EPISODE 82 OF THE MARKETING SOLUTIONS PODCAST: HOW TO GET FEATURED IN VOGUE

Sonya:
Recently, one of our clients engaged a boutique PR agency to get them press coverage. And within 24 hours, they were featured in Vogue. Talk about some incredible results. So I knew I just had to reach out to the owner of the agency Pip, to have a discussion around how she did this. And it turns out she has a really interesting story as to how she got into PR and developed her business.

Sonya:
Welcome to the Boom, your Biz Podcast. A podcast for the movers, the shakers, and even bigger action takers in business. I'm your host, Sonya McIntyre-Reid, and each week I'll be exploring the question of what really makes businesses and organizations thrive. I'm on a mission to educate, empower and inspire business owners and myself along the way.

Sonya:
Today, I'm joined by Pippa, who has a business called PIP PR and Pippa and I connected through a mutual client who she got some incredible results for within 24 hours. So I just knew I had to reach out to her and I found that she has a really interesting story in her business journey and is just crushing it for her clients at the moment. So Pippa, thank you so much for joining me.

Pip:
Oh, thank you so much for having me and thank you for such a lovely introduction.

Sonya:
So why don't you tell us a little bit about your business, who you work with, and how on earth did you get started?

Pip:
So my business is called PR PIP, which very much started as a tongue in cheek saying between my friends and my family. I've worked in PR for 10 years, originally from London. So I started in the UK and after about five, six years agency side, I was ready for a new challenge and decided that I would give freelancing a go and freelancing soon evolved into running a small boutique agency.

Sonya:
Fantastic. Can you think back to when you first decided to freelance, how did you get those initial clients? Was that a bit of a shock for you going into freelance life and having to develop systems and processes and the lessons along the way? What was that like?

Pip:
It was... It's a big adjustment. And I think for anybody looking to obviously start their own business or go from agency side to freelance, they have to be prepared for periods of uncertainty. And there is certainly an element of hustle. You'll find that you'll have months that are incredibly busy and then you might have periods of lulls. And it does take a while to build up that consistency. And it's all about word of mouth. So once the word's out there and people are speaking about you and singing your praises, then it certainly does pick up, but there is an element of unpredictability in the beginning stages, but I think that's what makes it exciting. And as the years go on, you build more confidence and naturally you learn different processes. I also think... I've done quite a few courses, working with some coaches as well, to really guide you and support you in making the right decisions for your business, and stepping into your authentic self.

Sonya:
Yeah. Completely agree in terms of that consistency. I always think it was like that feast and famine situation where you would have months where it's absolutely overwhelming with work in a really great way. And then all of a sudden it all drops off and then it picks up again. And for me, it always seems to be just when I start panicking that things are quiet, is when we'll get smashed again.

Sonya:
I'm just wondering when you went from agency to freelancing, how did you feel having conversations with clients around your pricing and demonstrating value? Because obviously in PR there are no guarantees and just like there's no guarantees in digital marketing, right. So how did that unfold? How do you package up your services for people and communicate the value that you're bringing to their business?

Pip:
Yes. Pricing is always the most difficult part for a freelancer. This is a running conversation that I have with a lot of friends and a lot of other business owners around price points. It varies so much in terms of pricing in the PR industry. And when you're with a large scale agency, the fees are... Can be astronomical. So for me, I looked at the going rate in the industry and I pride myself in finding that sweet spot where it's a reasonable price, but I'm still... It's a substantial amount of hours that my clients get. So I work in a very targeted approach with the brands that I work with. So, you're setting aside effectively one day a week per client. So I do price accordingly, but I think it's really finding that sweet spot. And you're soon also looking at who your clients are and you'll soon gauge the perfect price point for yourself.

Sonya:
And do you know what? In my experience and conversations I've had with people that have gone from agency to freelancing, I find that it is typically easier for them to start pricing themselves at the right price from the beginning, because they have seen the astronomical prices from working in a big agency, right? So then they go, "Well, my price is nothing near that. I am so reasonable." I find when people go from client side to then freelancing, that's where they start to undersell themselves because they probably haven't been exposed to all of the different pricing points with agencies in the past, or have that understanding of, "Well, look, you might have 38 hours in a week, but how many of them are actually going to be billable? When you look at your marketing, you look at your admin time, travel, whatever else that might be." So Pip, let's just take a step back for a second. Can you tell me in really, really simple terms, what do you do for your clients and who do you work with?

Pip:
That's a question I actually get a lot. A lot of people say to me, "So what actually is PR?" And PR is effectively looking for getting editorial opportunities for brands. So you obviously represent the brands. And instead of going through advertorial opportunities, where it's very clearly paid for and sponsored for by a brand, but also costs a very high figure to partner with a lot of the national magazines and titles.

Pip:
I will organically place my clients through editorial. So I, over the years, I have been working in PR for nearly 10 years, just short of 10 years. So over the years, I've built really strong contacts in the lifestyle industry, the wellness industry, travel industry. And I will use my contacts and pitch to my contacts thought-provoking stories. And how I do that is by putting together, looking at the brand's USP, looking at the brands' ethos, their story, and I'll put together a very interesting press release.

Pip:
I usually, depending on what's going on in the world, there's a lot of trends to take into account. I will look for interesting stats to support my story, really just to show that this story is relevant right now, and the media should be covering the story right now. So that's how it works. So I really specialize in traditional PR coverage. So that's getting my clients featured in top tier titles, such as Vogue or Mary Claire. I just had a client this weekend in Good Weekend in The Age, and The Sydney Morning Herald. So that was a really, really great piece. So those are the kind of titles that I work with.

Pip:
Each client is different depending on their needs. And the brief is very different between each client. So some clients, they want to do a lot of partnerships. It could be newsletter partnerships, it could be giveaways, cross promotion giveaways. Other clients, they tend to also work with influencers. So as PR has evolved and really gone to the digital side, there's a lot of influencer work that now happens. So this isn't with all of my clients, this is an add-on service that I do for some of my clients, because it's a lot of additional hours when you're working with the influencers as well. So that's to generate social media coverage for products and organize press drops, PR packages, those types of exercises. But I really pride myself in the traditional media coverage.

Sonya:
And I think when it comes to how I use the work that PR agencies do in the digital marketing space, if they have successfully been featured in Vogue, for example, I would then make sure that that client has 'As featured in Vogue' on their website. So I think when people go out, and this honestly applies to every form of marketing, when people go out and they really focus on one channel, I feel it's really important to make sure you're leveraging whatever outcome you get on all of the other channels as well. So for us if you've done say a press drop, having that influencer film, like an unboxing, and yes, that appears on their social channels. But if we can then use that as ads and that user generated content, the results are fantastic, so we're pushing it out as well from the client's pages.

Sonya:
And it looks really organic and it looks... It doesn't look like an ad essentially. So I think the partnership between PR and digital marketing and growth marketing in a sense, is just going to become stronger and stronger because we need this content from the influencers. We need those trust symbols with 'As featured in,' to appear on our ad copy or on the client's website to add that trust because the reality is anyone can go and set up a Facebook or Google ad now. You don't have some form of credibility behind it, and you are a new brand. It can be quite hard for people to go, "Oh, this is actually legit. I'm going to give them my money." So I imagine for you, that's why, as well, that you are having this add on package for your clients, particularly if they are doing digital advertising, the digital advertiser would be so thrilled to be working with you, because they're like, "Great. We have more content now," right?

Pip:
Yes, absolutely. And social media purposes as well, sharing those photos, user generated content, the social media teams love those pictures. If they can get a picture of the influencer with the product, they can then circulate that on their Instagram channels. And as well as Facebook ads, if we have the rights to the image. So yeah, it's very helpful across all boards and yes, it's very interlinked.

Sonya:
We hear a lot about the PR little black book. What is this? And how did you go about setting one up in London, but then also when you moved to Melbourne, establishing new connections here as well?

Pip:
Yes, funny enough actually, my sister said to me just this week, she said, "PR is a bit of a black art," and I think it's something that you accumulate over the years. So when I first started in London, I would... I worked for a big fitness studio. They've actually just launched in Australia. They're called Barry's Boot Camp. And at the time... I mean, it's still very, it's a very popular, very hot place to be. And it was big in the US. So this was the launch from the US to the UK, to London. And all of the journalists, the health, the fitness, the beauty media, they wanted to attend these classes. David Beckham went and it was the place to be. And it was the first real boutique fitness studio that had this nightclub vibe in London.

Pip:
It was really when the boutique fitness industry was starting to boom in the UK, so I was very lucky. I was a junior at the time at a large agency in London. I was very lucky that I was managing this account. And so I was in charge of booking in all of the journalists to their exercise classes. And what I would actually do is I would invite them to do an exercise class with me. So I would go and do this workout. And anyone who's done Barry's Boot Camp know you're running for half an hour, doing weights for half an hour and sweating fiercely. And it's just all kind of barriers would slowly go down whilst you are exercising together. It's a really good bonding exercise. And I would form very good relationships with the journalists that I would train with.

Pip:
We'd leave the class and they're giving you a hug. And obviously we can't do that now, but before COVID, they would give you a hug. And that's really how I started forming those strong relationships with the media you in London. And lots of... I was very proactive in organizing meetings, coffees, and I have noticed, obviously even before COVID that people aren't picking up the phones as much. It's all being conducted on email now. It's all being done remotely and virtually, but nine, eight years ago, people were very keen to go for coffees, do breakfast meetings. And I'd always pick somewhere nice and trendy and vegan to go with the journalists. And so that's how I built those relationships, and organizing a lot of events. I also have a lot of event experience for my clients.

Pip:
So inviting those key writers to those events, and then as time has evolved, I think there's a lot of other ways that you can obviously connect with journalists other than meeting them in person and organizing meetings or workouts. But social media is a great tool for doing this. I will follow a lot of my favorite writers. I will keep in the loop with their pieces. I will comment on their posts about their articles if the story really resonates with me and yeah, keeping in the loop that way, interacting with them by social media is another great way to start building those relationships when you can't necessarily see the journalist in person.

Pip:
So those are a few of the ways that I have gone about building these relationships. But I also just find from being very warm in conversations on email and asking... Journalists often ask me how I am and they say, "How's the situation in Australia? How are you doing?" And we have a little bit of a personal chat via email as well as obviously pitching my clients.

Sonya:
Yeah. I love that. And I think you essentially are using social media in the way that it's meant to be used. It's personable. And you are actually taking the time to leave thoughtful comments as well. And I think you're keeping it human. Whereas look, I don't think that I could work in PR to be honest with you. To have to talk to people and do coffee meetings and breakfast meetings all the time. I think I would go a little bit crazy. So I definitely think that it takes a extroverted people-person to be successful.

Pip:
That's why it's very strange being in lockdown and working in a communications role because suddenly you are in an introverted situation and having to look for other methods to have those energy exchanges. And I think the other thing is, I do try and as I get to know the journalist, you'll soon learn which journalist has children and actually making sure your pitches are relevant.

Pip:
So one of my lovely clients is a fitness retreat in Europe and they launched a family camp. Well, I know straight away who I need to invite because I know which journalists have young children, or children in the right age groups. And then I can go straight to them and say, "I've got something just for you. I know you're a busy mom, so this is ideal for you." But really understanding, getting to know the journalist on a bit more of a personal level really helps.

Sonya:
I love that. And then tailoring what you're actually pitching them to the person makes so much sense, doesn't it? If someone is looking to engage a PR agency, what should they look for? What should they avoid?

Pip:
What should they look for? I think it's about finding an agency that's aligned with you and on social media you can have an amazing following and you can have amazing content, but I do think there needs to be an in-person meeting or an initial Zoom call to really get to know the person and understand who will be managing your account. And this is something that I've seen happen in large agencies. Clients obviously become invested with the account manager or the director of the company who is meeting with them in person and forming that initial relationship.

Pip:
But the reality is it's often the juniors who are doing the day to day pitching and it will be passed on and delegated down the team. So I do think if I'm a brand looking to work with a larger scale agency, it's a question I'd be having about who would be managing your account day to day and actually meeting that account manager and meeting... Getting to know the people who'll be on your account. As that happens quite regularly, that the person you are actually meeting at agencies, if it's a large team, might not necessarily be the person working on your account.

Pip:
And so I think that's something to take into account. I also think of mouth. If there is a brand who's had amazing PR results, speak to them, start that conversation. Say, "Who's doing your PR? Your media looks amazing," and actually do some and look for firsthand reviews. The other thing that I would also take into account. I've heard this quite regularly from clients who have worked with large agencies, who have been disappointed by the level of results, is to find out some of the brands who are working with the agencies are investing more money than others. And to try and find out the amount of hours that they have delegated to these projects.

Pip:
Because it's all very well saying, "Well, this brand has fantastic results. They've been featured here, there, and everywhere, but we only got one piece of coverage, but your hours are significantly lower." I do know that agencies will obviously delegate the work according to the hours and the investment. So I actually, with my clients, I have a set fee, a set amount of hours that I offer them. So everybody has pretty much, unless they're doing some add-on engagement, like influencer work or an event, everybody has the same level of hours to really split it up in a fair way. But also, so that it's a very targeted approach. And the more hours that you invest, the better the results are going to be.

Sonya:
Do you think it's possible for a small business to do their own PR?

Pip:
I do. And I've seen it happen before, but I would expect it at a much slower pace. And if you've got a new product launch, that coverage around the month of launch or the month following the launch, is really important. So I've seen it happen, but it's slow. It's very... It's a lot slower. But if it's a key priority for a brand I would definitely say to invest in an individual, whether that's a freelancer or an agency, whatever route they decide to go down, but I've definitely seen some brands do a good job of it. Especially if a journalist has started using a product themselves and they love that product. Well, then they're inclined to feature that project in their stories, if they have a relevant piece.

Pip:
So it's definitely worth reaching out to journalists that you come across via social media and offering to send them your product. It's also a time element. A lot of my clients, they are very busy with... Whether it's a small brand or a larger scale brand, any business owner will know that it's impossible to do everything yourself. So the amount of hours to be pitching daily for a business owner is very, very tricky. And yeah, so it's... I definitely think it's possible, but a much slower turnaround.

Sonya:
Someone once said to me that when it comes to marketing, you better either have the money or the time. And I think this is a perfect example of how that actually plays out. Just a couple of quick fire questions before we wrap up. If you had a tip for anyone looking to go out on their own, what would it be?

Pip:
It would be to believe in yourself. To believe in yourself. And to back yourself, even through the quieter periods.

Sonya:
Are there any digital tools you use that you can can't live without?

Pip:
Instagram obviously, but I feel like that's a very beige answer. Instagram. Twitter is also fantastic for journalists and looking for journal requests, PR requests, those types of things. And also, I work with databases, signing up an agency we'll work with, invest in a database that will help assist them in locating contact details.

Sonya:
Excellent. And what do you do to relax?

Pip:
Oh, I meditate every morning. So I do affirmations and meditation practice every single morning without fail before I jump online. So that's my number one.

Sonya:
Excellent. And what are you reading at the moment?

Pip:
Oh, I have just started reading a book called The Happiest Man on Earth.

Sonya:
Great book. I have read that one as well. All right, Pip. Thank you so much for your time today. If anyone wants to find out more about you where is the best place to reach you?

Pip:
The best place to reach me is prpip media on Instagram, or you can visit www.prpip.com.

Sonya:
Beautiful. Thanks, Pip.

Pip:
All right. Thank you.