Berkeley Communications Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of corporate communications for an IT services company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Berkeley Communications Group?

We were interested in raising our profile amongst our customers and other stakeholders who weren’t aware of who we were and what we did. Ours is an Irish company that has recently expanded into the UK and the US. Although we were well-known in our regular, deep-seated customer base, we had a corporate and branding awareness issue in our expansion.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Berkeley Communications Group provides us with PR services to help us raise our brand awareness. We started by identifying our targets. Initially, we didn't have any media databases or ideas of what our target trades might be, such as the vertical and technology press. Berkeley Communications Group helped us build a picture of what the most impactful publications would be and why we would want to target them.

From there, Berkeley Communications Group led a listening exercise about our offer and helped us tease out our unique selling points against a crowded tech and digital transformation landscape. The team has developed a content and editorial plan and helped us with blog posts.

Berkeley Communications Group has written articles about our story and AI offer, including its different aspects, and gets those articles placed in magazines. They’ve created some press releases for us, including customer releases and corporate releases. Berkeley Communications Group has also secured interview opportunities for our CEO and comment opportunities 2–3 times a week. The team provides a report, for which I believe they use Meltwater. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a robust account team, including an account manager, two people working in the press office, and an account director, who isn't involved in the day-to-day but who I can contact if there's any escalation. 

How did you come to work with Berkeley Communications Group?

I used to work in an agency, and I'd encountered Berkeley Communications Group before. We did a full tender process, and the tender went to them. I needed to have an objective third party in the mix, and I chose them because I’d come across them before. Their response to the tender blew all the other agencies out of the water.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about £50,000 (approximately $65,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2024, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As of July 2024, we’ve had about 80 pieces of coverage, 15 article placements, 13 backlinks, and three face-to-face interviews. We’re getting coverage in quite a few publications with a domain authority of 70 or above. 

Berkeley Communications Group has also gotten us really good coverage from our press releases, which has massively amplified our metrics.  The team has been really proactive about getting interview and comment opportunities. Just today, our CTO got featured in a magazine that was a tier-one target. 

How did Berkeley Communications Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly Microsoft Teams monitoring calls with the team. Our account team meets every week except for sick leave or holidays. Additionally, we communicate via email and phone, Microsoft Teams chat, and a SharePoint site for file sharing. Berkeley Communications Group uses monday.com for project management.

They’re very responsive, and if I message them, they always reply straight away. I use an alias for emails, which go to everyone on the Berkeley Communications Group team. If a teammate's not in, someone else responds to my email. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

One of the teammates who works at the press office has been really good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Berkeley Communications Group's ability to land relationships with journalists is impressive. They have excellent relationships with tech trade journalists. From my experience working in an agency, I know how challenging it can be to pitch stories, but Berkeley Communications Group can always pull in the coverage.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s too soon to tell if there’s anything they can improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having a comprehensive brief and scope of work is essential. Berkeley Communications Group offers many things and has many competencies, but it’s crucial to focus on what you need for your business challenges. This way, you can focus and not be pulled in different directions; it's especially important to stick to your specific needs if you have a limited budget. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a manager at BenQ UK

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We’re a leading global display technology brand and manufacturer with expertise in both B2C and B2B markets, including education, corporate, retail, and consumer tech hardware. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Berkeley Communications Group to accomplish?

• Increasing Brand Awareness & Recognition
• Supporting B2B and B2C Sales
• Promoting our Brand Heritage and Building on our Story
• Build Positive Relationships with Key Media

SOLUTION

How did you find Berkeley Communications Group?

Referral

Why did you select Berkeley Communications Group over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Berkeley Communications Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Berkeley Communications act as our PR Agency for our UK operations and are an excepetional extension to our marketing team. We work with them to conduct a number of PR activities which support our marketing efforts including:

• Act as our primary contact for all media relations and daily press office enquries
• Secure media reviews in top tier, key digital and print publications on B2C tech hardware products (monitors, mice, lighting, projectors and cameras)
• Creating, editing and distibuting press releases to UK media
• Reactive PR - commenting on topical news stories
• General PR advice or crisis communications if needed
• Invite journalists to any media events we hold
• B2B Thought leadership content creation for education and business markets
• B2B Case study creation (on a project basis)
• Writing awards entries
• Media training if required

Every quarter we hold a planning meeting to map out the future work for the quarter. Due to the nature of our business, we tend to switch focus rapidly to keep up with current trends, and Berkeley are always flexible and adaptable to this. Which we very much appreciate!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

On our B2C side - we have seen a drastic increase in our media coverage for BenQ, in top tier publications. Aswell as a better relationship with journalists who keep coming back to ask us for more reviews. 
This is helping to build a healthy pipeline of constant reviews which ultimately helps our brand awareness, recognition and SEO presence online. Berkeley are quick and professional at responding to any inward and outward facing communications to journalists which we very much appreciate. This helps to give a positive view of our brand. 

On our B2B side we have also seen a huge improvement in our coverage by using thought leadership content to position BenQ as a leader in the education space by securing repeat coverage in the likes of FE News, Education Journal etc. 

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

Amanda and her team at Berkeley are always onhand for anything we need. They are quick at responding to any emails and projects are turned around quickly! This is a need for us as a business as we are a fast-paced company who needs to react to trends as soon as we see them. 

We are constantly kept up to date on any progress and feel in the loop at all times. They take time to listen to our needs and carefully understand what we expect from them or the individual project. 

As a company, we have alot of arms to our business, and this can take some time to get used too, where each product sits, and which category it belongs too, or who the TA is. However, Berkeley take the time to listen to us and our direction, and get it right every time. This is much appreciated when we have alot of products all designed for different markets. 

When we have suggestions they are taken onboard professionally and quickly. 

We are often given short notice on product releases, or press releases from our HQ and Berkeley always turn this around very quickly and to a high standard. 

What was your primary form of communication with Berkeley Communications Group?

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

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

Berkeley Communications Group is highly professional. This means they are organised, deliver ontime and ensure the work is completed to a high standard. They have a number of high quality media connections and knowedge of the latest tech media publications.

They are also highly approachable. Anything we need - we know that they are always there to support us or offer any advice we need. This makes it a breeze to work with them, and they really are like an extension of our marketing team.

We love working with the whole team at Berkeley, and always look forward to our bi-weekly catch ups and quarterly planning meetings!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Berkeley Communications Group could have done differently?

Improving Press Release coverage, get more published in publications.  

Ensuring we get media samples back ontime, or publish the reviews quickly. However, I know that some journalists can take their time and will be reviewing other brands products which may be more interesting, and this is not necessarily Berkeley's fault. But we need a quicker turnaround so we can release some of our stock back. Sometimes journalists hold onto them for too long.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the brand director at Printify, an online platform for e-commerce entrepreneurs who want to start their e-commerce business by selling customized products. We offer a tech platform that users can sign up to for free and choose from 900 products to sell. Users can put their designs on the products using our technology and publish them on their Etsy, Shopify, or Amazon accounts. When a customer buys that specific product, we print, ship, and deliver it straight to them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Berkeley Communications Group?

We needed a PR service provider. Our goal was to get more mentions and awareness of our company in popular media publications since we mostly received mentions from websites, social media, and YouTube channels. We aimed to get journalists and big mainstream publications to cover our company's work. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Berkeley Communications Group managed our company's PR and press relations. The team was focused on booking mentions of our company in the press and publications. Berkeley Communications Group accomplished mentions for our company in different publications, including Business Insider, CNBC, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. We also used these publications as part of our backlinking strategy.

What is the team composition?

I met weekly with four teammates from Berkeley Communications Group, including Alysha (Associate Director & North American Chief Storyteller) and Robin (Head of North America, Managing Director). 

How did you come to work with Berkeley Communications Group?

 Berkeley Communications Group was recommended to me by a colleague I worked with at another company. I had to find at least three different service providers to present to my company. Berkeley Communications Group created a pitch and a financial proposal, which I shared with my team. We chose Berkeley Communications Group among four companies because they scored the best on our metrics. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Berkeley Communications Group from April 2023–April 2024. We're about to conclude our partnership because we've achieved our goals. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Berkeley Communications Group helped us achieve mentions in the publications we wanted.

How did Berkeley Communications Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Berkeley Communications Group was organized and had a specific list of deliverables. The team turned up to meetings on time and met deadlines. Berkeley Communications Group also delivered reports, and when we needed extra help from them in a short period of time, the team delivered quickly.
Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Alysha, who managed my account, helped us a lot with strategizing and choosing which clients to go after.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by Berkeley Communications Group's diligence, attention to detail, and willingness to adapt.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I believe Berkeley Communications Group was used to working with traditional companies. Since we're a young company, it took the team a little while to understand the language we use and how we do things. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I recommend being sure of what you want to achieve when engaging with the team. Berkeley Communications Group is a good option if you're looking for a press agency to help you tell a story in the traditional media. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Shelly USA

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Distributing devices for Smart Home Automation

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Berkeley Communications to accomplish?

• Increasing brand recognition and awareness
• Supporting B2B sales
• Making the company more visible for potential investors

SOLUTION

How did you find Berkeley Communications?

Online Search

Why did you select Berkeley Communications over others?

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

How many teammates from Berkeley Communications were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Securing media coverage of corporate events, new product launches, etc. 
• Proactively pitching topics of interest for our audience / potential customers / investors. 
• Drafting bylines and thought leadership that are after published and converted to blog posts. 
• Actively monitoring for coverage. 
• Monitoring for and submitting applications for industry awards. 

Deliverables:

• 111 publications for the 1st half of 2023 with total reach of 967.26 M (UVM) 
• CES '22 coverage and on floor presentations; in preparation for CES 2023 and already secured keynote for our GroupCEO 
• CEDIA '23 Denver, Colorado in preparation 
• Shelly Awards and Recognitions by CES, Fast Company, CEDIA

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The number of publications and the increasing interest from the media

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

Excellent service! They are learning in detail our needs and corporate culture and always stay very close to our needs. Always delivering in time. Extra proactive and often their help exceed the scope of our formal agreement.

What was your primary form of communication with Berkeley Communications?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• Great team.
• Endless creativity.
• Energy and proactivity.

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

There's always areas to improve, but together we are tackling them. I wish for broader coverage from leading media outlets and I'm sure in the coming months we'll get it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Red Helix, a network performance and cybersecurity managed services company based in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Berkeley Communications?

Before this project, our name and look and feel seemed to be from the 1970s and 1980s; nothing was fresh about our brand. Moreover, our content didn’t speak to businesses; it spoke to technical people.

Therefore, we wanted to work with a multi-functional agency that could help us with our rebranding, content creation, and PR. Berkeley was one of the few agencies that covered all those aspects, so we hired them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we went through a discovery phase with Berkeley to go through our requirements. We provided them with a quick, clear view of what we needed. From there, Berkeley’s team structured workshops and facilitated our thinking regarding our branding.

During those workshops, we talked about who we were as a company and what we valued. From there, Berkeley came up with a new name for us and created our logo, brand book, imagery, and tagline so that every aspect of our branding was aligned.

Since then, Berkeley has created our content and redeveloped our entire website. Additionally, they’ve helped us with our PR efforts, which have included creating press releases, promotional videos, and speeches.

For example, Berkeley has created a two-and-a-half-minute corporate video for us that reflex what we do as a company. Moreover, they’ve written several important thought leadership pieces for us and helped us with broadcast media.

What is the team composition?

On the rebranding part of our project, we’ve worked with around four teammates from Berkeley. As for the PR and content creation side, we’ve worked with around 4–5 of their teammates. One of their teammates is a chief storyteller; he focuses on business storytelling. Other teammates include an account manager, a communications manager, and a content manager.

How did you come to work with Berkeley Communications?

Berkeley came to us as a loose recommendation. When talking about rebranding our company, someone who our CCO knew recommended speaking with Berkeley. From there, we reached out to them.

When we started talking with them, they were very credible regarding the work they had done for other clients; their credentials and credibility really stood out. Still, one of the most outstanding aspects for me was the reassurance that the people we met during the selling process were the ones who committed to continuing to work with us as clients.

I felt very comfortable with that because the relationship we had built with Berkeley’s team during the sales cycle was very good. From that point on, everything was very easy.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $200,000 on the rebranding project. Now, we pay Berkeley around $120,000 annually for ongoing services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We formally engaged with Berkeley around January 2022. Although the original rebranding project is already completed, we now work with Berkeley on an annual basis for PR and content creation services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Berkeley Communications has developed a very impactful new brand for our company, which has been fantastically well received by our staff, our clients, and the market in general. Moreover, the fact that every branding and content asset has come from a single company has helped us create assets that are well-joined together.

Berkeley’s guidance and experience during this rebranding process have been outstanding. When I look at who we are now as a company, I can tell that our brand image has really reshaped our company from the inside, which has led us to various successes on the outside.

As for the video they’ve created, the imagery and music Berkeley used to produce it truly reflect the Red Helix brand that we wanted. Moreover, thanks to their PR efforts, we’ve secured a slot from Sky News.

Overall, our company feels on a very different level as a result of the outreach and engagement that Berkeley has helped us achieve from business and technical journalists.

Thanks to Berkeley’s efforts, we’ve seen increased traffic on our website by very large percentages. Additionally, the potential readership from the PR side is in the millions region. Historically, we weren’t close to the millions, so Berkeley’s PR work has helped us increase our potential readership level a lot.

Regarding qualitative feedback, Berkeley’s quality of work is really high. When they write content pieces for us, they get our tone of voice and language very well, so we don’t have to continuously rework what they do.

Moreover, Berkeley always comes up with very innovative ideas, which is very helpful. Their team is very good at building the quarterly forward features planning as well, which is also very helpful.

How did Berkeley Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

Berkeley has always worked within our budget, and they’ve been very clear about what that budget includes and what doesn’t. We’re always clear about what they’re doing, and there are always defined lines regarding their accountability. Still, they often go above and beyond their responsibilities, writing content pieces that we should be writing.

We have regular weekly calls with Berkeley because those calls keep us focused. Additionally, we do quarterly reviews to review what was done in the last quarter and what comes next for the next quarter.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the things that really impressed us about working with Berkeley early into our engagement was that they helped us reshape our vision and focus on what we needed rather than what we wanted. That was a very good sign that Berkeley understood our requirements and had the experience to lead us to what we needed.

As part of this assessment, the time Berkeley took to understand what we needed was noteworthy. Some of the competitors we talked to didn’t take that time. Instead, they came to the table with prepackaged ideas of what they had done in the past and tried to make those ideas fit what we were looking for. Berkeley listened and understood our needs, and they came up with a tailored approach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing Berkeley could improve on. Their team is very open and responsive to feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an idea of what you’re looking for but don’t be fixed on that idea because Berkeley will help educate you during the selling process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Global Content Manager of Incubeta

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Digital Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Berkeley Communications to accomplish?

• Drive Global Awareness
• Handle Media Liason
• Curate Deliverables inline with company TOV
• Build Rapport with Media

SOLUTION

How did you find Berkeley Communications?

Online Search

Why did you select Berkeley Communications over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Berkeley Communications were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

To act as an extension of our marketing, communications and growth efforts, including, but not limited to: 

• Media liaison/relation management and coverage within target publications (Newsjacking, Press release coverage, Comment opportunities, Article placement and coverage) 
• Content creation and production including leadership pieces and award entries 
• Individual employee and brand coverage ops 
• Media and speaker training upon request 
• Video & creative capabilities 
• Open and frequent communication 
• Regular reporting including, Competitor brand awareness, research and Share of voice analysis

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Set number of deliverables per quarter
• Average Domain Authority 
• Bylines
• Features/Comments
• Total Coverage 
• Backlinks 
• Briefing/Profiling Ops 
• Total OTS 
• SOV 

Each quarter Berkeley presents their deliverables (in line with quarterly expectations),and runs us through the above performance in comparison to the prior quarter. This helps us determine success, and align on our KPIs for the following Quarter.

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

I can't flaw the team that we work with. Both their character and their productivity is applaudable. Communication is key within our business, and Berkeley certainly deliver - keeping us in the loop at all times. More recently we decided to pivot our approach to PR (right in the middle of the quarter) which only highlighted how adaptable, and responsive to feedback Berkeley can be. A specific shout out to the content manager who delivered exactly in line to our new specifications within minimal input from us.

What was your primary form of communication with Berkeley Communications?

Virtual Meeting

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

The people. Always so engaging and willing to help.

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

Berkeley could be more daring in their approach, that being said, we get a lot of value for our money - I'd love to see what they'd be able to achieve with a larger budget!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a manager at an investment management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Berkeley Communications?

We needed to create a new corporate identity, brand name, and website. Additionally, we needed help creating our brand story and a range of other things.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Berkeley Communications has helped us with a large rebranding project. They've created our new brand identity, brand story, and brand book. The team has also changed our name, logo, color schemes, and presentation templates and created an information book for us. They've also built our new website from scratch using WordPress. 

Currently, the team helps us with PR. They've created a promotional video, developing a story for it. Their team filmed the footage and edited the video. In terms of press releases, although they haven't released anything on our behalf, they've helped us develop the content. They've provided translation services because we needed some content translated into three languages. Berkeley Communications also provides maintenance services for our website.

What is the team composition?

We work with six teammates from Berkeley Communications, including a director of creatives and branding, the head of content, a studio manager, and a senior developer.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £250,000 (approximatlely $296,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're measuring the project's success through word of mouth and feedback from staff, external stakeholders, and our two shareholders. The feedback for Berkeley Communications' work has been mostly positive. Although some of the comments online haven't quite hit the mark, they haven't been bad — we just need some extra work.

How did Berkeley Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been very good, and the team is very efficient. For a time, we had weekly meetings on Mondays. Currently, we communicate through Microsoft Teams. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Berkeley Communications' communication and storytelling skills are their strongest selling points. They're fantastic at identifying a brand's story.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their graphic design.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Berkeley Communications is very good, so I don't have any advice; you should experience them for yourself.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the communications and marketing director for a data center provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Berkeley Communications?

We needed a company to develop our website and do our branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Berkeley Communications has designed and developed our WordPress website from scratch. They’ve ensured we structured it so that we’re hitting all the key areas. Part of that task has been refining the company’s message and how we portray ourselves to the public, so they’ve helped us with our branding on the overall look and feel, as well as social media.

Additionally, they’ve done some content writing for our website and provided SEO services. We work together on keyword research; they take the lead because they bring their expertise. They do updates and maintenance, and we keep in contact with them as things come up.

What is the team composition?

There’s a core team of three people, including a creative director, an IT director, and a graphic designer. There are 1–2 more people in case someone is away.

How did you come to work with Berkeley Communications?

One of our parent companies used them. There was already a warm relationship, so I spoke to them, and they seemed like a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £30,000–£40,000 (approximately $40,000–$53,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2021, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work has been very well received internally and externally. The customers and shareholders that we’ve attracted have complimented us, and we love the website’s design. We’re very happy with them.

How did Berkeley Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very flexible and great at getting a hold of the brief. They can adjust if we have a U-turn in one area, so everything is possible with them. Moreover, they’ve hit many ambitious deadlines.

We communicate via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility is outstanding. We don’t always get that with agencies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve delivered everything we’ve asked.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as candid and open as possible. They’ll work with you to find the best solution. If you work with them and are open to hearing their advice, you’ll have excellent results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Head of Communications at Codility, a leading technical hiring platform. that evaluates the skills of developers and enables companies to build and grow high-performing engineering teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Berkeley Communications?

We wanted to continue showcasing our thought leadership but to a wider audience which meant targeting even larger media outlets at double the speed to increase our brand awareness.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Berkeley Communications helped us establish relationships with top media outlets and placed us in some of our dream publications. They helped us find unique story angles for pitching and got us placed in major trade publications and media outlets. They also helped us monitor and capture our coverage and track our reach.

What is the team composition?

Robin O. (Associate Director) is our main point of contact, and she has been great. She has brought on some new team members to support her, and our account and we’ve already seen a positive outcome from having such a dedicated team.

How did you come to work with Berkeley Communications?

I found them through a Top 10 PR Media Agency list. We decided to hire Berkeley Communications based on their storytelling capabilities and their ability to shape content in a way that is relevant and helpful to reporters and journalists. They also have an amazing team led by Robin, whom I’ve been working with ever since I signed on with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spend $10,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in Q3 2021, and our engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the first quarter of our engagement, we’ve tripled the amount of coverage we received. The pace at which we churn out bylined articles has increased for our thought leaders. The pace of HARO queries, which stands for Help a Reporter Out, has also increased, and we’ve been submitting those in a very timely manner. They’ve also helped us land on a number of top-tier publications, such as BBC, TechCrunch, Dice, CIO, and SHRM.

How did Berkeley Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been excellent in project managing multiple media inquiries, byline articles, and speaking engagements. We work really well together—both sides are very supportive and clearly care about the success of the other, which has played a vital role in the success of our partnership. In terms of communication, we communicate via Slack which works great for tight deadlines and we have a Zoom call on a weekly basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m really impressed by how much they care about maintaining the authenticity of what our company is about from the story we want to tell to the authentic voice of our leadership team in telling it. They understand what we want to achieve and go above and beyond to ensure that we’re successful. We’ve found a true partner in Berkeley Communication. They care about our success as much as we do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything to improve on — they’ve offered us way more support than we ever expected. When we presented them with other projects that weren’t within their scope of work, they pulled in team members to help us out in terms of giving us guidance. We really appreciated that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to provide Berkeley Communications with clear goals, guidance, and as much information as possible so that they can do their best work because they WILL deliver but not unless they have the support and knowledge of the company they’re representing. I have experienced companies expecting their PR agency to just “do PR” without setting clear goals, providing enough guidance or information for the agency to work with and that makes it frustrating for both sides.