Lindsay Colker’s Post

🚨 WAKE UP CALL 🚨 It's time to say goodbye to the same old routine of issuing 4 press releases a month. ✌️ It’s time to stop *blindly* sending pitches to a massive list of reporters, and constantly spinning minor updates as "news." That’s the PR playbook from 2005. 🥱 It's time to strive for something greater, folks. More impactful. It's time to be a *provocateur*. It’s time to build a narrative that showcases the stark difference between the past your audience is stuck in — — and the bold future *you* represent. This is a battle between mediocrity and metamorphosis. And it’s up to YOU to lead the charge. Ok, so how? 🤷♂️ Infuse this bold new narrative into every aspect of your brand, from marketing to media interviews, podcasts, LinkedIn and all your owned, paid, and earned channels. Make it your north star and give your employees something meaningful to chase after. 🌟 🏃♀️🏃🏃♂️💨 It's time to be known not for your quarterly upgrades, but for being a champion of the *new way of doing business in your industry*. This is a mindset shift… a departure from the traditional PR methods. This isn’t “how it’s always been done.” But make no mistake: This is the way ✊ #publicrelations #pragency

🚨 WAKE UP CALL 🚨 It's time to say goodbye to the same old routine of issuing 4 press releases a month. ✌️ It’s time to stop *blindly* sending pitches to a massive list of reporters, and constantly spinning minor updates as "news." That’s the PR playbook from 2005. 🥱 It's time to strive for something greater, folks. More impactful. It's time to be a *provocateur*. It’s time to build a narrative that showcases the stark difference between the past your audience is stuck in — — and the bold future *you* represent. This is a battle between mediocrity and metamorphosis. And it’s up to YOU to lead the charge. Ok, so how? 🤷♂️ Infuse this bold new narrative into every aspect of your brand, from marketing to media interviews, podcasts, LinkedIn and all your owned, paid, and earned channels. Make it your north star and give your employees something meaningful to chase after. 🌟 🏃♀️🏃🏃♂️💨 It's time to be known not for your quarterly upgrades, but rather for being a champion of the *new way of doing business in your industry*. This is a mindset shift… a departure from the traditional PR methods. This isn’t “how it’s always been done.” But make no mistake: This is the way ✊ #publicrelations #pragency

Not too long ago a DM stopped me in my tracks: "I’m still building my funnel… is it too early for media and PR?" Suddenly I was back in my own business’s early days. You know that feeling… when every decision feels like you’re playing chess with your bank account? ↳ Should I focus on getting clients? ↳ Is PR just a “nice to have”? ↳ What if I mess it up? Here’s the plot twist that changed everything for me: Publicity isn’t the dessert you get after your business succeeds. It’s the ingredient that HELPS your business succeed. Think about it: ↳ Every guest post builds credibility ↳ Every podcast appearance expands your reach ↳ Every media mention becomes a trust signal. And the best part? You don’t need a fancy PR budget or a massive team. Start here: ↳ Share your expertise through content ↳ Pitch yourself to podcasts ↳ Tell your story (consistently and authentically) To the business owner who sparked this post: Thank you. Your question reminded me why I’m so passionate about this. To answer it... in terms of what you should be doing... it depends a little on your immediate goals, your timeline and the strategy.  Generally speaking, as long as you have a website and some credibility markers and a place to drive people to (email sign-up, lead magnet, etc)... I'm always a fan of starting PR earlier in the process.  You can use pitches to establish yourself as a familiar name to journalists, editors, etc.  And that way you're building your email list with warm leads. Here’s your permission slip: Stop waiting to be “ready” for media. Use PR to GET ready. Fellow business owners: What’s holding YOU back from starting your PR journey? Drop a comment below. #SmallBusiness #PR #Entrepreneurship #media #medaitraining #publicity PS- I didn't post a Thanksgiving picture, so better late than never... ============================ Hey, I’m Kerry—Emmy award-winning former-NBC news anchor, reporter, and producer. I turn video-shy people into video-confident people and help small business owners get the PR and publicity spotlight without hiring a pricey PR agency. For more media and speaking content follow Kerry Barrett

You are a publishing company! So many publications are glorified pay-to-play, so I'm advocating: EVERY company is a PUBLISHING company! Create your publishing house and specialize on the type of content that will engage your audience. For some, this may be books, but for most, it's a multimedia hub of articles, blogs, interviews, FAQs, Q&As, and more. Then, lead with authenticity and storytelling. It may take some time, depending on the organization and commitment, but consistency will lead to success! 💥 #thoughtleadership #content #marketing #contentmarketing #leadership #pr #publicrelations

ICYMI: I kicked off my new YouTube show, PR Explored, yesterday with my guest Frank Strong of Sword and the Script Media, LLC. Frank and I talked through how PR and communications pros working on media relations efforts can continue to get results for clients during what is perhaps the most challenging time we've seen, as media layoffs continue (VICE Media announced it's laying off hundreds yesterday). Some of the takeaways from our discussion about how you can continue to land earned media coverage for clients include: ✅ Using contributed articles, as trade publications are on the lookout for high-quality content ✅ Leveraging alternatives to traditional PR, such as newsletters, podcasts, research and surveys ✅ Ensuring your site includes a way for journalists to contact you - and you want those messages to go to an inbox that someone actually checks 👀 ✅ Supporting earned media with a little paid media if/when it makes sense and you have the budget ✅ Promoting your earned media coverage _after_ it's published ✅ Encouraging your PR, content and social teams to collaborate to make the most of EVERY opportunity ✅ Not relying on press releases for *everything* - sometimes a pitch is all it takes (though releases can still play a role in your PR efforts) ✅ PR should be an ongoing effort - not a stop/start type of activity - otherwise, you lose momentum and have to start over And, of course, support your journalist colleagues by sharing resources that may be helpful. We shared a couple on the episode. Those are a few of the nuggets of wisdom from the episode, but be sure to listen/watch. My thanks again to Frank for being my first guest! He's someone I've followed and respected for years, so I was thrilled he agreed to be there. 😌 The link to the episode is in the comments. #publicrelations #PRTips #communications #mediarelations #marketing #earnedmedia #paidmedia

Breaking news in your industry can mean a ripe opportunity for your company to get some press. The challenge is to: 1) move quickly (within a few hours is best) 2) with accessible spokesperson (must be ready to take calls with minimal notice) 3) who can offer new insights (can't just regurgitate what is already known). When that happens, our team focuses on the best reporters with a streamlined pitch. ✅ Direct subject line: Expert available for comment on <topic> ✅ Include the news that just happened ✅ State that we have an expert available to comment ✅ Brief commentary in the pitch (reporters can use it without talking to the expert) ✅ Expert bio + LinkedIn (make it clear why this person is worth talking to) If it doesn't work the first time, reporters will often save these emails and search their inboxes later for similar stories. This is one way to get on their radar. Has this approach worked for you? #PR #publicrelations

Some say timing is everything in life. Generally, I agree with that statement, but it truly is everything when it comes to public relations and communications. Every brand and company is in an ongoing process to grow and elevate their brand. However, there’s a lot of factors that come into play in terms of the strategic and overall timing of sharing good news with the public. Having a clear and defined process in place will help ensure you meet your specific time or deadlines. Here’s a few tips that I use on best practices for announcements, good news and not so good news. 1. Always set your announcements six weeks in advance. 2. Make sure the key stakeholders are a part of the process. 3. Determine what the best time is for all the parties involved especially if a partner is involved. 4. Delays are inevitable, so don’t be afraid to push the distribution date back if the product isn’t working appropriately or there’s unforeseen issues. There’s nothing worse than negative stories and/or poor social sentiment from customers. 5. Build momentum by sharing your good news in advance of an earnings call, conference, key event, or a major corporate milestone. 6. Reference your recent good news in any interviews, panels, speeches, podcasts, town hall meetings, etc. 7. Amplify your good news with blog posts, social posts, podcasts and potential sponsored opps. 8. Share your bad news quickly and get it out of the way well before any major announcements or earnings calls. 9. Intuition is your friend, so always go with your instincts in terms of timing. 10. Time isn’t always on your side, but you’ve got to be ready to go when the window presents. How do you approach timing with pr and/or comms? What are your best practices? #pr #communications #timing #pressreleases #annoucements #productlaunches #execution

Something you may not know about me.... I still find posting video on LinkedIn a little scary. It seems crazy. I spent 20 years in the broadcast news industry... on air. I got more views daily in the news industry than I do on LinkedIn on my best weeks.... you have an audience of hundreds of thousands every day. But LinkedIn is a different beast. I depend on it for clients. And that means it feels high-stakes every time I post. →What if I look like a fool? →Why does my voice sound that way? →What if the LinkedIn cool kids are laughing at me? It seems like everyone else has this all figured out... They don't. And the ones that do... didn't start that way. I was on camera every day when I first started in the news industry and it still took me about six months until I started to feel like I belonged there. The good thing is you don't need the skill level of a broadcaster.... you don't need to fill hours of live video a day. You need to get good at speaking... for social media anyway.... in 30-90 second chunks. That's it. But you can use the skills you develop to do that for any virtual communication. If you want to learn more about how I can help you get better, book a confident on camera strategy call using the link in comments. What's your biggest struggle with talking on camera? #media #mediatraining #publicspeaking #oncameratips ============================ Hey, I’m Kerry—Emmy award-winning ex-NBC anchor, reporter, and producer. I turn camera-shy into camera-confident and get you the PR spotlight you deserve. For more media and speaking content follow Kerry Barrett

"Have you ever worked with someone who has nothing to say?" The truth is.... no. I've never met anyone who has literally nothing to say that would interest the media. I've worked with plenty of people who don't know what to say, or how to say it.... or how to make a media pitch newsworthy. But never anyone who has nothing to share. When I first start working with someone, I start by helping them figure out who they need to talk to, what they need to say, how to say it, and when and where. It's a classic news interview... something that comes naturally for a former journalist like myself... who, what, when, where, why and how. I ask questions like: 1️⃣If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your current media presence, what would it be and why? 2️⃣What is the biggest misconception people have about your business or expertise, and how do you want to change that narrative? 3️⃣Imagine your business is featured on the cover of a major industry publication. What would the headline be, and why would it matter to your ideal customers? Then we come up with a media strategy for outreach, work on their actual pitches, develop a soundbite and messaging system and create a plan for each appearance based on the format and structure of it. (It's one thing to be featured on a talk show, versus having 10 second soundbites in a pre-recorded news story. And, oh-by-the-way... one is not better than the other.) It's why my clients get picked up for national print and TV news programs. And why they crush it when they're being interviewed. Let's answer another question that I often ask: If your ideal customer was a celebrity, who would they be and why? #media #mediatraining #visibility #TV #earnedmedia #PR #publicity #publicspeaking

They laughed when I said I wanted to be in the media... but not when I accepted my Emmy. I used to be painfully shy. An introvert. When I shared I wanted to be a news anchor, most said it wasn't possible. That I was too quiet. I was. And too worried about what others thought of me. I was. I'm glad I didn't listen to them. Or myself. Because I wouldn't be who I am today. My business wouldn't be what it is today. You see, if I had skipped out on the media: ↳I wouldn't have the credibility I do. ↳I wouldn't have the visibility I do. ↳I wouldn't have the opportunities I do. And neither would my clients. Media isn't just about getting your name out there—it's about building a brand that people trust, remember, and want to work with. It’s about positioning yourself as the authority in your field. So if you're thinking media isn’t for you? That you’re too shy, too quiet, too ordinary? Are too worried about what others might think of you. Think again. You don’t have to be loud to be heard—you just have to have the right strategy. Want to learn how to make media work for you? Drop me a message or comment below. Have you ever had a dream that people doubted? ============================ Hey, I’m Kerry—Emmy award-winning ex-NBC anchor, reporter, and producer. I turn camera-shy into camera-confident and get you the PR spotlight you deserve. For more media and speaking content follow Kerry Barrett #media #mediatraining #PR #oncameratips