Why PR Alone Isn’t Enough | Carey Warren

What we talked about.

In this episode of the Sunny Ray Show, host Sunny Ray talks with Carey Warren of Coterie Media about why public relations should do more than generate publicity. Warren explains that PR builds authority and credibility, but a brand still needs a story that expresses real value to its audience. Drawing on his years selling advertising at the Wall Street Journal, he describes why he believes in being for the brand, and why he started Coterie Media after seeing large agencies step back once contracts were signed and senior leaders disappeared from the day to day work. He discusses the agency's celebrity influencer program, including a Heather Graham campaign that a third party valued at about $9 million, and explains why founders should treat PR as a partnership rather than a plug and play service. Warren also covers onboarding timelines, what makes a client ready for a campaign, how new clients find the agency through referrals and LinkedIn, and a proud career moment writing the tagline for Monster Garage.

Carey Warren of Coterie Media explains why a credible brand story must lead to results, not just publicity.

The questions, and the answers.

What problem are you solving at Coterie Media?

Public relations creates authority and credibility. Celebrities can launch a brand but they can't sustain it, and advertising only works in some cases. At the end of the day, whether the customer is a consumer or a business, the brand needs a story that expresses real value to the end user.

What were the big agencies getting wrong?

Many traded on their laurels. You'd see the partners and senior people at the start, during the sales process and contract signing, and then you'd rarely get senior interaction unless something was going badly wrong. We didn't believe in that. Everyone we work with is extremely senior and battle tested.

What drove Coterie's fast growth on the Cowboy 100 list?

Honestly, it was our celebrity influencer program. We've done about 400 campaigns with people like Heather Graham, NBA stars, Chevy Chase, and musical artists. When a celebrity is seen happily using a product, it goes wild. A third party judged our Heather Graham campaign to be worth about $9 million, roughly 100 times the client's cost.

What do founders get wrong about working with a firm like yours?

It's a partnership, not plug and play. The tighter the collaboration, the better the results. We build a sticky story with many angles we can pitch and reuse across social, advertising, and events. I always say a brand is an external expression of an internal feeling, so we start with authenticity and credibility.

What happens in the first 30 days with a new client?

Our ramp is usually longer, about 90 to 120 days, because we need content approvals and a strategy. In the first 30 days, though, we nail down your brand story and its facets and angles, and help you understand who you're selling to, including what the avatar of your ideal customer looks like.

How do you tell whether a client is ready for a PR campaign?

PR is centered on news, on something you're doing that nobody else is doing. Some people contact me about a franchise of something else, and they can't claim they created it. Then there's no there there. Even within a niche, you have to be a standout and do something unique.

What is a piece of buzz you built that you're still proud of?

We were the publicists for Monster Garage on Discovery when it launched, under a 10 year contract with Discovery Networks, working with Jesse James. I wrote the line "where ordinary cars become extraordinary machines." It ended up in the press content, the marketing copy, and even the live read on the show's intro.

How do new clients find you, and what are you looking for now?

For years it was referrals, past clients moving to new companies and hiring us again. Now most outreach centers on LinkedIn, which is amazing for this. In the next 90 days, by the end of the year, I'm looking for the right three to five accounts. We're nearly at capacity on the celebrity influencer side.