Shana Clarke is a wine, sake, and travel writer and author. Her work has appeared in Decanter, Saveur, Fortune, NPR, Wine Enthusiast, Vinepair, Conde Nast Traveler, and Hemispheres. She was shortlisted for the Louis Roederer 2020 International Wine Writers’ Awards and ranked one of the “Top 20 U.S. Wine Writers That Wineries Can Work With” by Beverage Trade Network. She holds a Level 3-Advanced Certificate from Wine & Spirit Education Trust and is a Certified Sake Sommelier. In addition, she is the author of 150 Vineyards You Need To Visit Before You Die and the contributing author to the North America section of The Wine Lover’s Bucket List. In this episode, Lexie and Shana discuss how she got into wine journalism and career cliff notes. Shana walks listeners through how she got into wine journalism and what it took to succeed in such a niche category. Shana talks about her process as a wine journalist and how she curates her stories. She discusses the importance of reading and events that help pique her interest in stories on specific brands, vineyards, and more. She advises aspiring journalists specializing in niche topics and how to get hyper-focused in that niche. Here’s What You’ll Learn:Examples of how Shana Clarke finds/curates different storiesWhat wine journalism looks like todayTips on how to become focused as a writer in a certain nicheShana’s career cliff notes and other types of writing she’s done beforeTips for aspiring journalists wanting to enter in a more niche type of journalismWhat niche reporting is good forWhat themes and stories Shana is working on this SpringHer story ideas on why the wine industry might be struggling in this day and age and other big and broad topics she is interested in writing aboutShana’s pitching preferences And more!Listener Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanaspeakswine/Threads: https://twitter.com/shanaspeakswine?lang=enLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanaclarke/Website: www.shanaspeakswine.comFor book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/150-vineyards-you-need-to-visit-before-you-die-shana-clarke/18477518?ean=9789401485463Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/Learn about Growth Mode Agency Here: https://www.growthmodeagency.com/Instagram: @theprbar_inc

This week’s episode holds a very special announcement for the next chapter with THEPRBAR Agency. And for Lexie. This minisode walks listeners through Lexie’s brand new rebrand for her agency, now GROWTH MODE PR & Communications agency. She talks about the inception of this rebrand, the process of how she did it, and what GROWTH MODE Agency is going to offer and more!Here’s What You’ll Learn:Why Lexie decided to rebrand THEPRBAR Agency to GROWTH MODE PR & Communications AgencyWhat the new rebrand means for THEPRBAR brand overallWhat makes the agency differentThe steps Lexie took to create and roll out the rebrandHow Lexie enlisted branding expert Hilary Hartling to help her establish the new brandAnd more!Listener Links: Visit the New Agency Website: http://growthmodeagency.com/Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/Instagram: @theprbar_incGrowth Mode Agency Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmodeagency/?hl=en

Linda Zebian is Senior Director of Communications & Community at Muck Rack, where she sets communications strategy for Muck Rack’s enterprise, both internally and externally, including messaging, issues management, media relations, social media, and employee communications, as well as partnerships and events. Linda joined Muck Rack from The New York Times, where she spent 10 years in various communications positions. Most recently she served as a freelance Communications Advisor, and before that, as Executive Director, Corporate Communications.Before joining The Times, she was communications associate at the nonprofit organization Consumers Union, where she managed media relations for Consumer Reports magazine, ConsumerReports.org, and ShopSmart magazine. She began her career as a reporter for Folio, covering the magazine media industry and later managing conference programming for Folio’s publisher, Red 7 Media, a division of Access Intelligence.In this episode, Lexie and Linda talk about the state of artificial intelligence in PR circa 2024. They also touch on Linda’s straightforward approach to media training and interviewing. Linda shares her tips and tricks on what to do to help prepare clients for interviews and how best to get those sound bites that are good for the press in an interview. Here’s What You’ll Learn:Highlights from Muck Rack’s 2024 State of AI in PR Report.Insights from Linda’s current position at Muck RackTips from a seasoned expert on media trainingThree tips on how to prepare the best sound bites for interviewsTips on identifying the best candidates for media training at an organizationTips on selecting key points and staying on message during interviewsExamples of how to best approach interview opportunities with clientsAnd more!Listener Links: (X): @lindazebian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-ezziddin/ Access Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/Download 2024 State of AI Report: https://muckrack.com/blog/2024/01/04/state-of-ai-in-pr-2024Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.comInstagram: @theprbar_inc

As an agency search consultant, Rachel Huff, President and Founder of Victoire & Co, builds brand-agency partnerships that drive long-term success. With a keen understanding of clients’ communications and business needs and a network of trusted marketing and communications agency connections, she guides companies toward their best agency fit. Prior to founding Victoire & Co, Rachel spent more than a decade at agencies, including on the accounting side, developing integrated communications campaigns for brands including John Hancock, Verizon, Ocean Spray, DraftKings, and CVS.In this episode, Rachel talks through her career journey and the agency world she was in for many years before founding her company, Victoire & Co. Rachel defines and decodes what an RFP (Request for Proposal) is for listeners and walks them through various types of proposals. She offers tips on how to create an effective RFP, how to submit a winning RFP proposal, what opportunities are worth pursuing, and more. Here’s What You’ll Learn:What is an RFP (Request for Proposal)Detailed differences between types of RFPsTips on what should be included in a RFPOther names and acronyms used in lieu of an RFP - such as Client Brief or RFITips on how to win a client brief and Rachel’s thoughts on what opportunities are worth pursuingTips on defining your own brand and positioningTips on creating filters for evaluating client opportunitiesWhat decoding a brief looks like for Rachel and her companyWhat a search consultant does and the process of matching agencies and clientsThe importance of understanding what makes your brand and agency unique The different buckets to consider when looking at a prospective client’s goalsAnd more! Listener Links: Company: Victoire & Co (pronounced Vik-TWAR)Website: https://www.victoireco.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmhuff/Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.comInstagram: @theprbar_inc

This week, Lexie Smith takes listeners through her process of mastering the art of crafting timely media pitches. This finely tuned methodology is built on Lexie’s foundation of 13+ years in the PR industry, leading to the founding of THEPRBAR inc. and her PR and Communications agency. Lexie walks the listener through ten elements that can make a story newsworthy and breaks down one area in particular: timeliness. She covers scenarios where businesses may have missed the timely window of opportunity and explain how to leverage the current news cycle to achieve the goal of a newsworthy story.  Here’s What You’ll Learn:What the Pre-Pitch Op Method is from THEPRBAR inc.How timely pitches make a story newsworthyTips on understanding editorial calendars as a way of understanding lead timesTips on writing questions to ask when crafting a pitch3 different factors to consider when deciding if a given pitch is timelyAnd more!Listener Links:Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.comInstagram: @theprbar_incGo back to the homepage

Viveca Chow is a NYC Lifestyle Expert and the first Hong Kong born and raised Broadway musical performer, rewriting the international city’s history. Featured on NBC, CNN and Cheddar News, her storytelling skills seamlessly extend to her role as a Content Creator where she has effectively collaborated with and generated content for over 550 brands like Capital One and Samsung across various platforms. With a combined audience of 230k followers and over 100 million views and counting, she is passionate about promoting and uplifting AAPI businesses, as well as cultivating a community rooted in creativity, positivity, and adventure.In this episode, Lexie and Viveca talk about her journey from the world of entertainment to becoming an influencer and how she grew her audience to over 200k. Viveca details nailing an Instagram strategy and how to vet and land paid influencer partnerships. Here’s What You’ll Learn:Viveca Chow’s journey in entertainment and on BroadwayTips on upleveling your instagram strategy Tips on posting frequency and her thoughts on quality over quantityIdeas on how to get started securing paid influencer partnershipsExamples of her paid partnerships How she goes about booking partnershipsHow to price or vet a paid influencer partnershipTips on writing the perfect hook and caption And more!Listener Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivecachow/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vivecachowWebsite: https://www.helloitsviveca.com/Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.comInstagram: @theprbar_inc

Jordi Lippe-McGraw is a seasoned freelance journalist with an eight-year tenure writing about travel, parenting, and wellness for esteemed outlets such as Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Vogue, Brides, The New York Times, Elle, and Forbes. She is also the creator and founder of PAK Rêve, a versatile travel bag line celebrated by Conde Nast Traveler for its innovative, modular design that keeps traveling parents organized and stylish.In this episode, Lexie and Jordi discuss the PR-sales connection, breaking down what press features can do (and not do) for a brand. Hear how Jordi got her start in freelance travel writing, the impact affiliate links have played on the industry, and the lessons she learned about landing product and brand features as a new founder. Here’s What You’ll Learn:Jordi Lippe-McGraw’s career journey to nowHer thoughts on affiliate links in media, and the role they play in product selectionHow her experience of being a journalist assisted her founder journeyHer experience as a travel writer and some of her favorite places she’s visitedThe influence of affiliate links on journalists' stories and pitchesHow she prepared to pitch her own product pre-launchWhat data and results she’s seeing come from press after recently launching PAK RêveWith her writer hat on, she talks about her pitching needs and personal preferencesAnd more! Listener Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordilippe/PakReve Instgram: https://www.instagram.com/pakreveTwitter: https://twitter.com/jordilippeWebsite: https://pakreve.comSign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/Instagram: @theprbar_inc

This first minisode of 2024 breaks down 7 things that host Lexie Smith and her team at THEPRBAR Agency are doing this month to reset their PR strategy for success in 2024. From collecting media kits to updating press kits to creating editorial calendars for clients, and more, hear how Lexie and THEPRBAR team are revamping their PR strategy to ensure a successful 2024.Here’s What You’ll Learn:What 2023 lessons THEPRBAR Agency team is reflecting onWhat types of businesses and entrepreneurs Lexie hopes to work with in 2024Tips for updating media listsTips on improving engagement tacticsTips on analyzing 2023 trend reports and applying them to 2024Tips on updating assets, refreshing headshots, and the resetting client media goalsWhat to look for and collect at the top of the yearAnd more! Listener Links: Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.comInstagram: @theprbar_inc

Teresa Bigelow is the founder of boutique agency and career platform Spiral5. Throughout her 12+ years of experience in public relations, Teresa has worked with a wide variety of brands, from global media companies to music tech to psychedelics, helping to tell their diverse stories in the media. Her clients have been featured in the world’s leading publications, including Fast Company, New York Times, NPR, Pitchfork, Forbes, TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, New Yorker, Conde Nast Traveler, Psychology Today among others. As a professional writer, Teresa has contributed to Allure, Entrepreneur, and Salon. She has also been featured in Forbes and Brit+Co, and was recognized as a Rising Star Under 30 by PR News. In this episode, Teresa shares her career journey, including how she got into PR and the founding of Spiral5. Learn what Spiral5 can offer small businesses and aspiring publicists and how her business model might revolutionize the world of indie and freelance PR. Here’s What You’ll Learn:The inception story of Spiral5The concept of Spiral5 as an extension of your team instead of a big agencySpiral5's dual-functionality, designed by Teresa to meet diverse business needsTeresa’s contribution to the ‘incubator’ side of PR through Spiral5Teresa’s increased focus on the education aspects of PR, emphasizes that anyone can  acquire PR skillsHer initiative to make PR more accessible How she’s training more people to do PR and connect the dots for aspiring publicistsThe observed demand for virtual gatheringsThoughts on why businesses continue to employ agenciesThe significance of awareness about organizations like Spiral5And more!Listener Links: Teresa’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tglow5/?hl=enSpiral5 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hispiral5/?hl=enWebsite: www.spiral5.com Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/Learn about THEPRBAR Agency here: THEPRBARagency.comInstagram: @theprbar_inc

Cloey Callahan is a Senior Reporter at Digiday Media's WorkLife, where she writes about evolving workplaces and workforces across different areas like technology, spaces, culture, DE&I, leadership, and talent. Before WorkLife, she was a General Assignment Reporter and Editor primarily covering local news across six counties in New York State's Hudson Valley region, where she was born and raised. In this episode, Cloey and Host Lexie Smith discuss how to pitch WorkLife specifically, and how to source credible experts as a journalist. She also peels back the curtain on what she looks for when selecting sources for coverage, how she selects her coverage topics, and she shares her personal pitching preferences. Here’s What You’ll Learn:Tips on how to pitch WorkLife for press coverageCloey Callahan’s career journeyHer thoughts on the new era of Twitter or ‘X’How she has seen success using Twitter / XTips on sourcing credible expertsLearn about Cloey’s podcast, The ReturnHow she sources guests for the podcastHer process for storyboardingHer personal pitching preferencesAnd more!Listener Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cloey-callahan-0174b0153/The Return Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-return/id1633534153Twitter: https://twitter.com/CloeyCallahanWebsite: https://www.worklife.news/author/cloeycallahan/Sign up For Lexie's Weekly Insider to Receive Insider Tips, Invites, & More at: https://theprbarinc.com/newsworthy/Ways you Can Work with THEPRBAR: https://theprbarinc.com/private-workshops/Instagram: @theprbar_inc