Being the Connector and the Disruptor | Susan Lindner

Susan Lindner is the founder and CEO of Emerging Media, an award-winning PR, marketing, branding, and social media company. Today on the EO Wonder Podcast, Susan discusses how she grew her company from her tiny apartment, the importance of delegation, and how she built the life that she wants. Tune-in to hear Susan’s tips on storytelling, knowing your “why,” and implementing your own PR plan (without hiring an expensive agency like hers!)

Time Stamped Show Notes:

00:39 – Susan’s background 00:40 – She’s been in EO for 10 years, has had her own business for the last 15 years, and has grown from an agency run out of her apartment to being able to see it flourish 01:00 – She can now watch her business succeed while she talks about what she’s learned; it’s amazing what start-ups can teach large corporates 01:15 – Her passion is to teach big companies what small companies have known all along 01:20 – How Susan started; 2 weird starts 01:27 – A horrible blind date with a senior editor of Forbes magazine; he introduced her to the world of PR while she was an epidemiologist at the center for disease control 02:09 – They became good friends and she would rewrite pitch letters; she eventually left the CDC and became a PR person 03:08 – Everything shifted when 9/11 happened; their biggest client that put them on the map was on the plane that hit the World Trade Center 03:25 – That founder was also her boss’s best friend and he lost the interest to do PR after that 03:55 – 9 months later her boss asked if she wanted to buy the business for $1 Million / $100k/year for the next 10 years 04:30 – She declined but opened her own agency when the other one closed down in 2002; she ran it out of her 550 sq. ft. apartment with an intern 05:10 – Business Challenges 05:20 – Overwhelm; you don’t realize how many people and how much time goes into running a company when you work for someone else 05:40 – Mental implications; marketing, bookkeeping, sales, etc. and keeping up with all of it 05:50 – 6 months later she ended up in the emergency room (the same place she had worked) after a week of chest pains 06:10 – She saw her old boss; he said to stop doing PR, it was killing her because she had internalized so much stress 06:35 – Business was going well, but she needed processes and people; her boyfriend at the time gave her a proposal to work for her and improve Lotus Public Relationships 07:15 – She weighed the pros and cons; he offered to take a $150k salary cut to work for her, she was terrified because everything was unstable and he was a widower with two kids 08:00 – 15 years later, they are married, happy, and running the business together 08:20 – How was the first day working together? 08:28 – It was in the small apartment with heavy, hot 2002 laptops, shorts, towels on their laps for the laptop heat, and coffee overflowing in the kitchen 09:07 – Clients received great work and gave them referrals; they had a great feeder system 09:20 – A year later they moved into a small office across the street from Grand Central; her boyfriend could run from the office to the train in 3 minutes 09:56 – They started hiring full-time teams and within 3 years they hit $1 Million in revenue and were one of the fastest growing PR firms in the country 10:10 – She couldn’t have done it without her now husband 10:28 – Other people that have attributed to Susan’s success 10:33 – Staff along the way; expansions and contractions along the way have contributed to the people that have been there for her 11:20 – She has surrounded herself with EO members that she sees as mentors, friends; her lawyer and accountant help her determine if she’s living the life she wants 12:28 – Susan feels that she and her husband now have the life that they want 12:33 – The agency is running great, now she knows that she wants to give back and teach what she’s learned 12:43 – For the past 2 years she has spoken to 700 start-ups through Venture Out New York; international companies come to NY for a week to figure out how to succeed there 13:11 – She’s the first speaker they meet to find out how to establish credibility, tone, message, and buyer connection in the U.S. 14:20 – She now speaks at conferences all over the world 14:40 – Her talk: “Storytelling for Innovators and Disruptors” 14:50 – Goes into her journey of researcher to now working with tech companies 14:58 – How messages need to be developed through story: How do we create stories of biblical quality? 15:25 – How to create the founder’s story (prophet), a core group of early adopters (apostles), and how to take that message to market (user-generated content) 15:45 – The people will carry the message, but you must know how to make it spread 16:15 – How do we do the above? 16:33 – Reference to Simon Sinek “why” question in his Ted Talk; it’s not what or how you do what you do, it’s why 16:50 – Start-ups are consumed with product road maps and prospect conversations and leave themselves off the table 17:20 – You need to use tools or people whose strengths help you stay on track 18:05 – Ask: what are your strengths? What is it about you that makes you an entrepreneur in your field? 18:25 – Be 100% authentic by selling a part of yourself (authentic brand); get off the path of self-doubt and be yourself 19:35 – Figure out who will be your story carrier (Star Wars analogy) by being clear on whose life you’re making better 20:50 – How are you changing the customer’s life by being in it? 21:20 – Know the impact; a great product has personal ramifications 22:00 – Ask client, “Tell me how we’re making your life better.” (Über example) 23:40 – Sometimes what the customer loves isn’t fundamental 24:14 – Summary: Find out the “why,” authentic story, gain early adopters to believe what you believe, purchase, and tell people 25:40 – Get innovators and early adopters first then they’ll do the storytelling for you; evangelists become loyalists 26:20 – How do you find influencers/innovators/early adopters? 26:25 – Create a feedback loop, processes, and communicate with all your clients if you are a young company 27:18 – As the story grows and changes, people interact differently with it; let the brand adapt and change, and let customers run with it 27:45 – Create processes to collect data and a way for customers to talk back 27:58 – Have you created a way for customers to talk to one another (Dollar Shave Club example) 31:39 – If someone can’t hire a PR agency, what can they do? 31:47 – Susan’s talk, “The 7 Day PR Plan: How to Build your PR Plan in 7 Days Without Hiring an Expensive Agency Like Mine” 32:00 – She believes so many people need and deserve attention that will never hire a PR agency 32:19 – Susan’s “7 Day PR Plan” condensed 32:23 – Day One: Listen. Make sure you understand the journalist’s conversation before you pitch a reporter 32:35 – What is going on already in your space? Make a “Google Alert” for your top 5 competitors and their CEO, then you’ll get press coverage on your competitors 33:38 – Competitive intelligence is not for the CEO alone, make sure you share it with your team 33:56 – Day Two: Get Organized. Set up a Google Sheet that everyone in the office can access that has those articles, the name of the article, the reporter’s full name, Twitter handle, and email 34:19 – This is building a media list; get the processes in place to make those journalists your new best friends 34:45 – Day Three: Stalk...smartly! Stalk their social media accounts like Twitter and Instagram; Twitter is the media environment, follow your competitors (from another account and journalists from your personal account) 35:58 – Their bio gives personal information, you may have a lot in common with them 36:34 – Follow in silence for the first few weeks, then start complimenting them, opening up a conversation, and retweeting their stories 38:22 – Connect with the reporter on LinkedIn to get their email address 38:55 – Day 4: Newsify in True Anchorman Style 39:00 – Determine what is newsworthy in your world; figure out the message, determine what is headline-worthy, and see what that journalist finds newsworthy 39:40 – In the next 6 months, what are the 3 coolest things that are going to happen to your business that are worthy of being in the news? 40:00 – Examples: New rounds of funding, hiring a very senior level person, rolling out a new product, attacking a new market, expanding your current market, speaking at an event 40:40 – Find out your “news,” go back to your list of reporters, and pitch your “why” and story 41:20 – Day Five: Write your Pitch (no more than 100 words!) 41:59 – Come with respect, “every pitch is a gift,” and ask how you’ll make the journalist’s life better 42:36 – Think about how that pitch will transpire because there are 5 PR people for every 1 journalist: You’ll need a killer subject line to stand out 43:17 – The email should come from you identifying yourself as the one in power; this is just as important as your #1 sales prospect 43:39 – Make sure you’re current and know how the journalists compose their piece so you can compose your pitch accordingly; some love narrative, some love statistics, some use 3rd party experts 45:45 – Day Six: Get Ready for the Interview 45:50 – Make sure you have 3 key messages; no one can remember more than 3 things so say what you need to say in 3 bullet points 46:30 – 90% of your interviews will be by phone so smile, speak with passion, and get excited 47:21 – You want to stand out amongst all the phone interviews that journalist has; it may be the only opportunity you get to speak with that media outlet 47:56 – Follow-up: Take as much volume up on the page as possible to get the most clicks 48:10 – Pictures (360dpi at least), infographics, supporting media, linkable video, and background data give the journalist more to add to the piece 49:15 – Day 7: Share the Love 49:20 – Say thank you to the journalist, after the interview and after the piece comes out 49:50 – Share through your social channels and site, share with your mom, and use the press coverage in different ways 50:11 – Press coverage can be part of your email marketing campaigns and include links back to the journalists page so s/he gets credit and wants to do more pieces with you 50:57 – Show them that there’s momentum in your business and keep in touch for repeat business 52:00 – Susan’s “Why” 52:04 – To deliver amazing experiences with content that helps people create an impact on their world 52:15 – She connects with people and wants to share in a way that moves people to action with energy and humor 52:50 – She did stand up at a Comedy Club; when you can give people the experience of a lifetime, they become the best leaders they can be 53:38 – Advice for entrepreneurs: Be vulnerable, be willing to say “I don’t know” and people will rise to help

 Key Points:

Know your “why,” tell an authentic story, and let your early adopters do the storytelling for you. Follow Susan’s 7 Steps to build relationships with reporters and build your PR plan. Be vulnerable; be willing to say “I don’t know” and people will rise to help.

Resources Mentioned:

Entrepreneur's Organization – The EO Network Emerging Media – Susan’s Company Venture Out New York – Company where Susan connects to start-ups Simon Sinek “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” – Ted Talk