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

Megan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

The media industry has taken several major blows in a relatively short period, which directly impacted the PR industry as the two are so intertwined. First, it was “fake news,” when news is intentionally fabricated, which resulted in a distrust of the media. Historically, journalists’ priority was to be the first on a story, but now, to mitigate distrust, an emphasis on accuracy has taken over instead. PR professionals play a major role in this – we must act responsibly so that we do not support or spread fake news. Unfortunately, fake news is still rampant and will likely continue to plague the media and the PR industry forever.

Then, COVID hit, and just like many industries, the media industry was ravaged by layoffs. In turn, the journalists who were left had to cover more beats, file more stories and keep up with tighter deadlines, while also receiving more pitches than ever before. Reporters were sent to the front lines of beats, sometimes with little experience, shifting the responsibility to PR professionals to educate journalists on these topics, and shielding clients from articles that may lack substance.

COVID also brought a decline in ad revenue to outlets, meaning reporters had to take on new roles in this changed ecosystem – they are now responsible for creating content that results in clicks and subscription numbers. The shortage of staff and resources on top of a news cycle that is in real-time and never stops has impacted the quality of journalism. For the PR industry, this has created new challenges. We had to change the way we communicate with journalists and the type of content we put in front of them.

For example, we increased our emphasis on pitching stories that fit a trend or offer expertise, commentary and unique perspectives on a topic – and answer “why” the public should care. Overly promotional material is now wholly unlikely to find success in pitching efforts, so we have to manage clients’ expectations around the type of coverage that they can expect. We are also living in a world where polarizing topics dominate headlines. For the PR industry, this means that the stories that we could easily place a decade ago may never hit the news today. Everyone is trying to figure out how to get coverage in this new world. Overall, we still find success in landing high-impact stories to increase our clients’ visibility, but the strategies we use to get there are different.

There has also been marked change in how people receive their news. We all know that younger generations primarily get their news through social media, but with COVID, older generations changed their consumption habits too. In recent examples, a law firm client of ours asked a jury member in the baby boomer generation how he received his news, and he said Instagram. During COVID, another lawyer amassed 7 million followers on TikTok by taking advantage of the platform’s massive spike during the pandemic. YouTube used to be a place for funny cat videos and is now the number two search engine. Podcasts have also seen a rapid rise in popularity. All to say that the landscape of “outlets” has drastically changed. PR has had to adapt to these changes by considering platforms that we may not have previously and placing clients in the right outlets.

Finally, we are dealing not just with reporters but with influencers who have massive audiences. Take Kim Kardashian: she’s not a reporter, but she comments on world news—and her followers listen. Influencers are no longer just pushing products, but pushing ideas. My own doctor, a general practitioner, has 40,000 followers on Instagram. That would have been unthinkable ten years ago.

Megan, 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?

Since I was a kid, I always had a passion for the creative. I loved marketing and was fascinated with how companies attract customers. At 12 years old, I worked at an Italian bakery and learned so much of the basics there – whether it was how much bread we predicted to sell or how to interact with clients at the counter.

Like most young people, I did a lot of exploration. This was a combination of following my passions, but also working in industries to try things out. How I landed in marketing and public relations specifically for professional services firms was haphazard. I could have never predicted it, but I love everything about what I do – being creative, strategic and intellectually challenged.

Some people are lucky; they know what they want to do and pursue it. Some people never figure out what they love. For me, I allowed myself to explore and it lit a fire. I was also lucky to find a mentor and partner who allowed me to grow and flourish. My hard work, dedication and persistence is what got me to where I am today.

Today, I am Owner and Principal of a boutique agency called Berbay Marketing & PR. Our mission is to create the visibility and credibility that fuels revenue growth for our clients – law, real estate and financial services firms. We’ve helped hundreds of firms increase their visibility and grow their bottom line. I’m also very proud to say I own an agency I would genuinely want to work for if I were an employee. Creating a balance for my employees and myself (because I want to spend time with my family too), is integral. Aside from the impact our work has on clients, it’s very important to have fun and passion for the work. If you don’t, it’s time to find something else.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

I bought Berbay Marketing & PR, the company I was an employee at for over a decade. How did I go from a woman responding to a Craigslist job ad to the owner and principal running that very company? Hard work, dedication, persistence and passion.

I was hired as an assistant account manager and was promoted quickly. I ran the agency for about seven years before I bought it. I had a knack for running the business and understood what needed to happen to continue our success.

The process of buying the business was very intensive. Anyone who has purchased or started a business knows it’s a great deal of paperwork. I called it an administrative nightmare, and from an administrative perspective, it’s actually easier to start a business than to buy one.

It was tough, but I’m proud that the transition led Berbay to where we are today: an award-winning firm that provides high-impact, strategy-driven marketing and PR services to a wide range of successful clients. Having the right experts by my side, like a good lawyer and accountant, made all the difference in the process. I think it worked out in the end because, with the help of our highly tenacious team, I approached this the way I do any other professional challenge: as an opportunity to improve and expand on what we do best.

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

The quality of our work speaks for itself. Our reputation is based on our experience and the results we achieve. After working with hundreds of firms, we know what it takes to create visibility and credibility, and we are very tenacious about obtaining these results.

We network fearlessly. I never say no to speaking with a prospect or potential collaborator. Once we have a client, we are 100% dedicated to them – we immerse ourselves in their business and ensure we achieve more than what we were hired for. The more our clients succeed, the more we succeed.

Looking back on my career with Berbay, I believe my success has come from always being prepared; never cutting corners; building my knowledge every single day; reading; making mistakes and learning from them; a lot of failures; a lot of dedication; a lot of hard work; tears; and persistence. If it isn’t hard, you’re not growing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.berbay.com/about/our-team/megan-braverman/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berbaypr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbraverman/