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In this episode you’ll learn:
- How Ariel brought the head of a publicity firm to her knees
- What it takes to succeed in creative media and marketing
- How Ariel developed a successful P.R. agency out of necessity
- Why certain social media platforms might not be for you
Entrepreneur, Ariel Hyatt, knows a thing or two about social media and publicity. She also knows about getting fired, how to keep up with fast moving trends and, perhaps most importantly, knowing when to quit.
“It’s ok to quit…people will respect you more.” – Ariel Hyatt
In this episode of Inspirational Creatives, Ariel shares her story on why she created her own public relations agency, CyberPR, and how she brought the head of a publicity agency to her knees early in her career.
Ariel reveals how she has seen traditional forms of media collapse under what is now the phenomena that is social media and how the opportunity to build your own tribe is a power beyond measure.
You’ll also get to hear about the two things that every artist and entrepreneur needs to do before engaging a publicity agent, plus the advice Ariel would have given to her younger self.
Items mentioned in this episode (quick access):
Growing up
[0:00:42] Rob introduces Ariel.
[0:01:33] Ariel talks about growing up. Her mother, who majored in theatre and ran a theatre company. Her father was a documentary film maker. Growing up in an artistic community.
[0:02:48] Rebelling and listening to rock music. Going to all ages shows. Ska movement and Punk. Spin Doctors, Widespread Panic and Dave Matthews Band.
[0:03:50] Singing and music. Having a good sense of communication. Working at a fashion P.R. firm.
[0:04:30] Lynn Franks. Finding out that fashion wasn’t for Ariel. Not having what it takes. Fashion was not Ariel’s bag but music was.
First taste of publicity
[0:05:10] Rob asks Ariel about the moment when she first realised when she wanted to work in P.R. and music.
[0:05:16] Google and growing up in the eighties.
[0:06:01] First fashion P.R. firm in London. Working for a cut-throat fashion agency in London.
[0:06:48] The reality of working in Public Relations. How meticulous everything was.
“…meticulous attention to detail is key in P.R. and communications.” – Ariel Hyatt
Make your clients shine
[0:07:46] Reducing the head of a P.R. firm to her knees, in a Chanel suit, at 7am.
[0:08:10] The publicist is always in the background.
[0:09:17] Rob asks Ariel about the time when she realised she wanted to set up her own agency.
Going Alone
[0:09:22] CyberPR was created out of necessity.
[0:09:44] Found an internship at a small record label. Gravitated towards the P.R. marketing side of the label. Worked with a concert promoter for a year.
[0:10:10] How Ariel managed to fired from the one concert promoter in Boulder, Colorado.
The reality
“You don’t have to wait for a gatekeeper any more…” – Ariel Hyatt
[0:11:00] The reality of SXSW as a new entrepreneur. Ariel got her first two clients very quickly.
[0:12:00] Ariel’s fun fax. Talking about what you can contribute.
[0:12:55] Knowing those smart people in life that share great content with you.
[0:13:38] Rob asks Ariel about what regular habits she uses to maintain healthy connections with people.
[0:13:45] Ariel talks about her newsletter, Sound Advice.
Social media didn’t exist in the late nineties
[0:14:22] Rob asks Ariel what the biggest challenges have been for her since starting in the late nineties. Ariel is someone who has seen the collapse of traditional media.
[0:14:45] Mashable media summit.
[0:16:54] Ariel mentions CoCo Roche and that with a platform the power is in your hands yet without a platform you’re just another face in the crowd. Also, retaliating to the media.
“…you can build it yourself…and you can take your tribe with you.” – Ariel Hyatt
Put a dent in to the system
[0:17:00] Rob asks Ariel how she can support artists with their own platforms.
[0:17:20] Artists are always calling Ariel asking what publicity is about. Ariel wanted to give more. She wanted to give those that couldn’t hire her the opportunity to learn what she knew.
“You can’t preach what you don’t practice.” – Ariel Hyatt
[0:18:10] Rob asks Ariel where she is in her life right now.
[0:18:20] 2014 was an exhausting year for a lot of creative people Ariel knows. Ariel talks about always feeling extremely enthusiastic about the music business. This year was the first year Ariel felt a palpable difference.
[0:19:10] The thing that Ariel is hearing…
[0:19:30] Ariel suggests Eddie Vedder could have taken down Ticketmaster with social media.
“Artists with a lot of power can, once in a while, can make a dent in the system…” – Ariel Hyatt
The new reality
“It’s been frustrating to see musicians who are doing everything right…still somewhat struggling.” – Ariel Hyatt
[0:20:05] Artists are making less money off their music.
[0:20:30] The way that we used to earn money has changed. The smaller creator is suffering. Streaming sites, new reality in how people consume music. Record store day.
[0:21:00] 2014 has been a year a frustrating year doing what she does.
[0:21:45] Being a results driven person, Ariel is focussed on helping creators.
“Any creator that is smart has to think about their bottom line…” – Ariel Hyatt
[0:22:15] Jack Conte, at the end of 2014, posted about his recent tour. He lost $12,000. The error he made mentioning his company founded Patreon – who had received investment. Infomarketing. Backlash.
Building a tribe and leverage.
[0:23:20] Why Ariel ventured away from music and began to work with authors, influencers, photographers and creative entrepreneurs.
[0:24:00] Rob asks how working with those, other than musicians, is different for Ariel. Ariel suggests marketing, promotion and publicity are areas that many people are not comfortable with because they require that you sell yourself.
[0:25:00] Every client Ariel works with surprises her in their marketing and promotion abilities. Once in a while Ariel gets a client who is really good at their own marketing.
“Who do you follow and why are you following them… why is anyone interesting to you?” – Ariel Hyatt
[0:25:30] Ariel talks about educating clients on how to behave on social media. Twitter: when you’re visiting someone’s Twitter, you’re buying in to what they’re saying. You’re doing something they are attracted to in some way.
[0:26:45] Getting people to shine a light in places they haven’t thought they needed to shine a light.
“How do you tell a story in 140 characters…in one blog post?” – Ariel Hyatt
Jazz, vinyl at Christmas and shining a light
[0:27:21] Ariel gives an example of how her organisation engages. Jazz band, The Tigerclub. Wanted publicity. Vinyl theme. Created a vinyl record for Christmas. Sought music supervision opportunities.
[0:28:30] Ariel suggests it takes 12-18 months for anyone to know who you are.
[0:29:20] Takes time. Willing to trust. Hone. React. Shaping Content. Regularly and Consistency.
[0:29:52] Deciding on what the voice is.
“You want to get your brand messaging right with what you’re sharing.” – Ariel Hyatt
[0:30:46] Ariel feels an endless sense of creativity around the process of publicity.
Common fears for clients
[0:30:50] Common fears for clients with publicity. Growing up in a MySpace world.
[0:33:20] People don’t want to look bad…
[0:33:30] Telling the world what Ariel was doing didn’t make sense to her at all. Press releases. Throwing protocol out of the window…
Overwhelm with social media
“The overwhelm is inevitable…and it gets worse.” – Ariel Hyatt
[0:34:46] Rob asks Ariel if she has any common tips to deal with the overwhelm of social media.
[0:35:35] Ariel suggests choosing the platform that you resonate with the most. Ariel is much more comfortable blogging. Newsletters. Ariel is not so keen on video.
[0:36:26] Get good at each understanding each platform before you do them all. Ariel compares to a diet and exercise programme. Develop your muscle memory around one platform first.
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Blogging for business
[0:37:10] Building a business and the importance of starting a blog.
[0:37:30] The importance of being consistent. No-one cares for a long-time until you build up trust that you’re not going anywhere and that you’ve got something to say. It’s about sticking with the plan.
[0:38:10] The importance of letting go. Reflecting on how many clients you need to sustain you.
“You don’t have to be worried that you’re here not there…that you’re missing out.” – Ariel Hyatt
Before you begin with publicity
[0:38:49] Rob asks what clients can do to prepare themselves before engaging with publicity services.
[0:38:53] Understand what it is you want to achieve.
[0:39:44] Seth Godin says nobody is going to save you.
[0:40:00] We are beginning to think the standard is in the millions of followers.
[0:41:00] You’re not going to get on Oprah unless you’re supposed to be on Oprah.
Big events start with little ripples
[0:41:42] You don’t know what’s going to happen.
[0:42:27] No-one is going to move mountains for you. The beauty in the small moments.
[0:42:48] Rob asks Ariel about Ariel’s Social Media Pyramid.
[0:44:30] You don’t know where your stuff is landing. You can have analytics all day…
[0:45:00] Talking about losing sight of the long game. Seeing overnight successes. We’re supposed to believe that everything happens really quickly. “We herald the wrong type of creator and entrepreneur.”
[0:45:45] Making videos go viral. Sharing something that adds another cornerstone to your foundation.
“A sustainable career, in marketing, in social media…is about little ripples and not big giant moments.” – Ariel Hyatt
Proud moments
“You’ve got to be willing to show up earlier than everyone, stay later than everyone, work for free, intern, and do that for many, many years and do it better than anyone else that wants to sit in your seat the minute you take your butt of it… that goes for anything that is worth fighting for.” – Ariel Hyatt
[0:46:28] Ariel talks about the proudest moment of her career mentioning a harrowing job search. If you want to make it in entertainment or the sexy industries you have to work really hard.
[0:47:58] A&R. Ariel talks about teaching kids the nuts and bolts of internet marketing.
[0:49:15] Ariel shares what she would share with a young Ariel if she could guide her now.
[0:51:00] The importance of knowing when to fire clients.
[0:52:04] Not every business relationship is going to fulfil you.
“It’s no joke being an entrepreneur…” – Ariel Hyatt
Inspiration and podcasts
[0:52:19] Rob asks Ariel what’s inspired her the most over the last week.
[0:52:32] New York City podcasters meet-up
[0:53:07] Rob asks Ariel what’s new and exciting and what she is working on today. How to connect with Ariel and Cyber PR.
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Links and Resources:
People and bands mentioned in this episode:
If you enjoyed this podcast, you’ll also like:
- Ariel Hyatt on the Make Creativity Pay podcast
- How To Deal With Social Media Overwhelm and Blogging For Business
- Greg Hartle on Solving Problems with Curiosity, Resilience and Grit
- Pam Slim on Storytelling, Creative Writing and Childhood
- Anything is Possible with Michael Gebben
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