Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carli Brinkman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Carli, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

Public relations deals with brand perception and explores strategic processes and channels to reach audiences with the messages that help that brand positively develop, maintain, grow, or expand its reputation.

The digital transformation continues to change the way we consume information- even traditional print media oultets now have an online component, and social media, influencer partnerships, affiliate marketing, and online placement exposure has truly revolutionized the way we approach strategic public relations planning and ideation, as well as the ways we think about how people receive and absorb information. To me, this just means more opportunity. More eyeballs, more creativity in approach, and more opportunity for our clients’ to expand the way people can experience their brand, in ways that are native and authentic to them as consumers and/or the general public.

Additionally, many well-established media outlets have shifted from staff-packed newsrooms to a global network of remote freelancers. This trend began well before the pandemic, but- at least from my perspective- seemed to solidify in recent years, and has had a strong impact on the way us practitioners not only communicate, but also build relationships with journalists. But I really appreciate working with freelancer writers, as I know freelancers are typically just as motivated as me to “land” the story with their editors and see it do well with the publication’s audience in order to secure future stories. Our goals are aligned from the start, so we begin as “collaborative partners” on story ideas, and we can also ideate together on what stories might land with which editors for which publications.

Carli, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am the founder, owner and operator of my own boutique public relations consultancy, Carli PR, where I work with clients (who I absolutely love!) in a variety of sectors- from luxury hotels and restaurants, to art and cultural nonprofits, and everything in between. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be doing what I love and be doing it on my own. It has always been my dream, but I never quite understood how I would get here.

I’ve actually been in the field my entire life. I went to the University of Florida with the understanding that I wanted to pursue a career in the mediasphere- I loved reading the news, consuming information, and was fascinated by how the news cycle worked and how stories “trended” or how storylines became “newsworthy”- but I didn’t realize until I began taking courses in the college of Communications that public relations was the path that most aligned with my desire to work in a creative space. Upon graduation, I spent the early years of my career working in public affairs for New York City under the Bloomberg Administration. I then worked for a luxury PR agency, before taking on the role as associate director of public relations for New York City’s official tourism marketing and events agency, NYC & Company, which was an incredible job, to say the least. It was here, promoting the best city in the world, that I discovered my passion for destination, travel and tourism PR, which is still very much my primary area of interest and expertise. I was then recruited for a really great opportunity in South Florida- director of public relations and communications for Discover The Palm Beach Beaches, which brought me down to West Palm Beach, where I met my husband and started my family. After my first daughter was born, I left Discover, and very shortly thereafter decided it was time to start my own consultancy. But it honestly wasn’t until many years later that I decided to finally take it from a side hustle, to a business. I was afraid to leave the security of my previous jobs and take all of the risk associated with launching my own company. I also didn’t want to be exposed to the vulnerability that comes with securing clients, losing clients, securing talent, losing talent, not knowing what to anticipate from one month to the next, etc. But now that I am securely and successfully operating my business, I can honestly say that all of that fear and risk was worth every moment because I have never felt happier, more confident or more secure in my profession than I do today.

As far as my values and professional ethos, I am definitely most proud of how very committed I am to everything I do and everyone I work with. The level of attention, time, energy and devotion I put into my work and into my clients is always above and beyond, which I trust that they see, but I don’t do for the accolades. I just can’t work any other way, which sometimes feels like a curse, but I know it is ultimately the reason I am trusted, valued, and thriving in my business right now.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My agency is now essentially split between two markets- South Florida and NYC- both of which I have worked in for many years and have a strong network of both media and industry contacts. I think I decided very early on in my career that I wanted to establish who I would be professionally- the values that would guide me and the way I would address, react to, respond to, or lead others. I had examples- both positive and negative- of people that crossed my professional path and taught me that your reputation is incredibly important and also very fragile all at once.

I decided, first and foremost, that I would never compromise kindness, respect, moral boundaries, or integrity for professional gain, and that is something I am proud to say I have honored to this day. Additionally, when I started my own business, I also decided that I would build a brand that embraced my own personal culture- my quirky personality, casual informality, passionate nature, and warmth, blended with my intense work ethic, strategic thinking, immersive approach, dedication, and high-energy and positivity. I blended it together, then rolled it all out on the cookie sheet and I didn’t stop to think what it would taste like when it came out of the oven. But the way I saw it, it was all I had to offer. These were the only ingredients I had to work with, and fortunately for me, people liked what I was serving up.

I think that most people who knew me before I started my business- either personally, professionally or perhaps in both capacities- knew that I was a strong publicist, but also a warm, friendly person, so they likely had an inkling that I would do well. Therefore, I was very fortunate in the beginning to receive a lot of opportunities among friends, colleagues, and community and industry peers who put their faith in me early on. I am grateful to still work with many of those people to this day. From there, it was just continuing to work hard and do a good job for my clients while maintaining the brand integrity that helped me build my reputation and attract new clients that appreciate my approach.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

They say publicists are their own worst publicsits, and that’s definitely true in my case. I have had zero time to focus on promoting myself and my business, and only just launched my own social channels earlier this year. But fortunately for me, word-of-mouth and client recommendations have been the most effective and impactful growth strategy for me throughout the entire course of my business. Virtually my entire current client roster came through recommendations from clients or mutual contacts, which humbles me, but also demonstrates to me that if I continue to work hard and be successful for my clients, the opportunities will continue to present themselves, so that is exactly what I plan to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carlipr.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlibrinkmanpr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarliBrinkmanPR
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlibrinkman/

Image Credits
Palm Beach Influence