Doug Simon, for having me on the podcast to chat about building authentic brand identities. I love the challenge of helping companies in a crowded market stand out. Listen/watch the episode below and if you're looking to create a brand identity that truly resonates, let's connect!

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Do you want to know the honest truth about press releases? They are becoming less and less necessary – this can be a hard pill to swallow for some PR practitioners who have been invested in the game for some time. Now, let me explain myself… For a brand focused on expertise, thought leadership, or situational relevance, a press release may be excessive for securing media coverage. Also, not to mention, with the rise of digital communication and endless accessibility to information, many audiences now look to social media for their news and updates. Does this mean to stop activating press releases altogether? Absolutely not! Press releases still work great for BIG NEWS or multi-stakeholder situations, as well as for historical tracking on websites and boosting SEO when they are distributed over the wire. And a skilled communications partner should be able to distinguish these differences to strategically lead your goals 😉 #Siren #SirenStrategy #StrategicCommunication #PR #Founder #CEO #WomenOwned #WomenLed #Entrepreneur #PressRelease #Truth #EarnedMedia

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I'm more convinced than I've ever been that traditional PR is outdated, and adtech companies should be taking a content-led PR approach. But my view of why has shifted. I used to view it from the supply lens. "There are too few journalists and too many marketers. It's too hard to compete for reporters' attention. So, take the message into your own hands." The conclusion is right (I think), but the reasoning is different. The main reason you need to change your marketing approach is not the ratio of marketers to journalists. It actually has very little to do with the traditional media. It's about how people (including your customers) consume information. Your customers are people. They work for businesses, but on an individual level, they're just like you and me. And how do we all get our news and information? Is it the same as it was in 2005 when the media site / blog was dominant? No. Most of us spend the bulk of our time on social: LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit. We listen to podcasts (both by traditional and non-traditional media). We read newsletters like Ari Paparo's, Eric Seufert's, and U of Digital's. Media sites are part of this mix; I don't think they are the dominant part of it. So, why would your comms approach not treat each of these channels equally? Why would you not optimize for the way your customers are learning about the industry and researching their buying choices? The modern B2B comms mix is primarily as follows: 1. Social (mostly LinkedIn and Twitter) 2. Email (newsletters) 3. Audio (podcasts) 4. Traditional media (AdExchanger, Ad Age, etc) It's all part of the mix. But most adtech companies way overindex on #4 (because it's how PR has always worked) and way underindex on nos. 1, 2, and 3. Our industry's biggest cliché is meeting the customer wherever they are with the right message. Are you taking your own advice?

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Interesting difference in the dominant reason for marketing spending being impacted for CMO's of B2B vs. B2C, especially as it relates to corporate performance being the primary driver. What do you think might be missing from this list?

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