EPISODE 17: HOW TO PLAN AND PREPARE CONTENT FOR YEAR-ROUND SUCCESS WITH CAROLYN SUTTON
Live Date: September 20, 2021
Show Description: On today's episode, Heather sits down with friend and fellow PR pro Carolyn Sutton, of Carolyn Sutton PR, to talk all things media, brand identity, and gift guides. As entrepreneurs and mothers, the pair share with you the importance of planning, creating content, and reaching out to the right media so that time with your company and time with your family can be maximised to the fullest potential. If you’re looking for more ways to cultivate a proactive PR plan, this episode is for you.
This Episode Will Teach You:
How PR and the media have evolved over the years
The value in establishing a brand identity
How to utilize gift guides for product campaigns
What an annual news cycle is and how to utilize it
Biggest Takeaways:
Heather and Carolyn discuss how and why PR pros are looking beyond the traditional media. In the ever-evolving media climate, it’s vital to learn and educate clients to help launch a rebrand or make a product collection stand out more and be more relevant by looking at campaigns through multiple lenses and media capacities. There are multiple avenues, but there is value in educating clients on the true value of publicity beyond just those traditional print pieces.
Carolyn dives into the value in discerning and promoting a brand identity. Every brand - whether a huge national brand or a small business with a one-woman show at the helm - must care about their brand identity. A very large part of the perception of brand identity revolves around the content shared online - through websites and socials, predominantly.
Heather and Carolyn discuss creating an annual news cycle by taking a look at the calendar year and seeing what the target topics that the media is no doubt going to be talking about. What are they going to be talking about January through December? How can your client be a fit?
About the Guest: Carolyn Sutton is the founder of Carolyn Sutton PR, an Omaha, Nebraska based lifestyle, consumer firm. She began her PR career right out of the gate with a coveted internship in Dallas, which started her passion for public relations. She puts her clients in the spotlight by launching brands, driving publicity and media coverage, creating collaborations and creating influencer partnerships.
Quotables:
“I think you know, in the last few years I've really realized the importance of having a great team of other PR professionals where you can lean on each other, in a very collaborative approach.” - Carolyn Sutton, 4:16
“I think at the heart of everything we do, we are doing storytelling, right? We are storytellers in our industry, but we're doing it in so many different mediums.” - Heather Adams, 9:14
“I think too, you know, just knowing that you carve your own path out and do not compare yourself to what anyone else is doing, somebody else might be doing something, you know, more different seeming, bigger, whatever it is, then you do what you know is best for you, and that will serve you well in the longterm.” - Carolyn Sutton, 12:45
“Your ultimate goal for your business is to show how somebody can live and breathe with your product, you, or your brand.” - Carolyn Sutton, 23:15
“You have to stay on top of the latest trends and the headlines in order to tie your client or brand into it, to be able to stay relevant. But it's really difficult to get above the noise. So often, you know, we've got natural disasters, we've got a really heavy political climate. We're navigating a pandemic. Everything is like constantly changing and evolving. And I think people are just holding on for dear life for the next thing.” - Heather Adams, 27:52
“So at this point, if we've learned anything in the last year, 18 months, is that you need to be prepared that things can shift on a dime for how your client may, may or may not be represented in the media.” - Carolyn Sutton, 28:38
“Don't be afraid to showcase who you are and be loud and proud about who you are. So whether that is in a visual format on Instagram or social media, or whether that is, physically being on camera and telling who you are, I think it is being loud and proud of who you are and continually sharing your story on an ongoing basis. And you cannot share your story enough.” - Carolyn Sutton, 43:30
“My piece of advice would be to don't ever doubt yourself worth, and don't ever don't undersell your services just because you might be younger, or you might be earlier in your stage of your career, do not undersell what you have to offer. Your value should not be associated with your age, but really what your true value is.” - Carolyn Sutton, 48:13
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