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TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: Lori, we’re going to be talking about the changes that are affecting the PR industry going forward and during your 40-year illustrious career. Is there anything that’s still the same as it was when you were starting out?  

LORI: My favorite question. When I first started in PR, the thing that completely got me excited was seeing my client’s name in print, having a client booked on a radio or TV interview. TV was obviously always the ultimate back then. And so, that’s what kind of got me excited about this profession. I love journalism, I like journalists, but getting that big coverage, that big hit, as it were. Now fast forward, I still get excited when I see a client covered. And so that type of that string of getting the, you know, the placement has always been, and that hasn’t changed. Everything else has along the way, but the coverage and the media placement have stayed the same.  

DOUG: Yeah, and it’s funny because even becoming more valuable with AI, searching news content and putting that up higher in terms of what’s going to be showing up to get your organization mentioned, it’s really fascinating. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same, but I guess the more things change.  

LORI: People are all concerned about AI upending our business, and it is to a certain extent. It’s also helping to a certain extent, but the same principles AI tracks articles and content on the web that hasn’t changed. What we’ve seen is that they clip articles that are and content that are more recent. So, it doesn’t go back as far. So, for those who don’t, who have articles or who have coverage online that want to get rid of them, that’s probably going to help them right now. So, yeah, we haven’t changed our sort of philosophy in terms of media placements. We’ve only been leaning in more because, you know, it’s important.  

DOUG: And that’s probably one of the reasons you’ve maintained such long client relationships. That’s really important. And obviously, that’s something that any agency organization would go for and really put an emphasis on. How do you keep your clients happy? Any thoughts and approaches, given that there are all these seismic changes, more rapid turnover and personnel on the client side changes, environment changes in emphasis from new business leaders coming in? How do you keep those long-term relationships?  

LORI: I mean, they’re not all long-term, but the ones that are, I’m grateful for. 

DOUG: Very humble of you but go ahead. 

LORI: There is no question that the churn is a little faster now because of the uneasiness with the economy and with what’s happening worldwide. So, we’re finding that, yeah, the commitments might be shorter, but once you get sort of that momentum going and the build, you know, you pass a threshold, and usually you have a good runway moving forward.  

DOUG: You also talk about the pros and cons of specializing in a specific industry. It’s great to have that expertise. But then, do you want to be more general because obviously if one industry is facing problems, your business can be challenged. So, how do you strike the balance of diversifying while also specializing, if that makes sense?  

LORI: So, when I first started my business, we started specializing in the magazine, if anybody remembers what magazines are, they used to exist, now in the media industry. And so, we had a food magazine, health, personal finance, and business. So, it sort of afforded us to become experts, not in the magazine business, because that was pretty basic, but in our clients’ respective industries. So ,we had a specialty in food with Cooking Light magazine back in the day, and the food editors and food trends. Personal finance with Kiplinger’s Personal Finance for years. So, we learned that discipline. So, when the magazine industry imploded and it did, we were able to sort of leverage that thought leadership type expertise. And it gave us like a generalist background. We knew the personal finance industry, we knew the health care industry, and we knew food trends. So, could I argue both ways in terms of specialist versus non-specialist? Absolutely. But, you know, like I could argue that if you’re not a specialist in a certain industry, you bring objectivity and you don’t bring any sort of preconceived notions about industry, and you go in fresh and almost blindly. On the other hand, obviously knowing the reporters who are covering health care or the restaurant industry or something, you know, it’s going to help because obviously, client potential clients ask along the way, do you have good contacts with your Rolodex?  

DOUG: Of course.  

LORI: Back in the day, the Rolodex was a little bit more important than it is today, in my opinion. I always feel like if we can find the angle and we can find the storyline, a reporter is going to respond. Our producer is going to respond rather than someone who’s a buddy or a friend. Yeah. Obviously, it helps, but if the story isn’t there, it doesn’t matter how many bookings you’ve made, the reporter is going to say, you know, thanks, I’ll consider it, but yeah, move on. 

DOUG: Yeah. I think the biggest difference there is that you’ll get heard on that, because so many times they’re so overwhelmed by all that they’re getting. And we’ve data from a recent survey, especially on TV, where jobs have shrunk, but news coverage and local TV news shows have increased. They need help more than ever and are very open to PR people, but how do you navigate through where clearly, if it’s from someone that you know, you’re going to give it a hearing and be more likely to work with them.  

I think, you know, a lot of what we’ve been speaking about is earned media. Do you have any pitch and guidance, like when you bring a new person on board? To try and encourage them and help them become good at doing media outreach effectively? Because it’s a very challenging role.  

LORI: You’re right. It’s funny because back in the day, when we wanted attention in the newsrooms, we’d send packages or gimmicky stuff, and it did break through the clutter. That practice, unfortunately doesn’t isn’t really in place today. So, you’re right that the local newsrooms do need pitches and they do need stories. And so, what’s my advice? Still, common sense doesn’t pitch during a fire in a local area, you know, like read the room, monitor the news, and see what people are covering and be targeted and be, you know, strategic instead of, you know, willy nilly. Pitch in the morning, not in the afternoon. Those sort of pitching techniques are pretty still in place. Yeah. Now we have a 24-hour news cycle, and we have us working 24 hours. That’s okay. So, but the main things are don’t pitch during deadlines and really read who’s writing what story to get through.  

DOUG: Yeah. We make everyone we hire even interns when they come in pitch a story. And most of them are like, oh my God, this is what you have to do all the time. Despite that, we still kept people around for a ten-year average. So, they’re not getting completely scared away. You have a lot of insights into where you see the industry going. What are some of the changes ahead that you’re planning for and preparing for?  

LORI: I mean, we’ve started to a couple of years, a while ago already. I feel like social media is part of our offering. And in like the influencer marketing part also. I kind of feel like they’re having a comeback because for a while, everyone was wanting to hit the influencers, and then they were getting a bad rap because they were charging, and they were sort of paid to play. Now, I feel like it’s a little bit it’s a little bit more important to find the right influencers for telling your story, or reviewing your product, or doing a product reveal. So, that’s still there. When I say social media, I mean, I to this day like when tweets and likes and everything became an Instagram became a thing. I would rather have a local story or a morning good New York story, you know, an interview rather than 800 likes. Now, we cross-promote. So, we take our own media, and we post it on social media, and back and forth. And then the other trend, which is uh, been for a while, is content creation. Again, back in the day, writing byline pieces was like, that was a big get to write your own piece. Today, it’s because of the dwindling newsrooms and resources. Media content is, you know, creating pieces that are run with client bylines is a good thing.  

DOUG: You also talk big agencies, small agencies, and obviously, you fit in the boutique agency position. What are some of the advantages of a small agency? And obviously, you’ve had varied experience in your career.  

LORI: If a strategy doesn’t work, we’re going to change it. We’re not going to have many meetings. And, you know, we sort of go with our instincts a lot. You know, I have my little hand in a small agency. People ask me all the time, internally and externally, for my opinion. And I’m always happy to give it, because that’s sort of a small agency, that’s what you bring. You bring CEO level expertise, and then other people who’ve been at the agency as well.  

DOUG: Great. Well, would you like to hear any final thoughts? I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with us.  

LORI: I have admired you and your work for years, and I always love seeing all your information, your emails, your surveys, and insights, because it sort of fits into our strategy in terms of what we like in getting the TV exposure. So, that’s what I’d like to say is thank you for doing what you’re doing for our industry.  

DOUG: Thank you. And I’ll just put it out there, I wasn’t fishing for a compliment, but I’m really glad you gave me a good one. Thanks so much. 

LORI: And well deserved.  

DOUG: Thank you, thank you.