studio (un)scripted: 5 questions with kathy ziprik.
KATHY ZIPRIK, owner, Ziprik Consulting (and dog-lover extraordinaire, brilliant writer, public relations savant, and, and, and…)
To me, the studio is my happy place. Where is yours?
The local animal shelter. I visit on Saturday mornings and let the dogs and puppies out into the play yard areas to exercise, which they don’t get to do very often. While I have 5 of my own rescue dogs at home, I always find it especially rewarding to go to the shelter. There my mind focuses solely on the dogs, so it’s a welcome break!
As a tenured media relations expert, what are your secrets to getting your clients’ stories told?
Weave the client message into a really good story. Create project profiles with credible product users and let them sell the product. For trade media, I watch editorial calendars carefully and far in advance. I’ll prepare and present editors with strong stories and images long before their deadlines, which they truly appreciate.
Something else I believe in is the credibility of a story. There are many publications these days where you can supply stories. Sometimes with a BOGO ad buy, sometimes without. It amazes me how many people put a byline for the story from someone in the company or the public relations person. Really? A reader will breeze right past that story, knowing it’s biased. When I place a story I always get the editor to agree in advance to byline it. That adds the credibility the reader is looking for and validates the story.
You are a master of words. As such, is there a quote or two that you’re inspired by?
“Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” is actually stenciled on my kitchen wall. That one sums up what I try to do with my life.
It’s beyond admirable that you’ve created a successful female-owned practice and thrived there. Any tips for others hoping to do something similar?
It’s interesting. I tell my clients to “crawl, walk, run” when starting a public relations plan or campaign. But I was dumped into the deep end of the pool when I started my firm. My department was eliminated at Georgia-Pacific and I was suddenly unemployed. I liked working in the building products arena, so I just started offering my services to companies. My business mushroomed quickly.
Naturally, networking is critical to start a practice. You want to connect your talents with companies needing your skills. But before that starts, really decide what your very best skills are that you have to offer. No one is truly good at everything. In my case, I’m a writer, organizer and special events person. Don’t look to me for Power Point presentations or analytical reviews. When you understand and market your strengths, then you’ve found a niche that you can own in your industry.
That said, if you could do it all over now, what is one thing you would do differently?
I’ve skirted on the edges of social media. I’ve gotten along fine, but I’ve put my head in the sand for many platforms, because I haven’t believed my clients’ customers use apps like TikTok, SnapChat and WhatsApp. My clients manufacture and sell snow guards for roofs, concrete surfacing refinishers and composite roofing. I can’t see purchasers of those products exactly being influenced by postings on SnapChat or Pinterest.
I write content for Facebook and LinkedIn, but I’m not comfortable with anything else. If I had embraced more social media platforms when they came out, I’d have a greater understanding of the overall social picture now, which I do think would be helpful.
Want to hear more from Kathy? You should! Check out this video, and connect with her on LinkedIn.