One click 14 yrs ago

It was a Saturday morning in 2002, and I was googling around trying to learn how to be better at cold calling reporters.

An ad on the side caught my eye – “Never cold call again.” Based on how I was feeling at that moment, that was well targeted 🙂 I clicked through and read the guy’s stuff. It was aimed at salespeople but it was good enough I kept reading, and then opted in to get one of his free reports.

That got me onto his email list. I’ve probably read 1,000 of his emails over the intervening 14 years. Back when I made the quick decision to sign up for his report, there was no WAY I would have ever thought that I’d someday be SENDING emails every week to thousands of PR pros. It’s highly likely I wouldn’t be typing this right now if I hadn’t clicked that Google ad way back then.

Of course, almost all of the other “thought leaders” who have come across my inbox since that time haven’t lasted long. I love learning, but I’ve come to be ruthless about who gets my attention during the limited time I have to read email. I’m sure you’re the same way, and that’s why it’s such an honor for me that you’re reading this.

One of the few PR gurus I follow closely is Gini Dietrich. You probably know her best as the voice behind the PR mega-blog Spin Sucks, one of the top PR blogs in the world with 48,223 subscribers.

She’s an expert on integrating earned media – what you and I talk about each week – with owned media like social media and content marketing materials.

She’s a successful businesswoman who speaks from daily experience as CEO of her 34-person PR firm, Arment Dietrich. As I’ve gotten to know Gini on a personal level over the past two years, I’ve been heartened to learn that the integrity and generosity she displays on the pages of her blog are also evident in real life. (She also has a bit of an attitude – in a fun, nice way – that livens up her podcasts and webinars 🙂

So I commend her as someone in PR worth following, and now is a good time. She’s just released a brief guide to “The Chemistry of Thought Leadership, Content, and PR.” I just clicked through it in two minutes and found some strong points that many PR pros overlook when trying to position their executives and spokespeople as experts.

Gini has lots of free resources coming out soon, as well as the daily blog posts on PR, social media, marketing, and leadership lessons.

Download her free guide on blending thought leadership, content and PR.

I intend to continue to earn the right to be welcome on your computer screen 14 years from now. And I hope I’ll be reading your weekly emails someday 🙂