WEBVTT - EP 296: Building Your Brand Identity w/Tracy Aliche 0:00:16.040 --> 0:00:18.840 A hey ba fam, we are back with another episode 0:00:18.840 --> 0:00:22.239 of Brown Ambition as ever, sending lots of love and 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:25.520 endless be a fan virtual hugs to our beloved Tiffany. 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:28.639 I am excited about today's show. I have to say 0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:31.280 this has been a work in progress. I had to 0:00:31.280 --> 0:00:33.280 sort of do a little convincing to get our guests 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:36.360 on the show today. As you guys know, our girl 0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:38.760 Tiffany is still healing and we love that. 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:40.279 But I don't know, can we. 0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:44.120 Call you Tiffany's kind of stand in. I feel like 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:46.600 if I couldn't get Tiffany, I was gonna go to 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:50.199 the Elicha family and get somebody, you know. So I 0:00:50.240 --> 0:00:52.320 think I got a good one, y'all. Today we are 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:57.040 joined by the one and only fabulous Tracy Alich, who 0:00:57.200 --> 0:00:59.520 you guys may know Tiffany has talked about her as 0:00:59.560 --> 0:01:02.640 her publicist for the last couple of years. Yes, so 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:04.880 if you want to know the pr brains behind the 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:07.600 get Go with Money press campaign and all that good stuff, 0:01:07.920 --> 0:01:10.680 Tracy is here. I am so excited to talk to her. 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:14.280 But before I do, she is not just Tiffany's sister, y'all. Okay, 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:17.800 she is the founder and CEO of her very own 0:01:18.000 --> 0:01:20.960 PR consulting firm called Tracy Alich Consulting. 0:01:21.520 --> 0:01:23.240 So she has a really interesting career. 0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:26.520 Y'all know, I'm all about career trajectories and career strategy 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:29.240 and going in a bunch of different directions over the 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:32.120 course of your career, and Tracy is no exception. She 0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:35.160 started out with an educational background in finance. She has 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:37.959 an MBA because of course the Elchas all have MBAs, right, 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:42.120 you guys are like Hella educated an MBA in marketing, 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:45.039 and she actually began as a financial analyst before she 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:49.200 transitioned to a career as a fashion buyer for major retailers. 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:53.760 She loves fashion spotting trends and realized with all of 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:57.720 those skills she actually could become something called an image consultant. 0:01:57.800 --> 0:01:59.880 So she actually works as an image consultant for some 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:04.640 high profile clients. As that styling roster grew, they actually 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:07.960 her clients started asking Tracy to help them curate their 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:10.800 media relation strategy as well, and so that is how 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:15.960 Tracy Alich Consulting was born. So today I am honored 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:18.679 and excited because she sounds so much like Tiffany. I 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:20.160 can kind of close my eyes and for ten leg 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:24.280 as Tiffany to welcome Tracy LJ to Brown Ambition. 0:02:24.760 --> 0:02:27.280 Hey, Mandy, thank you so much. 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:29.400 It's hard to get you PR folk to come and 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:31.320 be the face for a minute because you're so used 0:02:31.360 --> 0:02:33.160 to being in the background. On a scale of one 0:02:33.200 --> 0:02:35.440 to ten, how uncomfortable is it for you to be 0:02:35.520 --> 0:02:36.679 the one in the hot seat? 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:38.560 Ten's highest, let's to ten. 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:41.799 Well, Tracy, there's a reason I wanted you to come 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:44.560 on today's show because ever since i've sort of I've 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.360 been on my own entrepreneurship journey over the past close 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:48.959 to a year now. I can't believe it's almost but 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:51.280 it'll be a year this spring. And one of the 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:54.800 things that I have talked about again and again is 0:02:54.840 --> 0:02:58.760 the importance of your professional brand, and now you as 0:02:58.800 --> 0:03:01.400 a PR professional with your own consulting firm. I think 0:03:01.400 --> 0:03:03.360 when a lot of people think of oh, my brand 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:06.919 and my brand identity and how I'm positioning myself, they 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:09.440 think more of the PR side. So how am I 0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:11.240 going to position myself so that I can go on 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:13.840 Good Morning America like Tiffany's Ben, or how can I 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:16.080 get in the billboard? You know at Times Square and 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:18.080 get my book out there, or my ideas and my 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:19.560 thoughts and get press mentions. 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:22.120 But I love the idea. 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:25.640 Of taking some of the same sort of strategies and 0:03:25.800 --> 0:03:29.359 thoughtfulness that people put into PR strategy and actually applying 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:33.920 that to our careers, like our professional brand. And I 0:03:34.000 --> 0:03:36.400 don't know that too many people think about that or 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:39.160 talk about that. And it's something that with all my 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:42.400 career coaching, talking to like dozens of women, especially Mandy 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:45.280 money Makers over the past few weeks, this is something 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:48.520 that I am. I just know this is the magic 0:03:48.560 --> 0:03:51.120 secret sauce that people that they're missing if they're feeling 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:54.440 stuck in their careers or like, why hasn't anyone tapped 0:03:54.440 --> 0:03:55.880 me on the shoulder yet and given me a big 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:58.840 fat raise in promotion. It could be because your professional 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:01.520 brand is not as strong, you know, as you want 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:04.600 it to be. So of course I invite you the 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:10.120 image consultant, the brand specialist, the marketing MBA strategist, amazing 0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:14.240 PR mind that is tracy to talk about this, right right. 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:16.440 Yeah, No, absolutely no, I totally agree. 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:19.760 You don't need to, you know, necessarily have the on 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:22.640 GMA in order to wait when thinking about your personal brand. 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:25.880 You can you can do that, you know, in a corporation. 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:28.560 So I think the key to you know, honing in 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:32.080 on your personal brand based on cliche, but I think 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:35.240 it's just being yourself. It sounds easy, but not everybody 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:38.560 does it. I don't know, you know, people were kind 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:41.040 of tempted to look to the right into the left. 0:04:41.120 --> 0:04:44.039 But being yourself is your shore, is your sure bet 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:46.040 because no one else is you. So if you can 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:49.159 just do that, you differentiate yourself from the next person 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:52.120 because we're all unique, right, and then leaning into like 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:55.559 your uniqueness, you know, our quirks, you know, because that's 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:58.719 what those nuances make us special. 0:04:58.800 --> 0:04:59.040 You know. 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:03.200 For instance, I am somebody who is like wildly maybe 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:06.760 too analytical and meticulous at times, but honestly, those things 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:07.480 have served. 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:08.000 Me well in PR. 0:05:08.120 --> 0:05:11.080 You know, I'm somebody who likes to I'm always tracking 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:14.279 metrics on how PR campaigns are going and putting together 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:16.279 report to my clients. They love that, and I'm like, girl, 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:18.040 I love it too, you know, because I love that, 0:05:18.160 --> 0:05:20.560 you know, and I'm sure that doesn't work for everybody, 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:23.440 but lean into what works for you because you will 0:05:23.640 --> 0:05:27.200 exceed at that because you're just being yourself. That's part 0:05:27.240 --> 0:05:30.039 of who you are. So I encourage folks to start 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:33.839 with just you know, being comfortable with yourself and leaning 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:36.240 into into those nuances that made you you. 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:39.240 I have a couple of thoughts. My first thought is, 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:42.360 like it is. It does sound cliche, but it's also 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:45.200 a cliche that I feel like is not always the 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:48.240 cliche of just be yourself and be authentic. It's really 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:51.320 difficult to do that as black women in corporate America. 0:05:51.320 --> 0:05:53.839 Can we just talk about that, because sometimes when we 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:59.799 think about being yourself, we often, especially in this climate, 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:03.520 does feel like corporations are trying to diversify. And I 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:05.599 tell some of my clients, I'm like, listen, it's good 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:07.760 to be black and brown in today's job pool, because 0:06:07.760 --> 0:06:09.920 I do feel like they're waking up to the fact 0:06:09.960 --> 0:06:12.159 that they need to diversify. So we are valuable, Okay, 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:15.120 we are a rare entity and we are valuable. At 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:18.680 the same time, they often may hire us because they 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:21.880 want to increase their diversity numbers, you know, get more 0:06:21.880 --> 0:06:25.040 black women in senior leadership positions, et cetera. But do 0:06:25.080 --> 0:06:28.039 they really want us, you know what I mean? And 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:31.279 it's hard to be a black woman and how would 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:36.200 you like toggle between, yes, being authentically yourself, but then 0:06:36.279 --> 0:06:41.120 recognizing that in situations where we are our full authentic selves, 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:45.080 it sometimes comes back to bite us in the ass, 0:06:45.440 --> 0:06:48.400 you know, it becomes, oh, you're a bit aggressive or. 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:51.080 I've been intimidating. 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:53.120 Was always the way it was like thrown back at me. 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:55.800 What was your experience as you were sort of navigating 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:58.120 the different corporate worlds that you came from, you know, 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:01.400 over the course of your career, in finding that balance 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:04.400 between being yourself but not to the point where as 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:06.599 we all know it can penalize us as black women. 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:10.560 Yeah, no, absolutely, I definitely will say I evolved. I 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:13.040 mean what I'm saying today is not necessarily how what 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:15.600 I would have said ten years ago, fifteen years ago, 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:19.480 because it was it's not always so easy to do 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:23.240 that in very corporate, strict environments where most folks don't 0:07:23.280 --> 0:07:26.360 look like you, you know, starting off in finance, it didn't. 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:27.400 It wasn't very diverse. 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:33.480 So I definitely felt myself as a protective mechanism to 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:35.920 kind of withdraw a little bit or just to show 0:07:36.400 --> 0:07:38.960 myself in part, you know, And I did, I undest say, 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:40.880 looking back, I did the company. 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:44.119 Into service because if I had, I feel like shown 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:44.880 up more fully. 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:47.200 I mean, that's when you can perform at your peak, 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:50.160 I think, and I think you know, I know it. Yeah, 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:52.840 So I would say that it's not easy to do that, 0:07:53.040 --> 0:07:56.280 but if you're really out of alignment, you may need 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:59.720 to find a culture that is more accepting of all 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:02.680 of all of you, you know, who are looking to 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:06.680 truly be diverse, not for diversity's sake. So I know 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:09.640 it's easier said than done, but we spend so much 0:08:09.640 --> 0:08:14.160 time at work it's really tiring and exhausting to pretend and. 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:16.120 Withdraw and withhold. 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:21.720 So you know, I encourage you and myself speaking to myself, 0:08:21.760 --> 0:08:26.040 to continue to you know, lean into to being ourselves. 0:08:26.080 --> 0:08:28.560 And if it's not a fit, then there are companies 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:32.680 that truly embrace their employees as they are. So look 0:08:32.679 --> 0:08:35.080 for those companies that do that. That's what my suggestion 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:35.480 would be. 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:36.880 Yeah. 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:39.160 Absolutely, I think if you're sitting across from the table 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:41.720 and if you are being interviewed by people who don't 0:08:41.720 --> 0:08:43.560 look like you, I think that's a really good indication 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:45.280 of what the culture is going to be like. And 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:47.920 if someone with your personality and your uniqueness and your 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:51.040 quirks is really going to feel welcome there. And I 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:54.080 do think we have that responsibility to be picky when 0:08:54.080 --> 0:08:56.960 it comes to choosing a work environment. And you're absolutely right, 0:08:57.000 --> 0:09:00.600 Like I want to say that black women can walk 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:03.280 into any corporate environment and be our authentic cells and 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:05.439 we won't be penalized by that. But the reality is 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:06.000 that you may be. 0:09:06.160 --> 0:09:07.080 But it's about. 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:11.120 Recognizing when it's their problem and not you. And believe me, 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:14.600 I have had those moments where I have been had 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:16.800 I'm like is it me? But and then I would 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:19.520 let the facts speak for themselves, like it can't be me, 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:22.960 like you know, and then you recognize, Okay, this is 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:25.200 just not a good fit. So I'm gonna be Okay, 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:29.439 I'm gonna move on professionally though, like with your brand, 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:32.600 I think the core the kind of thing that I 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:34.800 take for granted even with my career coaching clients, is 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:36.920 you have to be great at your work. I mean, 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:39.640 at the end of the day, being known for excellent 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:43.000 work product. Is I feel like the foundation of a 0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:47.400 good personal brand. Where people struggle sometimes is I feel 0:09:47.440 --> 0:09:51.760 like doing the work but shining their own spotlight on it. 0:09:52.320 --> 0:09:55.680 And I imagine for your clients as well. They may 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:58.320 feel like, but I've done all this good work, but 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:00.560 it's like if a tree falls in the forest, will 0:10:00.600 --> 0:10:02.920 anyone hear it? You know what I mean? So what's 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:05.760 one of the first things you tell clients when it's like, Okay, 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:07.560 I've done this great work, but how do I get 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:10.120 it noticed? How do I you know, how do I 0:10:10.160 --> 0:10:12.760 get comfortable talking about it? Where do you kind of 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:13.360 go from there? 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:14.280 Yeah? 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:16.560 I always encourage clients when they first come on board 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:19.760 is to is to share it, you know, And sometimes 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:22.480 there's some resistance, like, h you don't want to seem 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:26.280 like they're bragging. But otherwise I don't know, yes, yes, 0:10:26.559 --> 0:10:27.600 but to share it. Share it. 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:27.760 You know. 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:29.920 You don't have to necessarily share it in a media interview, 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:34.840 but that's great. Maybe you're sharing it in your weekly newsletter. 0:10:34.960 --> 0:10:38.199 Maybe you're sharing it in your your profile, across your 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:41.800 social platforms, your IG profile, your TikTok profile, you know, 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:45.720 just whatever differentiates you. I think it should be consistently 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:50.080 said everywhere in your bio on your website, like I said, 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:52.640 in those profiles and your social platforms. And then if 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:56.280 you are someone who is take press interviews in your 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:58.760 key messages that you're communicating with the press, it should 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:00.000 be you should share it everyoney. 0:11:00.360 --> 0:11:03.640 That whole braggy thing can be really uncomfortable for some people. 0:11:03.800 --> 0:11:06.360 You know, I'm a leo, so I never really struggled. 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:06.640 In that sense. 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:09.480 I kind of mine sitting there and tell you what's 0:11:09.480 --> 0:11:12.000 so great about me? No, but you don't want and 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:14.320 especially in social media, I think a lot of us 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:16.560 are kind of afraid of becoming part of the problem, 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:19.720 that perceived problem with social media, like, oh, people just 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:22.080 come on here for attention and things like that. But 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:26.640 even professionally like LinkedIn for example, LinkedIn is bea If 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:29.839 y'all are not on LinkedIn and you're feeling stuck in 0:11:29.880 --> 0:11:32.160 your career, then I just ask you, why are you 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:32.960 hurting yourself? 0:11:33.040 --> 0:11:33.920 Why do you not want. 0:11:33.800 --> 0:11:37.040 Yourself to succeed? Get thee to LinkedIn because it is 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:41.040 such a tracy. You're really active on LinkedIn too, Why 0:11:41.040 --> 0:11:42.439 do you think it's such a I mean, I could 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:44.960 talk about LinkedIn all day. It's such a powerful platform, 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:49.200 especially for working professionals. If you want to target your audience, 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:51.960 like your audience which is throughout your career, people who 0:11:52.000 --> 0:11:56.200 could offer you great opportunities, career opportunities, people at your 0:11:56.200 --> 0:11:58.160 company to see what you're doing and what you're up to. 0:11:58.920 --> 0:12:02.640 What better platform is then LinkedIn to share and amplify 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:06.040 the work that you're doing, right, I mean it is 0:12:06.640 --> 0:12:09.560 like low, low hanging fruit. And yet people think it's like, oh, 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:11.439 I'm just going to be bragging about myself. No. 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:15.480 Absolutely, and LinkedIn is definitely an untapped resources for most. 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:17.600 Like you said, even if you're not looking, you know, 0:12:17.720 --> 0:12:20.320 just to kind of let folks know the moves you're making. 0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:23.840 I know I've secured clients through LinkedIn because they're looking. 0:12:24.000 --> 0:12:26.280 People do go there and to scout and look for 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:30.200 not just opportunities but partnerships and things like that. So 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:33.400 you know, that's why it's good to stay current even 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.160 if you're not necessarily in the market looking for a 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:36.800 new position. 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:40.680 I mean target audience something I just touched on. I 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:42.960 mean that's such an important part of PR, right, is 0:12:43.080 --> 0:12:45.840 like who are you trying to speak to? And I 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:48.560 think professionally too, when you think about, Okay, do I 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:50.560 have a target audience? But what's your goal? Is your 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:53.319 goal to get big, fat, juicy career opportunities or to 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:56.240 get a big raise at work, then your target audience 0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:59.440 is your colleagues, your management, and if you're looking for 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:02.640 new opportunity, it's everyone who could potentially be in a 0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:05.640 position to hire or refer you for a job. So 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:09.400 that's why LinkedIn is such a wonderful platform for that. 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:13.800 When it comes to expanding beyond like that world, you know, 0:13:13.880 --> 0:13:16.240 getting your work out there, and in some professions it 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:19.400 is important to get your work seen on a bigger stage. 0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:22.040 I came up as a journalist, you know, in one 0:13:22.040 --> 0:13:24.800 of the ways that I was able to get poached 0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:29.119 and get good opportunities was by getting my written work published, 0:13:29.480 --> 0:13:31.920 you know, outwardly. And I know that's a piece of 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:33.920 you know, what you do with your clients as well. 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:36.200 So let's say you're someone who you know you feel 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:39.120 like I'm ready for I'm ready to get my expertise 0:13:39.400 --> 0:13:42.720 and my message across beyond just my colleagues. I'm looking 0:13:42.760 --> 0:13:45.439 to go beyond LinkedIn. I actually want to get published. 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:48.640 I want to get quoted in articles or get my 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:51.640 own written work published in articles. What sort of advice 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.120 would you have for someone just starting out, whether it's 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:58.760 getting your name in print, getting connected with media, do 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:01.200 you need a publicist to start with? You know, what 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:03.280 are some of those strategies you can use to start with? 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:06.640 Yeah, no, for sure, I mean I definitely to start 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:08.800 I wouldn't say go hire a PR firm or go 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:11.800 hire a PR pro. There are definitely certain certain things 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:13.640 you can do on your own, Like, for instance, if 0:14:13.640 --> 0:14:17.600 you're looking to secure like an opt dead opportunity, maybe 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:22.680 crafting that opted ahead of time, and you know, as 0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:27.200 relevant news comes about that, like relates and connects to 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:29.920 your expertise, you can tweak it accordingly and basically have 0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:32.960 the opted like ready to go. You know, so writing 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:35.760 op deads reaching out to folks, so people. 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:38.480 May not even know what that is. It's like first 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:42.080 person opinion on something that's happening. And so the simple 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:45.560 thing of actually keeping track of what's going on in 0:14:45.600 --> 0:14:49.480 your industry, right, so following those trends and then having 0:14:49.520 --> 0:14:53.200 an opinion about it. That's a baby stuff before you 0:14:53.240 --> 0:14:56.240 even hire Tracy, right because you know what, everyone's ready 0:14:56.240 --> 0:14:58.280 for a Tracy. I'm sure they come to you. You're like, 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:01.920 You're like, you're not ready for me yet, but yeah, 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.920 so developing your point of view, yeah, which in my 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:06.240 case took a long time. 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:06.880 Hmmm. 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:09.080 Took me a long time before I felt like I 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:13.400 had well, before I felt confident to share my point 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.360 of view. Right now, I've found my niche at the 0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:22.480 intersection of career, wealth building, and race, and I've kind 0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:24.160 of come to this naturally. I'm like, what do I 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:25.360 get fired up talking about? 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:26.160 What do I feel? 0:15:27.760 --> 0:15:29.880 You know, what do I feel fluent in kind of 0:15:29.880 --> 0:15:32.680 speaking about? And I couldn't have said this, I don't 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:36.080 think a decade ago. And I feel like sometimes letting 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:40.240 your letting your career kind of go and realizing that 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:43.120 with time you will develop you know, your point of 0:15:43.200 --> 0:15:46.680 view and something to say. And until you got something 0:15:46.720 --> 0:15:49.280 to say, it's okay, you can just kind of be 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:51.640 in the background lurking learning. 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:52.720 Yes, totally. 0:15:52.840 --> 0:15:55.920 So in addition to you know, securing op dead opportunities, 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:59.200 you can also you know, get quoted as an expert 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:03.560 in by journalists by maybe there's some journalists that you follow. 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:07.520 So it's very important to determine and identify like who 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:10.400 writes about your type of industry, your type of work, 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:14.880 your expertise. And once you determine whom those folks are, 0:16:15.160 --> 0:16:17.440 I suggest you follow them, follow them on Twitter. Twitter 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:19.200 is a great place because they're sharing a lot of 0:16:19.240 --> 0:16:22.160 what they're writing there. Perhaps Instagram, but a lot of 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:25.240 folks use that personally, but follow them. So if you 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:28.960 know they talk about beauty and you have I don't know, 0:16:29.040 --> 0:16:32.040 maybe you have a skincare line, why not. They're seeking pitches. 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:34.520 Their email is in the profile. Reach out to them. 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:38.200 Craft a really short pitch, maybe two paragraphs, talking about 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:41.960 your brand story, talking about you know, the problem that 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:46.560 you're solving, and you know, again, making sure there's some 0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:50.120 type of relevancy tie in. It's not just I have 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:53.000 a skincare brand, but maybe maybe it's winter season and 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:56.320 maybe you have a couple of products that relate to 0:16:56.600 --> 0:16:58.920 and help out with dry skin. Because my skin has 0:16:58.920 --> 0:16:59.840 been dry this win. 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:01.040 I'm like, what is this? 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:05.080 I've been looking crazy? But you know, so cracking a 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:08.080 short pitch, reaching out to that journalist and following up. 0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:09.360 Sometimes people will tell me. 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:11.560 I pitched, so I'm like, okay, how many times? But yeah, 0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:15.119 So determining who those folks are who write about the 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:18.720 topics that you are an expert in and reaching out 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:23.040 to them and making meaningful connections and relationships with them, 0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:25.640 you know, maybe just writing them just to comment out 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:28.840 a story they've written. Maybe not just only to pitch. 0:17:28.960 --> 0:17:31.639 But I think that's a good kind of like entry way, 0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:34.560 you know, starting to build you know, a little media 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:37.639 less for yourself and have maybe two three pitches on 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:41.120 deck that that speak to certain topics that. 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:41.879 You like to be covered. 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:44.600 But I definitely have had folks that have done that 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:46.760 prior to coming to me, and it's been helpful to 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:47.800 get a little momentum. 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:49.640 You know, all those you know. 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:54.439 Mentions can be helpful in building your credibility, it can 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:58.200 be helpful and you know, establishing yourself as an expert. 0:17:58.320 --> 0:18:00.760 I think all that goes back to the personal branding piece, 0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:03.080 because that's that's part of personal branding. You want to 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:04.840 look to, You want to people look at you like 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:08.679 an authority figure. I'm an expert, So media can for 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:09.719 sure help with that. 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:13.080 Yeah, and I love what you said about being targeted. 0:18:13.400 --> 0:18:16.040 And even if your media list is like five people, 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:18.600 so you are you have a very specific niche in 0:18:18.680 --> 0:18:20.560 like science or something like that, there's only like five 0:18:20.600 --> 0:18:24.880 reporters nationally who cover that topic. Well that's your target audience, right, 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:27.360 and that's who you should be targeting. It's you shouldn't have. 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:30.080 It doesn't make sense to start with like a massive 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:33.119 list of every single writer for every single publication. But 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:36.080 who's actually who actually needs you to help their day 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:39.960 be easier. As a former journalist myself, I know reporters 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:42.600 are out there, always looking for sources, always trying to 0:18:42.600 --> 0:18:45.000 come up with the next story idea. And if you 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:47.159 can give them a story idea, babe, Like that is 0:18:47.200 --> 0:18:51.119 their currency. That's how they get their paychecks every day. 0:18:51.160 --> 0:18:53.720 They got to have something new to feed the Internet machine. 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:57.879 And I think that's why I've had my understanding of 0:18:57.920 --> 0:19:01.439 that animal, the beast that is journalists out there. I 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:03.119 see you, I am you, I am one of you. 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:07.919 Has really help. But in your profession too, it's about like, so, 0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:09.840 let's say, if you're someone working your way up in 0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:13.520 your in your industry, you know professionally, who are the 0:19:13.640 --> 0:19:17.600 influential people in your space, the kind of people who 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:21.080 if they endorse you, or someone in a room hears 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:24.359 them say your name out loud, that they'll have an impact, 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:27.200 and just by virtue of you being associated with them, 0:19:27.560 --> 0:19:30.320 it will lend you credibility. It's kind of the reason 0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:34.920 why folks like like Tiffany for example, or me even 0:19:34.960 --> 0:19:37.280 why will want to go on other people's podcasts or 0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:40.560 get interviewed to other places because when you sort of 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:42.800