Carin Warner, Co-Founder of Notably, discussed the key factors to success in her life and business. She explains how she makes her AI clients stand out in the press. Carin also discusses how PR strategies can boost lead generation efforts.

>> Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and others.

TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: Carin, you’ve had a unique success in that you’ve been able to run two successful agencies. Do you have any top tips for people who are either looking to be entrepreneurs or leading agencies themselves that have helped drive your success?

CARIN: Well, I think the key to any success is grit, hard work and really trusting your gut. And that has been, I think, the, the way that I’ve run my life and the business. And I think that’s a great kind of backbone for success.

DOUG: That’s an awesome point. And also, I think you’ve shown flexibility to move with what’s changing in the world. For example, you work with a lot of clients who are in the AI space. Obviously, that’s such a hot topic now, and the media is very interested from our experience through doing media tours. Can you share any tips for how you approach when you’re working with a client in the AI space to be successful with them?

CARIN: AI obviously is on everybody’s mind, and the challenge is to make sure that the clients that we’re working with aren’t just another AI that nobody really understands what they do and what the benefit of it is. And so AI is great when you say it, but in practice, particularly when you’re dealing with the media, you really need to explain the benefits of it and why it’s a product differentiator from what was before and why AI is an improvement over what was. So, it’s just not enough these days is to say, well, you know, there’s AI in the name of the client. So, what are the benefits and how is it different?

DOUG: Yeah. Is an important part of that, trying to elevate the client beyond just what they’re selling?

CARIN: Yeah, I think a lot of what PR does is that I think being a thought leader and having a point of view in the marketplace that will drive others to understand and appreciate and want what you’re offering, really does start with not selling, but really talking about your approach and how it’s different and meaningful to the market.

DOUG: One of the things that we’ve seen, I’m sure you’re seeing this, as well as the increased emphasis on PR to turn into lead generation, that used to be the marketing function and PR was getting messages out, but that’s merge and PR turn into lead generation. And what are some best practices in that area? And then we’ll look at mistakes to avoid if you’re going down that route. So, what are some of the best practices for us?

CARIN: Well, first of all, I’m really glad that you asked the question because it’s something that comes up in virtually every conversation, particularly in a new business context, but also with existing clients. And there is, I think, a general lack of understanding of the role that PR plays in lead gen. And, you know, I think the best practice that we always share with our clients is we are the wind beneath the marketing, and messaging wings. And so, what does that mean? That really means that the earned media that we primarily do earned media where we’re in, you know, The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal or, you know, USA Today, those stories are so credible and they are trusted, and they have the kind of detail that you can have in editorial, which you can’t have, you know, in an ad, for example, that is the basis for lead gen. So, what do I mean by that? So, you use those articles in social media that can be a call to action there. You can use the basis of those articles to develop a webinar series, for example, on the thematic that that article or articles talks about. It can also be used by your sales force just as a lead gen item that says, hey, you know, we were just in fortune and thought you would, you know, enjoy seeing what my CEO had to say. So, there’s so many great ways to use earned media. And of course, it can be used in an ad as well. It’s on your website. It’s, you know, employee morale. It’s all of those things. So never underestimate the power of PR even though it doesn’t have a CTA, typically.

DOUG: Though it definitely can contribute to it, it’s the point you’re making because, you know, awareness is critical in the marketing mix. You might have the best slogan and idea, but if no one knows about it or understands, or here’s what you do, how is that going to generate business? So, what are some of the other tactics? It’s great that you feel earned media. So primarily, maybe what are the best approaches to earning media? Obviously, that’s important to what we do as a business as well.

CARIN: Yeah. Well, I also think that the media has to dovetail. The content has to dovetail with SEO. What are people searching for? Are you going to come up in the search when people Google the company, what are they going to see? So, I think that you have to make sure that it’s not just out there, but it’s out there in a meaningful way. So. It will drive traffic to the website. We do a lot of analytics on that because again, going back, you know, how do you measure success? Well, some of that is definitely measuring how many clicks came out of an article that went directly to the website. Are the keywords that we’re using working? Do we need to change it? Do we need to keep a grasp on other kinds of searches that are being done that might be tangential but important? So, it’s like a constant evolution in terms of how we make sure that we’re connecting the dots and we’re helping with lead gen.

DOUG: Are there any mistakes to avoid? I did promise that you would come up with a few of those as well, so I don’t want to get thrown offline.

CARIN: You cannot be an ad. Okay. And so there is a definite difference, and they really need to understand that. And that sometimes it seems very basic to us, but it’s not always basic to the client because they think, well, I’ve got a story in the Wall Street Journal that should definitely turn into sales, and that’s not necessarily the case. You need a good sales force; you need a good website. You need a lot more than a one-hit wonder. We really believe in the Rolling Thunder approach so that even if you have a fantastic story and you’ve got your, you know, your dream TechCrunch story out there, that does not make a sales effort, that does not make a marketing program successful, that does not put a company on the map, as you know. So ongoing visibility, ongoing credibility. So, I guess the big mistake is that they’re looking for the Holy Grail, that one amazing article. And they think that’s enough. And it’s not it’s never enough, which is why a PR person’s work is never done.

DOUG: Right. And that’s also interesting because there’s increasing distrust of certain types of media. We found, like the networks and social media, you know, they’re increasing questions around that. So, you have to navigate through that. Any final thought you want to leave our audience with?

CARIN: I think PR today is still undervalued, sadly, because I don’t think people necessarily realize the kind of skill set that you need in order to be successful. There’s a zillion PR firms out there. They’re all competing against, you know, a small group of key media. And to be able to achieve the kind of consistency that Notably does I think is very rare. And it really means that you have to choose an agency that understands how the media works and doesn’t just take your marketing speak and think it’s going to play in Peoria. You know, you’ve got to really find an agency that is aggressive and scrappy and knows how to make the connections that need to happen in order for your story to be told to the right media.

DOUG: Carin, you spoke about PR being undervalued, but does that mean that brands can lean on it even more because of the cost-benefit compared to other approaches they might take?

CARIN: Absolutely. I think not only is it a great, uh, tactic and a cost-effective tactic compared to paid media, but it will absolutely, over time have a benefit in terms of the valuation of the company. It’ll have a tremendous effect. If you’re a publicly traded company and you’re trading your stock and you have some excellent stories out there, that’s always going to be very important in terms of the perception and the value of the company. And so, when you think about the bottom line, whether it’s a merger and acquisition and exit, having great PR that’s cost-effective, to begin with, can be so helpful in terms of the eventual multiple that you’ll get down the line.

DOUG: Yeah, it’s great insights. Thanks so much for spending time with us.

CARIN: Pleasure.