Working in an in-house B2B public relations and communications role differs from working at an agency or as a consultant. Priorities differ. What keeps an in-house pro up at night?
We’ll address questions including:
- How do in-house pros work across teams like product marketing, sales, investor relations, and legal?
- Which metrics actually earn credibility with the C-suite?
- How do in-house pros engage executives and other thought leaders in crafting narratives?
- What do in-house pros look for in their external partners?
- And more
My guest is Gina Rau, VP of Communications and PR at 6sense.
Show summary:
In this episode of PR Explored, host Michelle Garrett interviews Gina Rau on PR Explored about B2B PR and comms from an in-house perspective.
Rau recounts her “bowl of spaghetti” career across B2C and B2B, agency and in-house roles, and argues that broad experience helps partnership across marketing.
She contrasts in-house work—deeper company knowledge, broader responsibilities (internal/executive comms, thought leadership, organic social), heavy meetings, and greater accountability for consequences—with agency context-switching across accounts and the discipline agencies teach.
They discuss cross-team alignment challenges (stakeholder “word salad”), the accelerated pace in tech/AI, and PR’s growing importance as content shapes LLM/GEO visibility.
Rau emphasizes measuring business impact (pipeline influence, executive visibility, meaningful product coverage) and shares a McDonald’s campaign that used an economic impact study to change local perceptions.
They close on agency selection criteria, executive thought leadership on LinkedIn, and career advice to assess role and environment fit.
00:00 Welcome and Introductions
01:24 Gina Career Journey
02:55 Generalist Versus Specialist
04:47 In-House Versus Agency
10:50 Agency Skills and Rigor
15:03 Cross-Team Alignment
17:28 AI Pace and Comms
19:46 PR Role in AI Era
25:51 Proving PR Impact
29:20 Reputation and Day One List
31:24 Internal Alignment Challenges
33:50 Scaling Internal Alignment
34:44 Messaging Changes Overdrive
35:41 Choosing Great Partners
38:17 Chemistry And Collaboration
40:51 Agency Partner Pushback Story
43:33 Meet The Real Team
45:13 McDonald’s Perception Turnaround
52:25 Listening Before Influence
53:18 Authentic Executive Thought Leadership
58:46 Career Advice And Closing
Show notes:
Follow Gina Rau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginarau/
Full transcript:
B2B PR and Comms From an In-House Perspective
Michelle Garrett: [00:00:00] Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of PR Explored, a video podcast where we delve into trends and topics related to public relations. I’m your host, Michelle Garrett, a PR consultant and writer, and today Gina Rau is with me, and I’m so happy to have her here today. Hello, Gina.
Gina Rau: Hey, Michelle. I am so happy to be here.
Michelle Garrett: Yay. So we have known each other a number of years, but,
Gina Rau: Too many to count.
Michelle Garrett: But I, and I have always, followed your career and, I always feel you you, have it together. you’ve put the- … work in and you know what you’re doing.
And so I am just really pleased to, to have you here today. And I would love if you would just catch us up, maybe tell us a little bit about you and your background- I’m sure, for people that don’t know, and I’ll [00:01:00] put your LinkedIn over here for them to also check out.
Gina Rau: Great. Thank you. I’m glad I come off as having my stuff together.
that’s great. That’s great, to have that reputation. we won’t talk about whether or not I actually do have all my stuff together. but I am thrilled to be here. Thank you so much for inviting me. as I said earlier, this feels just like a, a conversation, catching up with an old friend. so I talk about my career as a little bit like a bowl of spaghetti.
I, I don’t, think my career has ever looked like a, a nice li- little linear, chart. I have, spent time, in the B2C. I started in the B2C side, working, at, on the agency side, but in B2C for, McDonald’s and Taco Bell. a lot of AOR, counter- agency of record, work.
And then, I’ve been in-house, I’ve been in technology. I had my own company. I’ve [00:02:00] worked with small, 12-person early-stage startups. I’ve worked, with a lot of founders and solo entrepreneurs when I had my own business. I’ve led a marketing team at a $25 million company. and now I’m at, a company called 6sense.
We’re in B2B tech. We’re global but headquartered in San Francisco. I’m fortunate to be able to work, work remote. and, yeah, that’s, that, I think that’s, I think that’s most of my career, the bowl of spaghetti.
Generalist Versus Specialist
Michelle Garrett: No, I… But that’s the best way, right? because I- Yeah … when I talk to new, young professionals, I’m always like, “Don’t get too set on any, one thing early on,” ’cause you have to try some things to find out what you do, and more importantly, don’t enjoy doing, and what, you know-
Gina Rau: what
Michelle Garrett: you’re bad at and what you’re good at.
Gina Rau: Totally. I’ve, I don’t remember when or why I did this, but I took some sort of [00:03:00] survey one time, it was probably, at Indeed or something, or some career thing, where, you got into your discipline, like marketing, communications, and then it had you, check all the boxes within marketing that, and communications, that you had experience in.
And I think I had selected every single box but one paid. And I thought, is this good?” Am, am I, should I care about being a specialist versus a generalist? And now when I look back at my bowl of spaghetti career, I feel like I really believe that the breadth of my experience, the in-house, the agency s- agency side, the B2C, the B2B, big brands like McDonald’s, tiny little solopreneurs, that has provided so many experiences.
I’ve tried so many things. I, I… Even the things that I’ve tried before and didn’t work out so well, [00:04:00] with a twist, they, I, can call upon those experiences and be like, “You know what? That thing that failed that one time, I think it actually could work here.” I also, because I’ve done so much in marketing, I, I feel like I, I play well with my marketing peers.
I understand what’s really important to them, because I’ve sat in their shoes. I don’t know. I feel like it has benefited me. May not be for everyone, but it has definitely benefited me, my career.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah. And it keeps it interesting, right? Because, Totally.
Gina Rau: Yeah.
Michelle Garrett: I think-
Gina Rau: I’d get bored …
Michelle Garrett: Yeah, I know.
That’s what I’m thinking of. I was having that conversation with somebody not too long ago. It’s like, you kinda, at some point you, you’ve gotta find ways to keep it fresh for yourself because it’s like- it’s important, yeah. So today, we are going to be talking about B2B PR and comms from an in-house perspective, because obviously now in this point in your career, you’re, you bring that and, [00:05:00] but I, but obviously, we could talk about any, any number of things.
and I just feel like this is a topic that is important because I think it is different when you are a consultant or work for an agency- versus in-house. and I do think that sometimes we, many of, us may not always remember what it was like. I, did it, but it’s been a while for me, so
Gina Rau: It is quick, it’s easy to forget.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah. and sometimes you maybe you want to forget. There are things that you don’t want to remember. True. About, more from my agency life than my in-house life probably. but we, that’s not what we’re talking about today.
Gina Rau: No. No. I, it’s funny, I hear, I, I mentor some, some early in their career people and, that is one of the most common questions that I get.
In-House Versus Agency
“What’s the [00:06:00] difference between being in-house and agency?” And I think there’s some things that, everyone tells you like, “Oh, when you’re in-house you have to go really deep. You have to know everything about the product or everything about the company.” And yes, that’s totally true.
I think, a few other differences though that people don’t always think about is, like, when you’re an in-house, you’re, closer to the consequences.
so- Oh … if, if a reporter doesn’t respect, let’s say an embargo, or if they get details wrong, you’re in the hot seat. You’re getting called into an executive meeting. if, if something goes out before sal- sales is enabled, you’re in the hot seat. if, If you applied to an award or submitted it for an award and they told you that your annual revenue would not be published and [00:07:00] it gets published, you’re getting a 6:00 AM call from a CFO.
Yikes. “What the heck? how do we get that taken down?” I think you’re just so much closer to the hot seat, and the consequences of things that are so- that, as are out of your control. Yeah. Someone doesn’t like a headline- Yeah … you get the phone call. At the same time, I think you’re also closer to the wins.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah.
Gina Rau: We, we always wanna celebrate with our agency friends, our agency partners, but sometimes, like internally, they don’t know the agents- they may not know the agency partners. And you’re closer to the wins. I also think it’s… The context switching is real when you’re on the agency side, I, when I was on the agency side, I always had the benefit of only working on one account.
And so I did not have to juggle a lot of-
Michelle Garrett: Okay …
Gina Rau: varied and different accounts. But [00:08:00] I hear from a lot of my peers, oh my gosh, six, seven, eight accounts at a time. that would, that just blows my mind. internally, when you’re in-house, there’s still a lot of context switching. my calendar would frighten you if I pulled it up right now.
I, can be in back to back meetings for five, six, seven, eight hours. And so you’re context switching, but you’re… I’m still talking about Six Sense. I’m still talking about our product and, our people, whatever it is. So there, there’s focus, but there’s still some context switching.
It’s not like I’m talking about Six Sense, and then I’m thinking about, another totally different account- like, all in the same day. I think for me that would be hard. It feels like it would be hard, maybe not.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah …
Gina Rau: but I think those are some of the differences that come to mind for me.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah, no, I definitely think it’s different because, you can go, [00:09:00] really deep, but then yeah, you’re the one that’s holding the bag if something, goes off the rails. which I mean, the agency would be held responsible maybe too, but not in the same- Totally … like
Gina Rau: It’s… Yeah, it’s just, it’s a little different.
It’s a little different. I think, I was also just thinking as you were saying that, when you’re in-house, as you grow in your career, your, purview expands. And so if you are someone who loves media relations-
Michelle Garrett: Yeah …
Gina Rau: you eventually get pulled into other things. It starts slowly. “Oh, why don’t you also take on, this thing?”
That.
my role today, I didn’t say this at the top, of our conversation, but my role today includes so much more beyond media relations. It’s, internal communications, it’s executive communications, it’s thought leadership, it’s, organic social, and a host of other things that I get [00:10:00] involved in, from day to day.
So I think if you are, on the agency side-
you’re, and you’re at a PR agency, you are mostly working with media relations and thought leadership, like in that space. And I think in-house, you get pulled in other directions.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah …
Gina Rau: and that’s just a consideration. I- Yeah
I lo- again, I love that. Not everyone does.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah. No, I know what you’re saying ’cause it’s, I think it just, is, it adds a level of, a layer of complexity almost to it. Like- it’s not like- You’re doing the same kind of thing every day. It’s prob- every day is probably- a little bit different,
Gina Rau: Oh, for sure. Well- Oh, for sure.
Michelle Garrett: So I, but I think it’s good to have the agency experience, maybe as a young pro. I did my agency experience right before I went out as a consultant, so I had been- [00:11:00] working a while when I did it, and that was pretty painful for me. So I don’t know, I don’t know.
it’s good
Gina Rau: to have- I think it… Yeah, I think there’s a discipline a- on the agency side that is really beneficial for young people, starting their, PR career. especially if you’re, I had the benefit of working at, larger agencies when I was on the agency side, and so there was just all this discipline, the way an agency brainstorms or the way an agency does their project management, processes.
sometimes when you go into a company, maybe that, those processes don’t exist. I’ve been in, startups where I was building the things, you know, when I got there. And so if I hadn’t had that experience, I would not even know where to start. And so I think there’s a discipline and a rigor on the agency side that is really beneficial
Michelle Garrett: and it does teach you how to switch [00:12:00] gears and, you know- juggle a lot of balls and, that was, I think, what was difficult, most difficult for me was just trying to, you, have, a layer of bosses you have, Your client, and then you have your boss, and then, y- So it’s just, and, trying to please everyone is pr- it can be stressful.
That’s, that was my biggest, takeaway from that, just, yeah.
Gina Rau: Totally. Totally. But, but also, I think that’s good experience. I remember w- when, at one agency in particular, we had some challenging clients, and, every time, they were, their offices were literally across this, mega eight, eight, eight-lane highway.
so it took us, 20 minutes just to drive there. But before we would, I was, like, account supervisor, and so before we would go over to meet with a client, our, our account director would sit down with us like, “Okay,” [00:13:00] “Let’s run through the challenges you’re gonna get, the pushback, the, the, the questions and everything, and, how are you gonna answer, and what are you gonna say?”
And, the, part of the job that is, handling those difficult conversations, standing up for what’s right, being the person in the room who can shine the mirror and say, “This is the right thing to do,” or, challenge objections, whatever. Like, when you’re early in your career, that is, it is hard, it is painful, it is so uncomfortable, but it’s really great experience.
And I think on the in-house, I still use a lot of those skills, because sometimes, y- especially, as you grow in your career and you get, you, you earn yourself a seat at the executive table, you’re often the person in the room that they look to for, “Okay, what’s the risk if we do this thing?”
Or what’s the sentiment, gonna be if we say this instead of this, or if we do this and not that. [00:14:00] you’re there to be the voice of the outside market-
Michelle Garrett: Yeah …
Gina Rau: and, the protector of their reputation. whatever it is. And being comfortable being uncomfortable is really important and valuable in those kind of conversations.
it’s why I’m sometimes in a room.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah. And I think that’s great. and, if a company actually does bring in, its, its, PR comms council, on, as part of that team, I think that’s, that’s the way it should be. And I feel like now, maybe we’re getting a little bit more, I guess respect in that way.
‘Cause I feel like sometimes- Yeah … in the past it was more like they would say something and then bring in, the comms team to, clean up the mess or- deal with the aftermath. And now I think there’s maybe, hopefully, not always, but sometimes a little bit more forethought about that,
Gina Rau: I think so. [00:15:00] I think so.
Cross Team Alignment
Michelle Garrett: Yeah. let’s talk about how in-house pros work across teams, because I feel when I was in-house, I was best friends with, our sales team often. and of course, I had to be in sync with investor relations, the legal team, and of course product marketing.
That was a vital part if, when, whenever we had a product to launch- all that. So I just feel like, that maybe presents a challenge, but… Or let’s just talk about that a little bit.
Gina Rau: Maybe. I love the way you said that, how your voice went up, three, levels. it can. It totally can.
I remember, one of the first product focused press releases I worked on, this was so many lives ago, I quickly learned how pieces of content, especially a press release, becomes a word salad [00:16:00] because you have so many stakeholders and everyone has an opinion, and if they haven’t aligned on those opinions before you actually put words on a piece of paper to become a press release, as everyone reviews it, every single reviewer has an opinion and they like certain words.
“I wanna say this, not this.” “I wanna say use, not leverage,” or whatever it is. and what you get back, especially like in this age of shared Google Docs or whatever, becomes what I call word salad. Like you don’t even recognize the main point anymore. so I think, yeah, we have to partner, with, the entire, across the entire organization.
There’s not a, there’s not a team I don’t work with on a, weekly basis depending on what’s going on, to make sure that… I, would say most of the time is to make sure that we’re aligned in the narrative. ‘Cause if we’re aligned in the narrative, that would [00:17:00] cover the words, that would cover the strategy- that would cover the audience and what’s important to them and what we’re going after. that would include our reasons to believe that we’re going to include the proof points. if we’re aligned in the narrative, I have a lot of faith that we can, most quickly, most easily, most efficiently get to the outcomes that we want.
but it’s, it’s not always hard and I think in this age of AI where engineering development is h- is having, is, they’re able to work faster, they’re pushing products out faster. I look across the, the market and, there is so much newness every day. I remember there was like a, I don’t know, a period of time probably last year where, this, this Slack community that I’m within, there’s a woman there who, [00:18:00] keeps the group informed on AI advancements and there was a period of time last year where every single day there was a new big announcement.
And of course, I always think there’s a comms team behind that. There is someone trying to figure out like what does the thing do from the product team and what are we trying to say about the thing from the product marketing team? And h- is sales enabled? there’s someone, there’s a comms person behind those daily messages trying to just keep up.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah.
Gina Rau: And, yeah, it’s a challenge.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah. Absolutely. the AI space in general is just- So full.
Gina Rau: It’s moving fast. It’s moving really fast. And I think, for all of us in tech comms, that means, we’re trying to stay ahead, we’re trying to, lead the way, lead the market, prime the market for what we’re about to announce or do.
And, when we’re [00:19:00] moving that fast, it’s… Man, your pace has gotta be faster. I’m like… I’m in, the four and a half mile, runner- … bucket right now in a marathon. It’s fast.
Michelle Garrett: I just
Gina Rau: feel- But it’s exciting.
Michelle Garrett: I feel for the reporters because it, it’s clear to me- Oh my gosh … that they just can’t possibly keep up with every bit of news from every company, that’s in that space.
Because it’s, just, Yeah, I, don’t know. It seems, u- unprecedented in my view, but I don’t know. it doesn’t seem to be slowing down, that’s for sure.
Gina Rau: I, don’t think we’re gonna see a slowdown there, Michelle, for- Okay … I don’t even know how long. I think this might be just how it is.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah.
Gina Rau: Yeah.
PR’s Role in the AI Era
Michelle Garrett: we’ll see. and, on that note, d- what do you… what would you say about, do you think that, PR is becoming… We touched on this a little bit. Is it becoming more important to the overall, marketing [00:20:00] communication strategy?
Gina Rau: I think so. I think, you hinted at this earlier, the role of PR, in terms of, business outcomes have shifted.
Yeah. I think with everything, with LLMs and AEO, GEO, whatever y- you know, what- however you, call it, the, the … Everyone is using AI in their life and work in some way, even if we don’t realize it. And with LLMs learning about companies, and their products, and their services, and their people, they’re out there crawling the Wikipedias, looking at what people are saying on Reddit, on review sites like your G2s of the world and that’s how they’re learning.
And so if, our buyers are relying on these LLMs to help navigate the buyer’s journey, companies need to be [00:21:00] training those LLMs on, on the things we want them to know. it’s so important that they, the, the LLMs and the tools that we’re using have factual, reliable, timely information.
And a lot of times that is coming from the, the works of, PR professionals, whether it’s a, a news publication, or our blog, or thought leadership on LinkedIn. those are … That’s, that’s the content that they’re, that are … is training these LLMs. And so I think our, profession has earned a seat at the, at the, big marketing table, and, we’re
Our role has shifted a little bit. when, we … For example, when we go to quarterly business reviews- I’m bringing in our GEO information. Like how are we doing with GEO visibility? Where can we improve? I don’t always own the channels maybe that, [00:22:00] can improve our visibility, but I bring in that information.
And so it’s just, it’s a different role I believe that PR plays, within marketing and communication- given a lot of the advancements in technology. I also think there’s just so much more, I don’t know, potential to impact the business when we’re closely aligned with the rest of marketing.
Michelle Garrett: yes. I- but again, I feel like sometimes PR just gets shoved in the corner or treated as, just not the, not, as vital of a piece of the overall marketing program. And so that’s why, I feel like-
the AI, the LLMs have helped us, get to where we should have been all along, but anyway.
Gina Rau: I think so. I also wonder sometimes if people, m- maybe internally don’t understand what we do. [00:23:00] what it takes to go from, oh, we’re gonna release a product or we’re gonna, do a thing that we want to make an announcement about, and then all of a sudden it just appears in a, on Forbes or, Business Wire or wherever.
Yeah. or, an executive just, publishes a LinkedIn post. Like I don’t, I think to so many people even within marketing, our closest peers, sometimes like what we do is just mystical or magical. Yeah. how did you do that? because it is so very different than many other areas within marketing.
Michelle Garrett: And the education is such a big piece I think always. And, I have that conversation a lot too. It’s like does that ever end? And it’s no, because just trying to get them to understand, and then once, we think we know what we’re doing then the, the game changes and we’re doing, we’re, we may have to change up, our approach a little bit, but generally I do feel like- [00:24:00] what we have been doing is going to benefit companies that have been doing that. It’s gonna benefit them in showing up-
in, in the GEO, results- and all of that. So I feel like that’s, good, for companies that have been, and if they haven’t been, then they need to be starting like yesterday.
Gina Rau: Yeah. Oh, yeah, for sure. a lot… The other thing I do, first of all, I think I’m really fortunate to work with great marketing peers. and I always, I try, I probably don’t always do this, but I try to, if I’m gonna give, a shout-out, if I’m gonna… I, publicizing our PR outcomes is- Yep … the thing that none of us are good at. we are really great at promoting and publicizing our company or our leaders or our product, whatever. We’re not good at, it’s like PR for the PR or marketing for marketing. none of us are good at it. [00:25:00] But I think when I share, either, a great win or an outcome, whatever, in like a, a marketing Slack channel, let’s say, I try to remember to let everyone know, what it took to get this, maybe all the hoops, all the, the 12 approvals in 24 hours or, you know, whatever it took, and then how it actually impacts the business.
Yeah … what goal this helps attribute to or, impact, how it contributes to our LLM visibility. whatever it is- Yeah … be- because I think sometimes people don’t realize, I think, It’s hard to see those top of funnel, impacts and wins- and how they actually impact, the business outcomes that we’re looking for.
Proving PR Impact
Michelle Garrett: And that’s perfect. A perfect segue because- …
I want to talk about measurement because I feel like- we’re often asked to provide, [00:26:00] metrics to meet KPIs or, whatever. And I just feel like, what is actually… What does the suite actually… What do they want to see, or what moves the needle, or what, what do you think about that?
Gina Rau: So I think we’ve all tracked share of voice throughout our career.
Or, how many articles we landed or, whatever it is. the quantity, the quantitative, measure of activities, which, you know, like the number of press releases or the number of something. And-
Michelle Garrett: Yeah
Gina Rau: sometimes we do that. we do report on share of voice. We do report on reach and impressions and, social engagement. That is, not what I hang my hat on, though. we also track quality. Are we getting in the right publications that matter to our, our targeted audience?
I don’t… If, [00:27:00] an article about our technology never appears in People magazine, I’m okay with that. Yes. Nothing against People magazine. It’s my t- it’s, it’s my favorite publication when I’m going on a long trip, but, i- if we’re not talked about it, that, that’s okay. I’m okay with that.
so I look for quality publication. Is it a quality article? did they, did they just rearrange my press release, or did they actually take the time to understand what we’re trying to do, and was their message pull through? All of that. but what I hang my hat on is, how are we impacting the business?
And at, 6sense we use multi-touch attribution, and so we’re able to see, especially, for organic social, how are we impacting pipeline? How are we influencing pipeline? that I look at quite a bit. I look at, executive visibility. Are, are our executives getting the right opportunities?
Are we getting the inbound requests? are we-
Michelle Garrett: Yeah …
Gina Rau: are we getting [00:28:00] product coverage? Are we getting meaningful product coverage? Product coverage is so hard. introducing a new AI something is, not earning a lot of coverage these days, so when we do, and we’ve been really fortunate to have since, over the past five years that I’ve been here.
and I… Those are the kind of things that I look at. the, the thing is, the closer you get to impacting the business, the more credibility you earn with the CF- CFO. And having business acumen and understanding what’s important to the business helps, but proving how you’re impacting the business, it’s, it is what really matters.
That’s what I care most about.
Michelle Garrett: And it’s hard though. I think, it might be easier when you have, y- you’re overseeing a, a lot of different, not just PR obviously- Yes … but, ’cause I feel like PR ladders up to something bigger, [00:29:00] right? it’s, part of a campaign or part of a marketing program.
But it’s not the only- thing. And so I think that’s where sometimes I think when we’re asked from a PR perspective to measure or, prove, our worth, it’s, it can be difficult.
Gina Rau: It can be. I know. at, i- in, in the seat I sit in now, my, my ultimate responsibility is company reputation.
what is, what are the audiences that we care about, what do they believe about us?
Michelle Garrett: Okay.
Gina Rau: And so I think about my role as shaping belief. and to be honest, the, the media is really ex- i- is very important. but I always start with employees. if employees don’t believe what we’re gonna go tell the media, I don’t have a chance at changing reputation or changing or impacting how people believe.
I gotta, I, we, the message has to be believable internally first. and so I think about my role, [00:30:00] if we really wanna have this reputation where we are, on someo- on some buyer’s day one list, 90% of the time a buyer has a day one list, a, a short list of vendors that they’re gonna research, and 80% of the time the chosen vendor, was on that top day one list They stay the top favorite and they win the deal.
And and that comes from our own research. so if I wanna make that day one shortlist, I need to be top of mind. We need to have a reputation for, what we do and who we do it for and what kind of outcomes we can provide a buyer. And so when I think about that, that’s… that’s my ultimate goal.
I wanna make someone’s day one list. And so earning that reputation, so AI visibility is super important, ’cause the LLMs are part of that buyer journey now. [00:31:00] They may not inform the day one list, but they’re part of it. publications, what people are saying on LinkedIn, what people are saying on G2 review sites, like they- that’s all part of shaping that reputation, shaping and informing what people believe about your company and your product.
Internal Alignment Challenges
Michelle Garrett: Yes. Very yes. I agree. so let’s talk about, We’ve talked a little bit about this, but internal alignment. what, i- what… Is there any kind of a challenge that, is more time-consuming than, the people- that don’t, that work at an agency or work outside of a company would expect?
Gina Rau: I’ve mentioned the meetings. There’s a lot of meetings. I think, in, I said I hinted at this earlier, but right now [00:32:00] with AI and technology just moving so quickly, getting the messaging and the narrative and positioning right takes a little bit, It doesn’t take longer ’cause you don’t have the time.
You don’t have the time to allow it to take longer.
It takes more s- it takes a few more cycles And I hear this from my peers who work inside companies that are like, leading innovators. the number of, cycles to get or the number of revs of the messaging doc, to get to something final, has increased.
And I also hear from some of my peers that, that the evolution of their positioning and messaging i- is, happening. I’ve, got a couple peers, I didn’t ask for permission to talk about them, so I won’t talk about… I won’t give them as examples, but, or call them out by name, but, they’re in, [00:33:00] AI native companies where the positioning is changing, quarterly.
And so when you think about your positioning changing quarterly, that impacts s- not just the high level company positioning, but that j- that’s a waterfall of everything that impacts. everything that you have to go back and, make sure did, the sales enablement get updated? Did the, did contracts get up- everything that touches everything.
And so I think for if you’re working in technology right now in-house, just keeping up with how you’re talking about the innovation is, is a different pace than it was maybe two years ago before, before the sort of AI evolution. and then of course, keeping everyone aligned internally.
you’re sitting through a lot of enablement. you’re bringing people along. And I think that’s the most important [00:34:00] thing right now is how are we bringing our internal people along-
when things are moving so quickly? a- alignment is one thing amongst the leaders who are making the decisions.
Alignment across a large organization, when I think of like a larger organization like Anthropic or Microsoft or Google, like these big organizations- bringing tens of thousands of employees along that journey at the same time so that all the, everyone is speaking or singing from the same song sheet.
Yeah. That’s a lift.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah.
Gina Rau: That is a significant lift.
Michelle Garrett: That’s… I don’t know. But
Gina Rau: critical.
Michelle Garrett: the, the… When you talk about changing messaging quarterly, that’s I don’t, that kind of makes my head explode because I’m like, how would you keep up with that,
Gina Rau: I was talking to a peer recently who, [00:35:00] Who said, who, who was talking about the spreadsheet that they have with, the versions of all their messaging docu…
It could be ’cause keeping track of everything, keeping track of all the artifacts that need to be updated. and, they’re updating actually on a monthly basis, because they’re releasing on a monthly basis. what they, what… She was telling me, what they will… She does not yet know what they’ll release, Q1 of next year, but she knows that the positioning will change.
Michelle Garrett: That is crazy. That’s crazy.
Gina Rau: I know. I know. It blows my mind
Choosing Great Partners – Hiring a Consultant or Agency
Michelle Garrett: Oh, gosh. let’s spend a little time talking, ’cause I, to me, this is important, so I hope other people think it’s an important question as well. Sure. What do in-house pros look for- in their internal partners? So if you’re gonna hire a consultant or an agency- what do you, what really stands out to you?
Gina Rau: [00:36:00] Sure. I think there are some, just basic things that you look for. do they have a sense of the land- do they know the landscape? Do they know the environment, the industry? we’re, in MarTech, RevOps.
d- do they know that? H- how, like, how much do I have to educate them?
of course, when you hire a new partner, you, there will be an education period. But, like- how much do I need to educate them? Like, where’s our starting point? the closer it is to far along, the better.
And just, I think the easier lift, the, faster they’re gonna be able… when I work with a new partner, I want them to have some early wins, and early wins are easier when that ramp-up is, c- can be condensed or shorter. And so I look for, like, where’s our starting point of their knowledge base?
I wanna know what their reputation is in the market, wanna make sure that, they’ve, [00:37:00] the individual relationships with reporters matter, matter- but less, what’s their reputation? are they known for doing great work? Are they known for really partnering with, with, their clients and with reporters?
I look for things like, will they bring us opportunities, but also tell us when an opportunity is not right? Will they be the pers- you know, the, party in the room that will say the, uncomfortable things that no one else in the room wants to say? in previous lives, I’ve worked, when I was in-house, we were sometimes brought in- When, let’s say, a CMO knew that she was being asked to do something that wasn’t the right thing.
But she didn’t have the political capital, and so the agency was brought in to, [00:38:00] make the bold recommendation that this isn’t the right thing to do and here’s why.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah.
Gina Rau: and, that’s a good agency partner, someone who will stand up and do the right thing and not just go along with what, everyone thinks is the right thing to do.
I also look for, who are the people that we’re gonna work with on a day-to-day basis and do we have some chemistry? we don’t need to be besties, but- Yeah … are we gonna wanna work together? Yeah. I think whether it’s people like that, our coworkers and colleagues that we work with together in-house, on our team or across the org, are they…
and I think about people who we partner with too, are they the kind of people that we wanna seek out when we have a new project? When a new opportunity comes my way, anyone’s way, we, think about, who do I wanna work with on this? who’s gonna be a good thought partner? Who’s gonna be reliable?
Who’s gonna, bring [00:39:00] their very best? Like, all that. Yeah. I want people that I, I wanna work with. And, vice versa. I wanna be the be- I tell every single partner, “I wanna be your number one client. Tell me what it’s gonna take to be your number one client.”
Michelle Garrett: Yeah …
Gina Rau: does that mean, does that mean I show up on meetings to time?
that’s a low bar. I am habitually like two minutes late to meetings, but- … I will show up. where’s the bar to be your top client? because that’s, what we wanna be. and not bec- not for any, I don’t know. M- I don’t know what the wrong reasons would be to be that, but, we all, I wanna be the kind of people that other, that our partners, wanna work with too.
So I think chemist- chemistry is real important.
Michelle Garrett: That’s, I love to hear you say that, ’cause I think a lot of times it’s obviously about okay, we want them to be, on top of their game, but we’re just gonna hire them and then we’re [00:40:00] gonna let disappear. and that, that will not work.
for me that doesn’t work. I, need a collaborative relationship. I don’t need, a client that’s gonna, w- like hover over me or anything, but I do need their input, their feedback. We need to meet regularly, we need to be talking. I, ’cause I wanna be, like part of the team, and I want them to trust me and look at me as, a resource that is valuable- to them. So I feel like, if more companies went into it that way saying, “What can we do to be your favorite client?” ’cause I think obviously, all consultants or agencies probably have their favorites. Oh, they all do. Yes. Then, that would be a, it would ma- be a different, situation I think.
‘Cause a lot of times it’s not like that,
Gina Rau: It’s, it’s too often not. I remember, I was on the agency side, at a big brochure company, and, we were doing a big launch, huge brand, [00:41:00] rebrand launch. And the CEO, we, were doing like a, a road show and, going to different markets.
And at our first stop the CEO got on stage to introduce us and, I’m waiting all mic’d up to go and present the new brand and everything and- He started introducing us in this way that did not sound very flattering. He was like, when we started this agency relationship, I wanted, I wanted the agency…
I had a vision of what I wanted from this agency. And, this, this agency,” again, I’m not gonna say names because, I did not ask for permission, they actually didn’t follow the path I wanted them to. In fact,” and he points to me, “She got us in, it was, it was a, it was, an environment that the C-suite had not actually gone and, shopped in their [00:42:00] stores.”
Michelle Garrett: Oh, dear. “
Gina Rau: And so they didn’t have that experience, of of the consumer. And I made them do that, and they… they fought really hard against it, but I made them do that.” And so he, and he called, so he called me out as I’m getting ready to stay, step on stage, already full of ner- nerves. He’s like, “And she made me, dress in plainclothes, like in disguise, and go into, go into the stores-
and do these things. And, it was not what I wanted. I really just thought, they were gonna just kinda do what we asked them to do, and they did not. They did not just, call in our orders and do what we wanted them to do, but they pushed us. They pushed us. they pushed the boundaries.
They made us think beyond what we thought was possible. And, we ended up in this big, bold place.” And it was like, “Oh, okay, now I can breathe.” But, that’s a good agency partner. And, they, and like that’s what he said on stage, that makes a good agency partner, when they’re willing to do, [00:43:00] willing to push, for the right thing that’s a great agency partner.
Michelle Garrett: It’s risky though, right? on the agency side or the- Yeah … consultant side sometimes- ’cause you have to know where you stand, I think, before maybe you start. You
Gina Rau: do. You do, yes.
Michelle Garrett: Before you give any kind of, you know- … recommendations that might be viewed as, something, cringey.
But, they’re not necessarily cringey, but yeah, they might just think of that way.
Gina Rau: Yeah …
Michelle Garrett: the other point that you made that, and I’m taking notes, is the day-to-day. Because I think sometimes, obviously we’ve worked at agencies, we know how this is, and it, I think, this is just the way it always is.
They bring in the big guns to land the account, and then- Yes … you’re working with entirely different, folks- that may or may not have as much experience, probably not. [00:44:00] And not that there’s anything wrong with that at all. However, I do think it’s important to just know that, and, then- It
Gina Rau: is
Michelle Garrett: factor that when you’re talking to, providers.
Gina Rau: Oh, it totally is. Yeah. I, would not work with an agency partner if I couldn’t meet the team ahead of time.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah.
Gina Rau: Yeah.
Michelle Garrett: And there is turnover too, often in agencies. There
Gina Rau: is. I know. Yeah. I know. Or account movements, whatever it is. I- Yeah … I, know.
Michelle Garrett: You might
Gina Rau: get- And that’s hard.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah. You might get really used to relying on a certain person that you just love to work with, and then they might leave or yeah, change to another account or something. So-
Gina Rau: I know …
Michelle Garrett: anyway, it’s, yeah, it’s always good to know who you’re gonna be working with. And then it’s always good to have that collaborative, work environment, that work relationship.
So that’s… thank you for saying that.
Gina Rau: Yeah.
Michelle Garrett: It gives me hope because, yeah, we don’t always, we don’t always experience that, sometimes. I
Gina Rau: know.
Michelle Garrett: let’s- It’s possible,
Gina Rau: though.
Michelle Garrett: yeah. [00:45:00] Let’s talk about… we’re running up. We’ve got about maybe 10 minutes left here. can you…
And obviously if anyone has questions, I have put it on the screen a couple times, we’re happy to take questions. I’m sure Gina would be happy to take your questions,
Example of a B2B Communications Campaign that Changed Market Perception
Can you, talk about a communications program that, changed market perception or supported a, a, a business outcome that was meaningful?
Gina Rau: I can, yeah. I’m glad you sent this question over ahead of time because I was thinking about it. and this one I can talk about, and name some names. but I share this one example because it was, one of the, like, early, experiences for me in my career where, where I saw, I saw strongly held opinions change right in front, literally right in front of my face.[00:46:00]
so this was like, I’m not gonna mention how long ago. It was just a long time ago. I was on the agency side for McDonald’s and, when I came here, when I came to the Northwest, the McDonald’s restaurants in the, Oregon and Washington area were in, were experiencing year-over-year decline in, sales.
And, and it was at a time where they shouldn’t have. it wasn’t something experienced, in other markets or anything. It was, it was a real anomaly and it was very extreme. It wasn’t just year-over-year sales. It was like deeply rooted, negative association with the brand, to the point where, if a new McDonald’s was being proposed in a neighborhood, the community would, demonstrate, against having that, that restaurant.
there was, other sort of extreme acts of vandalism and stuff [00:47:00] like that. and so on the agency side, we, dug in. We went out and we went on a listening tour. We did r- customer research, we did focus groups, we did listening sessions and we really got into the community to figure out like what is going on.
And interestingly, what we discovered was the early days of the local movement, there was this sentiment that, Oregonians were… Which is where the local movement really, really kinda, either began or, really got some momentum going, was, they didn’t want their hard-earned dollars, leaving Oregon.
They wanted them to stay in Oregon. they wanted to, go to the local, Burgerville instead of the, global chain out of Chicago, Illinois. And so this was deeply rooted opinions and beliefs. And we, had a suspicion [00:48:00] that surely some of the dollars that you spend stay locally, they, benefit local, local markets.
So we partnered with, a university to do an economic impact study. And we looked at for every dollar that you spend at a, in a McDonald’s restaurant, how, does, how is every, penny dispersed? And what we learned was, how many of those dollars come back to the local communities from, taxes paid.
how many roads they’ve funded or other projects in the local communities. How many, if you’ve had a volunteer night and you’ve gone to, I think they were called McTeacher Nights, benefiting schools. how many dollars went back to the local school programs. we looked at globally how, McDonald’s supports local farmers.
So we learned about, I forget the percentages, like, but it’s a massive amount of the, pickles on a McDonald’s cheeseburger start [00:49:00] as an Oregon cucumber.
Michelle Garrett: Wow.
Gina Rau: I know. It was crazy. how many onions came from, Eastern Oregon. How many, golden french fries came from Idaho potatoes. And we did, we launched what we called, a campaign, Communities Grow With McDonald’s.
And I remember on the day that it launched, and it was, it was an integrated campaign, so it was, PR, it was everything. And, on the day we launched it, I was in Southern Oregon in a rural farming community, and we were at this diner, next to the hotel. And we were at our booth drinking our coffee ’cause it was super-duper early, and, there were some farmers behind us in the booth, and they were going through the newspaper where we had this huge…
We had a full-page ad of, with a face of a, farmer. And they knew him. And they were like, “Did you know that, whatever, Charlie [00:50:00] is selling his cucumbers to McDonald’s? I had no idea. Did you know that?” wow, that is so cool. And they were just… I remember, I get goosebumps now just talk- just talking about it.
we were, one of our activations was at this, metal outdoor music festival. It’s one of those three-day metal, hard rock music festivals. And me and my team, we showed up with, McDonaldland cookies and backpacks with Powerade. And so while people were in line, it was like 100 degrees, while people were in line to go into this music festival, we were, like, handing out cookies.
But we were telling them about, we were talking about how communities grow with McDonald’s, locally, and how much money stays in. And, ’cause they were bringing their objections. They were like, “I’m not supporting, a global company,” blah, blah, blah. And, and we would tell them about the, the, about the cucumbers that become the pickles, and the roads, and the this and the that, and they were like, “Huh, really?
I didn’t know that. [00:51:00] Really?” And that, that was so powerful, to watch how, the, the d- the data, how we went from, this, these deeply rooted opinions and, beliefs, strong held beliefs, all the way to, to how we changed them. it was a lot of work. Yeah. But, but it was just…
It went out, it was, really, powerful.
Michelle Garrett: No, that’s incredible. that, I just, I don’t even know how … How did you come up with that? Like It
Gina Rau: was not me. It was a team Yeah. It was not me. it was our, agency team, did, did a lot of lifting, a lot of lifting.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah
Gina Rau: but, I’m thankful to have been a part of it was probably one of the more impressionable campaigns that I’ve been able to work on.
Michelle Garrett: And that’s incredible because the data, obviously reporters love [00:52:00] data, right? So that’s always good for reporters. Yeah. But then just, the consumers, the, just the community- that’s interesting that it, changed their opinion as well, so that’s… It appealed to them as well as- Yeah … reporters, so that would work on so many levels. Obviously content creation and, it would be like a, it would be fun. It would be… You would… a lot of ideas could come out of that, I think so.
Gina Rau: Yeah. I think, for communicators, when I think about what are, what is one of the greatest, most important skills that we bring, it’s listening. And so if you don’t know what the problem is that you’re really trying to solve-
Michelle Garrett: Yeah …
Gina Rau: if you don’t know what people already believe about you or your product or your service or your leaders, you can’t change what they believe.
You’ve got, you gotta know where you’re starting from. where’s the starting point? What do you believe about us today so that I can influence [00:53:00] that?
Michelle Garrett: Yeah. No, that’s great. I love that. the last… I want to ask one more question before- Okay … we go. Yeah. I would, I would love to end on that ’cause it’s such a, that’s just a really good soundbite, but We have a couple minutes- Okay
and I am curious what your answer’s gonna be.
B2B Thought Leadership
So do you think there’s a thought leadership opportunity that B2B companies are underusing?
Gina Rau: I don’t know if they’re underusing it, but I will say, over the past, what, two to three years, there’s been this sort of, rise in executive presence on LinkedIn, and so when you’re, and you’re, if you’re in B2B, you’re most likely doing something in, in, with LinkedIn.
And, I think it started with that f- trend, oh gosh, it’s probably been a couple now, a couple of years now, where, CEOs were just bypassing reporters and going direct to LinkedIn or direct to YouTube or [00:54:00] direct to the audience- to tell them about their earnings reports or whatever.
it may have started there, but increasingly over the years, executives have, more presence in LinkedIn, which I think is a really good thing if you’re, building a reputation, the people… I’ve long said people do business with people they know, and trust. And so if you believe that, you need to give your executives, a stage so that people can know, and trust the people behind the brand, the people behind the company.
Yeah. And the best way to do that is… or one of the easiest ways to do that is through, thought leadership, whether it’s, content on LinkedIn or on a stage or a webinar or, whatever it is, to, so that people can hear them, they can see them, they can know how they think and what they believe.
And when I think about thought leadership, sometimes people assume, we’re writing what we wanna [00:55:00] write, or we write a corporate message or, like we’re like, I don’t know, master puppeteers or something. that is not thought leadership. That is something else. I don’t even have a word for it, but I’m never gonna put an executive in a thought leadership costume and m- ask them to show up in a way that is not genuine, or ask them to say things or present things that is not something that they believe in.
I’m going to pair it, whatever they wanna- they believe or they wanna say with what the audience needs to hear. We’re gonna find that- find that, that Venn diagram, but I’m not gonna put them on a stage where they’re not gonna shine and they’re not gonna be their authentic self. Yeah. I think that’s really important.
Michelle Garrett: and I think some leaders are more, born to this than others, right? They can be trained, they can practice, get experience, and all of that. But I feel like some are nervous about saying the wrong thing because now we see often [00:56:00] companies that put their- I know … foot in their mouth, and they’re get- they get…
The execs get caught out, just- like they’re just, at an event or something, and they just offhandedly say something that maybe wasn’t even on… wasn’t planned, obviously, and they got- caught by a reporter and said something, and now it’s all over the place.
So I feel like, we… I think people want to know the leaders of a company, but sometimes- Yeah … the leaders are a little bit like, reluctant to maybe put themselves out there because, it i- it is- a little bit of a risk. You just have to kinda- It, it
Gina Rau: is …
Michelle Garrett: good sense. I mean
Gina Rau: I know. I know.
And it, is hard. I think, I think it’s a little bit better today, but I know there was a, a stretch of time where a lot of leaders, not just the ones I work with, I, talk with my peers- Sure … a lot of leaders were hesitant because of, the really strong hold in cancel culture.
They were nervous like, “What if I slip?” And it could be such an innocent slip, but it’s misinterpreted, [00:57:00] or- Yeah … it’s, maybe it wasn’t the right thing to say in that context, or there can be a number of reasons why someone’s, good intentions- didn’t have the impact, that they intended to.
and it’s, And it can, have a devastating impact back on the, leader. I know that’s real.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah.
Gina Rau: I know that’s real.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah.
Gina Rau: I have found that, yes, some people are naturals. I’ve worked with, executives who, need no preparation. put them on the spot and they will shine.
I’ve worked with other leaders who need a lot of, coaching and practice and rehearsing and, smaller stages before they get to the bigger stages. And- I love that work. I think, to be honest, it is… it feels like an honor to be that, [00:58:00] that, partner with an executive to help them get to a place where they want to be.
they- they genuinely need to want to be there. Yeah … but to help them through that journey, I don’t know, I feel like that is such an honor. when you finally get to that side, it’s like, “Oh,” that’s a win. That’s a huge win. Feels good.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah. It’s such a gift to have, I think execs who are, w- good partners with the comms- the PR and comms team, ’cause it’s, it makes or breaks sometimes I think your efforts. ‘Cause if you have somebody you can put out there and, you know they’re gonna be charismatic and they’re gonna be good at messaging and, But, but yeah, no, it is sometimes you have to kinda work with folks to get them-
get them there. Yeah … as we wind up, Gina, is there anything else that you would like to share?
Gina Rau: Ooh, wow. I, I feel like I, I’ve dropped my little nuggets, [00:59:00] I forget what they are now, but, I know you mentioned one of them. I think, if I were, in a position where I was, weighing opportunities or thinking about, we earlier when we were prepping, is the grass greener on the other side, I would talk to as many people on both sides as you possibly can.
Excuse me. every, every in-house role is different than other in-house roles. Every agency role is different. The environment that you’re in, the industry that you’re in, the people that you work with, the executives that you work with. I feel very fortunate. I know a lot of peers aren’t in such fortunate situations and, our jobs are hard.
Our jobs are really hard. We are often brought in when the stakes are at their highest. And so if you’re in a situation or environment [01:00:00] where that, that environment makes it harder, or the people that you work with make it harder-
that is not a place where you’re gonna feel good about your work
Michelle Garrett: Yeah
Gina Rau: And I think the people that we work with, the environment, our colleagues, when I’ve had a hard day, I know my, my colleagues know it, and they’re reach- Yes
they’re texting me, “How you doing?” and that, that really matters, because, ’cause some of the days are hard.
Michelle Garrett: Absolutely.
That’s-
Gina Rau: yeah … when you’re trying to get 12 approvals in 24 hours on a press release. And you’re remote. remember when we could just run around? Yes.
Remember, I would, I could print out a press release and just, literally walk up to people’s desks- Yeah … and be like, “I need you to, I need you to sign this right now,” or hold a meeting. Yeah. Yeah. “Everybody come here. We’re gonna review this all together.” Yeah. Like, when you’re remote, that’s hard.
And so the people that you’re doing it, the environment that you’re doing it with, the executives, do you or someone, levels above you have a seat at that table? Those [01:01:00] things really matter.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah.
Gina Rau: There’s gonna be hard days.
Michelle Garrett: Yeah. And for young pros, keep, keep note, of what you’re digging about an environment or a role, and what you’re not.
‘Cause, you’ll probably remember- Yeah … what the things that you really didn’t like, but, it’s good to keep that in mind as you, move throughout your career too,
Gina Rau: Totally.
Michelle Garrett: This is not only for young professionals, but I’m just saying that.
Gina Rau: Yeah. I keep a list. I have a running list in a journal of, like, all the things that have been important to me, throughout my career, the things that were great and the things that were not.
And, so some of them are flags, and some of them are like, yeah, some red flags, green flags, yellow flags. And when you change, throughout your career, early in my career it was like, oh, my God, of course we weren’t remote. Wasn’t even an option back then. No. but being in a five-day, five-days-a-week office right now with an hour-and-a-half commute each way, like I, [01:02:00] I’m, not signing up for that.
but, knowing what’s important to you is highly valuable.
Michelle Garrett: Absolutely.
I can’t thank you enough for your time. This has been fun. And all
Gina Rau: your
Michelle Garrett: insight that you shared. Thank you. And, yeah. I’m, I thank you so much, and, I’ll be back very soon with another episode of PR Explored.
Thanks, everybody.
Gina Rau: Can’t wait. Thanks, Michelle. Thanks, everyone.
Michelle Garrett: Bye.
About the host: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, writer and author of B2B PR That Gets Results, an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker on public relations, marketing and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals.
Learn more about Michelle’s freelance PR consulting services here. Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here. Buy Michelle’s book here.
