We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa DiGianfilippo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, thanks for joining us today. If you’re open to it, can you talk to us about the best (or worst) investment you’ve made. What’s the backstory and the relevant context behind why you made the investment

The best investment I’ve made as a business owner is in myself. 11 years ago, I was introduced to an organization called EO, Entrepreneur’s Organization, a peer-led entrepreneurship group where all members own a business generating at least $1 million in annual revenue. At the time I was introduced, I had every excuse in the book to not join… I was way too busy RUNNING the day-to-day of my business that I could not imagine dedicating any extra time to something like an entrepreneur “club”. I am so glad that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and trusted those around me who urged me to give it a chance.

Devoting my time, and energy and making that financial commitment to EO completely changed my path. Being surrounded by like-minded people who are focused on growth, personally and professionally, has opened my eyes to new opportunities, to new ways of evaluating risks and taking chances, and to understanding how to pursue a path of true fulfillment.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As the Founder and CEO of Proof Publicity, I’ve spent my entire career in public relations. My journey started pretty early—I was winning writing awards at age 8, which eventually led to a scholarship at Kent State University for Magazine Journalism. During college, one of my professors noticed I had a natural talent for PR and suggested I change my focus. That advice changed everything for me, and I’ve never looked back.

My career path took me through a great internship in Chicago, then various roles on both the agency and corporate sides of PR before I launched my first company in 2008. For 15 years, I co-ran Serendipit Consulting, growing it to 40 employees with clients all over the country. I launched Proof Publicity in 2024 because I wanted to create a different kind of PR agency—one that’s focused on delivering real, measurable results that actually help businesses grow.

At Proof, we take your expertise and ideas and turn them into stories the media wants to cover. Our team includes PR pros with decades of experience working with high-profile brands across many industries. What makes us different is our focus on results—we don’t just tell your story; we prove its worth through actual business outcomes.

The PR world has changed a lot, and so have client expectations. Companies today want more than just seeing their name in print; they need PR partners who understand business goals. That’s our sweet spot. We deliver consistent results with clear reporting, and we bring fresh thinking to both traditional and digital PR approaches.

I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished for our clients. For a new hotel opening, we landed 70 media placements and put together a grand opening with over 175 attendees. For a behavioral health company, we secured 129 strategic media placements worth $17.39 million in advertising value and reaching 1.88 billion people—all in just 18 months. These aren’t just numbers; they represent real impact on our clients’ businesses.

Here’s what I want potential clients to know: PR done right delivers serious ROI—3-5X on average. When 75% of people buy after seeing a product or service in the press, and PR with good content strategy generates 55% more leads on average, the impact is clear. We’ve seen this work across industries from hospitality and real estate to healthcare and interior design. We offer a full range of services including media relations, strategic partnerships, awards and speaking opportunities, influencer collaborations, crisis communications, and attention-grabbing PR events. We customize our approach based on what each client needs, whether that’s full-service PR support or help with a specific project.

At Proof, we become an extension of our clients’ teams, bringing both creativity and solid execution to everything we do. Our name isn’t just a catchy title—it’s our promise to deliver measurable proof that strategic PR works to accelerate business goals.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe my reputation in the PR industry has been built on one fundamental principle: do what you say you’re going to do. It sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly uncommon in business today. When I tell a client we’ll increase awareness, we deliver. When I promise a journalist a story angle that’s truly newsworthy, I make sure it is. This consistency creates trust on both sides of the PR equation.

In public relations, relationships are everything—with clients, with media, with partners. These relationships only flourish when there’s genuine trust. Early in my career, I noticed how many businesses overpromise and underdeliver. I decided Proof would be different.

This principle has guided every aspect of our work, from how we structure client agreements to our internal processes. We’re methodical about setting realistic expectations and then exceeding them. We don’t take on clients if we don’t genuinely believe we can deliver meaningful results for them.

This approach has led to long-term client relationships and strong media connections. Journalists know when they get a pitch from our team, it’s worth their time. Clients know when we say we’ll achieve something, we will—or we’ll be transparent about challenges and pivot accordingly. Word travels fast in this industry. Much of our new business comes from referrals because clients experience firsthand how we honor our commitments. They tell others about not just the results we deliver, but how reliable the experience of working with us is.

Building a reputation takes time and consistency. By making “do what you say you’re going to do” our north star, we’ve created a foundation of trust that differentiates Proof in a crowded market. It’s not a complicated formula, but it requires discipline and integrity every single day.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the most important lessons I had to unlearn was that people-pleasing is good business. For years, I thought saying “yes” to everything was the path to success—yes to unrealistic client expectations, yes to impossible deadlines, yes to opportunities that weren’t aligned with our strengths.

This mindset started early in my career. As a young professional eager to prove myself, I equated being accommodating with being valuable. When I launched my first agency, I carried this belief forward, thinking that agreeable meant hireable and that meant more revenue. If a potential client wanted something—even if it wasn’t in our wheelhouse or seemed impossible given their budget—I’d say “we can do that” and figure it out later.

The breaking point came after a particularly challenging client project where we bent over backward to meet constantly shifting demands. Despite working nights and weekends, the client wasn’t satisfied, and my team was burning out; we put so much extra time into the account that we were actually losing money. I realized I had created this situation by not setting proper boundaries from the beginning.

That experience forced me to acknowledge that saying “yes” to everything meant saying “no” to excellence in our core services. It meant compromising the quality of our work, the wellbeing of our team, and our bottom line.

Unlearning people-pleasing was uncomfortable. The first time I told a potential client, “That’s not something we can deliver with excellence, but here’s what we can do exceptionally well,” I was terrified they’d walk away. Instead, they respected our honesty and clarity.

Today at Proof, our approach is different. We’re selective about the clients we take on and transparent about what we can deliver. We’ve built our reputation not on saying yes to everything, but rather, on delivering what we promise with excellence. This shift has actually led to stronger client relationships, better results, and a team that feels empowered rather than exhausted. The irony is that by stopping my habit of people-pleasing, I’ve actually created more satisfaction for everyone involved. It turns out that what clients and partners truly value isn’t endless accommodation but authentic expertise, honest communication, and reliable execution.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.proofpublicity.com
• Instagram: @melissadflip & @proofpublicity
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissadigianfilippo/ & https://www.linkedin.com/company/proof-publicity/

Image Credits

Samantha Asher Photography