Speaker 1: Hi Adventurers, welcome to Crown Pointers. Put your best foot forward with these pointers from PR expert, Anna Crow. Welcome, Anna. Thanks so much for having me. What is PR and how is it different than advertising or marketing? What exactly is it?

Speaker 2: Sure, that's a great question and it often gets confused with marketing, advertising in general, and I think my parents are still confused about what PR is and how it is that I'm doing it. But public relations, in a nutshell, is kind of the art of creating a strong, positive reputation and a brand. And it's really figuring out what your story is and communicating that story to the world. So it's creating that reputation, creating that trust, and getting that brand awareness and recognition so people know who you are and trust you.

Speaker 1: Perfect. So what are some things you've learned from all of your experience that apply to everyday people, not just celebrities? And I think we associate the big glasses and the dark tinted windows with PR, but I'm sure there's lessons that apply to all of us and how to put our best foot forward.

Speaker 2: Today we are on social media and we are way more accessible to people in general. And so any footprint that we have with a person, whether it's online or in person, we're communicating our brand. So who are we? What do we stand for? What's our mission? Our vision is all part of the persona. And that's the same thing for a company, same thing for a business. How you talk, how you act is all part of your brand. And so it's really essential, no matter what business you're in or whether you're just marketing yourself, if you're a writer, if you're a teacher, if you're a professor, if you're an attorney, understanding what your brand is and what is the message that you look to get out to the public and building that reputation based on what's important to you.

Speaker 1: How would you recommend balancing authenticity and being who you are and maybe the unpolished, imperfect self that you are with also projecting the brand that you're going for with your mission in life and who you are on the inside?

Speaker 2: So this is really important for me and to me. And I'll tell you why. I believe in transparency. I believe in being genuine. I believe in authenticity, maybe more so than your average person, probably to the extent that you believe in it as well.

Speaker 1: Especially for a PR person, that's really great.

Speaker 2: Exactly. And in the profession where we're trying to promote brands through PR, it's all about that genuine connection to the brand. Because you can't build trust when you're just putting a lot of layers on top. Because at the end of the day, you can fool people and you can be a fad and you can keep things going for a little bit, but at the end of the day, people are going to see who you really are. So for instance, from a brand standpoint, you could say, oh, I'm really into sustainability and it's really important to me. And you can say that message, but unless you're actually doing something, people are going to see that and not believe you. And they always say it takes 30 years to build a reputation and 30 seconds to take it away. Scary. Right. And to hurt it. And so we want to make sure that whatever we're putting out there is really authentic. And so balancing that authenticity with perhaps the desired brand that you want to be. And I think that just takes time. I think that takes time and a clear vision of what it is that you want to portray. And is that really true to you? And if it's not, think about it. Is that what you want to put out there?

Speaker 1: Is there a litmus test that you use in your personal life that comes from your expertise in PR that kind of allows you to know, how do I know if I want to share this? And what level of polish is needed before I put something out there?

Speaker 2: I think that I always go back to the Dr. Seuss quote, today you are you that is truer than true. There's no one alive that is you are the new. And I always think of that whatever I have to offer or somebody around me has to offer is genuinely original and authentic to them. And that's good because we all want to be different and we need to be different in order to grow together and to support one another and to add value. And I think that I've struggled with this just in my career because I started my career in a completely different profession. And I found my way from working towards the CPA track at Deloitte to running a PR firm on a different coast. But I always had this inner voice that tells me, I want to do something different. I'm going to try it one step at a time. And I'm going to test it. And every day is a new opportunity to test something and try something different and maybe be more comfortable with sharing something. At the end of the day now that I've been working for over 20 years or nearly 20 years, whatever it is, I think, you know what? This is who I am. And this is what's important to me. And people should find that out. And if that doesn't work for them, that's okay. Because there are enough people in the world, there are enough companies in the world that you're going to find that rhythm and you're going to be succinct. And a lot of times the clients we take on and the partners we collaborate with, I want to make sure that we genuinely connect too. And then we have very similar core values. And so I do a gut check where the litmus test you mentioned is around core values. Are we in alignment? It doesn't mean we have to believe the same exact stuff on all levels. But if we have a couple of things that are just so different, maybe with not the right

Speaker 1: partners.

Speaker 2: Right. So that to me is the test. Or people that I meet in my personal life, same. You look back at some people that may have been in your life 10, 20 years ago and who are no longer there and the same people who are still there. And it's just continuously taking a look at who am I, what's important to me, what's important to that person and making sure we're in alignment.

Speaker 1: Are there any other pointers that you would want to share about how to put our best foot forward when it comes to our personal or our business lives?

Speaker 2: I think that, at least for me, and I'll just do an experience share. I think every day presents us with a new opportunity. And if you did something wrong one day and you feel like you failed, even if it's a small failure, before I go to bed, I think about what can I do better and how can I improve? But I wake up with a brand new energy and I think today I can do it better. And I'm sure I'm going to fail at something else, big, big or small. But I take that as a learn, an opportunity to learn. And I say tomorrow's another day. And if today everything's just falling apart, that's okay. Because it's an opportunity for me to grow, to learn as an individual, to be better at professionally, personally, and do it all over tomorrow in a better way.

Speaker 1: That's really encouraging advice. Thank you, Anna. Of course. So Anna Crowe is the founder and CEO of Crowe PR. And I'm going to link up her website below. They are an award-winning PR agency and specialize in branding. Tell us a little bit about it.

Speaker 2: Sure. We essentially specialize in building reputations and brand awareness for clients. And we work in the health and wellness, technology, hospitality, and food and beverage spaces. Perfect.

Speaker 1: So check them out for sure. And then while you're down there, in the comments section, let us know what you do to start your day fresh and put your best self forward every day. As always, if you want to receive a weekly pointer for the adventure of everyday life, subscribe. And thanks, everybody. Thank you.