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EP 134 | How to Amplify Your Brand Through Thought Leadership and Strategic PR with Lexie Smith

• Lauren Loreto

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Ever wondered how thought leadership can transform your brand's reach and reputation? Lexie Smith, the brain behind GROWTH MODE Agency, THEPRBAR, inc.,  and the Pitchin' and Sippin' podcast, joins me, Lauren Loreto, for an illuminating chat on this very topic. Together, we dissect the art of pairing expertise with branding to not only attract leads but to also catapult businesses into their next level of growth. Lexie's journey of rebranding her company underscores the dynamic nature of PR and offers a wealth of inspiration for founders eager to cast themselves as the go-to experts in their field.


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Timestamps:

  • The importance of thought leadership (00:01:33) 
  • Benefits and components of thought leadership (00:09:00) 
  • Developing a strong positioning statement (00:10:02) 
  • Incorporating personal stories into thought leadership (00:15:22)
  • Selecting the right channels for thought leadership (00:16:30)
  • Challenges in prioritizing personal brand and thought leadership (00:20:37)
  • Writing for Thought Leadership (00:23:15) 
  • Leveraging Platforms for Thought Leadership (00:25:18) 
  • Pitching Topics to Outlets (00:29:13) 
  • Conversion from Articles to Leads (00:32:09) 
  • Trends in Thought Leadership (00:37:20) 


Topics discussed: Lauren Loreto, Brand Good Time, marketing agency, content marketing, web design, development, podcast, She's Busy AF, Lexie Smith, Pitchin' and Sippin' podcast, PR Bar Inc, top 20 in their 20s, brilliant PR expert, top female entrepreneur, trailblazer women leader, Growth Mode PR, Communications Agency, rebranding, positioning statement, thought leadership strategy, owned channels, earned channels, target audience, personal brand development, marketing, PR, synergy, authenticity, relatability, benefits of thought leadership, successful thought leadership strategy, challenges, opportunities, sustainability, building personal brand, leads, commitment, accountability, authoring articles, third-party outlets, HARO, Qwoted, journalists, pitching, educational content, earned media, paid contributor programs, AI, content creation, LinkedIn.

Speaker 1:

Welcome back to another episode of she's Busy AF, a podcast dedicated to founders, creatives and their team to help them smash barriers and scale. I'm your host, lauren Loretto, founder of Brand Good Time, a dynamic marketing agency focused on content marketing and web design and development, and I am your host of she's Busy AF, so today's episode is a total fangirl moment for me. I've been following Lexi Smith from the PR bar for a super long time and I've always admired her work, her business, everything about her. So, from winning Shark Tank Brains to some of Inks Magazine's fastest growing companies in America, lexi Smith, host of the Pitchin' and Sipin' podcast, founder of the PR bar Inc. And co-founder of Ready Set Coach, has helped countless companies and entrepreneurs gain accelerated success through the world of public relations. She's been recognized as top 20 in their 20s, brilliant PR experts under 30, top female entrepreneurs to watch in 2020, and trailblazer women leaders in 2021. She's well decorated.

Speaker 1:

When we met and chatted about what could be the best topic to dive into for this podcast, we ultimately decided that thought leadership was the winner and how you can leverage thought leadership as a founder to generate more leads in your business. I wanted to talk to her about so many things, but again nailed down on this one, based on you guys, the audience and where you're at in your businesses, and most of the entrepreneurs I encounter are doing founder-led sales and I mean personally myself I do as well and so how can we leverage thought leadership and our voice and our expertise next to our brands to generate leads? And so that's what this conversation is all about. If you are a founder looking to play a more active role in your visibility and grow your thought leadership status, this one is definitely, definitely for you.

Speaker 1:

A lot of tangibles in here. If you've got your notes app or a notebook, pull it out. You're going to want to write these things down and you're going to want to connect more with Lexi, if you are not already. So let's dive in. All right, welcome to the podcast, lexi. I am so excited to have you here today.

Speaker 2:

I'm so excited to be here and be in this seat for once getting interviewed.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, you know. So it's funny for anyone who does not know I've been following Lexi like forever. I've known about her through multiple different sources, so I kind of fangirled when we got connected and I was like, oh, this is so cool. I've been dying to have you on my podcast. So thank you again for like making the time to be here today.

Speaker 2:

Well it's mutual, because I've been binging your show for the last few months as well. So this is. It's always fun when you listen to someone every single day and then all of a sudden you're like wait, here we are, you're real, I can't pause you.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes. Well, lexi, I'm really excited to dive into this, because thought leadership is something that I think all founder led brands should really tap into. From my seat, which is marketing, it's something that, when we're working with brands that are founder led and we're helping with a marketing plan, we are also saying get connected, do some PR, do some thought leadership. That's really going to help your visibility. So, before we dive into all that, tell us a little bit about your new company. So, not new company, but you've rebranded. So tell us, like, what's going on here? You were formerly the PR bar.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I am so excited. So quick context. Everyone listening Hi, I have three companies. If you were to have met me prior to March of 2024, you might have been a little confused, because my first entrepreneurial venture was called the PR bar Inc. It still exists. It's still going to exist. It's very much alive.

Speaker 2:

What happened was a few or a couple of years back. The PR bar Inc, which started predominantly just as a coaching platform, expanded and I opened the arms to my agency, the PR bar agency. At that point in time I never created a new brand because, quite honestly, I didn't have to. I opened the agency already having clients like the clients were why I opened the agency. So I pretty much just was like I already have this brand, let's tack agency onto the end of it. And here we are. So that was fine and dandy.

Speaker 2:

Well, now my team's been growing, the company's been growing and there's been a lot of confusion that I don't blame the market for between wait, are you what is the PR bar Inc? I've had moments where I've had tech clients go what's pitching and sipping, which is my podcast. Anyways, there's been a lot of confusion between the markets that, my agency services and my founders. So, long story long, it came to a moment where I'm like it's time to separate church and state. So I was way too close to this.

Speaker 2:

The PR bar brand is very punny, which works for my, my female founders in that lane, but it was not landing and it was very confusing to my agency clients. So I did bring in a brand strategist to help me think through it and just get out of my head and we honed in on a tagline that I'd been using all along and had been staring me in the face because branding geniuses like you, lauren, I just it was in front of me and I couldn't see it. So all this background to say drumroll we yes, we serve as friends in growth mode. So our new agency is called growth mode PR and communications agency. So it's going to be a whole new vibe. It's very different. It's a lot more gender neutral, it's a lot more focused on the outcome of what we deliver. And I'm pumped on it.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, that's so exciting. I love when a when, a name can just be so literal.

Speaker 2:

you know growth mode, I'm like let's do the opposite of what I did with the PR bar. Like everything with the PR bar is so fun and I love it, it's funny, but I wanted something that was clear. You can't mess up Like it's going to resonate with my, you know, 50 year old CEOs and telecom all the way down to you know, a startup, and so I'm excited about it.

Speaker 1:

That is really, really exciting. Do you have any fun like can't? I know we're talking about this a little bit prior Do you have any fun like campaigns or plans for launch or what do you? What are you doing for it?

Speaker 2:

Well, we're recording this pre-launch. So this is actually, guys, even though when you're listening to this it will be live, you are technically well, lauren's getting the insider scoop, so it will be launched. For launching it, I guess, as you're listening it, we had launched it beginning of March. I'm just going to say it went fabulously. Everyone loved it. We're getting so many inquiries it's the best decision I've ever made. But no, we're just kind of re-announcing. I mean, it's a new name, a new vibe, everything. So we're going to be kind of blitzing all the channels and just sharing with the world.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and will you be the face of the brand?

Speaker 2:

Interestingly enough, we're toning that back, so from and this is actually really relevant to the thought leadership topic that we'll have later today but, yes, I will still be the CEO of the founder and thought leader, but we aren't going to leave with as much as of my honey, the PR bar personality. I'm really blonde too. If you're watching this on whatever video platform, we're kind of going black and white so that it's not so so in your face. The point being, who I'm attracting to this brand is very, very different. It's a larger company. You know we have tech and telecom clients, you know. It's just a different person that I'm getting on the sales call with. So while I'm still there, I'm not going to be as hey, lexi, blonde girl in your face right away.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, okay, that's super, that's super interesting. So a lot of our listeners either are, you know, founders of their company you know leading the company solar printers doing the thing, or they are growing a team. They're more agency specific and so, but overall, most of our listeners are founder led businesses, so they are the ones putting their foot forward in marketing. You know, they may they may be involving their team and some of that too, but for the most part, it's them and that's what people know them and know their brand as. And so you know, I think this is a great way to transition into that topic now You're here. You're here to talk to us today about thought leadership and that's a that's definitely a facet of PR and it's a great way to build traction and, you know, drive visibility to your business. But can you talk to us a little bit about the benefits of developing thought leadership? And, I guess, prior to that, like what, what is it and why should brands be leveraging it?

Speaker 2:

It's such a buzzy word, right, but it's it's buzzy for a reason. You can call it, you know. Besides thought leadership, what positioning yourself as an expert, a thought leader, someone with a point of view there's, someone who's leading thoughts within their industry and really, really known for an ex as an expert and it's one of my absolute favorite PR levers to pull, especially as a founder, and especially if you're a founder who's selling some sort of service or expertise. So thought leadership can be phenomenal for coaches, for agencies, for consultants. These are all kind of natural fits. So, long story long, it's a marketing slash, pr slash, branding decision to to lead with your personal brand and your expertise and leverage that in a multitude of ways, a multitude of ways to to bring people back to your brand.

Speaker 1:

What are some components of like a great thought leadership strategy?

Speaker 2:

There are. So let's keep it simple. I'm going to give you three things I think every single thought leader should have as part of their strategy. You know there might be more than this, but I think baseline. We'll see if you agree, lauren. These, these three matter First and foremost some sort of owned channel activation.

Speaker 2:

When I say owned channel, that can be your own social media, that can be a blog, that can be a newsletter, some sort of channel where you're activating it from your account with your voice. So what that channel is, what's the most strategic? There's going to be different factors. It's going to depend on your industry and who you're trying to reach. But number one, an owned channel. Number two, an earned channel. So earned is where we get more a little bit into my world of PR. Earned means you're pursuing it outbound. You've earned it. So a great example of an earned channel could be hosting your own podcast, or that can be owned. Guessing on a podcast, let's do that instead. Or writing by lines right, maybe you join a Forbes business council and you contribute regularly on your insights to to Forbes. That is an example of an earned channel. And I always say do earned because it's establishing third party credibility. It's someone else other than you validating your expertise.

Speaker 2:

And then three a really, really strong positioning statement and a clear point of view. So what I like to think of is, when someone thinks of Warren, what do they think of In that? Second, when you're trying to develop thought leadership, you might know 500 things, but it's more. The more you can narrow and niche down, the easier it is for people to remember. So for me I'm like okay, hopefully people start to think PR. When you think Lexi, you think PR, right, so earned, owned, and a strong positioning statement oh, that's really awesome you know what's funny?

Speaker 1:

I was going through the checklist of my mind like, do I do all of these things?

Speaker 2:

I know right. And this is where I say it's like mirror, it's so easy to teach. And then I'm like, oh yeah, I should probably do that myself.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's really, it's really funny. No, I mean, I think that's absolutely brilliant. The earned channel, I think, and do you agree between the earned channel and positioning statement? Where do you think founders or thought leaders struggle the most?

Speaker 2:

I think it'll depend. I will say and I probably should have flipped the order in which I presented those it's really hard to have a successful owned or earned strategy if you don't first kneel down your positioning statement, if you can't first narrow in on what you really want to be known for this. I also I get a lot of pushback from founders with this because they feel limited or they don't want to be put in a box. And you can certainly speak to more than one area in life right, we're all humans. But if you really can start with one, it's going to be so much easier to create traction and get known for something and then you can branch out right. So Brene Brown, that's a great example of thought leadership. Right, is a brilliant on many things, but really the core of what she started is in leadership and dare to lead. So she rose and became a thought leader in that area now no matter what she says, right, People are listening.

Speaker 2:

So I think people miss that foundation. And then picking the right earned channel and understanding the role it plays in your strategy overall.

Speaker 1:

So, when it comes to positioning, I know we kind of generalize that a little bit, like when we think of Lexi, we want to think of PR. Is it that simple? Or do you think that founders really need to think deeper, like is it more than just PR? Is it like, okay, lexi is the thought leader, thought leadership expert. When it comes to PR, I think that what's the acronym KISS?

Speaker 2:

Keep it simple, silly. Certainly you can expand on that. Like Lexi PR, that's owning a pretty big category, so maybe we can go. You know, lexi's really known for teaching people PR. Okay, you can get a little bit more specific, you can add in some color, but ultimately, the more simplified and streamlined you can get it, the easier it is for people to regurgitate it right and talk about you when you're not in the room.

Speaker 1:

When it comes to thought leadership. So my mind goes straight to like obviously we have, you know, on your own channels the social media, the newsletter, and so if we're talking, I guess, about owned specifically and where you push this content, is there too much thought leadership? Is there like a blend of what's the power of incorporating personal story or things that maybe lend to overall thought leadership, but give someone a behind the scenes of who you are Like? Do you think that there has to be that component too?

Speaker 2:

I mean, I think you know, when you're developing thought leadership, you're also making a decision to develop your personal brand. What of your personal brand is you? Your point of view comes from whatever it was in life that got you here. So I think it's actually pretty natural to share background because, again, it informs your why. So I have very strong opinions on PR. I developed those strong opinions because of my past and everything I've been through in my career, right, so I think there's a really natural integration of your personal story and that affecting your thought leadership.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so, okay. So when we're talking about all of these channels owned, earned and we're talking about owned and earned, right, that's really what it comes down to with that leadership, after you have your positioning statement, in marketing, there's a conversation around being you should be in all the places, and I don't believe in that at all. I believe, like you really focus in on certain channels. What is the best way, as a thought leader, to determine what channels you should be on?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and, honestly, you could probably answer this question for people too. I think there's twofold right, it comes down to what's your goal of thought leadership? So why are you doing thought leadership? Is it you really just want to reach the masses for impact? Is it you're trying to generate leads in a very specific niche? So you have to first understand the why you're doing it and then, once you know your why, who's your who? So, again, if it's clients, okay, let's say, our clients, our potential clients, are small business owners, then it's where are the small business owners, right? So, like with marketing, same thing goes for PR we're trying to reach our people where they're at. You know, I probably, if I'm targeting, if I'm a thought leader in the 75 and above crowd, I don't necessarily know if I would advise a client to run to TikTok, right? So just because TikTok's popular, I at least I haven't seen data indicating that the 75 year old or crowd is on there. So I think it's worth being really, really mindful of why we're doing it and where our people are.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean that's something that marketing blends into as well.

Speaker 1:

It's funny because in our I don't know if I told you about this, but in our marketing methodologies training workbook that we have for our company, so anytime we onboard a client or onboard a team member, we have this document that our team goes through and in there there is a breakdown of marketing, advertising and PR side by side and you know that like classic meme, that's like marketing is, you know, saying they're good at something, and then PR is like saying like they're really really really good at something, or like, trust me, they're good at something, and advertising is they're really really good at something. I just think that that's there's so many synergies between marketing and PR and I love that. That's like a common belief, as you, or it's not even a common belief, like it is just fact that you really have to understand who your audience is and then develop a message for that and then get in front of them where they are. Yeah, so yeah, that's like audience understanding on top of your goals is so important.

Speaker 2:

And one thing we'll offer too for your audience, just to consider if you're like. Well, they're on five different places. When it comes to thought leadership, you also have to understand your own strengths. Do you like to speak? Do you like to be on camera? Do you like to write? All of these will lend yourself to certain mediums. If you're someone who hates to write and it might be really hard to activate a newsletter and become a regular byline contributor to a column but if it's easier for you to get behind a mic, maybe part of your thought leader strategy is launching a podcast or, on the earned side, being on everyone else's podcasts. So just wanted to kind of put that in there too, as you continue to narrow in on where you're going to show up.

Speaker 1:

Totally. I think the if I could speak on that personally starting a podcast was what got me the most comfortable with speaking, because speaking was something oh my gosh, it's so funny. I told the story. I don't know if I told on this podcast, but I grew up like wanting to be an actress and so I did. I did a ton of plays and then and then come the seventh grade, I totally bonds an audition because I like didn't study my lines and then I kind of just got really shy from there and so it's public speaking even like getting in front of the class at school, was so scary and daunting to me. But I knew I wanted to start a podcast because when I did there weren't a lot of women in our space who had one and I knew it was another way I could reach my audience where they were at, with, you know, listening tools, and it gave me so much confidence. But I I identify more as a writer. So I love repurposing the podcast and like doing our newsletter, writing LinkedIn content, stuff like that, but it's something I had to grow into, so like we do.

Speaker 1:

Founder led sales at brand good time. I'm in charge of sales and marketing. I'm not really so much in the day to day of the business so I can be on all those mediums and I think that's, would you agree, that's where a lot of founders probably get it wrong is they're still so involved in their business and so then they like the thought leadership and building their personal brand really takes a backseat, because there's just no time.

Speaker 2:

A hundred percent and I mean I think there's, you know, stayed a company stage is plays into that Like do you have a team or are you still doing this thing by yourself? Also, by the way, quick scroll, kindred soul, if you look in my fifth grade yearbook, says I want to be an actress in Hollywood when I grow up. So that also is a childhood dream of mine, that then we were friends. Yes, it died, but yeah, no, totally. I think the easiest thing to neglect is our own personal brand thought leadership and marketing. Ironically, too, in our own PR when, ironically, I have a PR company and a PR agency. Yet who is PR do I neglect most commonly?

Speaker 1:

Mine, yeah, okay, so that this is a really good segue for like sustainability around building thought leadership. You know, a lot of us sit on this idea for a while. We want to do it or we jump on it. I've had my ways of making it work and figuring it out. But what do you suggest for someone who's been so involved in marketing their brand, but not necessarily building their personal brand too, and let's just say that's that, and then their goal is to drive more leads to their business through thought leadership? What do you recommend in terms of sustainability and how to just get started and be consistent?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean step one, commit. Step two you know what. Do you need to hold yourself accountable? Are you someone where, if you calendar block, you'll show up to that meeting and not you know and actually do the thing? Or do you need to get a coach? Do you need to phone a friend?

Speaker 2:

I think understanding how you work is really, really key. Also, not making it out to be something more than it is. This is something I see so much that the classic line of I don't have time. If I could get on the soapbox here which I won't, but the quick, I think it's all. I think it's all you know. Time, there's some realities involved, but when it comes to where we spend our time in our business, there's also choice and what we prioritize. So you have to choose to prioritize it and have to understand what's going to keep you accountable. Then you need to start small. So I always have my thought leaders start with the path to least resistance, because it just gets them started and that's where what's easiest for you. That might not be where we end, you know, but is writing easiest for you, great, let's get you started so you can start just doing the thing and realize to your point. Once you do it, you're going to build confidence and it'll open your mind to doing more. So that's how I would suggest getting started.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and tangibly, if we could talk about that. Let's just say writing is the thing that is easiest for someone. Path to least resistance. What might that look like?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So again depends if we're talking owned or earned. Owned is the most controllable. So you know, if you're looking for fast turnaround, start there Earned. There's a process and it depends what we're doing.

Speaker 2:

Writing depends on what you're going for. So the byline process so again, a byline is where you are the writer of an article in a third party outlet. You can do it for a content marketing blog like HubSpot, or you can do it through a paid contributor program, or you can just go for kind of one-off bylines. Every single outlet pretty much has a different process. However, they usually are very upfront with their process.

Speaker 2:

So I always tell people, before you sit down and write an article, figure out who and what you're writing for, because what you're gonna find is, let's say, you pick well and good. That's one of my favorite examples. If you look up contributor guidelines on well and good, it has very clear, specific instructions on how they wanna be pitched. And guess what? It's not with a full article. So if you went and wrote that whole article and then you found that information, you might have to rewrite the entire article. You've already wasted time. Harvard Business Review they have you fill out a form. So I think the first step here is to identify what outlet you're trying to pursue and just look at their process and read directions and follow directions Crazy, I know.

Speaker 1:

That's so funny. Yeah, I think when I first started thinking about earned channels, I went straight to horror and quoted and help a B2B reporter or whatever, and I still get those emails and I honestly trashed them all. But the few times I've opened them I've actually gotten like and like, put the time and effort into it, I've gotten the features. So like, how do you feel about those types of platforms too?

Speaker 2:

So I think this is a great thing to separate. So what I just explained was where you're the author right. Then there's this whole other side of press where people are writing about you and that can be in short form, like they're including your expertise, or it can be a full on feature. Wouldn't we all have a feature? But platforms like Harrow or quoted what they are are really great. I'm very pro them. Quoted is one of my favorite platforms because it is giving me direct access for both my team and my clients to journalists who are actively looking to be connected with sources. So if you're a branding expert, you go on a platform like quoted and maybe someone from Salesforce Marketing Blog is asking for branding experts to weigh in. Ding ding, ding. You have a direct path, a direct connection into their inbox. So I think they're really phenomenal tools if you understand how to use them efficiently.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah. So do you think that both are good to leverage? You know so like actively seeking opportunities versus also being connected with journalists who are looking for those specific things. You think you can leverage both?

Speaker 2:

Again, I think it depends on you understanding what they will and will not do for you. So in my experience, the true value of going after what I call expert source inclusion so where someone lists you as an expert in a article that they wrote is being able to then leverage that across our own channels. So sharing to LinkedIn that you're an expert, featuring that logo on your website, maybe integrating, featured in into a marketing brochure there's gonna be some other marketing lingo benefits, like SEO, but really it's what you do with that win. Now, from a lead gen perspective, I have actually seen a lot more success with tangible leads coming in from being the author of creating the byline.

Speaker 1:

I'm really thrilled you brought that up, because I didn't even. You know I'm not in PR like you are, so to separate that, I think this is like like go back rewind, listen to both of those things if you're listening to this right now, because what we talked about originally was you being the author of an article and then what my question was was around contributing, basically right.

Speaker 2:

As an expert. Yeah, so it's like you are the writer or you are being written about.

Speaker 1:

Okay, yeah, that's the best way to put it. Okay, great, Not me butchering everything, no, you're not butchering anything at all.

Speaker 2:

I'm so glad you're bringing this up because, honestly, like 9.9 out of 10 people, when I first start talking about PR same thought process it's not intuitive, Like I've been doing this for more than 13 years. Of course I it's intuitive to me, but it's not to the like. Pr is not clear to so many people.

Speaker 1:

Right, yeah, yeah, and I'd love to okay. So I'd love to clarify, break down this clarity component a little bit more. So, if we switch back to talking about you know, authoring an article, I've heard things and I would love to know your perspective. So I've heard that you should be very careful about what topics you pitch to different outlets, because they and also how you are using that content too. So, if you have, let's just say, like I'm gonna pitch a company on best social media platforms, whatever, like I'm just pulling that out of my butt. I should not also have an article on my website about that, or a podcast, like I should. It should really be such a unique topic and something like very different, and I'm not pitching it to multiple platforms because they want to have the uniqueness and originality of it. So, like, I'd love to know your thoughts on that and then what tips you have when it comes to what types of topics to contribute.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So I mean simply, yes, they want you neat content. However, in my opinion, like you can dress up the same topic in many different ways. Should you have five best social media tools, that article? Should you shop that to a bunch of different people and have that exact article on your blog? No, they just want to take it. But if I change it and I said my favorite, turn it into a personal essay, my favorite social media tool, and here's why. Now you're not completely reinventing the wheel, but you've given it, you breathe new life into that content. So I'm very pro.

Speaker 2:

It's like a form of repurposing or like retweaking, especially if, like you, have an expertise that is niche. There's sometimes only so many ways you can, you know, put lipstick on a pig. So that's the answer to, like question one. And then, going back to what topics you should write about, it can points to the strategy and why you're doing it. If you're really leaning into thought leadership for lead generation and you're thus looking at it, you know if you're a service-based provider or you're trying to be seen as an expert. I'm a big fan. As on education pieces, so like how-to's or case studies or things that are teaching, putting you in the teacher's seat and really highlighting you as the expert.

Speaker 2:

My favorite example my co-founder and I have another company I have called Very Sick Coach. We co-authored a byline for Create and Cultivate. That other company is very niche to coaches and we created a how-to article on what'd. It be great it was five numbers to know when first starting your coaching business something like that and that has brought us to this day. It continues to funnel us traffic because what we did is our ideal audience for that business is a new coach and we chose a topic that is teaching new coaches how to do something and showing that, hey, we're the authority and we know how to do this. That thus has you know, because our information is there clicked people through and led them to our calendars.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I have like two questions off of that and I hope I don't forget them, but one of them is would you find that the majority and I know maybe you don't get these stats from the platforms, but are those things? So these new coaches, they're probably Googling something and that's the article they're landing on, right? Is that typically nine times out of 10, how these articles should populate because of the domain authority?

Speaker 2:

I would think and that's how I also like to think about like, what are people searching? So probably slash, and or they really like the platform and they kind of find it that way. But yeah, I think that's a good way to think about it.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and then, as a consumer who I just know myself and the way I search and the way I look for things, like I personally skim the headlines, all the tips, whatever not reading start to finish, always necessarily. But when I do, it's like nothing sticking up off the top of my head in terms of calls to action, other than, like, maybe, the author's information being at the bottom. So what tips do you have to create that conversion from an article to reaching out to you? And also, like, what do these platforms want to see in terms of a call to action? Like, are they specific on? You said that they might specify, but like are there general guidelines for that?

Speaker 2:

Every outlets guidelines is gonna be different, so it kind of sucks. That's like the reality.

Speaker 2:

So it just depends and with that, how they format their blog or article is gonna be different Meaning. At the time when this article went live on creating Cultivate, I got a really nice bio and a really nice image in backlinks and the whole party so it did a really great job at funneling us traffic, other websites and, honestly, the more top tier you get, you maybe get your like picture, your name with like a quick hyperlink right, so someone really does have to dig. So to your point, how do we generate leads if there's no clear buying action, because it's very rare for a true editorial to allow you to like, just sell. It's like kind of thought. That's what takes PR into marketing Is how you then leverage that across other platforms, how you take that and you bring that to then an owned channel.

Speaker 2:

And I will say another benefit that I like to highlight the more you help that article perform, so the more you share that article, the better it's SEO, the better it's then gonna do on its own. So by you helping it on your own channels, it's actually gonna continue to kind of rank. The more views, the more shares it gets, the better it'll do on the website. In fact, the website person, whoever the developer, might choose to feature it, because they're seeing this article is getting a lot of traffic. So it's like you're helping out the outlet, but you're also helping out yourself.

Speaker 1:

I was just gonna say that too, like that's probably part of the editorial strategy. To begin with is just like when I think about my podcast. Having guests on my podcast is gonna drive traffic to my podcast Exactly From different audiences who wouldn't have known about it prior. Yep.

Speaker 2:

Same contest.

Speaker 1:

Maybe the same Yep, yeah. So maybe for those smaller outlets that's like so important to them. But then you think about Forbes and I'm like gosh. That seems like the elusive, like beast that's impossible to get a feature on.

Speaker 2:

Well, and what I'd like to highlight briefly on that, because I think it's going to become more and more and more and more commonplace. I don't know, if you're not deeply intergrained with the media landscape, you might not know, but there's been horrific amount of layoffs that have happened in the past year. Newsrooms what we call mass teds are shrinking. Like a lot of journalists are losing their jobs because outlets like Forbes are losing money and so they can't afford people. So they're having to create new revenue streams and one of the most popular ways we're doing this is through paid contributor programs. So Forbes, one of their largest business model is they have these councils tons of different councils, business councils, communications councils, I don't know probably help them on this councils and you have to apply, pay for membership, but then you do get access to publish on the platform. People get really mixed feelings on that. I'm for it because it helps keep these businesses alive, as long as we understand, as a brand, the part this article plays in our whole strategy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's so interesting because it can be so easy to go back and be skeptical and look at that as like, oh great, like these things are degrading. And what does that say about the quality of content on the platform? Yeah, it's so interesting. I mean, do you remember years ago? I think even now people are seeing it too, especially with the introduction of AI that, like journalism, is just a dying industry.

Speaker 2:

It's not dying, but it's changing. That's my stamp on it. I do think it's changing. I think that it's changing in some ways we can predict and other ways we can't. This is one of the ways, related to thought leadership, that I think it's gonna change. Entrepreneur, leadership Network, business Insider all these main top tier publications are coming up with iterations of these programs. I will say, as someone who has clients, at least in Forbes, they still take the editorial process very seriously. So there's still very strict guidelines. There's still an editor review process. Like I can't just go in and publish something on Forbes. We have to. There's a process. So I feel better knowing that and I feel better that there's an application. But, of course, on the consumer standpoint, like it sucks and it becomes one more barrier for small businesses who might not have that capital in order to get that seat at the table.

Speaker 1:

That's really interesting, kind of on that note, what innovations are you seeing in the thought leadership space and earned media? Yeah, like what's new, what's changing?

Speaker 2:

Anything? Yeah, big question. Let's see here. I do think okay one. I think that what's like a trend is those paid contributor programs.

Speaker 2:

I think that Thought leadership was so thrown around the past few years that people are actually becoming a lot more skeptical of the word, so we need to be really mindful when using it. Something I've been, you know, kind of educating people on lately is the difference between thought leadership and expert. A thought leader really truly does need to have a new and different point of view, just something to think about. So if you're just someone who's an expert and can speak to a topic, really well, but maybe you don't have your own methodology, so to say, maybe you lean more into the expert realm. I don't know if I'm. Of course, we're going to end this podcast recording tomorrow and I'm going to think of like five answers to this question, but I just think it's not going away. I think more and more people are leaning into it. I think it's a really. It's going to continue to integrate with marketing. It's going to be part earned, part played and we're just going to see the platforms in which it taking place continuing to evolve.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I totally agree. I know it's so funny. I'm like I asked you that question and then I'm like oh, what would I say if it were marketing? But on the marketing side of things, I would talk about AI and how AI is like yeah, and it's so funny that I mentioned that too, because it's I get like article, you know like the Harrow and the quoted, and they're like please do not submit anything that's AI, like AI generated.

Speaker 2:

That red flag, like I think everyone needs to be really, really, really, really, really careful of in thought leadership, is thinking you can get away with or relying too heavily on AI, because that's literally, like, by definition, the exact opposite of thought leadership. Can it help you in certain ways, like if you're, if you're needing an idea for a prompt, sure, but don't let the robot replace your true point of view and voice.

Speaker 1:

In my opinion, yeah, a point of view and voice. I mean, one thing we all have to remember is AI is taking from the internet, it's taking from existing content. It's not original whatsoever. So, yeah, really interesting. Well, thank you so much for coming on today. Before we go, I would love to give you the floor to talk through different ways that anyone listening to this can find you and work with you.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, thank, you, I'd say you know the one place I want to point everyone to and I was telling Lauren before we hit record. When I saw this meeting on our calendar, I thought I was preparing to interview her because I have a podcast. So if PR is something you really want to learn more about, that's where I'll send you. It's called Pitchin and Sippin. You know my company, the PR bar, well. You'll find it that way too. But that's the one place I want to talk about, because if you're an audio fan, I think we have like 120 episodes at this point with some really, really phenomenal guests. I interview editors, members of the media, pr pros. It's, I think, a great resource for PR.

Speaker 1:

Yes, well, I know I will be tuning in and then otherwise, where can anyone connect with you online? Let's do.

Speaker 2:

LinkedIn. Okay, so my name is Lexi Smith, l-e-x-i-e Smith. That's probably a good home base. You can find me on all the places. Since we're rebranding the agency now we're going to have some. Well, it's, I guess when you're listening to this. It's been rebranded, so we have, you know, all the accounts, but LinkedIn isn't changing. So there you go.

Speaker 1:

Awesome and definitely go check out her new company. It will be linked in the show notes. So there you go, and thank you so much, lexi, for being on the podcast today.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for having me, Lauren. All right, everyone. We will see you on the next one.

People on this episode

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Aurrie Hicks

Co-host
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Lauren Loreto

Co-host