Brandstyle Communications

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for EverWash, a tech company that assists car wash operators in generating more revenue through monthly membership services. We also have a consumer-facing mobile app that makes it easier for customers to sign up and manage their car wash membership through their mobile phones. 

Car wash membership means that a customer can come to a local car wash shop and wash their car once per day for an entire month. This ultimately saves them hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year in single wash services. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brandstyle Communications?

We wanted to improve our profile and brand not only among car wash operators across the country but also among consumers. Our team hired Brandstyle to be our PR partner to help us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brandstyle pitched media stories, created press releases, and distributed them to trade publications and local and national media outlets on our behalf. They aimed to help us get our story in front of as many eyes and readers as possible. 

Moreover, the team connected us with podcasters, journalists, and other authorities in the business world. Our goal was to get our story out there better than when we were the only ones advocating for ourselves. 

What is the team composition?

When we onboarded, we met with Zoe (Founder & CEO). Then, she connected us with Christina (VP of Client Services), who was our lead publicist for most of our engagement. Apart from them, we worked with Jennifer (Account Director), who collaborated with us for a while in the same capacity as Christina. 

Lily (Account Executive) helped produce reports to show us exactly what media picked us up at what times. She kept us organized with upcoming appointments, calls, and interviews that were scheduled and happening. 

How did you come to work with Brandstyle Communications?

Brandstyle was referred by a friend of one of our executives who had worked with them in other capacities in the past. The executive connected us with the team — we hit it off on our first discovery call. The relationship started there. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $75,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership lasted from April 2021–June 2022. We’re taking a pause now since we’ve gained a lot of media coverage from them; we’re likely to get their services back at a future time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brandstyle managed and organized our PR strategy for us, and we ultimately got much more exposure than we’d have if we decided to publicize on our own. We received monthly reports from them on what media picked up on any of our articles, PR stories, and interviews. They also reported back to us on the number of projected impressions that the published materials had.  

In other words, we had a good sense of how many people came into contact with a news story about EverWash. That was the ultimate metric we were looking for when trying to improve our profile among B2B and B2C segments. 

Moreover, the public response to our efforts was fantastic. We gained a lot of buzz around us, especially when it came to news of rebranding, corporate acquisitions, capital, and funding we had been raising. The campaign had been truly well-received both internally and externally. People talked about us and were excited about EverWash for the first time. On top of that, we reached people that we hadn’t been able to reach before because of these PR efforts.

How did Brandstyle Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

Brandstyle’s project management was great. They were transparent and organized in letting us know what we needed to bring to the table. They did extensive prep work with us prior to any interviews we had in addition to basic media training. Overall, everything was truly organized and well-thought-out on their end. 

Moreover, Christina was an absolute joy to work with; she brought an infectious energy to every single call. She was truly helpful in brainstorming and coming up with new pitch ideas and figuring out new audiences and publications that we should be approaching. She was always organized in outlining what our PR strategy should look like.

In terms of tools, we mainly used emails, Google Documents, and agendas. We used Zoom to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good people who truly care about the people behind EverWash and the product that we were creating. Specifically, Christina was genuinely excited about us and to find out what was new every time we go together every other week. There was always excitement and energy in the room. 

In other words, Brandstyle truly understood how to speak to humans and not make the engagement overly a business relationship. It was personable every single time. They truly got to know our needs as a company, and because they go to know our needs as people, it benefited the way they articulated our story to sell our product and executives to the media. Because of that, we participated in many interviews with impressive media outlets such as Forbes and Inc. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. We had a fantastic working relationship with them the entire time. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come in prepared with your own ideas and pitches. Don’t come in thinking that Brandstyle can do all the work all the time. You need to share what’s exciting about your company and what’s new with the product you’re selling. Give them a real idea of how they should be pitching to the media on your behalf. 

In other words, don’t enter the meeting with nothing to share — come in excited. The more excited you are about your product, the more excited they’ll be about it, and the more successful the pitch will be. Come with ideas and excitement, and the rest will pay dividends.