Bolt PR

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP, Marketing Communications of a software company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

My company develops the software that helps people powered businesses operate efficiency, scale faster and deliver remarkable outcomes to their clients and employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Actual Agency to accomplish?

• Launch a new company formed by a merger of two industry leading technology companies.
• Build brand awareness

SOLUTION

How did you find Actual Agency?

Online Search

Why did you select Actual Agency over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Team

How many teammates from Actual Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

SOW: 

• Develop high-level messaging framework and key thought leadership storylines to serve as the foundation for the communications program and overtake SOV amongst top competitors
• Creation and maintenance of a media target list focused on journalists, influencers and bloggers recommended for engagement
• Creation of a news bureau program and framework that maps top media and influencers with key related topics
• Build and maintain awards and speaking engagements program
• Ongoing outreach to and engagement with target media, influencers and bloggers on behalf of my company supported by agreed corporate content, news and pitches.

Program Outputs: High-level, one-page message framework, thought leadership storylines for the plan, and six-month comms plan. As part of the narrative and communications plan process, creation of strategic thought leadership media storylines to use for proactive press engagement. These storylines are product, business and idea-driven stories that ladder up to the journey to the future of professional services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Coverage and increased SOV

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Weekly status calls to ensure deliverables were on track.

What was your primary form of communication with Actual Agency?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Great company culture, commitment to success and they became members of my extended team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Actual Agency could have done differently?

no

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CMO of Privacera

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software developer building a unified data and AI security governance solution

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Actual Agency to accomplish?

• Grow general awarness for Privacera and our market space
• Increase our SOV versus competitors
• Build thought leadership program around the needs for data security governance

SOLUTION

How did you find Actual Agency?

Referral

Why did you select Actual Agency over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Actual Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Privacera engaged Actual Agency as our PR and Communications agency of record. The overall objectives is to build out our PR and Coms program to deliver on three major objectives: (1) grow awareness of Privacera in general beyond our traditional analytics media only, (2) increase our share of voice (SOV) versus other players in the market, and (3) to create a thought leadership program to educate the market on data security governance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Coverage and awareness increased by more than 200% - averaging more than 60 content pieces per qtr. SOV increased by more than 100% to put us close to our primary and much larger competitor. Privacera and our spokes people are often quoted or interviewed now for articles relating to data security governance and the importance of this market domain.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Actual's team doesa great job at tracking projects at a very granular level with weekly check-ins plus Slack channel where everyone can collaborate. All activities are tracked and readily available for me to review. Detail analysis of the work performed and process are shared on a quarterly basis.

What was your primary form of communication with Actual Agency?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

From the first conversations before we engaged Actual we found their team very knowledgeable and will to engage with us in thoughtful manner. I really appreciate the joint message exploration discussions and teaming to work on themes we wish to target. In addition, I always feel we have the A-team working with our account, even though we are a pretty small startup still.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Actual Agency could have done differently?

Nothing I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Vice President, Resource Development (Retired 2023) of Telamon | TRC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Telamon | TRC provides programs and services for farmworkers and other rural families in 11 states that inspire families to achieve educational success; foundations for a career pathway; financial management skills; and affordable housing of choice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Bolt PR to accomplish?

• To improve organization-wide marketing processes, define core message priorities, and increase brand awareness.

SOLUTION

How did you find Bolt PR?

Previous positive contract work

Why did you select Bolt PR over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Bolt PR were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Following a rigorous RFP process, we selected Bolt PR to perform a comprehensive brand audit, identify and develop organization-wide core message strategies and brand pillars, and create targeted marketing strategies to increase awareness of Telamon | TRC mission, vision, and how our programs benefit target audiences in 11 states.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Final production and delivery of a first-ever Comprehensive Brand, Brand Pillars, and Core Message Strategies. Successto be measured on: 

1. Improved brand management policies and procedures, 
2. Consistent brand use and representation across 11 states, 
3. Increased awareness measured by increase in new donors and program enrollees.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The Bolt PR team quickly established themselves as a valuable and reliable resource for our purposes. Michelle and Laura were strong project leads and kept the trains running on time. We would welcome any opportunity to work with them again.

What was your primary form of communication with Bolt PR?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Bolt PR exuded a company culture of professionalism, subject matter expertise, and inclusiveness. Everyone we encountered were highly competent, eager to assist and problem-solve, results-driven, and warm and encouarging.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Bolt PR could have done differently?

I cannot think of any at the moment. We would welcome an opportunity to work with them again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for a global fire protection engineering firm. We focus on facets like forensics, nuclear power, healthcare, and security risk consulting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Warner Communications?

We needed someone who could work with us full-time on dealing with the media for our business. We wanted an outside partner with proper education and knowledge to handle our institutional communications and be our voice in front of the media.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Warner Communications covers all of our PR matters whenever we want to make a statement for the media. They also help us with our global press releases and publications; we’re a highly technology-driven firm with solutions, so we have a lot of white papers and blogs that are looking to get published.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with three people from their team, including Erin (President), Ariane (VP), and Avery (Account Coordinator).

How did you come to work with Warner Communications?

Our company chose them based on their skill set, flexibility, experience, and ability to respond. In addition to that, we loved the fact that they were woman-owned!

How much have you invested with them?

We invest around $93,000–$100,000 with them every year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We love them, and we’re not interested in looking for another firm; they understand our business, their pricing is excellent, and we see them in our future for many years to come. In terms of deliverables, they put together a media summary booklet on their merit, which I love; they track all the analytics of our press releases, dissect that, and do a follow-up in terms of readership and engagement.

Overall, they’re data-driven, which we appreciate.

How did Warner Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

They feel like an extension of our team, which I love. We have biweekly meetings and daily communication in multiple ways, and Warner Communications’ team is either helping us with articles, press releases, or contacting media platforms on our behalf. We use phone calls and email; they’re very responsive, and they get back to me as soon as possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re an optimistic and skilled team — it’s a pleasure to work with them. Their experience with media and sourcing publications is also outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve? 

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on, and I have nothing negative to say — I love their team, communication, and follow-up reports. They roll with us and help us with everything we need; we have a new director of marketing who has worked great with them.

Any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend they choose Warner Communications for their business. They’re focused on their clients, on delivery, and execution. I prefer a smaller firm because it’s more of a personal touch — I feel like I can always reach out to them, and with a larger company, it might be different.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Communications Director at Sodoma Law. With four offices across two states, our attorneys and legal staff are prepared to serve all of our clients family law and estate planning needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Warner Communications, and what were your goals?

Warner PR has worked with Sodoma Law for over 8 years. When I joined the firm 6 years ago as Communications Director, they had already been working with the firm to help craft brand messaging and social media content. During my time here Warner has served in many roles, with the primary goal of raising awareness about Sodoma Law through earned media opportunities.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Warner PR pre-dates my time here, they came to us originally as a word of mouth referral.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

As the firm has grown, Warner has kept pace and grown with us - always bringing new ideas to the table and never tiring in their relentless pursuit of landing us the next big media hit. In addition to media work, they also help us track and nominate our employees for award recognitions and source speaking opportunities. They also handle any in-house media training that needs to be done.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Our main team generally consists of 2 people - Ariane Wolff (Vice President) who has been with us from the start and is our constant and most recently her Account Coordinator, Avery Pisani. Before Avery joined the team, we worked extensively with their Social Media Director, Casey Burkinshaw, as well. We do have occasional contact with Erin Vadala (President) depending on what is going on, but Ariane and her second in command are our day to day rocks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Thanks to the relentless support, work ethic, and sheer willpower of Ariane and her team at Warner PR we have continued to grow year over year, and so has our coverage - in the first 6 months of 2021 alone they landed us spots with The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Today, and CNBC (just to name a few). We regularly see traffic to our website due to media placements, and the hits provide ongoing, relevant and engaging social media content.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We take meetings every two weeks where, in addition to the Coveragebook, they provide update reports and we discuss any upcoming needs. We also meet annually to discuss what is working, what is new, and make a plan for the coming year so that our initiatives are cohesive. I talk with our team at Warner on an almost daily basis, sometimes discussing current news and crafting pitches or coordinating interviews between our attorneys and media platforms. They are timely with their deliverables and feedback, and responsive regardless of what time of the day or night.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I don't have a single bad thing to say about our team at Warner PR, which could be considered the most impressive thing about them because I tend to be pretty critical. I cannot put into words how thankful I am for the support and hard work they have provided over the years, and even when we faced challenges we have been able to work through them with ease. I quite literally couldn't do my job without them.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

The only way they could be more awesome is if we could duplicate them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for the MIT Sloan Boston Alumni Association and I am the executive chair for the MIT Sloan CIO Symposium.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Warner Communications?

My predecessor hired Warner to be our PR firm.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Warner takes on a promotional role and is in charge of getting information about the symposium out to a variety of publications in our industry. They also arrange interviews where I could talk about the symposium and handle our relations with media partners. I meet with the team every other week to talk about pieces that they’re having placed in different outlets.

As of last year, we’ve expanded our meetings to include the marketing team and other partners to better coordinate all of our marketing efforts. We’ve also gone into LinkedIn to promote the symposium and sell tickets. 

In 2022, we’re expanding their role from being our PR firm to being an active support body or central hub for our three promotional teams. The difficulty with volunteer-led organizations is that, in some ways, volunteers are harder to manage than employees. They operate for a limited time and join based on their interests. We’re hoping to have Warner bring in more professionalism to our overall marketing efforts.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with three people: Erin (President) runs the organization, Sadie (Senior Account Specialist) handles most of our PR efforts, and another person manages our LinkedIn campaign. 

How did you come to work with Warner Communications?

Warner was already working with the association before I came on as executive chair. I simply continued to work with them because of their exceptional performance. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Warner joined us in 2008 and we are still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Warner had demonstrated a tremendous amount of commitment to the symposium. Erin, in particular, has never missed a single session, and I don't think there's anybody else besides me who's attended more sessions than she has. The dedication has been outstanding. 

When we launched the digital learning series in place of the canceled symposium, Warner spearheaded 96 pieces of media coverage, which resulted in 68 million online readers and about 2,330 shares on social media. Even in one of our most challenging years, they were able to help us get a lot of exposure. In this regard, I consider them a partner.

How did Warner Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve definitely been very conscientious and consistent in hitting their deadlines. I have a very open policy with them in terms of being able to talk any time, and they’ve been very responsive. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Warner is very dedicated and willing to do whatever it takes to make our symposium a success. Vendors usually just focus on what is and isn’t part of their job, but we never get that from this team. The spirit that comes through their work, which is why I’ve asked them to take on a more expanded role. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I haven't had any trouble with them. They've really been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't underestimate Warner because they have a lot of skill and depth. Evolve them in the planning process and get their feedback because their suggestions really contribute to the vision. Warner can play a much more strategic role if you allow them to do what they do best.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a tech consulting firm that focuses on strategic and operational issues for manufacturing companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Warner Communications?

We needed their team to help us get the word out about our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the years, our business has relied a lot on referrals and while this has always been beneficial, we wanted to expand and acquire a larger public profile. Warner Communications has done PR work to boost our business profile and help us reach out to a wider clientele.

We kicked off the engagement by laying out our initial plans and timelines and defining possible areas of focus. We were aiming to get Warner Communications’s team into trade and national publications as we really wanted to have a wider, national-level reach.

Warner Communications has taken over our media placement by helping us define our media strategies and creating effective and modern marketing solutions. Our internal team then processes their team’s solutions and strategies by creating marketing materials and writing press releases based on those. Additionally, Warner Communications’ team is in charge of putting these together and preparing them for a larger publication.

What is the team composition?

We’re mainly in contact with Ariane (VP), while there are other PR resources from their team who collaborate with us.

How did you come to work with Warner Communications?

The former leader of our media research team found Warner Communications through an awards website. We then shortlisted their team along with other potential partners, and we chose to go with them after a thorough interview and RFQ process.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2021, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Warner Communications has exceeded each of the soft goals that we’ve set at the beginning of our collaboration. We’ve gotten trade publications, and our articles have been published on our preferred media platforms. Additionally, reporters from well-known media outlets like the Washington Post, Washington Journal, Bloomberg, and Wall Street Journal have expressed interest in covering our story and helping us promote our business.

We’ve agreed to set media-appropriate targets, and Warner Communications has been very compliant and supportive in helping us achieve those goals. Through our heightened media exposure, more and more clients have contacted us to let us know that they’re open to working with us after seeing our press releases and other published articles. Warner Communications has consistently helped us deliver timely messages and sophisticated content — we’re looking forward to achieving more of our business milestones through their expertise.

How did Warner Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Microsoft Teams as our main communication channel, while we lay out plans and timelines via Microsoft Excel. Warner Communications accomplishes their tasks on time without compromising the quality of their work. Their outputs also speak volumes about their detail-orientedness and proficiency. 

We truly appreciate their honesty in providing feedback on the work of our internal team members. We've proven them to be a dedicated partner because they don’t accept deliverables that aren’t at par with the quality they’re looking for — it’s a rare sight of true professionalism.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve gotten us into national and international publications in a short period of time — this type of project typically takes a year before it comes to fruition, but Warner Communications has done it in a matter of months. The amount of coverage we’ve acquired over the past months has been immensely impressive, and we acknowledge that it’s their team that’s made this possible for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more articulate in identifying how many resources they need to collaborate with. If they need a broader team of our resources, we must be informed to prepare for it right away.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very open in identifying your goals, and they’ll gladly deliver. Warner Communications is an outstanding team that can make things happen for your business in no time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I lead the external corporate communications for a global manufacturing solutions provider. We offer manufacturing solutions to 300 of the leading product brands in the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Warner Communications?

We wanted the market to know that we were diversifying and expanding our services and capabilities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Each year, Warner Communications puts together a media plan that charts out our priorities for the year. They develop media approaches on a campaign and ad-hoc basis. Then, they do the actual media outreach and press releases when we make announcements or have something that we want to offer to the media.

Additionally, they provide media training for any spokespeople who engage with the media. They also help us with counsel and advisory for reactive media opportunities.

What is the team composition?

I work with Erin (President).

How did you come to work with Warner Communications?

We heard good things about Warner Communications from other peers. We were looking for a boutique agency that worked efficiently and had experience in the manufacturing, trade, and business media space. They checked all those boxes, and we went with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in January 2019, and it’s still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Warner Communications has helped our team achieve all of the goals we set out for ourselves in terms of media visibility. We have yearly goals on overall media impressions and media circulation. We also look at how many top-tier media placements our company gets and how many contributed articles we place each year, and we’ve exceeded all of those metrics.

How did Warner Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Microsoft Teams and have email correspondence as well. We have a weekly standing call, but we talk to them another 3–4 times a week on a case-by-case basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with their nimble expertise. Warner Communications gets things done quickly and efficiently.

We work directly with very experienced people, so we operate more agilely than if we worked with junior associates from a big agency. That’s why we wanted to work with a boutique agency, and they’ve delivered on that. Additionally, I can just pick the phone and talk to them, and that’s been very impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that Warner Communications could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to give Warner Communications direct access to the business leaders to get the most out of their expertise. In my experience, Warner Communications will serve your organization more effectively if they have direct access. Additionally, business leaders like working with them directly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the brand manager of St Pierre, a premium French baked goods CPG brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bolt PR?

We needed to secure high-quality coverage in national media, targeted local media outreach, and ongoing brand support for our key campaigns and product launches.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bolt PR has developed quarterly PR campaigns, created press releases, provided broadcast media support, conducted ongoing outreach, and offered brand support and reporting. The team has focused on media pitching.  Our team at Bolt feel like part of our team and we're thrilled with our recent coverage - key titles we previously havent been able to secure. They're as passionate about the brand as we are.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 2–5 teammates from Bolt PR.

How did you come to work with Bolt PR?

We found Bolt PR through an online search. We chose them over other PR agencies because they had high ratings, their pricing fit our budget, and they were a great culture fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2025, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve already secured coverage with high-profile channels, including Parade and Tasting Table. We’ve also seen positive results in our media placements, audience reach, and media quality score.

How did Bolt PR perform from a project management standpoint?

Bolt PR delivers on time, is super responsive, and doesn’t require too much support or feedback from us. We communicate via virtual meetings, emails, and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed by how quickly Bolt PR has understood our brand and how efficient they are. We can tell they’re huge brand supporters because they always feed us with new sample leads and coverage. Bolt PR is a great team to work with; we feel like they’re part of St Pierre.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing Bolt PR could improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Principal/Creative Strategist of Farinella LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a branding and marketing agency. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Actual Agency to accomplish?

• Create brand awareness for our client.
• Offer thought leadership guidance.

SOLUTION

How did you find Actual Agency?

Referral

Why did you select Actual Agency over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Actual Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We've relied on Actual as a strategic partner based on their expertise in strategic PR, corporate communications, media relations, and thought leadership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We saw an uptick in our clients' brand awareness, increased media coverage, and website traffic.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Always communicating, always on time, always responsive. We couldn't have asked for a more professional team to work with us.

What was your primary form of communication with Actual Agency?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their team's strategic guidance is top-notch, and their follow-through is strong. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Actual Agency could have done differently?

No, they delivered exactly what they promised when it was promised.