Christina Nicholson’s Blueprint for PR Success

In this insightful interview, we delve into the world of Christina Nicholson, the CEO of Media Maven. From her transition from a TV journalist to establishing her own PR firm and the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, Christina shares her unique perspective and expertise.

With success stories like the Little Words Project and evolving trends in the PR industry, Christina offers a wealth of advice for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Join us as we explore the insightful journey of a journalist-turned-PR expert!

Career Transition

SBS – What motivated you to transition from a TV journalist to starting your own PR firm, and how has your journalism background influenced your approach at Media Maven?

Christina – I left journalism shortly after my second child was born, and I needed a more flexible schedule. TV news does not offer any flexibility. I got a job at a local public relations agency, but after six months, I went off on my own and launched Media Maven. I quickly learned that the only person willing to give me a flexible schedule was myself. 

I operate Media Maven as a journalist, and my team is made up of journalists. I saw a lot of mistakes made by PR agencies when I was a journalist, and I think having inside knowledge of how things work in newsrooms makes Media Maven stand out among many others. 

Early Challenges

SBS – As an entrepreneur, what were some initial challenges you faced when starting Media Maven, and how did you overcome them?

Christina – My biggest challenge was knowing how to run a business. I knew how to service a client, but I did not know how to get a client. I was not good at sales. Therefore, I did not enjoy the business development side of things. 

Things changed for me two years after I launched Media Maven and I hired my first business coach. That was when I learned the ins and outs of business ownership and everything that came along with it outside of my specific expertise. 

Client Relationships

SBS – Could you share your approach to building and maintaining successful relationships with a diverse range of clients?

Christina – I am a big fan of over-communication. I think I learned that the hard way when I just assumed people hired me because they trusted me to do my job, but when you start to build a team and you work with other teams, over-communication and transparency is key. That is something I focus on every day — not just with clients but with people on social media, on my email list, etc. 

Media Relations

SBS – With your extensive experience in media, what key strategies do you recommend for businesses to effectively engage with the media?

Christina – The biggest mistake I see people make is they are too promotional in their outreach. It is not the media’s job to promote you, so you cannot pitch a promotion. Instead, you need to find a way to make your story newsworthy. That means you need to pitch a story, not a promotion. 

You need to look at what you are pitching as an outsider and answer the question, “Why would this media outlet’s audience care about this?” and if you don’t have a valid reason that is newsworthy, then you need to go back to the drawing board. 

Content Creation

SBS – How important is content creation in today’s digital landscape, and what tips can you offer for creating impactful content?

Christina – Content creation is so important because it is your way of showing your expertise. When somebody Googles you, you want them to find the content you create that shows you are an authority in your industry, you are credible, and you are an expert in your space. 

Just think of your own behavior and the amount of content you consume in a day. It is so important to be part of that content to get in front of your ideal customer or client 

Publicity Success

SBS – Can you discuss a particularly successful publicity campaign your firm has managed and what made it successful?

Christina – When I worked with the original one-word bracelet, Little Words Project, we had a lot of success because their team was very receptive to what we were doing. When we reached out to them with an opportunity, they jumped on it quickly. That makes a bigger difference than you would think. 

If you wait too long or if you pick and choose what opportunities you are going to take advantage of, you will lose them. This brand trusted what we brought to them, and they helped us execute by always being available and ready for exposure. They were on the Today Show multiple times, the founder was featured in Forbes, they were in Cosmopolitan, E! News, Reader’s Digest, and many more places because they trusted us and they trusted the process. 

Industry Changes

SBS – How has the PR industry evolved since you started Media Maven, and how do you stay ahead of these changes?

Christina – The public relations industry has changed in the sense that there are a lot fewer journalists today than there were a few years ago, and more things warrant a budget. You can only get so far if you’re not willing to pay for it. 

There is a lot of gray area regarding what is earned and what is paid for. Many times, the consumer doesn’t know the difference because something that is paid for looks organic. That is something that we have considered at Media Maven then and tweaked our offerings to have a more well-rounded campaign for a client. 

Mentorship Role

SBS – In your role as a mentor, what core advice do you give to business owners learning to be their own publicists?

Christina – The biggest piece of advice I offer is to not believe the myth that only big brands with lots of money that have been around a long time and bring in lots of revenue are the only ones who can earn big-time media exposure. That could not be further from the truth. 

When I was a journalist, I did not care about any of that. I was on a deadline, and my job was to tell the best story possible with the best sources I could.

PR for Small Businesses

SBS – What specific challenges do small businesses face in public relations, and how can they effectively address these?

Christina – Small businesses struggle with two things — time and money, but as entrepreneurs, we know if you don’t have money to spend on something, you need to spend the time to do it yourself. If you don’t have the time to do something, you need to spend money to have somebody else do it. 

I noticed that a lot of small business owners don’t find a solution to those two obstacles so they end up doing nothing and they never start. When people don’t know about you, they can’t do business with you, and this is a big reason small businesses fail. 

Key PR Skills

SBS – What are the essential skills you believe every publicist should possess in today’s media environment?

Christina – You need to be very organized when you are pitching the media. Most of what you land will be on the follow-up, so you need to keep track of who you are pitching and when so you follow up appropriately. 

You also need to come from a place of giving. Again, journalists do not owe you anything. It is your job to help them do their job. When your client can be included in that, that is when the coverage will land. So understanding how the industry works in an organized fashion will be your biggest strength. 

Measuring Success

SBS – How do you measure the success of a PR campaign, and what metrics do you focus on?

Christina – There are so many different ways to measure success, but It ultimately depends on what your definition of success is. Are you earning media exposure to get more people to walk into your brick-and-mortar locations? To download your podcast episodes? To join your email list? To drive people to your website? To build your brand for more speaking gigs or book sales? Depending on that, you will track those things that define success for you. 

Generally speaking, it is hard to track success numerically because earning media is like a third-party referral or a word-of-mouth referral and those are the hardest things to document, however, they are also what makes businesses most successful. 

Future Trends

SBS – What emerging trends in public relations should entrepreneurs be aware of in the coming years?

Christina – I think in the future, we will see more people turning their brand into their own media business. For example, I believe every company should have a blog on their site where they share their own news and act as a resource for visitors. 

I also think we will see a lot more opportunities that will cost a fee. People aren’t paying attention to traditional advertising like they used to, so companies will need to put those advertisements in the content for consumers. 

Advice to Entrepreneurs

SBS – What is the most important piece of advice you would give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to make their mark in the PR industry?

Christina – Do not try to do this on your own. You may think you know how to do something because you see others doing it online, but you are only seeing one piece of the puzzle. Instead, invest in yourself and invest in your business to learn from somebody who has been there and done that. It is a shortcut to success, and you will skip all of the trial and error. 

For example, I have a free media masterclass. It is less than an hour long, and you will learn a lot from it at earnmedianow.com. I also have a $37 boot camp that walks you through how to pitch the media to earn publicity and turn it into profit you can check it out at pitchpublicityprofit.com.

To stay up to date with me and everything I’m doing and learning in the industry, join my newsletter at MediaMavenNews.com. I send it out every Thursday morning.