PR Coach & Publicity Strategist for Small Business Founders

[00:00:00] You too can post something on social media, wake up the next day and see that you're featured on national news. But you got to know how to do it the right way and you have to present yourself in the correct way. You're putting ads in to go viral but going viral is a one hit wonder and maybe it'll be a great spike but you don't know if you're gonna ever have that spike again. So that's why PR is so important. PR is expensive. It's thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. You need to get yourself out there because if you don't, you're leaving money on the table and such cool

[00:00:29] opportunities as well that could come from it that you don't even know exist yet. But you still have a ton of success in terms of visibility, impact, PR. There's little things you can do to still make yourself stand out without being the loudest in the room. No one makes magic and business like Disney. Join us as we hear from Disney cast members, influencers and enthusiasts to uncover the secrets of what it takes behind the scenes to make Disney such a successful and well-loved brand.

[00:00:59] We will hear their journeys, inspirations and have some good old-fashioned Disney fun along the way. So relax, pull up a chair, be our guest and let's get down to Bippity Boppity Business. Cool, welcome to Bippity Boppity Business. How are you doing today? I'm good. I'm just excited to be in this kind of Disney era right now.

[00:01:28] It's a fun new way to kind of talk about business and learn strategies without being too busy. Yeah. So yeah, I'm really glad you brought that up. That's one of the biggest things that I want from this show for both anyone who is listening and for my guests that come on.

[00:01:48] I'm really just trying to create an environment that's accessible and fun for, you know, what it is to like for business, because the truth of the matter is business is so much more human and authentic than we kind of make it out to be on like different types of content, like podcasts or whatever.

[00:02:09] But that's a rant for another day. I really wanted to thank you for being here and we'll get into who you are in just a second, but that's the business side. But I want to start with the Bippity Boppity first and a little bit of a fun, like kind of icebreaker chit-chat. So I feel like you, your personality and who you are, it's just so fun and lively and creative.

[00:02:31] And I wanted to ask you, if you were a Disney character for a day, what Disney character would you be for a day that you think maybe most aligns with who your personality is and what your personality is like? I feel like it'd be kind of fun one day to be like the mischievous one, but the truth is, is I'm a little follower. And, you know, just in terms of, so I'd probably be like one of those princesses that follows the rules.

[00:03:01] I don't know. A lot of people, you know, like, I don't know, a snow weight. I can't remember, but I'm true. So like, I'd be interested and, you know, I would be tempted. That's the question. Right. Okay. That's very interesting. So let me see. Let me assess this for you, you know, as the Disney guru here. I feel like if I were to pick, I feel like you would be, um, not Snow White, because she was a little airheaded, to be honest.

[00:03:27] I don't know what she was doing, like sleeping in the floor. But I just feel like you would be Belle. And the reason why I say that is because, you know, while she may have on the surface, they may have portrayed her as somebody that breaks the rules. She didn't really do anything wrong. And then she kind of like accepted her situation for what it was. Like, it was like, you know, there was things that she came across, but she kind of settled into her own.

[00:03:53] But she was also very like educated and poised and like kind of brought people together in a way. And also you're both like really pretty brunettes. I don't know. I feel like you would be Belle. I would take that. I've always considered myself more of like a trend starter versus follower in a sense. Like I'd rather take the risk than that. So yeah. Okay. I'm game. Yeah. So I think you do that. That would be who I would say.

[00:04:20] So to tie it into the business side of things, um, the theme that we have for today, guys, is we're going to be talking about PR. But it's a really fun workshop that we're going to do. We're going to explain PR to you from the lens of if the fairy godmother herself needed PR. So, you know, typically the fairy godmother is somebody who helps us. But today, Nicole is going to be the podcast PR fairy godmother for the Bippity Boppity Queen herself.

[00:04:50] So before we get into that, let's talk a little bit. Let's get to know you and get to know your, your, your backstory, your hero's journey, wherever we want to call it. Um, you know, tell me about what, what your start was in, in, in life. I don't think you woke up a, uh, you know, awesome entrepreneur, like successful person, like day one, like, like, you know, you don't click your heels when that happens. So tell me about how you got started in the world that you're in.

[00:05:18] Well, it's interesting because I kind of went into PR, so to speak, for small business founders in a very backdoor kind of way. So my background is that I've been a magazine editor and a journalist for over 20 years. So I really do understand and know the media space because that's where I live. That's where my network is. That's how I think. That's everything, what my whole professional career has been.

[00:05:44] And then I built my own personal brand known as the beauty girl before people were talking about the idea of personal brands. And so through that, I started pitching myself and landing myself on national and regional platforms from TV shows to reality shows to working with brands. And that is, you know, what I was doing and loving.

[00:06:07] And I think maybe a lot of people have gone through their career and they've kind of wondered what if and realize that your expertise and what you're actually really great at is something that you didn't realize at the time that tons of other people are actually seeking. So COVID happens. I'm on a social audio app known as Clubhouse. A lot of people are on that app asking, like, I'm a small business founder. How do I get featured? How do I pitch the press? What do I do?

[00:06:35] And me being in those rooms and hearing advice, I frankly couldn't stand behind. I showed up the next day and I said, I am a PR coach. 48 hours later, I had my first clients and have been growing this business ever since because I'm teaching you how to get press without spending a fortune. I'm opening up the gates so you have access to contacts and know how to build relationships. And basically, you know, if I'm your target, then why not learn from me?

[00:07:05] And I'm so committed to helping small business founders because I've seen too many get left behind simply because they either couldn't afford what they thought was PR. They didn't know all those little things. So that's where I come in. And that's what I love doing. I don't want to gloss over the fact that you were a magazine editor at one point, because when we met before and talked and got to know each other, I immediately was like, oh, my gosh, that's so cool. Like the devil wears Prada or whatever.

[00:07:36] And tell me a little bit more about that part of your journey, because that's just like the girl and the girly girl in me is like obsessed and just needs to hear more. So here's an interesting thing. When I was working at like a very hot magazine at the time, I was the assistant to the editor in chief who basically, you know, we have Anna Wintour at Vogue. And then at the time when I was there, she was the other head, you know, big glossy name that was really trailblazing in the magazine industry.

[00:08:05] Anyway, she gave me a script of the devil wears Prada, like the manuscript to read before it ever became a movie. And I'm reading it and I'm like, oh, and like it was crazy because essentially it was my life. I would get those calls at like 430 in the morning being like, you need to meet me at my private trainer and pick up copy and disperse it to the team before I get there at like 830.

[00:08:29] And I mean, I had my breakfast, lunch and dinner there, you know, at the office that I would have. I mean, it was the stories I could tell. But anyway, so I very much paid my dues in a way. But as much as it was an intense time, I am so happy I did it because it showed me I was great. I read I resilience.

[00:08:51] And when people realize like, oh, she can handle this job, other people started calling to be like, hey, will you come work at this magazine? And that's how my career kind of took off. So, yes, I can say I live the devil wears Prada life. Yeah, that's so interesting to me because I think when people think of magazine or media, like that could be like the first thing that that was the first thing that I thought of. But the fact that you lived it, like you definitely paid your dues to get there.

[00:09:21] But yeah, what was what was like your biggest takeaway from that part of your journey that you still to this day like using your in your work day to day? Because it may have been a lot of work, but I'm sure you learned a lot during that. Like you were saying. I mean, for sure. I learned so much. And like, again, as a journalist, you're always thinking about the people that you're either writing for or like you're you're not thinking about yourself. It's kind of like what are the stories or what are the headlines or what have you that are going to be of interest to other people.

[00:09:51] So from a very early on, it was like never about me. It was all about, you know, the audience, so to speak. Right. And so that just became ingrained in me. So it's really helped me throughout my career because I also don't think take things so personally. I mean, you're in an industry that's pretty cutthroat. Again, it's the same thing. You might get looked. I mean, I have some. Oh, my gosh. Some of the stuff that happened, but you just have to remember it's not about you. Yeah, 100 percent.

[00:10:18] On the positive side of that, though, I think that is something that's really cool about your background, like understanding from that journalist time that it is truly about the audience. Like you are not the hero of the story. Like it's the it's the audience. Right. And I think that's something Disney does exceptionally well when you watch the movies or consume the content. They really make you feel like you like they're talking directly to you. And it's because they make those themes like parallel.

[00:10:46] Like it's this journey of, you know, trying to find yourself or whatever. You make such a good point, because even just like recently, I was going through my own kind of entrepreneurial angst, as we all do. And I shared something on my social media within a community of the idea. And I bet if you are a small business founder, maybe you share this type of feeling, which is the idea that you might be on like a Zoom call, let's say, and you see all these people raising their hands.

[00:11:15] But you as that founder, maybe you feel more introverted. You're not screaming from the rooftops like this is me. Look at me. And then you feel like, oh, well, I will get left behind. And one of the things I was talking about is I've learned through the entrepreneurial journey. Like, yes, I'm standing on 20 plus years of experience. I have results, but I'm not shouting it from the rooftops. That's not like the way I it's just not natural to me.

[00:11:39] But you still have a ton of success in terms of visibility, impact PR without having to do that. There's just certain strategies. And so many people resonated with that because you forget you look around and you usually are seeing the people that are always skipping the line because they're raising their hand first. And you just kind of think like, oh, I wish I could be like that. And I want people to know you don't have to be if that's not you. You don't have to be like that.

[00:12:06] There's little things you can do to still make yourself stand out without being the loudest in the room. I love that because it's really a tactical thing. I think traditionally people might view PR as like, oh, I have to go like pull myself out there and always make like this is my story of how great I am and put it on PR Newswire. Drop this thing about what I did and how great it is.

[00:12:30] And that ties really well as a transition into the first part of what I want to get into, which is what really is PR, especially in this like 2025? 2025? Like I'm sure it's so different than what PR was like even five years ago. You know what I mean? Yes, it's changing so much.

[00:12:53] And the thing that I think people confuse a lot and even again, like when I go on TV sometimes as a beauty and lifestyle expert, even brands still to this day forget that PR is what you need to do to build a legacy brand. It's brand awareness. It is a long-term play that's going to keep you viable and it can convert to sales and financial success 100%.

[00:13:23] But sometimes it's not the same as direct advertising where you put an ad up and your goal for investing in that ad is to get a return on investment right away. And even the idea of like some people say, oh, well, going viral is, you know, you're putting ads into go viral, but going viral is a one hit wonder. And maybe it'll be a great spike, but you don't know if you're going to ever have that spike again. So that's why PR is so important.

[00:13:50] And that's why I teach about like building relationships, more of a 360 strategic approach, just then like getting the hit and moving on. And then once you have the press, it's like, how do you monetize it? And that's what we focus on as well. Okay, great. So let's go ahead and visit fantasy land and let's pretend that the fairy godmother herself comes to you. And we're going to bring some of your strategies to life. So what's up fairy godmother? Hello.

[00:14:20] She's like, dearie, I need your help. I need to figure out how to really just get myself out there. You know, I've been around for a long time. I was in that one movie and oh, God only knows. I just, I'm not really popular anymore. What do I do? They forgot about me. Maybe she has a one hit wonder moment. She doesn't know how to come back from it. Right. I don't know if you've ever had a client like that before, but in general, yeah.

[00:14:49] How would you, how would you start working with her? What would, what would be your first step? Let's let, let's hear, let's hear the coach in action. No, for sure. I would say that number one, if you want to, if you're a service-based, you know, founder or whatever, you definitely need to understand like who your target audience is.

[00:15:13] Because again, if you're going to create the PR strategy, I don't care if you're in an, a media outlet where your buyers are not. And you need to be, at least the way I do it is very targeted specific because as solopreneurs or small business founders, we are strapped for time. So I make the process very targeted and efficient. So you're service-based, find where your peeps are.

[00:15:39] If you're product-based, find out where your buyers are, like what they're reading, what I'm listening to. I know we've probably heard this before, but that is like step number one. And if you kind of skip that step and go all over the place, you're diffusing the impact of your efforts. So target audience. So I would, I would say that the Fairy Godmother is a service-based business.

[00:16:08] She had her success story with Cinderella, but we haven't really heard from her getting other hits after Cinderella. We haven't heard many Fairy Godmother, I come into your life, make your life better, make you look cute, make you feel good, inspire you and peace out. You know, but that's like her case study, if you will. That was her claim to fame. So if she's trying to figure out her target audience, what is, what's an example of what the Fairy Godmother can do?

[00:16:37] We'll start in a virtual sense. If she's trying to find more, I don't know, I guess Cinderella is her ICP, her ideal customer profile, where would she go online to start kind of doing some research to figure out her target audience maybe? Well, I think honestly the first, I don't want you to feel like you have to do all this research. It's actually as much simpler than people realize. So talk to your, you know, well, let's say Cinderella would like talk to Cinderella, you

[00:17:07] know, learn more about her. What go to, let's say she's on social media, pull your people. You don't realize that actually figuring out, it's so funny now that we're talking about this because even one of my clients who is a small business founder in the fashion space, she's like describing to me who she thinks her ideal customer is, which is a hundred percent different than who her buyers actually are. I'm like, I know that you think that it is a corporate woman who travels a lot, but you're describing her buyers to me.

[00:17:36] And while that could be the person, your buyers are not that exact profile right now. And so sometimes it's just right under your nose and you don't realize it. Right. I think that's actually a great metaphor, great advice. Like you're out here trying to look for who it is you need to help next, but look right under your nose to the person that, that you did help the most and see if you can try to try to like get to know them, ask them why, you know, I guess in this instance, Cinderella

[00:18:04] didn't technically pick the fairy godmother as her service provider, but if she did, but she had the choice, ask her maybe why she chose the fairy godmother or, you know, what other questions would you ask that, that fly it to, to kind of, you know, get that right under your nose information that you've been missing? If like you're, if you are service-based and you have like a dream client that you're working

[00:18:28] with, I would, well, it's kind of like understanding also like, well, what are the outlets that you consume? Like, where are you? What rooms are you in? Okay. So then you want to be in those rooms. Okay. Amazing. So, um, I think that, uh, the other thing that can be a little stressful for small business

[00:18:53] owners who are trying to get into PR, um, is I feel like, and you can tell me wrong. There's a myth that PR costs a lot of money to get like any hit, like at all. Like they maybe don't have the resources for it, or maybe they're not confident enough to start like reaching out to, to that audience, uh, audience yet. And maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but, um, what would you say to that person?

[00:19:19] That's feeling like, I get what you're saying, Nicole, like, and I, I, I kind of understand who my target audience is, but I'm just scared that if I go down this route or I'm concerned that I go down this route, but like, I, I just don't even know where to begin. Do you know what I mean? Um, literally that's why I'm, I'm doing this business. Cause I realized there's a white space of people that are just not being served. And so while traditionally it is true, PR is expensive.

[00:19:49] It's right. Thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. And I work with PR people all the time and I've worked with some incredibly talented people. So like, if that's the route you want to go in great. What I would say, especially if you are, you know, a small business founder, I think there's something super empowering. Like, let's say you want to, in terms of bringing your PR in house, you understanding the fundamentals and the foundation, because I also have had people that have been like, I did invest $30,000

[00:20:19] in an agency. I have nothing to show for it. And then I feel horrible. And then I asked them, okay, well, let's see. And let's unwrap that. And then I realized that they were positioned incorrectly. They were pitched incorrectly. A lot of things were done, not as I would advise. And if they had worked with me from the get-go to not only number one, build and own their relationships and own their PR, they could have saved that money. Or had they decided that at some point they wanted to either bring it in house and know

[00:20:46] how to do it and have someone do it on their team or invest it and outsource it, they would know the exact, they would have the tools to make sure they're investing in the right way so they don't get burned again. So, you know, there's so much power in PR that I think the value is there. And I think, you know, it is worth the money, but you could also, you know, get such a payoff from learning the right way to do it yourself.

[00:21:15] That's really priceless and invaluable because each time your business evolves or you want to consistently be, you know, getting that exposure, you don't feel like you have to rely on someone else and invest each time you want to get press, so to speak. Like if you're doing your own, the amount of money you're going to save, it's going to be easier. You're not even going to have to be reaching out because you're going to have these relationships and it's just going to come to your lap. So people are going to fall into your own lap and you're going to be able to collaborate.

[00:21:45] Right. And I'll bring that up to tie it back to what I was saying about what we were talking about with target audience. And it's, it's important because if you don't sit down and figure that out, that's when what you're talking about can happen. When you spend money here, there, left and right, and you're using PR as like your testing ground. Like I really think, I don't think you should be doing that. I think you should have your message locked in before you go out. What do you think?

[00:22:12] Well, I mean, in terms of what's your pitch and what's all that stuff, that's yes. You don't waste your chance by not having it right the first time. And, and believe me again, as somebody who works with even like a major brands and they'll be like, well, here's what our key points are. And me as the expert, cause I also am a spokesperson at times for brands. I'm like, actually, no, like that's not what's going to convert and get you the sale.

[00:22:38] And so I do find that, you know, you think, you know, but until you look, but it's so insular. You got to get that like outside perspective, that brings you to really understand like what is going to move the needle for your business. Well, I'm really glad you said that because I think the next step, right. Is okay. Let's say you, the fairy godmother, she has her target audience and she's, she's out there. She's ready to, she's ready to go out into the, into the world. Right.

[00:23:05] But I think there's a misconception and probably an overwhelm, especially this fairy godmother. Cause I don't even think she knows what technology is to figure out what channels she needs to go to, to really like spread her message. So let's say you're working with her. Okay. You're working with her and you're in like, you're right. You have her message down lock. Like let's, where would you, where would you start? Like where does the PR kind of magic happen?

[00:23:32] So today's day and age, like PR is there's, there is a, it's not just one thing or the other. So there's different things you can do. And when I work with my clients, I also focus on where they feel most comfortable being, where they need the most help is. So it's, it's a three, like I said, it's a 360 approach. I just don't do traditional press because I think that it all feeds into each other. So social media is an incredible bucket.

[00:23:59] There's ways to show up on social media, to position yourself as a thought leader, to get discovered. I ended up on the today show from a social media post. So like you too can post something on social media, wake up the next day and see that you're featured on national news, but you got to know how to do it the right way. And you have to present yourself in the correct way. So that's something.

[00:24:22] The other thing is, yeah, collaborations and partnerships are so, so important. I mean, I mean, we all know that, but it helps you become a thought leader. There's so many different creative ways that you could do collaborations and partnerships today. So that's definitely one that we talk about. I also, you know, open up my network and then earn PR through traditional means.

[00:24:46] And that is, again, like you, some of it's pitching and some of it is me sharing insider strategies for like opportunities to land for you, which makes it even easier, especially for the intro writer people. So all three of those buckets all work synergistically to really grow your impact. And the last thing I'll say is, you know, the things that you do to get, to grow your visibility never expire. And I find that that's a big mistake people make.

[00:25:15] Say that one more time for me, because I thought that was really good. One of the biggest mistakes that I see people make is that, you know, they'll get an incredible win with their visibility, a great segment or a great feature in a news outlet. And they think that that is a one time thing. But like you need to leverage that to market yourself, to build your thought leadership and to monetize.

[00:25:42] And so basically, suddenly your press becomes your marketing, which means that you're saving because you don't have to create marketing from scratch. And it's your third party testimonial. Okay, so a parallel for this would be like the fairy godmothers hit, I'm sure, in the kingdom, the magic kingdom of wherever Cinderella lived. The presses were like, wow, this mystery girl showed up and she looked amazing and she had the night of her life.

[00:26:11] And who is she or whatever, right? It was like a one hit thing. And let's just pretend that somebody did a leak to the media and mentioned, oh, it must have been fairy godmother. So everyone knew it's the fairy godmother, right? And like you said, she's a little introverted and she's not really going to go out and just start shouting from the rooftops how great of a person she is and how she helps Cinderella. But you know, from that moment, she was inspired and she wants to do it again.

[00:26:38] And she realizes that her niche is their princesses. But you know, she doesn't really know much more than that. She just said princesses, right? So now let's have you advise the fairy godmother. Like she had her hit. We want to maximize it. We want to leverage it. Take us through each of the topics that you mentioned that could help social media, collab, or earned. And give us an example of some creative ideas of how we can help really maximize her moment

[00:27:08] to make it long term and marketing for her. Okay. And for the record, so I definitely think like a journalist, I have a lot of ideas, but this is all on the fly. Like none of this was pre-planning. Right, right, right. So let's just say social media. What I would say is she should be, you know, talking about like how, you know, in this, so to speak, in this example, it's almost like the fairy godmother was almost like the celebrity

[00:27:37] makeup artist, hair stylist, and dresser for like a red carpet event. So she would go on social media and talk about the behind the scenes of like how she created that look. It positions her as a thought leader. People love that stuff. Collabs and partnerships. Okay. Well, let's say she was the image consultant, so to speak. She should be doing IG lives with other people within the space who are not a direct competitor. So then they both are able to optimize each other's audiences.

[00:28:07] Earned PR. Well, there's a lot of ways that she could do that, but now she just builds herself credibility. So when she's pitching herself, she then says she was, let's say the image consultant behind, you know, the, the like viral look that was Cinderella. Right. And then suddenly her credibility is, you know, she's the right person that people would want to talk about or ask.

[00:28:32] And, you know, the other thing though, is that she would also be smart about where she is pitching herself to make sure that the outlets are aligned and actually wanting to cover stuff like that. Yeah. So that's my two cents. Because if you tried to pitch it to Zootopia land, for example, there's a bunch of animals there, they don't give two cahoots about, you know, all that stuff. They're just doing their thing. Maybe that's not the right outlet for her.

[00:28:56] Zootopia Newswire, whatever, maybe not the right place, but, you know, royalkingdomnews.com could be a great place to have her stuff pitch to. I don't know. I bring it up jokingly, but I genuinely mean it as a, as a clear example, because in business, like if, for example, right, like if your target niche is like luxury, like brands, right? You wouldn't want to be, and correct me if I'm wrong, you'd want to be pitching to an

[00:29:25] outlet that like doesn't have those values or doesn't have that type of audience that would match that. Right. You want people that can afford your luxury. Right. Right. Right. And back to the partnerships, because I just thought this was really interesting. You know, the fairy godmother is someone who doesn't only do image consulting, but I feel like she does coaching as well. There's a little bit of like, you know, empowerment and all of that. Right.

[00:29:51] So if we're thinking about partnerships, you know, you might think that if you're a coach as well, that, you know, why would you partner with another coach? They might be a competitor, but they might actually be more of a colleague if they have like a different niche than you. Right. So for example, Rafiki from the Lion King, like his niche are animals, not humans even. So maybe she does that IG live with Rafiki. And what's an example of a thing that they could talk about if they're like coaches and

[00:30:21] image consultants and empowerment people or whatever, that would be a parallel, but not a competition kind of based discussion. Right. Um, yeah, that's all I feel about it. Also, Jimmy Griget would be a good one too, because he was also kind of that like, you know, helper, advisor type of a thing. So I bring up these names and like, they seem silly, but the truth of the matter is, is like, you need to be looking at your own network and, um, seeing like not only who potential

[00:30:50] clients could be, but also who potential, like, you know, collaborators can be or partners right. You're Rafiki, you know, I love that so much. Cool. So, um, next thing I thought this was fun, a competitor analysis, right? So talk to me about why this is relevant in NPR and, um, we'll kind of take it from there.

[00:31:17] Well, it's really about identity, like creating your own personal brand, right? You know, at the end of the day, like there's other people who do similar things to what I do. And so it's up to me to really convey to you why you would want to put your trust in me. And for example, like as the beauty girl, which is my personal brand as a journalist

[00:31:47] and honor expert, my tagline is beauty shouldn't be a bitch. So anything I know, people will know that my approach is very transparent and I'm not going to recommend a 25 step skincare routine. I apply the same thing to my PR coaching business. So I might as well, beauty shouldn't be a bitch and neither should getting on TV, which is why I am taking out that guesswork and giving you the confidence. So you're like, well, how was this? Why didn't they answer my email? How do I follow up?

[00:32:15] Like all those questions that we kind of could be really troublesome for us, you know, or that could be feel defeating. I want to take that out of the equation. Um, and so I'm just, you know, building your personal brand that's showing up also authentic. I don't even want to say the word authentically. Cause I feel like that's so 2023, but really, you know, but it's like storytelling and

[00:32:42] you know, that and understanding, like we all, we all are doing things, you know, this might not be like the only serum on the market. So what is the Cinderella story about this serum? That's going to make this serum be the one that everybody wants. So it needs to be featured. And that's kind of like my secret sauce that I can help you figure out. So you can find an easier path to success in terms of visibility. Right.

[00:33:09] And I think in this example, um, the, the, the, the process that we're going through with the fairy godmother is, you know, as time has gone on, she's had a couple of competitors. There was the fairy godmother from the Shrek movie. Uh, but at some point there's the fairy godmother from like Pinocchio or whatever. And long story short, what you're trying to do, what your skill is, what you're great at

[00:33:32] is helping, uh, her, uh, in this example, identify what makes her different from the two. And we kind of alluded to it earlier because on surface level, the fairies all do the same thing. There's some sort of transformation that they do and they make someone's life better and poof, they're gone. Right. Um, but talk to me about how, like in business for an entrepreneur, if they're feeling that same way for themselves, uh, how they can start to better understand what makes them unique and different.

[00:34:01] How would we kind of, what questions would we ask them to help them kind of start to reflect and go through that process? Well, one thing that's kind of like the obvious thing, so to speak, in terms of press, if you are a service provider and you're providing really good expertise and really good quotes, that's going to make you be the person that people want to keep coming back to in terms of like, what are the questions you could be asking yourself?

[00:34:31] It's really about maintaining what's true to you. We all know. So as soon as you start to kind of take on somebody else's persona or vibe, it's like, you're not going to do your best work. And so the things even that I ask myself, it's like, well, my, there's other people who do what I do, but I really root myself in my experience, my credibility and my own case studies in addition to the results that I've given to my clients.

[00:35:01] And when you're starting out, part of it might be building that belief because maybe you don't have other people's case studies, but it's really, again, like might sound cheesy, but it's like how you, if you don't believe in yourself, no one else is going to, it's about having conviction. I guess that word also translates not only you and differentiating yourself and growing a personal brand, but also enabling you to have success in terms of visibility and PR.

[00:35:30] Yeah. So it's like, I think it's, it's actually not something I want to gloss over, like believing that you do have something unique and different, even when you don't have a case study yet. And trying to work through figuring out what exactly that is may take time, but it is possible. You might have to look at your competition and say like, you know, what makes me so different?

[00:35:58] So for the fairy godmother, as an example, what makes her different is she didn't just change somebody's outfit. She gave them like advice and she cared and she was, she was very quotable. Can I remember what these other two fairies said? The one from the Shrek and the one from the Pinocchio? Not a dang thing, but I can remember bippity boppity boo. I'll tell you that much, right? So it doesn't that speak a little bit to like the PR aspect of it.

[00:36:22] The last thing that you mentioned on our prior call when we were just kind of talking through it is not being afraid to pivot, to make yourself even more attractive or competitive against your market. So for the fairies, you know, they're very short term. They come in one time, but you even suggested if you were working with her, hey, maybe have her like do long-term work with her, with her princess clients. Right?

[00:36:50] Um, so I think it's really cool to, um, be able to say that I am somebody that is trying to get out there and trying to differentiate. But even though I don't feel like I'm that different right now, the answers are like you said, right under, they're right under your nose basically. And that's where the branding comes in. Right? So talk to me about, I know that's a very, I know it's a very general thing to say, but

[00:37:18] like, I always like to ask everyone, like everyone has a different perspective on this. Like what does brand mean to you? It's more than a logo. So what does it mean to you? It's basically like the representation, the vibe that you want to put out there of how you want to be associated with. I, when it does come to visibility and press, you definitely want to have a vertical and horizontal headshot of yourself, your products, just having the right assets available at any time.

[00:37:45] It would be a shame if somebody is like, I really want to quote you, but I need a headshot and you can't provide a high res image. That is a good representation of yourself. That said, in terms of press, one thing that, you know, even with me running this business, because it's been like, so go, go, go. I don't even have like yet. I have one in my head, but I haven't even like put it into action. A formal name of my consulting business right now.

[00:38:14] I call it Nicole Pearl. It's Nicolepearl.com. I know what I want to call it, but I also don't want people to feel like they can't get started until they have the perfect exterior floor-facing website. My website, Nicolepearl.com, just to be transparent, is a website that I've created off of my original website as the beauty girl. Like, and I'm blending it together because I'm not going to let it stop me from helping people. I'm not going to let it stop me from promoting my services.

[00:38:43] So it's important if you, but if you are a product-based business, if you are a service provider and let's say a coach or what have you, well, one thing that I would make sure is happening is that you are consistent along the line. So have the same headshot everywhere. Don't go from one color to the next, like be thoughtful, thoughtful with those choices, but don't feel like, again, because you don't have the perfect website because you don't have, you know, the perfect, you know, $20,000 to spend on like getting your logo, everything in order.

[00:39:11] Like that's fine as a journalist. Like my, what I will tell you is that that's not what will impact, will influence me as to whether or not I'm going to feature you or your product. Images matter. Um, but if I'm like, Oh, the website doesn't look as good as it could, but everything else is there. Like I'm going to feature you. So as long as you have a good story, like there's still a chance. It's kind of what I'm understanding from what you're saying. Like, cause the opposite could be true.

[00:39:40] You could have the $20,000 beautiful logo website, whatever. But like, what's your story? And that's where I like the smoke and mirror comes in and a good journalist will see through that. And I think so will potential clients. So. Okay. So, um, we talked a little bit, uh, at a high level about things like, you know, understanding your target audience.

[00:40:08] Um, we talked about, uh, like channels and marketing for your PR super touch, quick touch point and tip on like what to have branding wise, um, for your outreach, but also with the loving or minor that it doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be intentional is kind of what I took away from that. Um, for anyone listening, um, what is kind of like your one big, like, you know, fairy godmother

[00:40:37] advice, word of wisdom, um, kind of takeaway that we want to give as we go, go into this, uh, year and, um, want to improve our own PR efforts. Number one. Well, I have a couple, first of all, do it, but do it intentionally. But I guess the thing is like, if you're, if you're, if you're like, I don't know where to start.

[00:41:02] Um, the first things that I would say is figure out where you should be and understand how to pitch yourself and understand how to follow up. Those are kind of like the three pieces, ingredients that I don't, like I said, I don't want you to waste your time sending emails that I will never open. Like, what's the point? You're going to end up feeling like crap about yourself thinking they're not interested when that's not the case.

[00:41:30] And so I just want you to have those foundational skills in place so that you can soar. And if you're not sure where to be able to start, like, that's what I'm here for. And if you've gotten some press and you're like, but now what do I do with it? Or I got it. And I've had a lot of clients I've gotten great press, but then they're like, didn't know what to do with it? Or that was like a year ago. And that's where I can come in and like help you scale to the next level. That is really awesome advice.

[00:41:58] I definitely want anyone listening to reach out to you if they do need that PR guidance. So you are a fairy godmother today. So what resource will you bless us with so that we can take a look at the show notes and also get to know more about you and connect with you further? Yeah. And figure out your Cinderella story. So I have an incredible freebie. It's called 24 Story Ingles That Promise Publicity.

[00:42:25] Plus, this is going to help you set up your editorial calendar for 2025. It has all proven stories, segments that either I have pitched and done or people have pitched me and they've turned into stories. And it's not just like the headline. It's giving you tips that I include of how you can insert your own business or brand so that you can then use that to then go ahead and get yourself pressed.

[00:42:52] So I would highly recommend downloading it at the link. You could also find it on my website, NicolePearl.com under the resources tab. And I really think it's going to give you a good start. Well, Nicole, thank you so much for spending some time with me today to have a bippity-boppity business chat. This was really fun. I'll make sure to link your information in the show notes below.

[00:43:18] But do you have any words of inspiration for somebody just overall for our listeners to maybe just need a little boost, a little Disney magic sparkle at the end for us? I mean, I guess it's like I am your cheerleader, so to speak, because I kind of operate as a publicist, but in your back pocket. And what I've realized is that you might think you don't have the connections. Like all of the objections you're giving yourself, you don't have the experience, you don't know

[00:43:47] where to start, you don't have the budget, you are not somebody that feels comfortable putting themselves out there. Like I want you to put that all to the side because I have proof that it is possible and you need to get yourself out there because if you don't, you're leaving money on the table and such cool opportunities as well that could come from it that you don't even know exist yet. So I say go for it. Go out there and create your own Cinderella story. Thanks so much, Nicole.

[00:44:18] Cue the outro. You've been listening to Bippity Boppity Business. Like what you hear so far? Leave us a review in Apple or listen to us anywhere you prefer listening to your podcast. Until next time, have a magical day.