[This transcript has been automatically generated by a digital software and will therefore  contain errors and typos. Please kindly take note of this and only rely on the digital transcript for reference.]

00:00

Hey guys, and welcome back to the tech to Business Show. This is Ted, your friend and host speaking. So how is everyone doing today? I sure hope you’re doing well like me, because I had a terrific chat with my friend Holly arrogance. So if you’re feeling stressed out, don’t forget to give yourself some self love.

 

And of course, always just a message away. So feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn and we can always have a chat. Now onto the topic of today’s show. We have my friend Holly Ergen, who is the founder of little Bert Boston, a Boston based communications consulting company that specializes in marketing and public relations for small businesses, startups and nonprofits. LittleBird Boston provides flexible professional services tailored to their customers business needs to ensure that they hit their target goals.

 

On today’s episode, Holly shares about the importance of PR, how you can get your company PR ready, and the power of affiliate marketing. So guys, if you’ve ever received any value from the show, they don’t deserve to get your support. The best way you can do this is to subscribe to the show, leave a review on Apple podcasts and to share the show with somebody who will find it useful as well.

 

And if you’d like to stay up to date with the latest episodes, tools and resources, then make sure you log on to Ted to.com. That’s tdto.com. And now let’s dive right in. Hey, Holly, thank you so much for joining us today. It’s so nice to have you here.

 

01:16

Yeah, I’m so happy to be here. I’m excited. No, Holly,

 

01:18

let’s dive a very simple icebreaker so we can all get to know you a bit better. Could you share with us? Who is Holly again, when she isn’t working?

 

01:27

Well, I live just north of Boston, I have two kids. They’re seven and 10. I also have a dog. And when I’m not working I typically running the kids back and forth to you know soccer or game or something like that. And I always try to get outside I like running and exercising. I’m always reading whenever I can. But yeah, just kind of like loving the the area that I live in New England life

 

01:58

this nice. So I am adult person myself, I grew up with six dogs. Could you share a bit about your dog? What breed is it?

 

02:03

Um, he’s a golden doodle. And he’s the size one. So he’s pretty big.

 

02:07

You see one of those dogs who doesn’t realize how big he is? Yeah,

 

02:11

he is like, you know, wants to be like, carried and held. And those are cute.

 

02:19

So Holly, you are a marketing expert with over a decade worth of experience. And you’re currently the founder of little bit Boston, a marketing agency in Boston, Massachusetts that focuses on helping startups and SMEs by providing customized solutions to GRPR needs. Can you connect the dots for us? How did you evolve to become the person that you are today?

 

02:40

Sure. So yeah, after I graduated college, I had gotten a job at an advertising agency in Boston, and really wanted to work doing something with writing and creative and I had kind of fallen into the agency life. And then from there, I went into the corporate side of marketing, again, in Boston, and it was an events company.

 

So I did a lot of events and marketing. And then from there, actually, after I had my son, that was kind of looking for something with a little bit of a little bit more work life balance, and the corporate world, you know, is tough for that. So that was when I left and decided to do more freelance work. And I had a friend who she had kind of taught me the ropes on, you know, how to transition from corporate to freelancer. And we worked together for several years, we still do today.

 

So she was the one who really kind of, like, helped me get into this. And, I mean, it’s definitely evolved, you know, since I started doing freelancing, and you know, at first it was really small Boston clients, you know, here and there and kind of built up through, you know, word of mouth recommendations. And now I have clients all over the country.

 

And, you know, different from what, how I started. So today, it’s like a lot of lifestyle, fashion, hospitality, and then some kind of like business and, and b2b clients. So it’s definitely evolved over the years. And so now, the focus is a lot of PR for clients that I that I’m helping them with.

 

04:27

I see. So your journey to entrepreneurship started because you wanted some more flexibility to spend some time with your child. I completely understand. Now, Holly, you just shared that you have clients all around the United States.

 

So here’s a very simple question for you. In your own words, could you share with us? What are the benefits of bringing on board marketing and PR strategist like you onto a company?

 

04:47

Yeah, so. So I work with mostly startups and small businesses, a lot of entrepreneurs themselves. And, you know, for them, I think it’s important to consider PR as part their marketing plan for a few different things.

 

You know, one, I think everyone knows it. When you get a you’re mentioned in Entrepreneur Magazine or say you want to get in Buzzfeed or something like that, you know, it’s exciting. You get a lot of buzz, word of mouth, from that business as well.

 

Yeah, right. It’s fun, it’s exciting. But the other thing about PR is it really kind of builds your credibility as a brand, shapes your reputation, it helps you out from everything with creating traffic to your website to, you know, if you wanted to raise the investment round, you know, kind of help you position your your company a little bit better to say,

 

hey, we were featured here, here, and here. It helps with SEO, building up your social media. So there’s a lot really that that PR could do for for brands, specifically and in the earned media space.

 

05:58

So guys, as Holly has just shared, if you get a marketing and PR specialist to help you with your company, you could get help with building your brand, your reputation, your traffic sources into your internet. And just by appearing on earned media, it can really help with your credibility as well. And these can translate into higher sales or even investor confidence.

 

Now back to you, Holly, based on your experiences, is there a particular stage of growth where companies really start thinking about their marketing and PR game? When do you see the most upside? I guess the reason I’m asking this question is because for startups, they are very budget conscious. So how can they justify this expense?

 

06:34

Definitely. And in terms of timing, I think it’s hard because small businesses definitely need to start thinking about PR from the very beginning, because basically, you only have one time to say I’m launching a company, you know, right, when when you first start, you can’t do it two years later and say, Hey, we’re new, because the the media outlets, and journalists aren’t really gonna care about that. So I think, you know, it’s important to think about that.

 

It’s a big PR angle in terms of growth, to say, hey, we’re launching this product or the service. And also kind of as they’re scaling up to thinking about, you know, how could earned media help them to grow their business, especially if they you know, are including PR as part of that marketing strategy to say, part of our growth will be earned media placements in, you know, national TV, or, you know, maybe it’s starting small, and maybe it’s just kind of like getting some regional newspapers to cover you and kind of growing from there.

 

But with PR, you might want to start small and get those local hits. And then you know, a few years down the line, then you’re going to get some big, you know, mentions and Fast Company or ink or something like that, but you do have to start somewhere.

 

07:54

So guys, as Holly has just shared, even if you’re a small company, it’s actually really important to think about your PR, because good PR can really drive attention, whether true earned media or otherwise. And the idea is that you’re planting your seeds early.

 

So you can reap the benefits in the future. Because if you start doing your PR now, in the future, you can always point back and say, Hey, I was actually featured on this particular article. And here’s the proof. Now, Holly, at this point in time, can I trouble you to help explain what is earned media mean?

 

08:20

Sure. So earned media is when a journalist will write about you, your or your brand, or your company without being paid. So it’s not paid media, it’s not advertising, they’re writing about you, because they’re interested in your story, or your product or your brand. And I heard this years ago. But there’s kind of three different media types,

 

the the paid media, which is the advertising, the owned media, which is like your blog, or your website, that you own yourself, and then earned media, which is what other people write about you. And also today, it really does include influencers and Instagramers.

 

And people like that, that are like, Hey, I like this brand, I want to share it, I want to share their story. And give, like I said before, with the credibility, that’s why it is credible, and that what makes it credible is an outside source that you’re not paying for their opinion, but they actually, you know, like your brand, and they want to share it.

 

09:21

That idea of having earned that media but actually having to pay for it actually lends a lot more credibility as opposed to the other form says, Be yourself. So could you walk us through some projects that you have worked on previously for your clients?

 

Maybe you could share with us how you help them with their marketing or PR needs? And maybe what would the results like after he had a chance to work with you?

 

09:40

Sure. So yeah, one example I work with a jewelry brand. And so I think we started a few years ago and their primary purpose for PR was to get placements and holiday gift guides and you know, kind of just coverage for upcoming for the holidays to drive to

 

And for them, we started in the summer. And I always tell clients this because, you know, sometimes they’ll come to me in October or November and they’ll say, hey, we want to get in the holiday gift guides. I’m like,

 

10:15

a huge rush, you need to build up to the fourth quarters, it doesn’t work anyway.

 

10:18

Right? So yeah, definitely starts in the summer, all the long lead publications for print and TV planning all their editorial content in the summer. So for them, you know, we did, we were able to start early, which was great. And for product based businesses to it does take a little bit longer, because a lot of times, they want to physically see the product to make

 

sure you know, something that they like, and they trust. So we sent out a bunch of samples to different media contacts over the next few months. And then in terms of placements, they got a lot of coverage. We got them into the talk TV show, featured for a holiday gift option.

 

They were in Pop Sugar and Buzzfeed life in style parade, magazine, cafe mom, mother leave, so they got a lot of coverage leading up to the holidays. And I think for them, it helped drive a lot of sales for the holiday season, you know, as picked for, you know, various different like top 10 gifts for your mom, best gifts for your wife, like all of that, you know, sort of sort of holiday gift guide coverage.

 

So that was definitely a fun project to work on. I’ve continued to work with them for the past few years.

 

11:37

Holy, I really love the fact that you brought up the topic of fourth quarter sales, because that’s when most companies actually have the highest volume of transactions. So guys, as Holly has shared is super important to start planning for your year and sales campaigns.

 

As early as the summer itself. Make sure you give yourself enough time to build up your campaigns to get a logistics done. So you can actually leverage the holiday season. So Holly, from your experiences, I’m sure you’re aware that PR budgets can really run between the extremes.

 

So what advice would you give to another entrepreneur when it comes to maybe planning or setting a budget for your marketing and PR campaigns? How should they go about thinking about it?

 

12:14

Sure. So my my first recommendation is to vet out different consultants, make sure to talk to them directly. Make sure to review various proposals from different agencies and consultants. And a personal referral is always great, because then you’re getting professional, someone professionally in your network who has actually worked with them before? And will give you a sense of Is it a good fit? How do they work.

 

And I think a lot of startups and entrepreneurs may think that PR is actually out of reach for them, because they’re only looking at those large agency proposals that charge 1000s of dollars a month. And then they say, well, there’s no guarantees, which there are no guarantees, and PR,

 

but it definitely is important to scope out, you know, your expectations with your budget, and make sure that those do align. And they may need to kind of scale up and down depending on how those line up budget versus expectations.

 

And, you know, just make sure it is a great fit. But I would I would also say, you know, if you do go with a smaller consultant, a lot of times, they probably have the same level of experience with some of the agencies or they may, depending on you know who it is, and then may also take a more personalized PR approach as well.

 

From a larger agency, and you know, so it’s, it’s definitely important to look at both. But typically, on the startup and entrepreneur side, they may want to start with a consultant. And then as they grow kind of scale up from there.

 

13:54

Now, I think the key takeaway here is that just because you are working with a smaller agency doesn’t mean it’s not as good as a larger one. In fact, a smaller agency may actually be led by individuals who worked for many years in larger agencies, and they’re bringing their skill sets to you at a more competitive price.

 

14:10

Yeah, I think a lot of people are surprised that you know, PR consultants can get coverage in those kind of national publications and you know, really help them stand out. And so yeah, I definitely think that that entrepreneurs should consider both and and just make sure the scope of work kind of aligns with with our expectations. No, Holly

 

14:32

let’s see a company’s ready to focus on your marketing and PR. What are some fundamental issues they must iron out to make sure that your brand is PR ready?

 

14:40

Yeah, so definitely, there’s a few things they have to get ready first before actually starting PR because you don’t want to get into a situation where you have a great article come out on you know, Inc or Fast Company or one of those and and then it doesn’t actually go anywhere. So One thing is to make sure your website set up your social medias

 

channels are set up your email marketing setup, so that when you do get traffic driven to your website, you can capture that audience. And hopefully it is your target audience and you know, you can, you can grow it from there. And the other thing to kind of think about is, make sure your company mission is all set, you know, what you stand for, as a company so that you can have that mission come across in all of your interviews, as the stories come out.

 

The other thing too, is really to make sure that you have somebody prepared to do interviews. So make sure you know, they’re comfortable talking, whether it is on TV, or it’s a podcast, or it’s just on the phone with a reporter. So yeah, there is there’s a lot to kind of think about before doing that.

 

The other thing, too, is making sure you have all of your assets ready. So I mean, some people may want to start with PR, but they do need to kind of back it up and say do I have professional photos ready? Do I have my logo ready? Do I have my founder bios and headshots all ready to go. So that if someone does ask for it, you’re not like, well, I’ll get back to you in two weeks. So you need to have it like write their email out ready to go.

 

16:23

That’s super important. Let’s say you actually have the opportunity to be interviewed by a newspaper, and you don’t actually have your PR materials ready, you don’t have your logo ready to have your headshot ready. And it just comes across as being unprofessional. Okay, Holly, here’s my next question.

 

You mentioned just earlier, that it’s important to have an individual who is able to be sort of a front man for the company to be interviewed, whether it’s for a television interview, or an a podcast. But what if you just don’t have to individual ready? Now, I would say that most of the time, that person who’s going to be the frontman for the company would typically be the founder. But what if the founder is maybe a bit shy? Or is not so comfortable being on camera or being interviewed? How can they get up to speed?

 

17:04

Sure. So yeah, I mean, definitely a lot of times the frontman or the music companies, a CEO or founder. And I would say they, they would need to learn how to be comfortable in interviews, if they do want to focus on PR. So that could be a lot of times, you know, your PR consultant will give you interview prep, and they’ll walk you through what you’re going to expect, talking points, what you want the takeaways to be how this,

 

the journalist may have interacted before, you know, maybe like listening to previous podcast episodes, or, you know, reading different articles that they’ve written. And then other times, they may want to do a little bit more formal media training. So you know, for example, I work with an outside console, and if someone really wants to, to kind of focus on that, and they want to work on that, so that they can build up their their formal media training skills

 

17:57

holy, how long would it actually typically take to get someone ready for an interview? And to really just be comfortable appearing front of a camera or being on a podcast itself?

 

18:06

I mean, it depends on what level that they are. It completely depends. And I mean, once that once someone’s comfortable, then, you know, I think that it gets shorter and shorter every time that they might have an interview, they, you know, just might need a quick email to like prep them, you know, versus getting on the phone and talking every everything through.

 

18:29

No, Holly, my next question for you is about something you wrote on your blog, you wrote, the companies with physical products should really get involved with affiliate programs before they start their PR campaigns. Could you explain this for us? In particular, what kind of opportunities are out there in terms of affiliate marketing? And how can companies really leverage on this?

 

18:46

Sure, yeah, definitely. Affiliate marketing is a big part of PR today. And for anyone that doesn’t know what affiliate marketing is. So it’s essentially the affiliate earning a commission based on the sales of our product. So before years ago, or when it first started, it was really big for bloggers, and Instagram influencers. And those influencers would promote a product and then get a percentage cut of those sales that they helped to actually produce.

 

So today, a lot of national high tier media outlets are using affiliate marketing as a way to support their bottom line. So for fat for a product based business like fashion, skincare, or even food, they should register through affiliate networks. So I usually recommend setting up SkimLinks and ShareASale to start and then media outlets will feature that product and roundups like the best holiday gifts to give your mother in law, for example.

 

So today, many media outlets are actually requiring products to be connected with an affiliate marketing program or they won’t actually even feature your product. So that’s why I say it’s very important to start out and yeah, there’s also Amazon is also a big one to me that that most people know of. So

 

20:06

you don’t mention very surprised to hear that this is this year requirement that some corporates are putting in place. It sounds like Amazon really encouraged industry shift in the last few years.

 

20:15

Definitely a big shift. Over the past few years and more and more, there are certain journalists that will only do you know, ecommerce or affiliate product roundups. So, you know, understanding how to work with them, and what they want is a big part of getting earned media coverage, especially if you’re a product and especially leading up to the holidays.

 

20:37

Okay, Holly, you just explained to us what affiliate marketing is? How can a company get involved to do one too?

 

20:42

So? Yeah, I mean, Amazon is obviously a big one, if you do if you are able to, you know, register your product and sell through Amazon. The other two are SkimLinks and share sale. And the way that those are set up, you sign up as a product.

 

And you know, you kind of fill out all the information that that the websites want, you know, description of the product, the price, you can kind of choose what percentage of sales you want to give a commission to. So it ranges depending on the industry. So you know, you can spend a little bit of time doing some competitor research and understand what other products in your space are doing.

 

And then kind of register your products. So you have a place on ShareASale, where you can direct journalists to and they can you know, pull out your product when they want to feature you on a on a product roundup list for the holidays, for example.

 

21:36

I think it is great overall, because it’s a win win situation for everyone, the more the companies sell, the more reference earn, and the more the customers benefit. So hopefully everyone’s happy from that.

 

21:45

Right. Yeah, I mean, it’s really, it’s almost like a brick and mortar store, you know, you’re selling it at one level. And then you know, you’re obviously giving them a percentage of sales. So it’s a different way to do it in the E commerce space.

 

And I mean today, and I it’s definitely shifted a lot where people are buying things online, and they’re not going to stores as much. So I think this gives products a new way to reach different buyers, and I think it’s beneficial for everyone.

 

22:13

Now, Holly, before I let you go, I like to actually speak to you so about Dorchester Brewing Company, which I know you’re a co founder of as well. So to the listeners out there. One thing about Holly does actually very exciting is that onone she a PR and marketing specialist, she actually walks the walk, she is an entrepreneur, she actually founded or co founded a Brewing Company. So Holly, could you share with us a little bit about Dorchester Brewing Company and the brewery Bus program that you guys are famous for?

 

22:41

Sure. So yeah, the brewery is definitely an exciting part of my business and what I do today, and we opened about five years ago, we’re right in Boston. And it was an opportunity that came to me while I was doing consulting. So I was, like I said, with corporate life, you don’t have a lot of you know, work life balance and can choose what you want to do.

 

So, you know, Bob, at that point, it was six or seven years ago when we were talking about opening, and I was able to devote time and effort into helping the brewery open. So I’m responsible for all of the marketing. I don’t do all the brewing. That’s our someone who knows all about brewing your head brewer. But we opened as a contract brewery model, which is a little bit different than a typical brewery. So we have a 25,000 square foot state of the art facility right in Boston. And when we opened, you know, we obviously didn’t need all of the tank space because we didn’t have our own brand setup.

 

There wasn’t a high demand for Dorchester Brewing Company because people didn’t know it. So at the time, we did a lot of contract brewing, which means we brew beer for other breweries, and maybe it’s a small brewery, or maybe it is a larger brewery that ran out of tank space. Or maybe it’s a brand who’s building up their own brewery, which takes a you know, at least a year, so they needed somewhere to brew up some some beer in the meantime.

 

So when we started, we’re definitely doing more contract brewing and less of our brand. And then over the past five years, you know, our brand has certainly become more prominent, like we started distribution and are now in in liquor stores and retail stores around Massachusetts. But so it’s shifted. So now we still do contract brewing, but we definitely are brewing more of our own brand. And we have a large tap room.

 

24:38

Yeah, I seen the photos. It’s lovely. I saw the game machines that you have as well. Right. And it’s such a huge amount of space. There.

 

24:45

It is. Yeah, yeah. When we did an expansion that opened January 2020. So right before the pandemic hit. Oh, we have Yeah, it’s it’s a four season roof deck. So it feels like you’re outside overlooking Boston even in The winter. And it’s a beautiful space the contract brewers that that grew with us, their beers also served on tap in our in our tap room.

 

25:10

So are you guys open right now?

 

25:12

We are yet we’re we’re 100% open. There’s restrictions in Boston specifically that are, you know, different from other areas of Massachusetts. So we do have to comply with those restrictions in terms of the mass guidance, and everything like that. But we are open, you know, fully,

 

25:31

wholly, what I really liked about the Dorchester Brewing Company story is that you guys really resource who even from the start, as you guys understood that it will take some time for the business to pick up providing that contract brewery service really gave you guys a new way to add revenue to your business, even from the earlier days.

 

So Holly, would you say that you guys have contributed to the growth of the craft and micro brewery scene in Boston?

 

25:54

Um, yeah, I think the the brewery scene in Boston has definitely grown over the past five years. And yeah, we are all about, you know, helping each other. And I think in the industry, you know, when, when one brewery does well, the others tend to do well. And it’s great that Boston now you know, you can come and you can visit multiple breweries on the same day and kind of, you know, hop from brewery to brewery. So it’s really fun to be part of that.

 

26:22

So Holly, if this is only remember one thing from today’s conversation, what would you like it to be?

 

26:27

I think I would say that PR is attainable for small businesses and startups and to have them think about it as part of they’re an essential part of their marketing strategy, as a way to build up their audience and build brand awareness and even build up sales.

 

26:43

So how can listeners get in contact with you if they need your help?

 

26:46

They can either check out my website, it’s little bird boston.com. Or also they can find me on Instagram or Twitter. Instagram is little bird Boston PR and then Twitter’s actually just my name. Holly, Oregon’s

 

27:02

No, Holly, thank you so much for joining us today and to share about your expertise in marketing and PR. Thank you.

 

27:08

Thank you for having me. This is fun. Guys.

 

27:10

Thank you so much for joining Holly and I in our conversation. So I guess the question is, is your brand PR ready? Do you have your assets in place? Do you have the photos of your founders, your phone is bios, your company’s logos already?

 

How about your website? Is it done in a way that is optimized to engage your customers as well? If it’s not, maybe it’s time to start thinking about getting these in order. So an opportunity such as an interview comes your way you are PR ready.

 

Also, when you’re thinking about growing your company brand name and building your credibility, think about earn media. If you can get interviewed by a newspaper or a magazine,

 

or it can appear on television or a podcast, it can really add a whole new level of credibility and authenticity because you didn’t have to pay for that. And that makes the reviews a lot more genuine. Now guys to stay up to date with all the latest episodes, tools and resources that make sure to log on to tatio.com That’s tedteo.com.

 

And even better yet, sign up for our newsletter and you’ll hear from me directly. And as before, if you’ve received any value from the show, then I’d love to get your support. The best way you can show this is to subscribe to the show, leave a review on Apple podcasts and to share the show with somebody who find it useful as well. That’s all for me today. I’ll see you next time.

[This transcript has been automatically generated by a digital software and will therefore  contain errors and typos. Please kindly take note of this and only rely on the digital transcript for reference.]

00:00

Hey guys, and welcome back to the tech to Business Show. This is Ted, your friend and host speaking. So how is everyone doing today? I sure hope you’re doing well like me, because I had a terrific chat with my friend Holly arrogance. So if you’re feeling stressed out, don’t forget to give yourself some self love.

 

And of course, always just a message away. So feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn and we can always have a chat. Now onto the topic of today’s show. We have my friend Holly Ergen, who is the founder of little Bert Boston, a Boston based communications consulting company that specializes in marketing and public relations for small businesses, startups and nonprofits. LittleBird Boston provides flexible professional services tailored to their customers business needs to ensure that they hit their target goals.

 

On today’s episode, Holly shares about the importance of PR, how you can get your company PR ready, and the power of affiliate marketing. So guys, if you’ve ever received any value from the show, they don’t deserve to get your support. The best way you can do this is to subscribe to the show, leave a review on Apple podcasts and to share the show with somebody who will find it useful as well.

 

And if you’d like to stay up to date with the latest episodes, tools and resources, then make sure you log on to Ted to.com. That’s tdto.com. And now let’s dive right in. Hey, Holly, thank you so much for joining us today. It’s so nice to have you here.

 

01:16

Yeah, I’m so happy to be here. I’m excited. No, Holly,

 

01:18

let’s dive a very simple icebreaker so we can all get to know you a bit better. Could you share with us? Who is Holly again, when she isn’t working?

 

01:27

Well, I live just north of Boston, I have two kids. They’re seven and 10. I also have a dog. And when I’m not working I typically running the kids back and forth to you know soccer or game or something like that. And I always try to get outside I like running and exercising. I’m always reading whenever I can. But yeah, just kind of like loving the the area that I live in New England life

 

01:58

this nice. So I am adult person myself, I grew up with six dogs. Could you share a bit about your dog? What breed is it?

 

02:03

Um, he’s a golden doodle. And he’s the size one. So he’s pretty big.

 

02:07

You see one of those dogs who doesn’t realize how big he is? Yeah,

 

02:11

he is like, you know, wants to be like, carried and held. And those are cute.

 

02:19

So Holly, you are a marketing expert with over a decade worth of experience. And you’re currently the founder of little bit Boston, a marketing agency in Boston, Massachusetts that focuses on helping startups and SMEs by providing customized solutions to GRPR needs. Can you connect the dots for us? How did you evolve to become the person that you are today?

 

02:40

Sure. So yeah, after I graduated college, I had gotten a job at an advertising agency in Boston, and really wanted to work doing something with writing and creative and I had kind of fallen into the agency life. And then from there, I went into the corporate side of marketing, again, in Boston, and it was an events company.

 

So I did a lot of events and marketing. And then from there, actually, after I had my son, that was kind of looking for something with a little bit of a little bit more work life balance, and the corporate world, you know, is tough for that. So that was when I left and decided to do more freelance work. And I had a friend who she had kind of taught me the ropes on, you know, how to transition from corporate to freelancer. And we worked together for several years, we still do today.

 

So she was the one who really kind of, like, helped me get into this. And, I mean, it’s definitely evolved, you know, since I started doing freelancing, and you know, at first it was really small Boston clients, you know, here and there and kind of built up through, you know, word of mouth recommendations. And now I have clients all over the country.

 

And, you know, different from what, how I started. So today, it’s like a lot of lifestyle, fashion, hospitality, and then some kind of like business and, and b2b clients. So it’s definitely evolved over the years. And so now, the focus is a lot of PR for clients that I that I’m helping them with.

 

04:27

I see. So your journey to entrepreneurship started because you wanted some more flexibility to spend some time with your child. I completely understand. Now, Holly, you just shared that you have clients all around the United States.

 

So here’s a very simple question for you. In your own words, could you share with us? What are the benefits of bringing on board marketing and PR strategist like you onto a company?

 

04:47

Yeah, so. So I work with mostly startups and small businesses, a lot of entrepreneurs themselves. And, you know, for them, I think it’s important to consider PR as part their marketing plan for a few different things.

 

You know, one, I think everyone knows it. When you get a you’re mentioned in Entrepreneur Magazine or say you want to get in Buzzfeed or something like that, you know, it’s exciting. You get a lot of buzz, word of mouth, from that business as well.

 

Yeah, right. It’s fun, it’s exciting. But the other thing about PR is it really kind of builds your credibility as a brand, shapes your reputation, it helps you out from everything with creating traffic to your website to, you know, if you wanted to raise the investment round, you know, kind of help you position your your company a little bit better to say,

 

hey, we were featured here, here, and here. It helps with SEO, building up your social media. So there’s a lot really that that PR could do for for brands, specifically and in the earned media space.

 

05:58

So guys, as Holly has just shared, if you get a marketing and PR specialist to help you with your company, you could get help with building your brand, your reputation, your traffic sources into your internet. And just by appearing on earned media, it can really help with your credibility as well. And these can translate into higher sales or even investor confidence.

 

Now back to you, Holly, based on your experiences, is there a particular stage of growth where companies really start thinking about their marketing and PR game? When do you see the most upside? I guess the reason I’m asking this question is because for startups, they are very budget conscious. So how can they justify this expense?

 

06:34

Definitely. And in terms of timing, I think it’s hard because small businesses definitely need to start thinking about PR from the very beginning, because basically, you only have one time to say I’m launching a company, you know, right, when when you first start, you can’t do it two years later and say, Hey, we’re new, because the the media outlets, and journalists aren’t really gonna care about that. So I think, you know, it’s important to think about that.

 

It’s a big PR angle in terms of growth, to say, hey, we’re launching this product or the service. And also kind of as they’re scaling up to thinking about, you know, how could earned media help them to grow their business, especially if they you know, are including PR as part of that marketing strategy to say, part of our growth will be earned media placements in, you know, national TV, or, you know, maybe it’s starting small, and maybe it’s just kind of like getting some regional newspapers to cover you and kind of growing from there.

 

But with PR, you might want to start small and get those local hits. And then you know, a few years down the line, then you’re going to get some big, you know, mentions and Fast Company or ink or something like that, but you do have to start somewhere.

 

07:54

So guys, as Holly has just shared, even if you’re a small company, it’s actually really important to think about your PR, because good PR can really drive attention, whether true earned media or otherwise. And the idea is that you’re planting your seeds early.

 

So you can reap the benefits in the future. Because if you start doing your PR now, in the future, you can always point back and say, Hey, I was actually featured on this particular article. And here’s the proof. Now, Holly, at this point in time, can I trouble you to help explain what is earned media mean?

 

08:20

Sure. So earned media is when a journalist will write about you, your or your brand, or your company without being paid. So it’s not paid media, it’s not advertising, they’re writing about you, because they’re interested in your story, or your product or your brand. And I heard this years ago. But there’s kind of three different media types,

 

the the paid media, which is the advertising, the owned media, which is like your blog, or your website, that you own yourself, and then earned media, which is what other people write about you. And also today, it really does include influencers and Instagramers.

 

And people like that, that are like, Hey, I like this brand, I want to share it, I want to share their story. And give, like I said before, with the credibility, that’s why it is credible, and that what makes it credible is an outside source that you’re not paying for their opinion, but they actually, you know, like your brand, and they want to share it.

 

09:21

That idea of having earned that media but actually having to pay for it actually lends a lot more credibility as opposed to the other form says, Be yourself. So could you walk us through some projects that you have worked on previously for your clients?

 

Maybe you could share with us how you help them with their marketing or PR needs? And maybe what would the results like after he had a chance to work with you?

 

09:40

Sure. So yeah, one example I work with a jewelry brand. And so I think we started a few years ago and their primary purpose for PR was to get placements and holiday gift guides and you know, kind of just coverage for upcoming for the holidays to drive to

 

And for them, we started in the summer. And I always tell clients this because, you know, sometimes they’ll come to me in October or November and they’ll say, hey, we want to get in the holiday gift guides. I’m like,

 

10:15

a huge rush, you need to build up to the fourth quarters, it doesn’t work anyway.

 

10:18

Right? So yeah, definitely starts in the summer, all the long lead publications for print and TV planning all their editorial content in the summer. So for them, you know, we did, we were able to start early, which was great. And for product based businesses to it does take a little bit longer, because a lot of times, they want to physically see the product to make

 

sure you know, something that they like, and they trust. So we sent out a bunch of samples to different media contacts over the next few months. And then in terms of placements, they got a lot of coverage. We got them into the talk TV show, featured for a holiday gift option.

 

They were in Pop Sugar and Buzzfeed life in style parade, magazine, cafe mom, mother leave, so they got a lot of coverage leading up to the holidays. And I think for them, it helped drive a lot of sales for the holiday season, you know, as picked for, you know, various different like top 10 gifts for your mom, best gifts for your wife, like all of that, you know, sort of sort of holiday gift guide coverage.

 

So that was definitely a fun project to work on. I’ve continued to work with them for the past few years.

 

11:37

Holy, I really love the fact that you brought up the topic of fourth quarter sales, because that’s when most companies actually have the highest volume of transactions. So guys, as Holly has shared is super important to start planning for your year and sales campaigns.

 

As early as the summer itself. Make sure you give yourself enough time to build up your campaigns to get a logistics done. So you can actually leverage the holiday season. So Holly, from your experiences, I’m sure you’re aware that PR budgets can really run between the extremes.

 

So what advice would you give to another entrepreneur when it comes to maybe planning or setting a budget for your marketing and PR campaigns? How should they go about thinking about it?

 

12:14

Sure. So my my first recommendation is to vet out different consultants, make sure to talk to them directly. Make sure to review various proposals from different agencies and consultants. And a personal referral is always great, because then you’re getting professional, someone professionally in your network who has actually worked with them before? And will give you a sense of Is it a good fit? How do they work.

 

And I think a lot of startups and entrepreneurs may think that PR is actually out of reach for them, because they’re only looking at those large agency proposals that charge 1000s of dollars a month. And then they say, well, there’s no guarantees, which there are no guarantees, and PR,

 

but it definitely is important to scope out, you know, your expectations with your budget, and make sure that those do align. And they may need to kind of scale up and down depending on how those line up budget versus expectations.

 

And, you know, just make sure it is a great fit. But I would I would also say, you know, if you do go with a smaller consultant, a lot of times, they probably have the same level of experience with some of the agencies or they may, depending on you know who it is, and then may also take a more personalized PR approach as well.

 

From a larger agency, and you know, so it’s, it’s definitely important to look at both. But typically, on the startup and entrepreneur side, they may want to start with a consultant. And then as they grow kind of scale up from there.

 

13:54

Now, I think the key takeaway here is that just because you are working with a smaller agency doesn’t mean it’s not as good as a larger one. In fact, a smaller agency may actually be led by individuals who worked for many years in larger agencies, and they’re bringing their skill sets to you at a more competitive price.

 

14:10

Yeah, I think a lot of people are surprised that you know, PR consultants can get coverage in those kind of national publications and you know, really help them stand out. And so yeah, I definitely think that that entrepreneurs should consider both and and just make sure the scope of work kind of aligns with with our expectations. No, Holly

 

14:32

let’s see a company’s ready to focus on your marketing and PR. What are some fundamental issues they must iron out to make sure that your brand is PR ready?

 

14:40

Yeah, so definitely, there’s a few things they have to get ready first before actually starting PR because you don’t want to get into a situation where you have a great article come out on you know, Inc or Fast Company or one of those and and then it doesn’t actually go anywhere. So One thing is to make sure your website set up your social medias

 

channels are set up your email marketing setup, so that when you do get traffic driven to your website, you can capture that audience. And hopefully it is your target audience and you know, you can, you can grow it from there. And the other thing to kind of think about is, make sure your company mission is all set, you know, what you stand for, as a company so that you can have that mission come across in all of your interviews, as the stories come out.

 

The other thing too, is really to make sure that you have somebody prepared to do interviews. So make sure you know, they’re comfortable talking, whether it is on TV, or it’s a podcast, or it’s just on the phone with a reporter. So yeah, there is there’s a lot to kind of think about before doing that.

 

The other thing, too, is making sure you have all of your assets ready. So I mean, some people may want to start with PR, but they do need to kind of back it up and say do I have professional photos ready? Do I have my logo ready? Do I have my founder bios and headshots all ready to go. So that if someone does ask for it, you’re not like, well, I’ll get back to you in two weeks. So you need to have it like write their email out ready to go.

 

16:23

That’s super important. Let’s say you actually have the opportunity to be interviewed by a newspaper, and you don’t actually have your PR materials ready, you don’t have your logo ready to have your headshot ready. And it just comes across as being unprofessional. Okay, Holly, here’s my next question.

 

You mentioned just earlier, that it’s important to have an individual who is able to be sort of a front man for the company to be interviewed, whether it’s for a television interview, or an a podcast. But what if you just don’t have to individual ready? Now, I would say that most of the time, that person who’s going to be the frontman for the company would typically be the founder. But what if the founder is maybe a bit shy? Or is not so comfortable being on camera or being interviewed? How can they get up to speed?

 

17:04

Sure. So yeah, I mean, definitely a lot of times the frontman or the music companies, a CEO or founder. And I would say they, they would need to learn how to be comfortable in interviews, if they do want to focus on PR. So that could be a lot of times, you know, your PR consultant will give you interview prep, and they’ll walk you through what you’re going to expect, talking points, what you want the takeaways to be how this,

 

the journalist may have interacted before, you know, maybe like listening to previous podcast episodes, or, you know, reading different articles that they’ve written. And then other times, they may want to do a little bit more formal media training. So you know, for example, I work with an outside console, and if someone really wants to, to kind of focus on that, and they want to work on that, so that they can build up their their formal media training skills

 

17:57

holy, how long would it actually typically take to get someone ready for an interview? And to really just be comfortable appearing front of a camera or being on a podcast itself?

 

18:06

I mean, it depends on what level that they are. It completely depends. And I mean, once that once someone’s comfortable, then, you know, I think that it gets shorter and shorter every time that they might have an interview, they, you know, just might need a quick email to like prep them, you know, versus getting on the phone and talking every everything through.

 

18:29

No, Holly, my next question for you is about something you wrote on your blog, you wrote, the companies with physical products should really get involved with affiliate programs before they start their PR campaigns. Could you explain this for us? In particular, what kind of opportunities are out there in terms of affiliate marketing? And how can companies really leverage on this?

 

18:46

Sure, yeah, definitely. Affiliate marketing is a big part of PR today. And for anyone that doesn’t know what affiliate marketing is. So it’s essentially the affiliate earning a commission based on the sales of our product. So before years ago, or when it first started, it was really big for bloggers, and Instagram influencers. And those influencers would promote a product and then get a percentage cut of those sales that they helped to actually produce.

 

So today, a lot of national high tier media outlets are using affiliate marketing as a way to support their bottom line. So for fat for a product based business like fashion, skincare, or even food, they should register through affiliate networks. So I usually recommend setting up SkimLinks and ShareASale to start and then media outlets will feature that product and roundups like the best holiday gifts to give your mother in law, for example.

 

So today, many media outlets are actually requiring products to be connected with an affiliate marketing program or they won’t actually even feature your product. So that’s why I say it’s very important to start out and yeah, there’s also Amazon is also a big one to me that that most people know of. So

 

20:06

you don’t mention very surprised to hear that this is this year requirement that some corporates are putting in place. It sounds like Amazon really encouraged industry shift in the last few years.

 

20:15

Definitely a big shift. Over the past few years and more and more, there are certain journalists that will only do you know, ecommerce or affiliate product roundups. So, you know, understanding how to work with them, and what they want is a big part of getting earned media coverage, especially if you’re a product and especially leading up to the holidays.

 

20:37

Okay, Holly, you just explained to us what affiliate marketing is? How can a company get involved to do one too?

 

20:42

So? Yeah, I mean, Amazon is obviously a big one, if you do if you are able to, you know, register your product and sell through Amazon. The other two are SkimLinks and share sale. And the way that those are set up, you sign up as a product.

 

And you know, you kind of fill out all the information that that the websites want, you know, description of the product, the price, you can kind of choose what percentage of sales you want to give a commission to. So it ranges depending on the industry. So you know, you can spend a little bit of time doing some competitor research and understand what other products in your space are doing.

 

And then kind of register your products. So you have a place on ShareASale, where you can direct journalists to and they can you know, pull out your product when they want to feature you on a on a product roundup list for the holidays, for example.

 

21:36

I think it is great overall, because it’s a win win situation for everyone, the more the companies sell, the more reference earn, and the more the customers benefit. So hopefully everyone’s happy from that.

 

21:45

Right. Yeah, I mean, it’s really, it’s almost like a brick and mortar store, you know, you’re selling it at one level. And then you know, you’re obviously giving them a percentage of sales. So it’s a different way to do it in the E commerce space.

 

And I mean today, and I it’s definitely shifted a lot where people are buying things online, and they’re not going to stores as much. So I think this gives products a new way to reach different buyers, and I think it’s beneficial for everyone.

 

22:13

Now, Holly, before I let you go, I like to actually speak to you so about Dorchester Brewing Company, which I know you’re a co founder of as well. So to the listeners out there. One thing about Holly does actually very exciting is that onone she a PR and marketing specialist, she actually walks the walk, she is an entrepreneur, she actually founded or co founded a Brewing Company. So Holly, could you share with us a little bit about Dorchester Brewing Company and the brewery Bus program that you guys are famous for?

 

22:41

Sure. So yeah, the brewery is definitely an exciting part of my business and what I do today, and we opened about five years ago, we’re right in Boston. And it was an opportunity that came to me while I was doing consulting. So I was, like I said, with corporate life, you don’t have a lot of you know, work life balance and can choose what you want to do.

 

So, you know, Bob, at that point, it was six or seven years ago when we were talking about opening, and I was able to devote time and effort into helping the brewery open. So I’m responsible for all of the marketing. I don’t do all the brewing. That’s our someone who knows all about brewing your head brewer. But we opened as a contract brewery model, which is a little bit different than a typical brewery. So we have a 25,000 square foot state of the art facility right in Boston. And when we opened, you know, we obviously didn’t need all of the tank space because we didn’t have our own brand setup.

 

There wasn’t a high demand for Dorchester Brewing Company because people didn’t know it. So at the time, we did a lot of contract brewing, which means we brew beer for other breweries, and maybe it’s a small brewery, or maybe it is a larger brewery that ran out of tank space. Or maybe it’s a brand who’s building up their own brewery, which takes a you know, at least a year, so they needed somewhere to brew up some some beer in the meantime.

 

So when we started, we’re definitely doing more contract brewing and less of our brand. And then over the past five years, you know, our brand has certainly become more prominent, like we started distribution and are now in in liquor stores and retail stores around Massachusetts. But so it’s shifted. So now we still do contract brewing, but we definitely are brewing more of our own brand. And we have a large tap room.

 

24:38

Yeah, I seen the photos. It’s lovely. I saw the game machines that you have as well. Right. And it’s such a huge amount of space. There.

 

24:45

It is. Yeah, yeah. When we did an expansion that opened January 2020. So right before the pandemic hit. Oh, we have Yeah, it’s it’s a four season roof deck. So it feels like you’re outside overlooking Boston even in The winter. And it’s a beautiful space the contract brewers that that grew with us, their beers also served on tap in our in our tap room.

 

25:10

So are you guys open right now?

 

25:12

We are yet we’re we’re 100% open. There’s restrictions in Boston specifically that are, you know, different from other areas of Massachusetts. So we do have to comply with those restrictions in terms of the mass guidance, and everything like that. But we are open, you know, fully,

 

25:31

wholly, what I really liked about the Dorchester Brewing Company story is that you guys really resource who even from the start, as you guys understood that it will take some time for the business to pick up providing that contract brewery service really gave you guys a new way to add revenue to your business, even from the earlier days.

 

So Holly, would you say that you guys have contributed to the growth of the craft and micro brewery scene in Boston?

 

25:54

Um, yeah, I think the the brewery scene in Boston has definitely grown over the past five years. And yeah, we are all about, you know, helping each other. And I think in the industry, you know, when, when one brewery does well, the others tend to do well. And it’s great that Boston now you know, you can come and you can visit multiple breweries on the same day and kind of, you know, hop from brewery to brewery. So it’s really fun to be part of that.

 

26:22

So Holly, if this is only remember one thing from today’s conversation, what would you like it to be?

 

26:27

I think I would say that PR is attainable for small businesses and startups and to have them think about it as part of they’re an essential part of their marketing strategy, as a way to build up their audience and build brand awareness and even build up sales.

 

26:43

So how can listeners get in contact with you if they need your help?

 

26:46

They can either check out my website, it’s little bird boston.com. Or also they can find me on Instagram or Twitter. Instagram is little bird Boston PR and then Twitter’s actually just my name. Holly, Oregon’s

 

27:02

No, Holly, thank you so much for joining us today and to share about your expertise in marketing and PR. Thank you.

 

27:08

Thank you for having me. This is fun. Guys.

 

27:10

Thank you so much for joining Holly and I in our conversation. So I guess the question is, is your brand PR ready? Do you have your assets in place? Do you have the photos of your founders, your phone is bios, your company’s logos already?

 

How about your website? Is it done in a way that is optimized to engage your customers as well? If it’s not, maybe it’s time to start thinking about getting these in order. So an opportunity such as an interview comes your way you are PR ready.

 

Also, when you’re thinking about growing your company brand name and building your credibility, think about earn media. If you can get interviewed by a newspaper or a magazine,

 

or it can appear on television or a podcast, it can really add a whole new level of credibility and authenticity because you didn’t have to pay for that. And that makes the reviews a lot more genuine. Now guys to stay up to date with all the latest episodes, tools and resources that make sure to log on to tatio.com That’s tedteo.com.

 

And even better yet, sign up for our newsletter and you’ll hear from me directly. And as before, if you’ve received any value from the show, then I’d love to get your support. The best way you can show this is to subscribe to the show, leave a review on Apple podcasts and to share the show with somebody who find it useful as well. That’s all for me today. I’ll see you next time.