A year ago, I began working with Kiki Keating, the founder of KikiNetwork, a global PR company based in New Hampshire. I wanted to learn how to swim in a much bigger pond, and I have not been disappointed. 

Kiki honed her PR skills while leading the first-ever marketing and communications department at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. In this long-time role, Kiki built relationships with MarComm professionals around the world as well as with the journalists they need to reach in order to raise awareness about their schools, professors and their research, programs, students and alums.

Ten years ago, Kiki founded KikiNetwork and put her skills to work for her clients, who range from graduate schools to entrepreneurs and the creators of new technology to authors of books.

Kiki is a whirlwind of energy who never stops working—and playing—and she is creative, imaginative, and focused on finding the best PR opportunities for her clients.

In addition to the PR business, she also runs a second venture, the MakiNetwork Business Media Conference, with her business partner, Matt Symonds. Named by blending Matt and Kiki’s first names, the semi-annual event brings together PR professionals from highly ranked global business schools and top-tier international media. 

MarComm professionals make up the audience, and journalists from premier publications around the world come to speak about what they are covering in the news and how to best get their attention.

During Covid, Maki had to go virtual, but came back with a lot of energy this year in London. Kiki invited me to come with her to help with everything that goes on at the conference, and I was thrilled to be included—both for the chance to sightsee and be an observer in a room full of like-minded professionals.

I was so appreciative, I told Kiki I would do whatever she needed. 

Maki was held last week. Tune in next week to learn what I learned!

The post Supporting a Global PR Guru appeared first on Beetle Press.

Many entrepreneurs don’t know how to write and send a press release, and those in leadership roles in marketing or communications simply don’t have the time. That is where I come in. 

But for those who enjoy learning and doing on their own, I can also help by teaching you the basics. PR 101, so to speak.

If you are the new head of your company’s marketing or communications team, and the PR strategy recently fell in your lap, I can teach you. Or if you have a new junior member on the team who’s charged with PR, I can teach them, too.

I call this service a Media Consult, and in such a session, I teach people everything they need to know about writing a press release and getting it where it needs to go. I discuss what is and isn’t news—what editors do and do not want to hear from you—and I brainstorm topics that would make sense for each businessperson or organization leader.

I’ll also walk you through a sample release, using a topic that makes sense for your business to flesh the release out and complete it. Finally, I’ll pass on the key contact information for some of the region’s editors and teach you how to send your release to them.

Over the years, I have done many media consults with entrepreneurs—mostly small business owners but also with new members of a communications or marketing team—and I’m always proud to see their releases getting picked up in the news in the months that follow. 

Honestly, it’s not a fine science. It’s a logical, formatted process.

After a consult, some clients find that PR work is more than they have the bandwidth for, and they turn back to me to prepare and send their releases anyway. That works, too!

If a Media Consult might help you get noticed more often in the media, please be in touch.

I love sitting in the teacher’s seat as much as I like writing and editing!

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