Episode #77: Make Your Expert “Front and Center” with Brittany Sykes (Publicist)
Do you ever come across an article that features an expert and only that expert throughout the whole piece? With curious envy, do you wonder how that story came to be? Well, today we’ll find out! We talk shop with a fellow publicist and industry friend who owns her own boutique PR firm. We’ll break down a story that features her client front and center and learn how that story came to be. From it, you’ll leave inspired to ideate stories that are interesting and culturally-relevant, allowing your client or brand’s expertise to fully shine!
In this episode, you'll learn how a self-employed publicist…
Finds inspiration for winning story ideas and pitches
Strategizes a solid media outreach strategy
Measures and communicates to her clients
Our guests:
Brittany Sykes of Brittany Sykes PR is a publicist with over 12 years of experience representing clients in the home, beauty, health and wellness, parenting and wedding industries. After working at various LA PR firms, Brittany made the move to her first in-house PR role at a then-early-stage startup, BloomNation, where she instantly fell in love with the disruptor world. After leading PR efforts at BloomNation, EVERYTHING BUT THE HOUSE (EBTH), and FIGS, she ultimately created her own firm and is now a leader within the startup and Direct-To-Consumer PR communities.’
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Summary:
In this conversation, Brittany Sykes, a publicist with experience in the startup world, discusses the challenges of pitching startups and shares insights on running her own PR firm. She also talks about the use of pop culture references in pitching and provides a summary of a coverage she earned on The Knot. Additionally, she highlights the importance of timing and relevance in pitching and discusses the inclusion of experts in pitches. In this conversation, Brittany Sykes shares insights and tips on public relations. The conversation covers topics such as the importance of affiliate programs, using mailers for publicity, tools for capturing media mentions, challenges with media monitoring, using social media for PR, measuring PR success, pitching winning story ideas, pitching the same story to multiple outlets, and tips for proactive pitching.
Show Notes:
00:00— Introduction and Background
02:04— The Challenges of Pitching Startups
03:22— Running a PR Firm and Work-Life Balance
05:40— Using Pop Culture References in Pitching
09:12— Summary of Coverage on The Knot
13:07— Incorporating Clients in Pitches
15:06— The Importance of Timing and Relevance
16:23— Including Experts in Pitches
18:22— The Importance of Affiliate Programs
19:33— Using Mailers for Publicity
22:12— Tools for Capturing Media Mentions
23:08— Challenges with Media Monitoring
25:00— Using Social Media for PR
26:11— Measuring PR Success
28:16— Pitching Winning Story Ideas
32:11— Pitching the Same Story to Multiple Outlets
33:22— Pitching Freelancers vs Editors
35:35— Tips for Proactive Pitching
Connect with Brittany Sykes
Connect with Jackie & Britt
