Most publicists will tell you the press release is dead. Kristen Skladd, a former broadcast journalist who launched her own PR agency in 2020, thinks that couldn’t be further from the truth … and she has the receipts. She estimates more than half the time she pitches a journalist, the story runs in her exact wording, straight from the release she wrote.
Kristen and Jeff get into why a press release is really about nailing your messaging, how to find the “nuggets” worth covering when you don’t have a record sale to announce, and the newsjacking tactic that inserts you into trending stories. They also cover newswire distribution (EIN vs. the pricier PR Newswire), why those pickups now matter as much for AI search as they do for backlinks, the foundation work to do before you pitch anyone, and the one shortcut reporters spot instantly: letting ChatGPT write the release for you.
https://kmsgroup.co/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenskladd
About the host:
Jeff Hamm is a real estate broker with Ivester Jackson | Christie’s International Real Estate, serving Lake Norman & Charlotte, North Carolina and Banner Elk, North Carolina. He specializes in luxury, waterfront, mountain, and investment property, with a focus on buyer representation. He is also the founder and host of The Best of LKN and Banner Elk Living.
Learn more and contact Jeff:
LKNreal.com
BannerElkLiving.com
Jeff Hamm is a North Carolina real estate broker with Ivester Jackson | Christie’s International Real Estate, serving two of the state’s most sought-after markets: Lake Norman and Banner Elk and the greater High Country. He specializes in luxury and second-home property, from Lake Norman’s waterfront, golf, and lakefront communities to High Country communities including The Lodges at Eagles Nest, Elk River Club, Farm at Banner Elk, Diamond Creek, and Echota. He also works with buyers of condominiums, homes in active adult and family-friendly neighborhoods, and short-term rental and investment properties. His focus is buyer representation, where his relationships with each region’s top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.
Jeff is also the founder and host of two local media platforms, The Best of LKN (since 2020) and Banner Elk Living. Each includes a podcast and newsletter that spotlight the area’s most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide and Banner Elk Guide, produces regular market reports for both regions, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network and the Banner Elk Business Network.