Publicity For Good

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the President of a coconut manufacturing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Publicity For Good, and what were your goals?

We are growing the sales of our coconut oil and lip balms and want to build awareness.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I interviewed 6 agencies & consultants. I tried another agency that looked impressive, but didn't get results after 4 months of fees. 5 months later I signed up with PFG.They have a strong network with the media. They have clear communication and strategy. They utilize offshore employees to bring more value.

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

They began with an onboarding process to understand our brand and market. We collaborated on market positioning and where we want to focus our efforts. They pitched to hundreds of media and social media influencers, track responses in airtable so there is transparency and feedback, and collect addresses for sample requests. They track our features, with links and even coached us on how to leverage that media in order to maximize the impact of that hit.

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

I worked with Heather, the CEO, David, one of the publicists and Whitney, the executive assistant. All were fabulous.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In 3 months we've had 50 features, another 15 secured with future feature/interview dates and another 40 pending features/interviews. I'm blown away by these results. PR is the long game so my goal is to build earned media links that build a foundation for advertising. Still, we've had immediate results too. Q4 e-comm sales doubled from LY Q4.

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

We have monthly zoom meetings with regular emails about current opportunities and ideas.

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

They know how to get features, and they know how to leverage those features to maximize the impact for your business.

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

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Owner of SoulWork and Six Figures. We are a company that helps soft spoken professionals land soul aligned 6 & 7 figure offer packages with competitive, mission driven companies through interview prep and mindset work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Publicity For Good, and what were your goals?

I hired PFG to take over our public relations and pitch us for TV interviews.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found them online and then later through their social media.

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

They began by understanding our ideal clients; and ideal TV and online partnerships. We had a few agents assigned to us in the beginning and now work with one. The PR contracts and TV interviews we were able to land through PFG completely went above and beyond what we hoped for. We were able to land spots on every local cable station - ABC, NBC, CBS, as well as all of the notable online magazines and shows ie.. Forbes, CheddarTV etc. And most recently we landed our first in studio interview with a major network morning show CBS.

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

Likely around 4-5; with titles ranging from PR Agent to Assistant.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The PR contracts and TV interviews we were able to land through PFG completely went above and beyond what we hoped for. We were able to land spots on every local cable station - ABC, NBC, CBS, as well as all of the notable online magazines and shows ie.. Forbes, CheddarTV etc. And most recently we landed our first in studio interview with a major network morning show CBS.

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

Extremely timely - whether hearing back from the CEO or her assistants, or the agent assigned to us - we received a response in less than 24 hours of writing them. It is a very organized organization; they onboarded us with google forms I believe in 2021; and have since moved to using Slack and email for all communications.

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

Everything honestly. The media placements went far beyond what we hoped for or imagined. The grace the Founder gave us as we navigated financial hardship, the positivity that emanated from every assistant or agent we communicated with.

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

I think having more financing options for coaches would be helpful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a law firm that represents veterans before the VA. I am the CEO and Managing Attorney

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Publicity For Good, and what were your goals?

To assist us with raising the brand awareness of Veterans Law Group through PR and position us as the experts in the industry.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met the founder through a business coaching program called Charfen

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

The booked me on local radio and television in many areas around the country, podcasts with a military or veteran focus, booked articles to be written by and about me and our services. Have two interviews with OAN pending publication. They were also instrumental in getting me booked to do a weekly radio show in Los Angeles,

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

I worked with an account manager and the founder. Also several others that worked on our social media

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The booked me on local radio and television in many areas around the country, podcasts with a military or veteran focus, booked articles to be written by and about me and our services. Have two interviews with OAN pending publication. They were also instrumental in getting me booked to do a weekly radio show in Los Angeles.

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

They attended our weekly Marketing calls, provided biweekly reports and regular updates to links where our media was published.

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

Their commitment to the project. Heather the founder is very unique in the PR world. Always has great ideas and ways to leverage media outside of just the initial broadcast. Our account manager was a veteran himself so he really understood our audience.

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

I would've like to be on more national media, but we're working to leverage the radio show in Los Angeles to build reputation there and then will probably reengage with PFG to chase national media.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and owner of Ferm Fatale, the world's first ready-to-drink probiotic mocktail company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Publicity For Good?

As a startup, we were looking to improve our brand awareness and sales.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Publicity For Good sourced news segments and articles. They also found press interviews and any type of media that was relevant to the ready-to-drink, consumer packaged goods (CPG) world. 

What is the team composition?

In the beginning, we worked with two people. Then, there was a transition within their company, and they assigned us one primary point of contact.

How did you come to work with Publicity For Good?

Publicity For Good contacted me because they work with a similar brand. After I realized that it was Heather (President), I agreed to the collaboration, and we pivoted from our previous PR company to Publicity For Good.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested somewhere between $4,500–$5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project from February–May 2021. We stopped due to capital issues.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have feedback on the impact of their services.

How did Publicity For Good perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via Slack and email. Their team members didn't use Slack until the transition from the initial two team members to the one contact happened.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I didn't notice anything that distinguished them from other providers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their communication.

Any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise setting up weekly calls and understanding their communication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Ruffin Consulting Services. We’re a business consulting firm focused on providing insurance and financial planning solutions to affluent families, business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Publicity for Good?

I’m a thought leader in insurance and financial planning. However, public relations and advertising are not my areas of expertise. I reached a point where I identified I needed a further stretch or reach to my target market and, as a business owner, I could only go so far by myself. I needed to reach a wider market and be placed in the media with certain companies to be sought after as an expert in my field.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a kick-off meeting with Publicity for Good to review our profile and assess our needs. They had a streamlined onboarding process in place, which included a client in-take form and two surveys.

One of the surveys was to gather information about the person behind our business and our business itself. The second survey gave us the opportunity to go into detail about the mission and vision of Ruffin Consulting Services, what we’d done in terms of PR and marketing, whether we saw our business being marketed on print or on tv, what were our dream companies we would like to be featured with, and what message we wanted to convey and be known for. 

Currently, we have touch-base calls with the Publicity for Good’s team through Zoom where we can have a visual with our assigned team. They have a set agenda to go through specific topics and plan for the future. For instance, April is Financial Literacy Month, so we figured out a plan on how to position Ruffin Consulting Services as an expert for that month. Additionally, each week we get a decision report, which gives me an idea of active and live links towards Ruffin Consulting Services.

What is the team composition?

I have a team of two people assigned to me that are actively pitching. I also work with an admin person who coordinates and puts everything on the calendar, from interviews and meetings to live links. 

How did you come to work with Publicity for Good?

In the best interest of my company, I researched for a PR company that not only functioned in the phase of PR, but also had a specialty with companies that were focused on doing good and really making a difference in our client’s lives. My research led me to Publicity for Good, and I dove deeper with the information available on their website and Heather’s (Founder & CEO) social media profiles. Then, I booked an appointment for a consultation and identified that Publicity for Good was definitely the company that could solve my problems.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2021, and I’m actively working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s important to understand that in January 2021, we had a new administration, and the news was packed every day with content related to politics. To be able to pitch a company during a time where all the media is focused on one topic says a lot about a PR company. I really appreciate Publicity for Good for holding my hand through the process. At first, I’d wondered if I’d made the decision at the right time. However, there isn’t a right time when it comes to PR and marketing because a major event can happen any day. We could be on the board to be published tomorrow and the publishers will shift their focus.

Prior to Publicity for Good, Ruffin Consulting Services had some exposure on a teachable platform and was featured on different podcasts. However, we didn’t have a presence with Forbes or Business Insider. From the moment we started our contract until now, Publicity for Good has had us featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, NerdWallet, and a Goldman Sachs article, which has been a pretty big deal. 

We’ve had a video appearance on FoxSoul and Black Press USA. Last week, we had a feature with one of Yahoo! Finance’s sister companies, which consists of Yahoo! experts focused on financial planning and literacy. We also had one with a collective group in San Francisco. On May 1st, we’ll have a feature with Insurance News Net, which is a big deal for someone in the insurance industry.

How did Publicity for Good perform from a project management standpoint?

Publicity for Good’s in-take and onboarding process was very thorough, which has allowed us to have a seamless business relationship. We love that Publicity for Good uses Airtable, Slack, Vision, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and a few other resources to help us actively track the pitches, responses, interest, and hard or soft declines of the week. They’re very responsive to all the emails that I send them. There’s also an active link, which means we can go to Forbes.com and read an article on Ruffin Consulting Services.

The process, from onboarding and giving us resources to tracking the progress of the collaboration to scheduling interviews with different companies, has been very thorough, organized, and detailed. They’ve managed everything quite well especially in times when we get a lot of responses at one time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I had a good gut feeling when I read about Publicity for Good. However, what sold me was the presence they had on social media and their website, which is exactly what I’ve received by phone and video calls. There is continuity across what they represent as a brand and company not only from one person, but from all team members. They are extremely professional, very responsive, and really care about positioning and consulting services in the way that we originally discussed and agreed to in the strategy. They have a lot of clients but don’t lose focus on human interactions — we don’t feel like they’re another person. 

In addition to that, they’re really focused on doing good and working with companies that are doing good as well, not from a revenue perspective, but more focused on being a change, groundbreaker, and disruptor in the industry for the betterment of the people being served. Publicity for Good solved my problem. I’m actively working with them and am very satisfied with the results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve been pretty satisfied with how Publicity for Good manages the day-to-day of our business — I don’t have any feedback for improvement. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Allow them to do their job because they do it effectively. If you’re not in PR or marketing, it’s hard to try to understand how they function. I’m great at what I do and being at the forefront in leading things. However, when it comes to PR and marketing, it’s good to follow up and ask questions, but you have to allow them to lead. You need to be ready for the results, which happen fast, and to take advantage of the opportunities that they present to you. They have a pretty good formula that works.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of SADD, and we’re a national nonprofit organization that works with middle school, highschool, and college students, to address the greatest risks and pressures to their health and safety. This would include topics like traffic and mobility safety, substance abuse, mental health, and leadership development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Publicity For Good?

Publicity For Good is supporting us with media engagement and publicity support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their main task for us is to help us get media events or media bookings. They get us get on key radio positions, major publications, and newspapers. Obviously print and television are a big focus, but they essentially get our brand in front of more eyes, particularly on some of our target markets and states — where we have a desire to either grow or sustain our presence.

In addition to that, they’re also serving as a partner to me and my comms team, on how we should position the brand. They look for opportunities to leverage current events to make SADD a trusted source for teens, parents, and the broader community on the issues that we talk about.

Moreover, they also do general press release work for us, including distribution, crafting, and providing feedback on press releases.

What is the team composition?

Our main contact is Julie (Publicist), but we also get booking support from a couple of other members of the team.

How did you come to work with Publicity For Good?

I’ve known Heather (President & CEO) because we were acquaintances in College. We stayed in contact on LinkedIn over the years and I was very impressed with the top-tier media that she was pulling for her client. Heather’s track record and her successes, combined with their very reasonable pricing seemed to create a really good package for us to leverage our efforts.

How much have you invested with them?

I think we’ll spend around $30,000 a year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our partnership with Publicity For Good in October 2020, and it’s still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve been very impressed with the work that they’ve been able to accomplish. They’ve helped us get into some major news outlets, and we’re still working towards the major morning shows. They’ve really aided us get into some larger pieces that have reached our main metrics. Looking at how many sets of eyes are on the messaging, interviews, and the pieces that we’ve put together, I would say it’s in the substantial millions.

I think it has been a really successful partnership and agreement, and there are also intangibles. They collaborate with us to construct virtual events, our brand positioning, and the tone of some of the things that we respond to. It’s all been very helpful particularly in an era where I think there’s additional pressure on every organization to navigate the political waters, and the ever-changing landscape of things like social justice.

We’ve been very fortunate, in that we’ve been talking about inclusion and diversity equity since our founding. How do we make sure that the words we use reflect our hearts and reflect what we want to convey to the public? Well, Publicity For Good has been really good at shaping our message in a way that’s consistent with a wide demographic — from 10-year-olds all the way to the grandparents in their late 80s.

Finding a message that resonates with that audience has been challenging, but Publicity For Good navigates those waters successfully.

How did Publicity For Good perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Airtable to track our projects and it’s working very well for us, especially since we’re trying to be low maintenance.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they’re client-focused. I think there are a lot of firms that could try to come in, and tell you how to change your organization to fit an image that they might have. However, Publicity For Good was very cognizant of coming in and listening to us, our students, listening to what was the most important thing for us.

Instead of them changing us, they came in and told our story in a way that would be really meaningful and impactful.

Being client-centered allows our story to take the center stage, which has been really meaningful to us, especially since this is our 40th anniversary.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The feedback I’ve given them is really helping us be more specific in seizing new opportunities. They’ve been very good to us, but I could use a little bit more suggestions from their perspective. I hired them as experts, and we want them to work with us to improve things. While I appreciate their desire to keep our message authentic and true to who we are, I also want the best. They should tell us what we’re doing wrong and how we can do better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Once you have a call with the team, you won’t look any further. Having the initial call will tell you everything that you need, and that’s certainly how I felt, particularly after coming off several calls with other firms. I could just tell that Publicity For Good was going to be a natural fit for us and what we wanted to accomplish.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a probiotic water company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Publicity For Good?

When we started our business, we didn’t have marketing or PR at all. We were growing steadily, so we felt that we needed to take the next step in the process of becoming a business. We hired Publicity For Good to provide PR services and shift our social media.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us leverage everything that we had and take it to the next level of business. They put our name out there to help us become more established.

Publicity For Good took over our social media. They organized a plan and had different people within their team to help with specific points that we wanted to touch on as a company. 

They reached out to all sorts of media outlets and successfully attained those positions within the media. This included television interviews. They have taken over and grown my social media accounts; they are currently helping me with Twitter and Instagram.

What is the team composition?

We regularly work with about four people.

How did you come to work with Publicity For Good?

A relative referred PFG to me. I contacted Heather (CEO), and we hit it off right away. She’s been absolutely amazing and professional. She has also been extremely successful in every avenue that we’ve spoken about and that I’ve hired her to take on.

How much have you invested with them?

We signed a 4–5-month contract that cost about $7,000. However, they’re also providing ongoing services related to social media, which is separate from the PR management.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in January 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work is a 10 out of 10. We previously worked with another agency that did a great job, but we had something different in mind. Working with PFG has been wonderful because they don’t just say they can do something; they actually do it above and beyond. 

We’ve seen increases within all outlets. Our social media is growing daily and getting more engagement. Their media positioning work has gotten us in front of many people on websites, television, newsletters, and podcasts. It’s incredible what they’ve been able to accomplish.

How did Publicity For Good perform from a project management standpoint?

They introduced us to Slack and they also have a media tracker that we get sent once a week. They keep things organized, updated, and easy to follow up.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re dialed into the PR industry, and they’re knowledgeable and professional. Also, there’s no wasted time; when they say they’re going to do something, I hear about it within 24 hours. They’re on top of everything, and they don’t take any shortcuts.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish I could give them some constructive criticism, but they’ve executed what I had in my head. I can’t think of anything they could improve at the moment.

Any advice for potential customers?

If they’re ready to go to the next level, I’d definitely recommend PFG. Also, be clear with what you want. They work differently with every client; there’s no one-size-fits-all. They’re going to tailor it to fit each client’s specific needs. That’s been an amazing aspect of the partnership as well; I can ask them for very specific things.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Owner of a healthcare company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Healthful supplements with a responsible supply chain. For women by women.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Publicity For Good to accomplish?

• Get us good PR!

SOLUTION

How did you find Publicity For Good?

Referral

Why did you select Publicity For Good over others?

Referred to me

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

Publicity for Good (aka "Raptor") was to gather PR information and materials from us and then pitch our story to various media that might be interested in sustainability stories. They were to get us the best media possible. We had a baseline of relatively prominent tier 1 publications an many years of success.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did get us several small 'hits' but mostly with extremely small influencers, sites, or blogs.  At least half of these "websites" had traffic so small that it was not measurable by web analytics platforms. The 'influencers' they found had extremely offensive positions (conspiracy theorists) or their channels were shut down already, or they were totally unrelated. 
Apparently, they never pitched us to any "big" or prominent media. We had in the past had no problem getting coverage but Raptor never got us any.

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

This is one of the worst relationships I have ever had with a service providder. They refused to communicate, usually never responding to my emails. Heather refused to ever connect or respond to me after the initial 20 minute meeting. She has hired a team of extremely junior overseas young women who seem to have been instructed to never respond to the client.  They frequently put out information that was inaccurate, used the wrong assets, and made things up that were not true.  They almost never followed up on leads as far as I can tell, beucase when there was a small good lead I myself had to follow up with the person. I feel that I was scammed by this company. They provided absolutely horrendous services.

What was your primary form of communication with Publicity For Good?

Email or Messaging App

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

Heather's idea to ccreate a streamlined replicable PR service for a "budget" price of $500 is a good concept, but the approach is unforgiveable. She attempted to do all the work by delegating to utterly unskilled overseas people who she does not communicate with, who put out damaging and erroneous information, and who refuse to talk to the customer. They don't put names on the main CS email so you dont know who you are talking to and they dont respond. 
Beside service, she pretended to have a solid rolodex of contact in big magazines but SHE HAS NO SUCH THING. The material she sent out was EXTREMELY poorly written - if I was a magazine I would steer clear of any company that sent out this kind of pony poo. I woudl not be surprised if she harmed our reputation in ways I'm not even aware of. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Publicity For Good could have done differently?

Please refer to the rest of this review.