Kevin Getch: Engage Conference [Podcast]

Kevin Getch: Engage Conference [Podcast]

by | Feb 24, 2018 | Digital Marketing, Events, Industry News, Podcast, Public Relations, SEO, Social Media

Kevin Getch of SEMpdx Has Us “Engaged” Before the Annual Digital Marketing Conference Hits Portland

Each year as winter folds over into spring, many of our friends and colleagues, along with those in our office, are busy planning, organizing and corralling for Engage Conference (formerly called SearchFest). Scheduled for March 8th, the creme de la creme of the industry share knowledge, learn and network at the Pacific Northwest’s only digital marketing conference organized by a nonprofit (SEMpdx).

That’s why I took the opportunity to catch up with Kevin Getch, President of SEMpdx, before he got too busy with Engage commitments. Also the Founder and Director of Digital Strategy for his company Webfor — an agency specializing in search engine optimization (SEO) and UX driven web design — and familyman extraordinaire, this guy has a lot on his plate!

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In the episode, Kevin talks about how Search Engine Marketing (what the SEM part of SEMpdx stands for) has everything to do with PR and why all types of marketing professionals should consider getting involved with SEMpdx. He also gives us a sneak peek into how Webfor approaches PR for its clients. It’s a far cry from writing press releases but it drives their clients’ websites up in the search engines — which is the name of the game in SEM….and possibly in PR too.

Symbiotic Relationship Between SEO & PR

Kevin explains how the two functions overlap. “So much of PR is what people are searching for online. What type of content is showing up in a search and is it positive? Good story placements and positive content will lessen anything negative that might come up in a search, such as a bad review.” He believes that bringing all of the marketing areas together, rather than keeping them siloed, creates the best results.

According to Kevin, a psychological component can be intertwined into search, which typically functions within a more technical capacity. The inherently non-technical PR mindset can help SEO teams intuit their jobs on a more advanced level.

“PR’s are doing aspects of SEO. Mentions of a brand, even if they aren’t linked, have a positive impact on SEO.”

How Webfor infuses PR into digital

Kevin founded Webfor in 2009 after coming to the realization that some in the industry, particularly where he was working at the time, weren’t looking out for their clients’ needs. Focusing on all aspects surrounding search, design, content strategy, paid search campaigns and more — Webfor ties PR into many campaigns. But with different angles that PR traditionalists may not be familiar with, such as:

  • “Reverse Engineering” the link profiles of their competitors. They look into the opportunities, such as thought leadership placements, their clients’ competitors are garnering and attempt to generate the same type of coverage for their own clients.
  • Running promoted Facebook posts to follow reporters and publishers at a targeted media outlet so that by the time they reach out their pitch is warm.
  • Creating great “on-site” content and reaching out proactively to external websites, sometimes media sites, to link to it.
  • Reviewing websites, sometimes media sites, they want their clients to be placed on and coming up with ways to get that done, such as writing editorial-focused articles which link back to their clients’ websites.

More about SEMpdx

SEMpdx was one of the first nonprofit professional trade associations created for the digital marketing industry. Looking for community and a way to expand their skills, a group of competitors banned together to start the organization. Mentioning that I’ve always thought it fascinating that competitors would join together in such a way, Kevin says the group is “the opposite of hiding secrets.”

More about Engage

As more and more marketers began to infuse search principles into their campaigns, SEMpdx broadened along with the industry. No longer applicable to only technical search professionals, the group decided to change the name of their hallmark event from SearchFest to Engage two years ago. With four tracks focusing on varying digital components (brand, SEO, Paid/PPC, mobile and more), the name Engage communicates more inclusivity.

While Engage has a lot to offer, Kevin is most excited about its prominent speaker line-up, featuring Purna Virji from Microsoft and Ian Lurie from Clearlink as keynotes. Event attendees have access to videos from all of the presentations to use later for training or to put themselves in two places at once since there are simultaneous sessions.

A new perk is that non SEMpdx members will receive a membership ($125 value) with the purchase of an Engage ticket. Membership includes discounts to monthly networking events featuring speakers from across the country, as well as discounts to other associations’ events and conferences, not to mention invaluable networking resources and a supportive community.

The “community speakers” are another new Engage feature. An open call for speakers went out into the community and members voted on who they’d like to hear presentations from. Yours truly, along with Christian Bullock (MKG Marketing), were selected! Again, you’re probably wondering why the search community would ask me, a PR person, to speak. Well, my presentation is titled “PR Your Way to the Top of Google” so maybe that is why. All I know is that it seems like every time I attend a search event I hear how important links from earned media sources are. Hopefully I’ll be able to give them actionable tips on how to actually get these links through PR.

If you see me or Kevin there, please reach out and say hi!

About the guest: Kevin Getch

Kevin Getch is President of SEMpdx, the nonprofit professional business association for digital marketers in Portland and producers of the Engage Conference. He is also the Founder and Director of Digital Strategy at Webfor, a full-service digital marketing agency providing search engine optimization, social media marketing, website and logo design.

Connect and follow Kevin on social media:

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.

PR Talk is sponsored by monday

In such a fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. monday is the collaboration tool trusted by businesses of all kinds to help cut down the clutter and streamline productivity. Learn more at monday.com and signup for a free trial. You’ll see in no time why so many teams around the world are choosing monday for their project management needs.

PR Talk listeners can use the coupon code BetterExecute for a 15% discount.

Featured Image courtesy of Nina Johnson Photography
Amy Rosenberg on Local PR with The Zip [Podcast]

Amy Rosenberg on Local PR with The Zip [Podcast]

by | Feb 8, 2018 | General, Podcast, Public Relations, Resources

My Interview with Megan Hannay from ZipSprout

Due to technical errors (uh…recording in a coffee shop…note to self…never do this again..) my final Seattle jag episode has been stalled. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get it up and running for you because it was oh so good. With that said, I’m taking the opportunity to share a past interview featuring yours truly on the ZipSprout podcast.

Back in March 2017, I had the opportunity to unleash my inner local PR nerd with Megan Hannay, Co-Founder & CEO of ZipSprout and host of the community-based marketing agency’s podcast, The Zip. On Megan’s podcast, she asks me questions about how I got started in PR and how I launched Veracity in the middle of a recession. I had forgotten that we started the company during tumultuous times. I guess it’s like child birth, you forget the pain that you endure. I also share local public relations tips that can be used in any market while bringing home Veracity’s message that anyone can learn PR — especially of the community variety.

Megan helped me out this week by allowing me to rerun this episode. I wasn’t surprised to receive her speedy response because podcasters help each other out just like PR people do. I apologize for not having the new Seattle episode available, but if you’re not failing you’re not trying hard enough, right?

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To read the full recap from this podcast, visit our write-up about it here.

About the Host of The Zip:

Megan Hannay is the CEO and CoFounder of ZipSprout. She developed the process and manages the team of Matchmakers. She also contributes planning and UX expertise to the ZipSprout app and oversees internal and external content strategy. You can read her column on local marketing in Marketing Land or hear her interviews with members of the local ecosystem in her weekly podcast, The Zip.

Connect and follow Megan on social:

 

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.

PR Talk is sponsored by monday

In such a fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. monday is the collaboration tool trusted by businesses of all kinds to help cut down the clutter and streamline productivity. Learn more at monday.com and signup for a free trial. You’ll see in no time why so many teams around the world are choosing monday for their project management needs.

PR Talk listeners can use the coupon code BetterExecute for a 15% discount.

Roger Valdez: Forbes Columnist [Podcast]

Roger Valdez: Forbes Columnist [Podcast]

by | Jan 22, 2018 | Podcast, Public Relations, StreetTalk

Seattle Housing Advocate and Forbes Writer, Roger Valdez, Explains the Difference Between Advocacy and Public Relations

Roger Valdez is the embodiment of my two work passions—public relations and real estate. As the Director of Seattle for Growth, formerly Smart Growth Seattle, Roger has been advocating for more housing options in every Seattle-area neighborhood for all kinds of incomes, from micro-housing to mansions and tenant housing to owner-occupied.

“A proliferation of product type enables consumers to make better choices. If the choices are limited, competition increases and prices increase. More is better,” Roger says.

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His nonprofit has been at the center of well-known Seattle real estate debates for more than five years. That’s why he was able to snag a regular column on Forbes.com — that he does not pay for — representing the Emerald City’s housing market. Abiding by a quota of two posts per week, many of his columns are specific to Seattle-area policies and issues, but PR people will be happy to know that he sometimes references the sources we send his way on Forbes. He’ll even delve into another state’s issues so if you’re in any kind of communications role for a real estate, construction or housing entity, getting to know Roger would probably be a good idea.

This conversation traversed between heady real estate policy, inventory and pricing topics; and edgy PR tips that might leave some of us shaking in our boots. High-level thoughts on how journalists can influence the housing market and policy are intertwined with real-life examples of how he relates to the press. The conversation gets really interesting when Roger relates urban living to a social mashup forcing us to work through uncomfortable situations, like homelessness and crime, together. So you’ll surely be entertained as we near the end of the episode where Roger’s tips for getting included in his columns can be found.

 

How the Press Affects Consumer Sentiment

As I stumble over the difference between what a “median” and a “mean” price is (you’d think I’d remember this from my real estate agent days), Roger gets into how the press, especially the Seattle Times, can use shocking language to influence opinion or confirm existing biases. For example, pointing to “Average Prices” to sum up how the housing market is doing within a headline can negatively influence buyer sentiment. Roger concedes that the article is factual, but buried at the end is the explanation about what’s truly going on in the market. Headlines can strongly deter would-be homeowners because they don’t read the full article.

“Using average prices and wages to measure our so-called crisis is an abuse of averages,” Roger says. “The easiest thing the press can do is confirm people’s bias.”

Waging a Press War: Advocacy versus PR

In his role at Seattle for Growth, Roger publically brings criticism to reporters and editors. It’s not that he’s getting huffy when they’re not writing the story he wants, but it’s situations like the above that get him worked up. “When it comes to price, dig into what the dynamic is,” he says. “How can we better utilize data to talk about the market?”

Roger says that he might think differently about blatantly fighting with the press if he were representing multiple PR clients. One burnt bridge could affect all the clients. He points out that he’s an advocate in the broadest possible sense. Beyond just aiming for the story, an advocate is in it for the long haul, attempting to change the way we think, ultimately affecting policy. He recognizes the press as having huge power in this regard. So if he feels that they are misunderstanding an issue and unintentionally swaying people, he’s going to do everything in his power to correct that — whether that be complaining directly to the newspaper’s staff, commenting with a correction online or utilizing his own channels to post about it. “If a story is really bad someone will get hurt because of it,” he says.

One thing is for sure: Roger is not coy. However, it’s important to keep in mind that Roger doesn’t think his bold approach with newsrooms actually hurts his chances of future stories. “They get where I’m coming from. Hearing criticism makes them think twice.” But again, he reminds us that he wouldn’t be as aggressive if he were solely working in a PR capacity.

 

What is Good Journalism?

“Journalism is not an easy job,” Roger admits. “A good article needs to help the discussion.”

He’s quick to dole out compliments for good journalism, pointing to an article by David Kroman on Crosscut, which examined the proposed fees Seattle landlords would face when raising their rents by a certain amount. In the article, David interviews a source in Portland, where this bill has already passed, to hear how it has affected things here.

This way of digging into the story is the epitome of honorable journalism for Roger. Uncovering every angle to fully understand all aspects, combined with broadening the language so that situations aren’t overly simplified is what the Seattle real estate market needs right now and who better to play the role than its local journalists?

 

Getting in Roger’s Forbes Column

Just like quality journalism could use a discerning touch, successful PR efforts require the same amount of discipline. To possibly garner a mention in his Forbes.com column about the Seattle real estate market, Roger offers the following advice:

  • Tailor your pitch for each press audience.
  • Don’t make it confusing so he doesn’t have to do too much sleuthing.
  • If it’s a broad press release involving multiple parties, tell him which player you are representing in the story.

About the guest: Roger Valdez

Roger Valdez has been involved in public policy in the areas of education, health, and housing for the past 20 years. He is Director of Seattle For Growth, a housing and growth advocacy organization pushing for more housing supply for all levels of income in Seattle, and a columnist for Forbes.

Connect and follow Roger on social media:

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.

PR Talk is sponsored by monday

In such a fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. monday is the collaboration tool trusted by businesses of all kinds to help cut down the clutter and streamline productivity. Learn more at monday.com and signup for a free trial. You’ll see in no time why so many teams around the world are choosing monday for their project management needs.

PR Talk listeners can use the coupon code BetterExecute for a 15% discount.

Featured Image courtesy of Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times
Emily Parkhurst: Editor in Chief Puget Sound Business Journal [Podcast]

Emily Parkhurst: Editor in Chief Puget Sound Business Journal [Podcast]

by | Jan 3, 2018 | Digital Marketing, Industry News, Podcast, Public Relations

Q & A with Puget Sound Business Journal Editor in Chief, Emily Parkhurst

I stopped by the Puget Sound Business Journal on a very busy day. It was production day, which meant that the Business Journal staff was immersed in laying out the publication for print, running each page by Editor in Chief, Emily Parkhurst. Even though she’d already edited each of the stories, getting them print-ready is a different story.

“The buck stops here,” she says of her role at the Puget Sound area’s venerable business publication. Not only is she responsible for editing all of the stories the paper puts out — including the digital newsletters and everything that makes it into the print edition — the entire editorial staff reports to her. As we learn more about how the paper works, we gain more insight into Emily’s role at the Puget Sound Business Journal.

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Do you assign stories to reporters?

For the most part, Emily relies on her reporters to understand the fields they’ve been assigned — otherwise known as their beat. “We want them to be the experts in town. They know everyone in the space, why it matters to the greater business community and why its news,” she says. Most of the stories have been sourced by the reporters “beating down their beats.” This is partially accomplished by keeping the assigned beats to a manageable two, allowing the reporters to go into more depth.

Five full-time reporters split the following beats:

Can PR people pitch you?

Emily’s answer to this question is mixed. It seems that PR people should put their courteous research hats on, finding out what the paper covers and who’s writing about what. While she’s happy to forward your pitch to the appropriate reporter, know that Emily had a staggering 25,000 unread emails waiting for her when we met, so ideally you’ll leave her off the communications.

If you’ve done your research and are still unclear about whom to send your pitch to, Emily considers it her job to point you in the right direction. She’s also more likely to answer your email if she already has a relationship with you or your story is sensitive.

Speaking of pitches, what are your PR pet peeves?

  • Sending everyone in the newsroom the same pitch. This results in the reporter (whom you should have sent it to directly) getting the email forwarded to them “a hundred times” by the newsroom. According to Emily, this is lazy PR. I point out that it might just be plain rude.
  • Sending multiple reminders to your pitches. “If I haven’t answered you, I’m sure that I don’t want [your pitch] and it might mean you’re pitching the wrong person,” she says.
  • PR people who cannot pronounce city and county names in their coverage zone. Emily hints that she has caller ID and is less likely to pick up the phone when an unfamiliar area code “bombs” her phone.

What makes you open a PR pitch?

  • Emily says that she’ll open emails from people she knows. “The people that won’t pitch her crap,” she says in reference to a Seattle area PR person she’s worked with for a long time, Mark Peterson, who understands her paper and takes the time to pitch ideas they can use, like standing features.
  • Standing features. These sections are always included in the paper, like the Innovator of the Month section. Emily would consider it highly helpful if people sent ideas that could be used for the standing features.
  • Don’t send press releases. According to Emily, when a press release comes across her desk, “that’s when the story died.” Instead of sending a press release, consider the next tip.
  • Breaking news. Always striving to be first to go to press with a story, the Business Journal values breaking news. Emily understands that you can’t keep the other news outlets from reporting on the story, but let the Business Journals run it first. Don’t waste time with the press release, just give them a heads up under an embargo, allowing them enough time to present the most balanced, fair and thorough report while you spin your wheels with the press release for the other outlets, releasing it AFTER the Business Journal has published.
  • Important note: Of course you’ll need an expressed “yes” from the media outlet you’re offering the first crack to. You’ll also want to get approval on this strategy from your boss or client before launching. Possibly save the email approving this strategy in your legal file for a while.
  • One second. That’s all you have to grab a reporter’s attention. Send everything they might need to know within two sentences or less, this includes the subject line within the email. Make sure the location is appropriate to their coverage area and include it in the subject line or first sentence. And for goodness sake, use the reporter’s name — do not copy and paste “Dear Reporter” nor utilize a mail merge.

What geographic area does the Puget Sound entail?  

“We frequently have to define this,” Emily says, making me feel better about asking this ignorant question. Four counties make up the Puget Sound area: 

  • King County, where Seattle is located.
  • Snohomish County, where Everett is located.
  • Pierce County, where Tacoma is located.
  • Kitsap County, where Bremerton is located.

While business happenings in Seattle and Bellevue tend to capture the most coverage, Emily says that they’ll cover stories all over the area, just tell them the town your news is based out of.

If your pitch can help answer the following conundrums, you’re in good shape; “We’re interested in covering Seattle and Puget Sound companies. Why they grow, why they don’t grow.”

About the guest: Emily Parkhurst

Emily Parkhurst is the Editor in Chief of the Puget Sound Business Journal. Prior to being named editor in chief, she was first a technology reporter, then digital marketing editor and then managing editor at the publication. She is also a national award-winning journalist, including the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi award for a series on therapeutic restraint of schoolchildren.

Connect and follow Emily on social media:

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.

PR Talk is sponsored by monday

In such a fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. monday is the collaboration tool trusted by businesses of all kinds to help cut down the clutter and streamline productivity. Learn more at monday.com and signup for a free trial. You’ll see in no time why so many teams around the world are choosing monday for their project management needs.

PR Talk listeners can use the coupon code BetterExecute for a 15% discount.

Su Ring & Joseph Suttner: New Day NW Producers [Podcast]

Su Ring & Joseph Suttner: New Day NW Producers [Podcast]

by | Dec 8, 2017 | Industry News, Podcast, Public Relations

How to Save your Pitch From the Garbage Can with Seattle’s “New Day”

Last month I had a party on the calendar in Seattle and I thought I’d make a day of it interviewing Seattle press on my way. After all, this major metropolitan market is only three hours north of us. I’m sure many of you are already pitching Seattle press for clients that may, or may not, be based in Portland. Maybe you are not even in Portland yourself.

I was surprised, relieved and even a bit caught off guard to discover Seattle’s press scene to be just as warm as Portland’s. Possibly I was a little intimidated to take the podcast out of my own backyard, not that we haven’t landed press in Seattle before, but I hadn’t ventured my itty-bitty little podcast out very far. My outreach turned into a complete “press jag,” a term I’m using to communicate the binge aspect of how Veracity does press. I was able to book the entire day with back-to-back interviews which will be released over the next few months.

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The first episode within this Seattle “press jag” is a double interview with Su Ring and Joseph Suttner, segment producers of the entertainment and lifestyle show, New Day Northwest (New Day) for King5, Seattle’s NBC affiliate. They produce most of the show’s six segments each day. Airing four times per week, that’s 24 weekly segments and a lot of moving parts.

New Day is “live to tape” — which means they tape in one take without editing. Aside from quickly lifting out the occasional F-bomb, editing the show isn’t an option because it airs almost immediately after its taped. In explaining the show, Joseph said it has more of an “Oprah” vibe rather than an “Ellen” vibe, interspersing cooking and entertainment with more serious, topical segments. A mixture of entertainers, athletes, authors, chefs, and cause-related spokespeople are highlighted. About 30 percent of the segments are sponsored, meaning the organizations have paid for their air-time.  

The Differences Between News and Lifestyle Shows

Since they both worked in fast-and-furious news departments before joining New Day, I thought I’d examine the differences between hard-hitting news and lifestyle shows. Su worked in King5’s newsroom for 14 years before taking a break to write a fiction romance about heavy metal band groupies called “Steel Goddesses” under an assumed name (Ann C Brant), available on Amazon. And Joseph worked in the news departments of both KXLY radio and King5 before joining New Day.

While maintaining a grueling, fast-paced clip, they both said that working in news is actually easier because news is always happening. Guaranteed content. The newsroom staff works in the present, meeting the deadline of that day’s newscast. They aren’t necessarily worried about tomorrow’s content until tomorrow comes. Whereas you’re always planning for the future at a lifestyle show like New Day. While it’s more fun because they get to choose what they’ll cover, both Joseph and Su think it’s actually more stressful.

Lightening the Segment Planning Load

Understanding more about New Day will help empower PR people to lighten the load for producers like Joseph and Su. While Joseph admits that many of the PR pitches are garbage, “I couldn’t do this job if it weren’t for PR people sending me ideas.” As soon as they walk in the door at 8 a.m., they are greeted with a blast of multiple PR pitches, most of them generic and unrelated to their coverage area.

Here’s how you can save your pitch from the garbage can:

  • Research the show. Get an idea of what they cover and how they go about it. It’s a visual talk show with sit-down interviews lasting 5 – 7 minutes each. Think about what would actually work for this format.
  • Provide visuals to help support the story. Photos, links to video or even props that you would actually bring in.
  • Do you believe your story idea would be interesting to watch? If the answer is no, save the story and your PR reputation for a more appropriate medium, like print.
  • Get on their radar ASAP. Once you have a “press release” ready, send it as far ahead as possible, 6 – 4 weeks is ideal. If you are pushing up against the 2-week mark, you’re quickly losing the opportunity because their shows must be filled one week ahead.
  • I cringed at the idea of sending a “press release” to TV but Su said that as long as it incorporates the who (interviewee), what, where, when and why quickly up front it can work.
  • Don’t send automated releases. Augment your email slightly to appear that it’s been changed a bit for them.
  • Ensure that your story idea is fully contained. Bring your own models for fashion segments. Bring your own food and utensils for cooking segments. These examples also point to the visual aspect as well. Rather than talking about the food, a chef cooks the food. Rather than talking about the clothes, models display the clothes.

An Opportunity in Attendance

Another opportunity to keep in mind is that New Day’s audience coordinator organizes daily audiences of up to 25 in attendance. This is a great opportunity for groups, especially nonprofits, that want a quick shout-out on-air or for product giveaways. You could even pair an interview with a product giveaway to drive home the message. Things like beauty products, food, gift cards, clothes and more are given to the audience while also being mentioned on-air.

Slant Pitches Toward the Emerald City

While a little more than half of New Day’s coverage focuses on Seattle-based topics, the rest of the interviews are celebrities like musicians and authors coming through town. However, these interviewees are in Seattle doing something for the local community so it seems that there is a local slant. Therefore, you’ll have to search for some sort of Emerald City angle to make your pitch stand out. Perhaps your interviewee is in town for a speaking engagement? Or maybe your product released a new version for Seattleites? Are your services being customized for this market? Go on New Day and talk about it!

Getting Ahold of New Day

The time to connect with New Day, or any television show, is NOT when they are in their crunch time right before the show and especially NOT during the show. Arriving at work at 8 a.m., Su and Joseph are completely focused on getting that day’s show ready. They begin taping at 10 a.m. so this would be the absolute worst time to connect. They are done taping the show around 11:30 – 11:45 a.m. at which point they attempt to scarf down lunch while culling through their mountainous in-box and meeting with each other to discuss the next day’s show. A good time to call is probably after this lunchtime breather.

When creating your New Day pitch, put in the necessary time and effort. Be sure to think of the message, the right time to connect, the emphasis on Seattle, and your audience. Garbage pitches are surface level content, New Day pitches are well-thought out, timely and researched. After all you don’t want your pitch in the trash can.

About the guests: Su Ring & Joseph Suttner

Su Ring and Joseph Suttner are producers of King 5’s New Day Northwest. New Day Northwest is a daily talk/lifestyle/entertainment show that airs weekday mornings at 11 on KING 5, the NBC-affiliate station in Seattle. They are responsible, along with another producer and an audience coordinator, for creating six segments every day for the hourlong show. Su and Joseph are active on Twitter too.

Connect and follow New Day Northwest on social media:

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.

PR Talk is sponsored by monday

In such a fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. monday is the collaboration tool trusted by businesses of all kinds to help cut down the clutter and streamline productivity. Learn more at monday.com and signup for a free trial. You’ll see in no time why so many teams around the world are choosing monday for their project management needs.

PR Talk listeners can use the coupon code BetterExecute for a 15% discount.

Gregory Day: Host of Weekly Portland Podcast and KPTV’s “The Dish” [Podcast]

Gregory Day: Host of Weekly Portland Podcast and KPTV’s “The Dish” [Podcast]

by | Nov 22, 2017 | Podcast, Public Relations, Social Media

Gregory Day of the Weekly Portland Podcast Offers an Education in Entrepreneurial Pursuit

When asked why he started his podcast — the Weekly Portland Podcast — Gregory Day jokes that narcissism may have played a factor. He goes on to say that it might have been the desire to “produce a show that people actually want to listen to.”

The Manchester, England native points to a line he thinks might have been quoted in a Chuck Palahniuk book, “everyone has three lives,” as he explains his top passions. By day he manages the archives at Pendleton Woolen Mills — a job that’s not unlike podcasting because both involve scrounging up the details of people in podcasting’s case and centennials-old artifacts in Pendleton’s case. For ten years he’s worked with authors, getting references, and maintaining the artifacts of the worldwide phenomenon that is Pendleton. “It’s a big deal in Eastern Europe and Asia,” he says. “Everyone loves the American cowboy.”

As we run down Gregory’s passions — which have interestingly manifested into new roles that have been created for him — you might notice Gregory has more than three lives. But no one accused me of being good at math so who’s counting.

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Reporter of “The Dish” for KPTV’s “More GDO”

Once-a-week, he swings downtown on his lunch break to film “The Dish,” an entertainment segment he hosts on the mid-morning show after KPTV’s early-morning show, “Good Day Oregon (GDO),” aptly named “More GDO,” airing at 9 a.m. on weekdays. Gregory’s two-and-a-half-minute segment offers the dish on five to six cool events happening in town.

The opportunity came about when the show had Gregory on to talk about his podcast. He then interviewed “More GDO” host, Stephanie Kralevich, on his podcast and a relationship was formed.

Gregory’s work on “The Dish” includes more than just filming each segment. He also selects the highlighted events and writes the “bits.” Gregory warns that the editors may cut an event out of his pre-recorded lineup. This is why he says that it’s important to send a video of each event, confiding that he’s been surprised by how many PR people do not have access to video. I interjected that people might not understand that they actually do have video — you don’t need to be worried if the video is too overly-marketed nor too rough — they just use a few seconds of each video on “The Dish” so anything that is streaming or on YouTube will do. Try shooting something on your iPhone and see what happens!

PR people should send pitches for both “The Dish” and the Weekly Portland Podcast to Gregory at: [email protected].

Showrunner of The Weekly Portland Podcast

Gregory started the Weekly Portland Podcast about two years ago for reasons that have morphed over time. It first began on YouTube with videos as he didn’t really listen to podcasts. But he eventually realized that podcasting was the best format to truly capture the essence of the person being interviewed. He wanted to portray the interesting people of Portland in a non-comedic way that remained light-hearted and professional.

“It’s a great excuse to stick your nose in a lot of offices. When would you meet these people? Adults rarely sit down together for an hour without a purpose,” Gregory adds to his podcasting evolution story.

Today, Gregory’s podcast “why” is about education. The amount of knowledge he’s secured from the people gracing his podcast, and the many others Gregory listens to, has brought him to realize that learning is his true passion.

The qualifier to get on his podcast is simple — Gregory wants to talk to local people doing really interesting things.

Organizer of Audiobook Club PDX

Gregory’s inner student is also being fed by his audiobook addiction. He rips through about two per week. That’s why he decided to start a book club that exclusively discusses audiobooks. Audio Book Club PDX meets the first Monday of each month at The Nines Hotel. It’s an open meetup format that anyone can join to discuss reviews, recommendations, and commentary. On December 4th they will be talking all about the Sci-Fi genre.

His passion for audiobooks is bringing another entrepreneurial idea his way: to write an audiobook by voice. “But we all want to do something,” Gregory quickly dismisses as I try to dig deeper into this fascinating idea.

Entrepreneur of Ideas

Gregory is an entrepreneur through and through. He may be employed at Pendleton, but over the course of the conservation I recognized the entrepreneurial spirit running through his veins. Not only are all of the side-gigs he’s started entrepreneurial, he actually was in business for himself as an art dealer in Portland before working with Pendleton.

And if starting a podcast, audiobook club and securing an ongoing segment on Fox for yourself aren’t entrepreneurial enough, a hunch tells me that someday his future may be pointed toward starting another company — this time focusing on his educational pursuits. He imagines a world in which education is delivered to us at the touch of a button specifically customized to our interests. “It’s like Uber for education,” Gregory explains.

Gregory, we are excited to find out what else we’re going to learn from your entrepreneurial ventures because we’re already learning so much from your work today.

Show Notes:

Gregory Day is the producer and host of The Weekly Portland Podcast, and The Dish on KPTV’s More Good Day Oregon. In his show, The Weekly Portland Podcast Gregory features TED speakers, creatives, industry leaders & entrepreneurs.

In this episode of PR Talk, Amy and Gregory talk about podcasting as Gregory shares its importance and how listening to a podcast becomes a tool to continuously learn and build up knowledge. He also shares tips and advice on how to PR consultants can take advantage of the growing podcast platform. 

Check out these episode highlights:

03:00   Gregory shares how and why he started The Weekly Portland Podcast

04:25   Gregory’s transition journey from YouTube videos to a podcast

08:08   Gregory’s work history

09:31   How The Weekly Portland Podcast helps grow Portland’s publicity

10:36   Podcast as a learning tool to build knowledge

12:23   Reasons for success for a podcast that is about creator’s passion and interest

14:16   Gregory on booking and qualifying his podcast guests

25:13   His life’s journey: struggles and successes moving from England to the United States

28:31   Gregory’s top tips for PR people on setting up their Podcast shows and how they can take advantage of the growing platform

40:49   Importance of persistence according to Gregory

About the guest: Gregory Day

Host of KPTV 12’s “The Dish” on More Good Day Oregon, Showrunner at The Weekly Portland Podcast. Billed as “The NW Fresh Air,” The Weekly Portland Podcast is hosted by Gregory Day featuring TED speakers, creatives, industry leaders & entrepreneurs. New shows every Monday.

Connect and follow Gregory on social media:

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