Authentic Storytelling, The Gnar Gnar Honeys & Iced Matcha Lattes with Guest Trifecta Monica Medellin

This week’s episode holds a very special announcement for the next chapter with THEPRBAR Agency. And for Lexie. This minisode walks listeners through Lexie’s brand new rebrand for her agency, now GROWTH MODE PR & Communications agency. She talks about the inception of this rebrand, the process of how she did it, and what GROWTH MODE Agency is going to offer and more!

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• Why Lexie decided to rebrand THEPRBAR Agency to GROWTH MODE PR & Communications Agency
• What the new rebrand means for THEPRBAR brand overall
• What makes the agency different
• The steps Lexie took to create and roll out the rebrand
• How Lexie enlisted branding expert Hilary Hartling to help her establish the new brand
• And more!

Listener Links: 

• Visit the New Agency Website: http://growthmodeagency.com/
• Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/
• Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/
• Instagram: @theprbar_inc
• Growth Mode Agency Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmodeagency/?hl=en

Linda Zebian is Senior Director of Communications & Community at Muck Rack, where she sets communications strategy for Muck Rack’s enterprise, both internally and externally, including messaging, issues management, media relations, social media, and employee communications, as well as partnerships and events. Linda joined Muck Rack from The New York Times, where she spent 10 years in various communications positions. Most recently she served as a freelance Communications Advisor, and before that, as Executive Director, Corporate Communications.

Before joining The Times, she was communications associate at the nonprofit organization Consumers Union, where she managed media relations for Consumer Reports magazine, ConsumerReports.org, and ShopSmart magazine. She began her career as a reporter for Folio, covering the magazine media industry and later managing conference programming for Folio’s publisher, Red 7 Media, a division of Access Intelligence.

In this episode, Lexie and Linda talk about the state of artificial intelligence in PR circa 2024. They also touch on Linda’s straightforward approach to media training and interviewing. Linda shares her tips and tricks on what to do to help prepare clients for interviews and how best to get those sound bites that are good for the press in an interview. 

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• Highlights from Muck Rack’s 2024 State of AI in PR Report.
• Insights from Linda’s current position at Muck Rack
• Tips from a seasoned expert on media training
• Three tips on how to prepare the best sound bites for interviews
• Tips on identifying the best candidates for media training at an organization
• Tips on selecting key points and staying on message during interviews
• Examples of how to best approach interview opportunities with clients
• And more!

Listener Links: 

• (X): @lindazebian 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-ezziddin/ 
• Access Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/
• Download 2024 State of AI Report: https://muckrack.com/blog/2024/01/04/state-of-ai-in-pr-2024
• Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/
• Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/
• Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.com
• Instagram: @theprbar_inc

As an agency search consultant, Rachel Huff, President and Founder of Victoire & Co, builds brand-agency partnerships that drive long-term success. With a keen understanding of clients’ communications and business needs and a network of trusted marketing and communications agency connections, she guides companies toward their best agency fit. Prior to founding Victoire & Co, Rachel spent more than a decade at agencies, including on the accounting side, developing integrated communications campaigns for brands including John Hancock, Verizon, Ocean Spray, DraftKings, and CVS.

In this episode, Rachel talks through her career journey and the agency world she was in for many years before founding her company, Victoire & Co. Rachel defines and decodes what an RFP (Request for Proposal) is for listeners and walks them through various types of proposals. She offers tips on how to create an effective RFP, how to submit a winning RFP proposal, what opportunities are worth pursuing, and more. 

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• What is an RFP (Request for Proposal)
• Detailed differences between types of RFPs
• Tips on what should be included in a RFP
• Other names and acronyms used in lieu of an RFP - such as Client Brief or RFI
• Tips on how to win a client brief and Rachel’s thoughts on what opportunities are worth pursuing
• Tips on defining your own brand and positioning
• Tips on creating filters for evaluating client opportunities
• What decoding a brief looks like for Rachel and her company
• What a search consultant does and the process of matching agencies and clients
• The importance of understanding what makes your brand and agency unique 
• The different buckets to consider when looking at a prospective client’s goals
• And more! 

Listener Links: 

• Company: Victoire & Co (pronounced Vik-TWAR)
• Website: https://www.victoireco.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmhuff/

• Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/
• Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/
• Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.com
• Instagram: @theprbar_inc

This week, Lexie Smith takes listeners through her process of mastering the art of crafting timely media pitches. This finely tuned methodology is built on Lexie’s foundation of 13+ years in the PR industry, leading to the founding of THEPRBAR inc. and her PR and Communications agency. Lexie walks the listener through ten elements that can make a story newsworthy and breaks down one area in particular: timeliness. She covers scenarios where businesses may have missed the timely window of opportunity and explain how to leverage the current news cycle to achieve the goal of a newsworthy story.  

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• What the Pre-Pitch Op Method is from THEPRBAR inc.
• How timely pitches make a story newsworthy
• Tips on understanding editorial calendars as a way of understanding lead times
• Tips on writing questions to ask when crafting a pitch
• 3 different factors to consider when deciding if a given pitch is timely
• And more!

Listener Links:

• Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/
• Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/
• Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.com
• Instagram: @theprbar_inc
• Go back to the homepage

Viveca Chow is a NYC Lifestyle Expert and the first Hong Kong born and raised Broadway musical performer, rewriting the international city’s history. Featured on NBC, CNN and Cheddar News, her storytelling skills seamlessly extend to her role as a Content Creator where she has effectively collaborated with and generated content for over 550 brands like Capital One and Samsung across various platforms. With a combined audience of 230k followers and over 100 million views and counting, she is passionate about promoting and uplifting AAPI businesses, as well as cultivating a community rooted in creativity, positivity, and adventure.

In this episode, Lexie and Viveca talk about her journey from the world of entertainment to becoming an influencer and how she grew her audience to over 200k. Viveca details nailing an Instagram strategy and how to vet and land paid influencer partnerships. 

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• Viveca Chow’s journey in entertainment and on Broadway
• Tips on upleveling your instagram strategy 
• Tips on posting frequency and her thoughts on quality over quantity
• Ideas on how to get started securing paid influencer partnerships
• Examples of her paid partnerships 
• How she goes about booking partnerships
• How to price or vet a paid influencer partnership
• Tips on writing the perfect hook and caption 
• And more!

Listener Links: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivecachow/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vivecachow
• Website: https://www.helloitsviveca.com/
• Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/
• Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/
• Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.com
• Instagram: @theprbar_inc

Jordi Lippe-McGraw is a seasoned freelance journalist with an eight-year tenure writing about travel, parenting, and wellness for esteemed outlets such as Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Vogue, Brides, The New York Times, Elle, and Forbes. She is also the creator and founder of PAK Rêve, a versatile travel bag line celebrated by Conde Nast Traveler for its innovative, modular design that keeps traveling parents organized and stylish.

In this episode, Lexie and Jordi discuss the PR-sales connection, breaking down what press features can do (and not do) for a brand. Hear how Jordi got her start in freelance travel writing, the impact affiliate links have played on the industry, and the lessons she learned about landing product and brand features as a new founder. 

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• Jordi Lippe-McGraw’s career journey to now
• Her thoughts on affiliate links in media, and the role they play in product selection
• How her experience of being a journalist assisted her founder journey
• Her experience as a travel writer and some of her favorite places she’s visited
• The influence of affiliate links on journalists' stories and pitches
• How she prepared to pitch her own product pre-launch
• What data and results she’s seeing come from press after recently launching PAK Rêve
• With her writer hat on, she talks about her pitching needs and personal preferences
• And more! 

Listener Links:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordilippe/
• PakReve Instgram: https://www.instagram.com/pakreve
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jordilippe
• Website: https://pakreve.com
• Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/
• Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/

Instagram: @theprbar_inc

This first minisode of 2024 breaks down 7 things that host Lexie Smith and her team at THEPRBAR Agency are doing this month to reset their PR strategy for success in 2024. From collecting media kits to updating press kits to creating editorial calendars for clients, and more, hear how Lexie and THEPRBAR team are revamping their PR strategy to ensure a successful 2024.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• What 2023 lessons THEPRBAR Agency team is reflecting on
• What types of businesses and entrepreneurs Lexie hopes to work with in 2024
• Tips for updating media lists
• Tips on improving engagement tactics
• Tips on analyzing 2023 trend reports and applying them to 2024
• Tips on updating assets, refreshing headshots, and the resetting client media goals
• What to look for and collect at the top of the year
• And more! 

Listener Links: 

• Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/
• Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/
• Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.com
• Instagram: @theprbar_inc

Teresa Bigelow is the founder of boutique agency and career platform Spiral5. Throughout her 12+ years of experience in public relations, Teresa has worked with a wide variety of brands, from global media companies to music tech to psychedelics, helping to tell their diverse stories in the media. Her clients have been featured in the world’s leading publications, including Fast Company, New York Times, NPR, Pitchfork, Forbes, TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, New Yorker, Conde Nast Traveler, Psychology Today among others. As a professional writer, Teresa has contributed to Allure, Entrepreneur, and Salon. She has also been featured in Forbes and Brit+Co, and was recognized as a Rising Star Under 30 by PR News. 

In this episode, Teresa shares her career journey, including how she got into PR and the founding of Spiral5. Learn what Spiral5 can offer small businesses and aspiring publicists and how her business model might revolutionize the world of indie and freelance PR. 

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• The inception story of Spiral5
• The concept of Spiral5 as an extension of your team instead of a big agency
• Spiral5's dual-functionality, designed by Teresa to meet diverse business needs
• Teresa’s contribution to the ‘incubator’ side of PR through Spiral5
• Teresa’s increased focus on the education aspects of PR, emphasizes that anyone can  acquire PR skills
• Her initiative to make PR more accessible 
• How she’s training more people to do PR and connect the dots for aspiring publicists
• The observed demand for virtual gatherings
• Thoughts on why businesses continue to employ agencies
• The significance of awareness about organizations like Spiral5
• And more!

Listener Links: 

• Teresa’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tglow5/?hl=en
• Spiral5 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hispiral5/?hl=en
• Website: www.spiral5.com 
• Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/
• Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/
• Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.com
• Instagram: @theprbar_inc

Cloey Callahan is a Senior Reporter at Digiday Media's WorkLife, where she writes about evolving workplaces and workforces across different areas like technology, spaces, culture, DE&I, leadership, and talent. Before WorkLife, she was a General Assignment Reporter and Editor primarily covering local news across six counties in New York State's Hudson Valley region, where she was born and raised. 

In this episode, Cloey and Host Lexie Smith discuss how to pitch WorkLife specifically, and how to source credible experts as a journalist. She also peels back the curtain on what she looks for when selecting sources for coverage, how she selects her coverage topics, and she shares her personal pitching preferences. 

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• Tips on how to pitch WorkLife for press coverage
• Cloey Callahan’s career journey
• Her thoughts on the new era of Twitter or ‘X’
• How she has seen success using Twitter / X
• Tips on sourcing credible experts
• Learn about Cloey’s podcast, The Return
• How she sources guests for the podcast
• Her process for storyboarding
• Her personal pitching preferences
• And more!

Listener Links: 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cloey-callahan-0174b0153/
• The Return Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-return/id1633534153
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CloeyCallahan
• Website: https://www.worklife.news/author/cloeycallahan/

• Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/
• Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/
• Instagram: @theprbar_inc

Rachel Chang, a seasoned journalist with more than two decades of editorial experience, has built a successful career in travel and pop culture reporting. Formerly a Senior Editor at Us Weekly, Editor-in-Chief at J-14, and Entertainment Editor at CosmoGIRL!, today Rachel is a freelance writer and editor. She regularly contributes to Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure, and has taken on editing projects for Tripadvisor and Time. Additionally, she has written for Lonely Planet, New York Times for Kids, Wall Street Journal’s Buy Side, Washington Post, and Hemispheres, among other media outlets. 

In this week’s episode, Lexie Smith and Rachel Chang discuss Rachel’s career and her expertise in producing SEO-driven news pieces and stories. Rachel walks through her tips on how to incorporate more SEO-driven news writing into content and freelance work in the digital age of journalism. 

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• More about SEO-driven news writing and how it applies to journalism and storytelling
• Rachel’s thoughts on the need to understand SEO as a journalist
• The significant role of SEO in her work as a freelance journalist
• Tips on incorporating SEO-driven content into writing 
• Different SEO tools that she uses
• Connecting trending moments with specific beat coverage
• ‘Formulas’ for headlines that generate views
• The importance of humanizing pitches
• Her personal pitching preferences
• And more!

Listener Links: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelschang/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelchang/
• Conde Nast Recent Articles: https://www.cntraveler.com/contributor/rachel-chang

• Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/
• Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/

Instagram: @theprbar_inc