Whenever you go out and get earned media, you’re going to get people’s attention in an authentic way unlike the banner ads and pay-per-click ads that are constantly distracting us and disrupting our day around us. We go right to the content. – Adrian Salamunovic
Welcome to The New Leader Podcast! Today on the show we will be talking about the importance of great PR as leaders with one of the world’s top experts in earned media and PR, Adrian Salamunovic. He is the co-founder of CanvasPop and DNA11, as well as the co-author of FREE PR: How to Get Chased by the Press Without Hiring a PR Firm.
In this episode we talk about his book, his two tips on how to fast-track your career and personal growth, owned, paid and earned media, hiring a coach versus finding a mentor, empathy and authenticity.
I hope you enjoy this episode, and don’t forget to subscribe and rate us on iTunes!
Self-awareness
I think being self-aware and knowing where your strengths are and where your strengths aren’t is probably the biggest barrier for any manager or entrepreneur.
In my case, I made the decision early on to bring in a business partner on my last couple of ventures. He had a background, or at least a desire to be a leader as far as managing people. Then we hired a COO, and then we hired a CFO and so on and so forth.
I think being a great leader is knowing where your strengths and weaknesses are, and then finding people to fill in those weaknesses.
The Benefits of Earned Media
We’re in an attention economy, there’s no doubt about it. Attention is worth more than it ever has been, and the reason is, there’s more noise than ever before.
There’s information coming at us in every direction. Knowing how to work with earned media gives you a superpower, which allows you to cut through that noise in an authentic way like we’re doing right now.
You and I are having a conversation, and people who are listening to this podcast have chosen to listen to this podcast. We’re not actually having this conversation between you and I — we’re having a conversation between us and a few thousand other people. That’s powerful. And it’s not advertising.
Finding a mentor
There’s two ways to do it. The first one is really fascinating, and a bit of a plug for Clarity.fm. I’m not only a huge user, but I’ve used the platform to find people whenever I need just a few minutes or half an hour of advice or coaching.
No matter what you’re looking for, you can find it there.
I happen to be one of the top-rated people on that platform today. It has about 75,000 members. You can just go in, and if you need help with SEO, there’s an expert for that. If you need HR advice, there’s an expert for that. If you need PR advice, there’s me.
The second way is using LinkedIn. It is a little bit more difficult because whenever you’re cold-pitching people, “Will you be my mentor?” That’s not going to work.
Usually, I will reach out on LinkedIn, establish a relationship with a person, and bring value to them first – whether it’s by sharing information I think they should know about, or buying their product and becoming a customer.
Instead of asking, giving. It’s hard to say no to a LinkedIn request if someone’s your client or they’re using your product, for example. It’s hard to say no to somebody if they’re a fan – they really love what you’re doing, or if they’re referring people to you.
And then later you can put them on your podcast, and then they get to know you, and then you an approach them later on.
Build value first. LinkedIn and Clarity are the two fastest ways where you can find the right mentor.
Links and Resources
Connect with Adrian: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Find Adrian on Clarity.fm: https://clarity.fm/adrian-salamunovic
FREE PR: How to Get Chased by the Press Without Hiring a PR Firm by Cameron Herold & Adrian Salamunovic
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets by Al Ramadan
