Listen to the full interview:
1. For those who aren’t familiar with public relations (PR), can you tell us a little bit about what it is and why it’s important?
“First, I’m going to start off by talking about what PR isn’t because I think there’s a lot of confusion around what PR encompasses. PR is not marketing, sales, advertising, or lead generation. Sometimes I have clients, or a prospect, tell me, ‘Well, I was featured in Bloomberg, but I didn’t get any leads from it.’
That’s not what PR does, but PR can be fuel for your marketing or sales efforts. A lot of times people also think PR stands for press release, which is kind of funny because putting out press releases is such a small part of my job. When there’s big news to announce we push out press releases, but there’s so much more that goes into PR. Generally, I would describe public relations as how an organization or an individual communicates and engages with the public by leveraging the press. PR helps build your credibility—either your individual credibility or your brand credibility or both.”
2. Why is it important for people and firms to be engaged with PR?
“There’s so much noise and misinformation out there and people are inherently distrustful of brands, especially in financial services. PR helps people overcome that. If you have prospects researching you and they see you were quoted in CNBC or Forbes, then you’re a legitimate brand. That gives you some legitimacy.”
3. How does PR help individuals with their personal brands?
“PR is your megaphone. Whatever you want to say, I’m giving you the tools to say it more broadly. That builds your personal credibility for your brand. I’ll give an example. I view PR as a bridge to so much more than just being quoted in the media. One of my clients specializes in sustainable investing and a few years ago he was on an obscure sustainability podcast that not many people know of. It doesn’t have a huge reach, but it was super targeted. Someone was listening to that podcast and reached out to him. He was actually offered a book deal through that podcast. You never really know who is listening. It was so much more than just being on a podcast. That same client has also said many times that PR has helped him and his firm punch above their weight. They’re able to compete with much larger firms because of the brand he has built and also the credibility of being in these major publications for a much smaller firm. They’re in conversation with many other larger firms, so it has a lasting impact on the brand.”
4. Traditional media is changing. How does this impact PR and the future of media?
“Unfortunately, there are and have been a ton of layoffs this year. Just this week alone, Vox and Hearst and Dotdash Merideth had a number of editorial layoffs. I anticipate that to continue. But what’s exciting is we’re seeing more startup and independent media sites. Journalists are starting their own newsletters and taking back some of the control that has been taken away from them.
I do expect we might see some more blurred lines between editorial and advertising. In the past, it’s been a clear line of editorials over here and advertising is over here, and they don’t really meet in the middle. But with these new independent sites and newsletters, I do expect that to change a little bit.
I’ve also been hearing about AI replacing editors or reporters, so that is also something to keep an eye out for as well. While it is an upsetting time in the media, I think it opens a lot more opportunities for journalists to have a little bit more creative flexibility and go independent.”
5. How have you seen AI impact PR and media relations?
“As more and more people are starting to use AI, they’re using it to generate content and thought leadership. And that is dangerous. That’s helpful for small businesses who don’t have a lot of time and want to create content. But you always want to make sure your content and thought leadership, especially if you’re submitting to a journalist, is not AI-generated because reporters are taking note; they’re running content through AI generators. They’re making sure the content they have is not plagiarized nor coming from AI. They have their journalistic integrity they have to maintain. Now more than ever, I think true thought leaders and experts are going to rise to the top and everybody else is going to not have the opportunities they used to have in the past because reporters are blacklisting experts for using AI. That’s something I talk to my clients about. You can use AI to generate some ideas or start a very rough first draft, but after that, it really has to be your own insights.”
6. With the implications of AI and PR, how do you see it impacting people’s careers?
“I think it’s harder for PR people to pitch experts to journalists because newsrooms have shrunk so much, and they will continue to shrink. It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for the media landscape, but I do think for people who are interested in putting themselves out there, I would start now. Reporters have become more accessible than ever before. I remember when I first started as an intern, I had to really work hard to find a reporters’ contact information, but now everything is always at the bottom of articles. You can even text and call reporters. They have their numbers listed right there and can be accessed on social media. While this is a positive thing, it is also much harder to break through all the noise because reporters are more inundated than ever. For thought leaders who are really looking to position themselves as such, start now and find a partner who can help you do it the right way.”
7. How can individuals in the workplace take advantage of PR? Where can they start?
1. Forget the Fear
“My first tip is don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Chances are you have something interesting to say. You have something that’s not currently being said. That’s a good thing. Reporters like when you have a different perspective, and they get tired of hearing the same old thing. So don’t be afraid. Take the jump.”
2. Network with Journalists
“Something practical you can do is identify journalists. Who do you like? Who do you read? Start to engage with them. Follow them on social media and share their articles. It’s really important that we keep good reporters and media in business by sharing what they do so they can increase their readership. Compliment their work. Reach out to them. Offer it to be a source and connect them with other people in your network who might be interested or might be a good fit for their stories.”
3. Find Support
“Find someone to help you do it. Someone you know who will have your back. One of my clients refers to me as her hype girl because I’m always like, ‘Yeah, you could do it. You got this.’
If you’re feeling a little hesitant and you’re not sure what to do, you can dip your toe into the water with someone who can help.”
4. Embrace Your Personality
“My ethos is I never want people to feel uncomfortable. I always want people to embrace their personality. They never have to emulate somebody else because who you are is just perfect. Embrace that and you will see results and traction.”
Interviewer
Finka Jerkovic
Career Advancement Coach and Founder of Finka Inc.
With 25+ years in leadership and sales and the financial services industry, she has witnessed the power of recognizing and celebrating people’s unique strengths and differences (a.k.a Brilliant Differences™) within a workplace. When everyone’s unique talents are appreciated and people work together using them, that’s when the real magic of career and business growth happens. Fast forward 10 years. Finka has established programs that help mid-career professionals and leaders grow in their careers by tapping into the full potential of their personal brand, so they can clearly define their strengths, value their differences, and perform at their best.
Interviewee
Abbie Sheridan
CEO of Greenrose Communications
PR veteran Abbie Sheridan is a born connector. She lives to connect people. Pairing her passion for connections with her love of storytelling, Abbie has been working in public relations for nearly 15 years. Abbie initially found and pursued her dream job through a college internship: she pitched tech gadgets and colored toilet paper at New York Fashion Week (which was as fun as it sounds). But Abbie knew she wanted to do something more impactful. When she found financial services, she realized it was where she was meant to be. For close to a decade, Abbie has worked with RIAs, asset managers, custodians, and fintech companies in the wealth management industry. Today, she and her team represent more than a dozen industry leading firms, with a specialization in ESG, SRI, and green investing.
