Marketing Happy Hour - Get Good Press for Your Good Work | Lindsey Habenicht of Good Press

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, Lindsay, how are you? Great. Thank you so much for having me. I am so excited that you're here. Lindsay and I connected like a really long time ago on social media and we've just been following each other for so long and I've loved everything that you've been doing. We have kind of some parallel timelines in our personal lives. So it's really funny to, you know, connect with somebody online and have that connection. But I'm super excited that you're here today. But before we get started, I have to ask you a question that we ask all of our guests. And that is what is in

Starting point is 00:00:34 your glass this afternoon? I am a drip coffee until about 2pm kind of girl. And then I'm a red wine at night. So so pretty. However, if I'm doing like a fun happy hour cocktail then I'm a red wine at night. So, so pretty as a cover. If I'm doing like a fun, happy hour cocktail, I'm always going to go for a French 75. That's my, my personal go. Isn't that like champagne and like, I think there's like Lillette or something in it. I don't know. Gin, little champagne. It's just really refreshing. It's so good. I remember I had one when I was in New Orleans and I was like, oh, this is like a cool new drink. But they were like, no, that's that's the normal drink that people have on my bucket list or like my 30 by 30 list for things I wanted to do. I was like, I have to master a cocktail and 75 is the one. So I love

Starting point is 00:01:23 that. OK, well, like I said, we're excited to learn from you today, but first, could you just tell me a bit about your background and why you started good press club? Yeah, this might feel a little bit more like a monologue because I feel like my career journey is so bizarre, but it'll probably resonate with a lot of people just because it's a bit unconventional. I always knew that I wanted to do marketing of some kind. And when I went through college, I had settled in on this idea that I really wanted to do political advertising. I was hung up on the fact that politics were where the magic happened and I needed to be a part of it. So I moved to Washington, D.C. and went to

Starting point is 00:02:03 grad school at Georgetown to do public relations and corporate communications. And I put myself through school working at a public relations slash public affairs firm in D.C. And it was top rated. I had the opportunity to work on all sorts of Fortune 500 companies, global nonprofits, even did a little bit on a presidential campaign. And it was some really big stuff, but I just didn't love it. I didn't feel super connected to it. And so when school was over, I packed up my bags and I moved back home. And that felt like the ultimate defeat to roll your dreams down the garbage can. But I had the opportunity come up out of nowhere to teach high school marketing. My old principal called me up and said, we have an emergency. We need

Starting point is 00:02:52 somebody to teach marketing. Can you help us? And like I said, had I not just felt like I threw my career down the toilet, I probably would have said no, but I had nothing to lose. And so I spent a couple of years teaching marketing to high schoolers and I loved it. But I didn't get that actual inaction piece of marketing. So I pitched my services to a local food bank and I said, Hey, I'm working full time, but I'd love to give a few hours a week to help with marketing and events. And that was the honor of my life. I ended up getting to lead that organization as the executive director for three and a half years through the pandemic, through inflation, through some really wild times and again it was such a privilege but I feel like I got so in the weeds of working in the business that as much as I love non- I lost the heart of it. And I think that that

Starting point is 00:03:45 will probably resonate with a lot of people where especially business owners or entrepreneurs, you're working so in the weeds of what you're doing that you lose the why a little bit. And so I'd kind of been dreaming, like, what would it look like to create an agency that doing good is on the forefront of everything where I could pair my love of marketing and my heart for education and this real philanthropic drive that I have and put it into one. And the time was right. So Good Press launched or is launching. And it is a an impact focused public relations firm. And it really is the heart of everything I love to do and feels like the perfect opportunity

Starting point is 00:04:29 to do PR in a really meaningful way. I love hearing the heart behind it because I know that for you, it's been a long time coming, especially with all of this background that you have to launch something that really speaks to the good in the world. That's something that's so forgotten about a lot.

Starting point is 00:04:48 So I think that's amazing. And I just want to hear a little bit more about who you serve at Goodpress and what that looks like to work with you, just in case anybody's out there who wants to join in on the fun. Yeah, Goodpress is a little bit more unique than I think average public relations. My personal mission is to help business leaders, influencers, change makers do good for good, right? Like I just want to give people an opportunity to elevate their impact and ultimately make the world a better place. And that sounds like a really big

Starting point is 00:05:22 job, but I've broken it into pretty simple steps. Good Press basically breaks this process into step one, impact coaching, which I think is the most unique part of Good Press, which is saying, let's get back to the root of why you do what you do, what good you already do in the world, and how we can elevate that story of impact. Step two is that traditional communications planning, but through the impact lens. So we're taking everything we gathered in that impact coaching and we're turning it into messaging that really resonates

Starting point is 00:05:54 and figuring out how to use it on multiple platforms. And when we've really dialed in on that unique story, then we go to the media matching, which is the bread and butter of PR. Like how do we actually get your story in front of people? How do we tell the right go to the media matching, which is the bread and butter of PR. Like, how do we actually get your story in front of people? How do we tell the right story to the right people at the right time to make the greatest impact? So that's the process for Goodpress. People can find out more by visiting goodpress.io, a shameless plug. But we're doing all sorts of consultations

Starting point is 00:06:23 and every step of that process, we're willing to meet entrepreneurs, business owners where they're at to grow into their ultimate impact. Incredible. And we'll link everything in the show notes, especially this next resource that I want to walk through with you really quickly. You have a free social impact playbook available, and there's so much good info in there. Let's just go over the outline for any listeners who may be curious about getting good press for the good work that they're doing. Yeah. So the good press impact playbook starts at step one, which is that impact coaching. And this is your first step. If you're going down your social impact journey and wanting

Starting point is 00:07:01 to make a little bit of a more meaningful story or put a meaningful story behind your brand. So often it's not about what you're selling, but why you're selling it, right? Like what does it actually matter to folks? So the playbook walks you through a brainstorming process first to kind of just get the juices flowing. What are the things that make the most sense for your industry? Or does it make sense that you can impact your community? We're not trying to create more work for anybody. We're trying to say, hey, here are the things you're already doing and what they're in alignment with that offer opportunities for some sort of greater good. The second piece, which I think is the meatiest part of the playbook, is we walk you through the

Starting point is 00:07:39 good press sale test. And I don't know if you're familiar with the quote, ships are safer in the harbor, but that's not what ships are for. And I think if we put that lens on business, it's like, yeah, businesses are good at doing what they set out to do, but they're actually built for so much more. So the sail test is basically just saying, how can you make sure that your impact intention, the good that you want to do, translates to some sort of impact outcome in a really meaningful way. So S is just, is it supportive? Are there already people doing this work? Are there people that you could support in the process so that you're not reinventing the wheel? Who are the experts that you can call on? The A is, is it actionable? So is this something

Starting point is 00:08:23 that your business is actually going to be able to work on in a relatively quick fashion, right? Like we want to make the greatest impact. We want this to be woven into your story. Is it something you're going to be able to do? The I is, is it important? Which hopefully the answer is yes. But really, I mean, is it transformative?

Starting point is 00:08:41 Is it meaningful? Is there more to the story than just, you know, helping solve world hunger, right? Like, what can you do personally? And then L, the most important piece is, is there longevity? So when we do impact PR, it's not a one-off. And I think that's how we need to shift things, right? It's not doing good one time and telling a story about it. It's weaving it into the being of your business so that it's represented on all fronts all the time. So longevity, how long will you be able to support this effort? And how long will people care?

Starting point is 00:09:17 So that's the meatiest part of the playbook is to walk through that sale test. And if you answer yes, then you've found your area of impact. You know where to hit the ground running. And the third step of that playbook then is where do you put it? How do you tell that story of impact? Where do you start? There's worksheets, there's questions.

Starting point is 00:09:36 It's real deep. And I'm sure that there's an opportunity to dive in it with your teams or independently, regardless of where you're starting from. It's a great resource for anybody. Absolutely. So incredibly helpful. I think a lot of people just go into trying to get their story out there and have no idea where to start. So that's an incredible place to begin. And like I said, all of that, the links to everything will be in our show notes for you to dive into after you listen to this episode. But Lindsay, I'm also

Starting point is 00:10:05 curious on your perspective. Could you just give us some top PR tips for 2024? Anything new that we're going to see companies doing? Yeah, this will sound biased because this is good press, but I say this with complete honesty, that impact is really, really meaningful right now. Especially with the rise of AI, you have got to find your unique area of impact and run with it. So I guess the tip is a little bit twofold where social responsibility isn't just like a moral imperative anymore. It's a strategic one. People are really looking for that authenticity in brands to say like, they back something I care about their story. And I think that growing that area of influence gives you new audiences to connect with, which is great for business. And on that AI front, I'll just say, it's the number one trending topic in PR, it is the thing that everyone needs to know.

Starting point is 00:11:03 And I think setting yourself apart in that by saying, I don't know, I don't only know how to use it, but I know how to use it for my specific brand. Or if you're in a communications or marketing role, I know how to use it for these specific brands. It's inevitable. It's creeping up on us fast. It's getting smarter every day. And there are so many opportunities to teach the system to work within your brand guidelines. So it's not a matter of if you participate in AI, it's how good you get at it that's going to set you apart. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:11:35 And we always talk on the show about AI and its impact and what we're going to see in the future. And I think it's helpful to understand that it's a tool, you know, to help you. It's not something that you're going to have to, you know, start to try to keep up with all the time because they're going to like outrun you. No, there's still heart behind a personable touch. And I think that's something that resonates with people. So it's finding the balance between that heart of the personal touch and the AI tool that can really help you to succeed. And that's something that we've been talking a lot about on the show, just like the marriage between those two pieces when we're thinking about AI and the fact that when we're thinking

Starting point is 00:12:16 about AI, we're talking from a lens of we're in the space where people are buzzing about AI. Not everybody's there. So we don't have to go crazy thinking about AI. We can just start to put those pieces into place, start to teach those tools, how to, you know, talk like us, you know, learn like your brand and, and it'll be very useful in, you know, everything that you're doing with your business. So I love it. Like anything, it's just a tool in the toolkit, right?

Starting point is 00:12:45 Like we're all using scheduling tools. We're using editing tools. We're using all sorts of tools. This is just a tool in the toolkit. Something that people can't go without, but it has to be paired with that really unique and authentic voice. So no rush.

Starting point is 00:13:00 We're not after virality. We're not just trying to go trending. We're trying to dig deep into how it helps us tell more meaningful stories. Love that. Lindsay, I'm sure you have a great answer to this question. And it's something that we ask all of our guests. What do you know now that you wish you knew a little earlier on in your career? Oh, gosh, there are so many things. It's hard to pick one. But I think that the thing that's resonating with me most right now is the world needs more of exactly what you have. And it doesn't matter what that is, the world needs more of it. And it's something I wish I would have

Starting point is 00:13:38 known. You know, I went through that long career journey model for you. But I think you'll see where I tried to fit the mold of like, I'm going to work in marketing. Okay. Well, I want to do good. So I'm going to work in nonprofits. And it's like, if I had known that I could do both, I would have excelled so much sooner in my career, because now I feel like this is where I'm supposed to be in the work I'm supposed to be doing. So the world needs more of what you have, get out there and do it. If you have a passion, there is a job for it, especially in the marketing world. A hundred percent. I love it. Well, where can everybody find you follow along with what you're up to? Where are you on social? Tell us about that. Yeah. Come hang out. We are on socials, um, at good,

Starting point is 00:14:19 at good press club on all socials. And then me personally, I'm on Instagram at Lindsay Hobbinett. Um, so I'd love to have you follow along. I'd love to chat more. If you're doing good in the world, I want to hear about it. So visit goodpress.io for any other info. Fabulous. Thank you so much for joining me today. This has been so good. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Marketing Happy Hour podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please remember to subscribe, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. If you want more of Marketing Happy Hour, but don't know where to start, we invite you to download our free Marketing Happy Hour starter kit at marketing happy hr.com forward

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Marketing Happy Hour - Get Good Press for Your Good Work | Lindsey Habenicht of Good Press

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