News & Experts

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an author, keynote speaker, and mental health advocate.

For what projects/services did your company hire News & Experts?

T.V. Radio. and Print campaign.

What were your goals for this project?

I had many goals. The 10,000 dollar print campaign was a miserable failure. I even asked for them to help me publish an op-ed to which they said sure. They are not knowledgeable about publishing op-eds. I have since worked with the op-ed project and they knew what they were doing. I got 6 op-ed published. Now that I know how and what goes into publishing an op-ed piece I'm shocked the news and experts would even try to publish the one I wrote for them and they had their supposed "experts" look at it.

How did you select News & Experts?

I saw them on the internet and they are impressive at advertising for themselves for sure and that is why I hired them. They simply did not deliver.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They were suppose to create a campaign for me to get the "word" out about my book and advocacy (mental health). For the money I spent I got very little from them. I did Radio, TV, and a print campaign with them. Very disappointed. Huge waste of my time, money, and emotion.

What was the team composition?

The had a "campaign" team who would work on my project.

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

The only successful thing they did was get me some local news interviews. But it was VERY disorganized. I showed up to news stations not knowing what questions I would be asked or given any preparation for the interview and what it might like at all from them. My print campaign was a HUGE failure with them. I have since had VERY successful print campaigns with other companies. I would not recommend wasting your money with news and experts.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Not effective at all. The team did not deliver and definitely did not create a great campaign for me. The other companies I have since worked with created amazing campaigns for me that has gotten me A LOT of success.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

One of their people apologized.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Yes. Being honest at what your expertise is and what you can deliver. Every other company I have worked with has been honest, upfront, and delivered on what they said they could accomplish. News and Experts was a complete waste of my money, time, and emotion. Worst company I have ever worked with in my entire career.

Please describe your organization.

We are called Michael E. Gerber Companies. We provide a broad range of programs and products for small business owners.

What is your position?

I am the owner of Michael E. Gerber Companies.

What business challenge were you trying to address with EMSI?

We wanted to promote the launch of new programs, my brand, our business, and a number of different projects that we were testing and validating in the marketplace.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They created articles and press releases for us in print, which were placed in dozens of media outlets that we didn't typically reach. They also arranged talk radio interviews for me.

How did you come to work with EMSI?

Marsha and I had known each other probably for the last ten years. We'd never used or wanted to use PR, but we had a lovely, albeit limited, relationship over an extended period of time. I met her face to face at a friend's office and we decided to work together.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

That is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've worked together for about a year and it's an ongoing relationship.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The relationship has been truly exquisite. I've worked with countless service firms of all kinds. I've been in business since 1977, so I'm very familiar with the marketplace. EMSI, Marsha, and her team, have been top drawer in everything they've done. The quality of their work and their interactions have been superb. The responsiveness has been superb. I can't say anything less than that about them.

It's too early to quantify the financial impact of what they've done. We never intended to have a financial result. We wanted to get a deeper seeding of our brand, and gain more exposure in the marketplace. All of our work at this time is developmental. We're preparing to launch a major enterprise. We're seeding the awareness of that work in the marketplace to get responses for it, so that we can know that we're on track. We've utilized it primarily as program development and as a market research tool to see how people respond to our message.

What distinguishes EMSI from other providers?

In every single thing EMSI Public Relations did, they were remarkable. Their people were warm, gracious, responsive, intelligent, and committed to getting the right result.

Is there anything EMSI could have improved or done differently?

Absolutely not. They are excellent at what they do.

Please describe your organization.

I am an author, and I live in Long Beach, California. I've worked with EMSI since early 2009.

What business challenge were you trying to address with EMSI Public Relations?

I was looking for a PR firm to promote my books. I had previously been involved with a PR firm from hell that had a high retainer.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They handle my social media, I've had print campaigns with them, and I've done TV with them. I've done probably a dozen TV shows.

How did you come to work with EMSI Public Relations?

They were recommended by my publisher. I'm with the Green Leaf Book Group. They had actually recommended EMSI alongside other publishers.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in 2009 and it's ongoing. I feel that they're a team member.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Branding, as far as name recognition, was the greatest accomplishment. Most authors don't like their PR firms. They see success as a direct ratio to books sold. It takes several years to become an overnight success. It takes repetition. I am building that by building my brand through the work I complete with EMSI. They have helped me receive more visibility and exposure.

What distinguishes EMSI Public Relations from other providers?

I feel that EMSI Public Relations is really part of your team. They are eager for you to be successful. When you call them, you get a response: they either answer then or get right back to you. My former PR person was very charming and wonderful until I signed the contract. Then, they wanted me to communicate in bullets.

With EMSI, it's pay for performance. You know how many radio shows you'll be doing and if you're doing a print campaign, you know that you're going to be in a number of publications. You know exactly what you're doing.

Is there anything EMSI Public Relations could have improved or done differently?

Not really. They have a whole team that is always looking for things to improve.

Please describe your organization.

The Renegade Leader Coaching and Consulting Group is an executive coaching and leadership development company. We're based in the Greater Boston area. We predominantly work with CEOs and senior leaders that are looking to achieve aggressive revenue and growth goals in their company.

What is your position?

I'm the CEO of the company.

What business challenge were you trying to address with EMSI?

I initially hired them to get exposure for my book, and to learn how to utilize it as a platform for my business. It was about visibility: getting my business known and creating awareness for the book.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We wanted them to provide basic Public Relations [PR] services so I could promote my book.

How did you come to work with EMSI?

I was impressed with the fact that EMSI committed to their offer: they said we'd get ten radio segments, and we got ten radio segments, for instance. My guarantee was that I would have a number of impressions for print and a number of radio segments. Being a family run business with people who had experience in different areas of media, gave me the sense that they cared about my project, and that they didn't take on any type of work. Some places will just take a contract and market anything. If people are going to put you on the radio or in print, they expect a quality person. I didn't want to work with an organization that doesn't promote quality people and journalism.

What really impressed me was how they got their team together for my initial meetings. They filled a conference room with a whole company that cared about my project. Also, the fact that they provided some coaching was great. It was a scary thing to start doing radio campaigns, not knowing what they would be like. Alex even went through a mock session with me. This added another level of service.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

For 2015, the total is around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I hired them first in 2012, and again in 2014 and 2015, in three different projects. In 2012, I utilized them for a radio and print campaign. In 2014, I published another book, so I also worked with them then. The books became number one and number two Amazon bestsellers. 

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Because the wealth of contacts that they have is pretty phenomenal, I was surprised to hear that Entrepreneur magazine, or Forbes, for instance, requested a copy of my book. That's not something that you have to pay extra for. Their reach of journalists is vast.

Even beyond what I'd signed up for in the print or the radio campaigns, after I'd completed my work with EMSI, they continued to be contacted by other magazines who wanted articles or a quote from me. In the last month, I was called by a journalist from The Wall Street Journal who wanted a quote about women and networking, based on the subject of my last book. Due to the relationships that EMSI formed, those journalists became aware of me in such a way that they reached out again.

I also got published in the American Management Association's magazine. The placements were where I needed to be for my business. There's a newspaper article featuring a picture of me and my book, placed on the right of a picture of Sheryl Sandberg, and her book. Printing that out and sending it to potential clients is a head turner. In today's market, you have to rise above all the white noise in some way. EMSI has really helped me do that. I get requests for speaking in public, for other articles, and so on.

What distinguishes EMSI from other providers?

Working with EMSI is like sitting down in your family room, with your closest colleagues, who care about mentoring you, and are committed to your success.

Is there anything EMSI could have improved or done differently?

Like any of us, they also need to get their marketing out there, in a bigger way. People need to hear about what they can do. They hold much value, and many people could benefit from their services.