From zero to £1m revenue in its first year during a tough trading environment, Earnies founder Nikki Collins on the PRmoment podcast
Thursday, November 21, 2024 • Duration 30:04
Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.
Today we’re chatting to Nikki Collins. Nikki launched Earnies 1 year ago. She previously worked at W Communications for 9 years and before that at Frank. Earnies has a fee income of £1m and clients include Taco Bell, Moet Hennessy, ASOS, Typhoo and Meatliquor.
The big news is: The PRmoment Awards are now open. You can download the entry from and take a look at this year's updated categories on the pr awards micro site.
Also,thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.
Here’s a summary of what Nikki and PRmoment founder spoke about:
3 mins Consumer PR is doing OK. But it's not an easy market. Most consumer PR firms are either flat or circa 5-8% up year on year. Earnies has put on £1m revenue in 12 months from a standing start and won the likes of Taco Bell, Moet Hennessy, ASOS, Typhoo and Meatliquor. It seems to be outperforming the market when it comes to client acquisition. How come?
“Be it with the media, be it with clients, we’re constantly trying to meet people face to face.”
“We hired a creative director from day one. Which is quite a buck power move from day one. That’s given us creative firepower.”
“It (taking investment) allowed us to turbo charge our growth from day one. It allowed us to make investment hires. Do high profile pro bono work.”
8 mins How many leads has Earnies had from The Romans?
“The bigger agencies and the legacy agencies, want to diversify a lot of what they do…to incorporate different services. For us we’re focussed on earned media and coverage.”
“I believe in the art of PR and what that means.”
13 mins How is the consumer PR market at the moment?
“To have gone from zero to over £1 m in a year, it feels like it’s in a really positive place.”
14 mins Nikki talks about how she’s done an average of 2 pitches or tissues sessions a week for the last 12 months.
“I’ve tried to re-callibrate what a pitch looks like for us.” “Our role is to look at the stories our clients want to tell.” “We always do a tissue session, that is mandatory.”
19 mins In a pitch process how deep do Earnies go in the scope of creative ideas and articulation of those ideas?
“It’s a numbers game…We have so many pitches going on. Pitching is not a stressful process for us. We’ll do everything we can in the time that we have, we’re not up until midnight…if we lose something don’t get grumpy about it, we move on. We've probably got another pitch tomorrow.”
21 mins Who’s got equity in Earnies, Joe Sinclair or The Romans?
“We don’t share any of their resources, we don't use any of their creative or their account team.”
23 mins Have Earnies ever pitched against The Romans?
24 mins Nikki talks about Earnies work with Killed Women, which recently won an ESG Award.
28 mins Why did Nikki decide to launch her own biz when she came back from mat leave?
Birthday Podcast: 15 years of Manifest, Alex Myers on the PRmoment Podcast
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 • Duration 45:12
This is the latest in our Birthday series: Manifest is 15 years old!
Manifest has offices in the US (New York and LA), London, Australia and Sweden. The total group fee income is £8m. Interestingly £4 of that is now in the US, £3 in the UK and £1m divided between Sweden and Australia.
On this week’s show Alex reflects on 15 years on Manifest.
Before we start, the big news is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open. All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite.
Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA. Here’s a summary of what Alex and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discuss:
4 mins Alex divides the 15 years since he founded Manifest into 5 year segments.
“When we started we didn't have any clients, didn’t know how to run an agency, no board experience.”
“Brewdog was a star in the ascendance like no other in those first few years we worked with them. That then attracted big brands quite quickly. Everyone was asking how did you do that: The answer was ‘by having more influence that you give your agencies generally.’”
“In the early 5 years, one thing that was difficult was there was pressure of recruiting people and being responsible for their jobs.”
14.30 mins “We (Manifest) have changed the PR industry in lots of ways.”
16.30 mins Alex talks us through years 6 to 10 years of Manifest.
“One of the biggest transitions for me personality, was from founder creative to founder CEO. I’m not sure I’ve ever finished that transition.”
“Not many people are playing the long game, not in agency land anyway.”
23.30 mins How did Manifest’s mix of clients change in the 6-10 year phase compared to the 1-5 year stage?
“After 10 years we were around £5m…the number of people was the big difference.”27 mins Alex on the last 5 years in Manifest, which includes the toughest part of Manifest's story.31 mins Alex on why Manifest’s US bridgehead has worked. The US is now Manifest’s biggest market.34 mins What offends Alex more, Manifest being called a consumer PR firm or an advertising firm?36 mins Was 2022/23 Alex’s toughest time in business? What happened? And how did Manifest get back on track?40 mins What are the most important skill types within Manifest now?Who have been the most important people in the Manifest story along the way?
James Hewes, CEO of the PRCA on the PRmoment Podcast
Monday, September 23, 2024 • Duration 27:28
On the PRmoment Podcast this week, we’re talking to James Hewes, CEO of the PRCA. James joined the PRCA in January this year. The organisation had been in an uncertain state for a year or so because of the long-term illness and untimely passing of previous CEO Francis Ingham.
In 2023/4, the PRCA set off on a governance review and subsequently made significant changes to its structure, senior team and member offer. So, I thought it would be good to get James on the show to give an update on his plans for the PRCA and what he’s been up to for the first six months of his tenure.
The PRCA has a turnover of £3.8 m.
Before we start, our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum has now launched. It’s on 12th November 2024, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is held in central London.
Finally, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.
Here’s a summary of what James and PRmoment founder discussed:
2 mins What state was the PRCA as an organisation in when you started?
“We were probably doing too much stuff. There was a tendency to throw resources and activity at every single thing…rather than stopping and thinking what was the best value for members.”
4 mins Was the PRCA’s governance review worth it?
“The positive outcome of the governance review: there’s a lot more transparency…there’s more opportunity for members to get involved in a structured way.”
“It (the governance review) has simplified things dramatically.”
Jenny Halpern, founder and CEO of Halpern on the PRmoment Podcast
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 • Duration 30:56
Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.
On the show today is Jenny Halpern, founder and CEO of Halpern. Today we are talking about PR in the cost of living crisis.
Halpern has a fee income of £5m. It's a consumer PR firm based in London. It was founded in 1993 by Jenny.
Halpern is owned by The&Partnership, which is part owned by WPP.
Jenny sold to business in 2013 to what has become The &Partnership.
Clients include The Co-Op, Unilever and Headspace.
Don’t forget you can purchase your tickets for The PRmoment Awards here.
Thanks as ever to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors The PRCA.
Here’s a summary of what Jenny and I discussed:
2 mins Jenny gives us a brief insight into Halpern's story.
4 mins Jenny’s earn-out is long since finished - she talks about why she hasn’t exited the business.
5.30 mins The intersection of publicity, influencer marketing and consumer PR - have they all become the same thing?
“Affiliate marketing has changed the nature of our game (PR) - that is the reason (PR) now sells more."
"Consumer PR has become a direct sales channel because of affiliate marketing.”
9 mins What is the role of a consumer PR firm in the influencer, influencer agency and brand triangle?
11.30 mins How impactful is media coverage on sales, compared to influencer channels?
18 mins How is the cost of living crisis impacting the PR and communications of brands?
23 mins What did the great resignation look like for PR firms?
26 mins What are the most popular training courses Halpern runs for its employees?
27 mins Jenny talks about 2 charities she has helped found - the Lady Garden Charity and Access Aspiration.
25 years of agency ownership hindsight - with Dee Gibbs, founder at Liberty Communications on the PRmoment Podcast
Today we’re chatting with Dee Gibbs, founder of Liberty Communications. Liberty is an independent tech PR firm, with a fee income of £1.7 m and this year Liberty celebrates its 25 birthday! So we thought it would be good to get her on the show to chat about 25 years of agency ownership hindsight.
Thanks as ever to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors The PRCA.
Here’s a summary of what Dee and I discussed:
2 mins Dee talks about why she decided to set up Liberty 25 years ago.
3.30 mins Liberty has a fee income of £1.7 m after 25 years. Does Dee regret not growing the business more?
Dee’s 10 lessons of 25 years agency ownership hindsight:
5 mins Lesson 1: The pace of technology innovation and what this means for a technology PR business, in terms of the type of work and the client base.
8 mins Lesson 2: How CEOs are prioritising PR and how agencies need to demonstrate the benefits of great PR
10 mins Lesson 3: The future of the press release
13 mins Lesson 4: Hiring talent - making sure the talent matches the ethos of your agency.
15 mins Lesson 5: How social media has changed PR skill sets
20 mins Lesson 6: Changes in media networking and media relationships
21 mins Lesson 7: The rise of social influencers
22 minsLesson 8: Don’t lose your nerve!
25 mins Lesson 9: Remote working and embracing the way your team want to work.28 mins Does an PR independent firm needs to re-invent itself over 25 years
PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions: March 2023 update
Welcome to our March review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch.
Andrew is a co-founder and non-executive director at Frank PR and is now lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR. He is also a partner at PCB Partners where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.
Thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.
Tickets are now on sale for The PRmoment Awards in London on Thursday 20th April and in Manchester 25th April 2023.
2 mins Andrew gives us his PR pitch wins update
News of wins for The Academy with Peroni and Marie Currie
Maven wins The Perfume shop
Forster wins Transform (a public/private partnership)
Full Fat wins a raft of festival brief
PHA win Lucozade, Ribena and Orangina
MSL win Renault’s social media brief
10 mins Are PR firms winning more social media briefs from their social media agency peers?
“PR agency’s should always have an edge when it comes to generating engagement”
“There are noticeable differences in the way different (types) of agencies approach it from a strategic perspective”
“9/10 the creative I see coming out of PR agencies is right up there with the best in the world, it’s the other elements that sometimes let them down”
14 mins Andrew talks about what the future looks like for influencer marketing agencies
16 mins Andrew completes his review of this month’s pitch wins
Sami McCabe, founder and CEO of Clarity on his plans to build it into a $250 firm in the next 5 years
Today we’re chatting with Clarity CEO Sami McCabe.
For PR industry observers, Clarity has been an interesting watch over the past few years. It’s had investment from Matthew Freud (which was bound to draw attention), it’s hired some expensive senior talent and it’s acquired 7 or 8 businesses.
So today we’re going to talk to Sami about the business, its acquisition and growth strategy and where he sees the future of an earned media consultancy.
Clarity is a $20m PR firm with about 200 employees and offices in London, Cornwall, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Amsterdam. It was founded in 2012.
Thanks as ever to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors The PRCA.
Here’s a summary of what Sami and I spoke about:
2 mins Sami updates us, briefly, about the story of Clarity so far.
3 mins Clarity has taken investment from an early stage. Matthew Freud invested in 2019 and institutional investors Thincats in 2022. Sami talks about why investors see PR firms as an attractive proposition.
“Not everyone is looking for a Unicorn”
6 mins Is Sami surprised more PR firms don't take external investment?
“If we were doing this buy-and-build strategy off our balance sheet and with cashflows, it would be a very slow and painful process but capital gives us the ability to go out to the market and acquire businesses much more quickly than would have been able to do otherwise.”
“Some deals take 2/3 months, other (deals) are much slower”
James Herring on the turnaround of Taylor Herring post-COVID and the subsequent sale to MSL
Monday, February 27, 2023 • Duration 31:53
From losing £500K of client fees in 3 weeks in Q2 2020 to selling Taylor Herring to Publicis in April 2021 - we get the inside track on perhaps the most tumultuous couple of years of any agency in recent history
On the show this week we talk to James Herring about the story of the last few years of Taylor Herring.
In Feb 2020 things were looking rosy and James and Cath were no doubt planning their summer vacation in the South of France. Then in 3 weeks, their agency lost £500,000 in monthly fee income.
Today we talk to James about the turnaround job which resulted in Publicis buying Taylor Herring in April 2021 and how the agency reported a 40% increase in annual revenue in 2022 (£6.72m, up from £4.9m.)
Recent client wins include Nintendo, Natwest, Iceland and McVities. The likes of Samsung, Easyjet and Disney are long-term clients.
On the show, today James and I will also talk about where he sees the future of earned media within integrated communications.
Thanks as ever to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors The PRCA.
2.30 mins This is a story that starts at the beginning of the pandemic. What did the pandemic do to Taylor Herring?
"For 6 weeks we spent quite a lot of time scratching our heads thinking about whether there was going to be a business at the end of all of this"
4 mins During the worst depts of COVID - how many people were on the team, so those not on furlough?
4.30 mins At the start of the pandemic, Taylor Herring lost £500K in monthly fees in 3 weeks. You’d spent nearly 20 years building Taylor Herring and seemed it seemed to be disintegrating before your eyes?
8.30 mins Why did the PR market come back much quicker than we all anticipated?
"We had a resoundingly good summer probably better than the summer of the year before…it was a boom summer in terms of spend"
What is the future of communications?: Bespoke and personalised or are scale and consistency still important?
Today we’re chatting with Rachel Allison founder and CEO of Axe & Saw about whether there is a tension between using inclusive communications that are able to reach a diverse audience and the most one size fits all approach in most marketing campaigns.
We’ll also talk about what Gen Z and minority groups want and need from their PR employers.
Axe & Saw has 10 employees, a fee income of £600K and was founded in March 2021.
Thanks as ever to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors The PRCA.
Here’s a summary of what Rachel and I discussed:
2 mins Is there a tension between inclusive communications and the one size fits all approach used in most marketing campaigns?
3 mins Communicators now have a proliferation of channels and multiple customer segments - does that mean multiple and varied bespoke marketing campaigns will become the norm or are scale and consistency still important?
“There is a need for both…talk about people on the fringes of your community”
6 mins To what extent do we all think and feel differently depending on our ethnicity and background?
8 mins How can a better understanding of these differences help brands better plan their communications?
9 mins An important part of this change is the need for the communications teams to include a diverse range of communicators. How are we doing?
12 mins What does success look like when it comes to the diversity of PR and communications?
15 mins What do minority groups need from their employers?
“Class can play a huge impact on whether you feel that your voice is heard”
Nine lessons for a successful career in corporate affairs
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 • Duration 37:24
Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.
Welcome to the latest PRmoment Podcast with me Ben Smith. Today we’re catching up with David Hart. David has had over 20 years of experience working in corporate affairs - both in-house at the likes of Coca-Cola and SAB Miller and agency side at Fleishman Hillard and Burson Marsteller (now BCW.)
Before Christmas, I saw him posting about the lessons he wished he’d told his younger corporate affairs self and so we invited him onto the show to talk in more detail about his nine lessons of corporate affairs.
Thanks as ever to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors The PRCA.
Here is a summary of what David and I discussed:
2 mins Why did David decide to write his 9 lessons of corporate affairs?
5 mins Lesson 1: Be bold, creative, take risks and help to sell
“When done right the power of comms is massive…it surprises me when some organisations don’t want to communicate”
8.30 mins Lesson 2: Be confident and bring your sixth sense of “perspective” to a crisis
11 mins Lesson 3: Make your job sustainable by understating the detail of ESG
14.30 mins Lesson 4: Don't just be a story writer
“The worst view of any business is the view from the window of the headquarters”
“Don’t just focus on the leaders…everyone within the business has a story to tell”
18 mins Lesson 5: Stop the press release
21 mins Lesson 6: Be like Jack Reacher - hope for the best; prepare for the worst!
“You're going to have a lot of difficult conversations with a lot of senior people”
“It’s about making sure the team is prepared (for a crisis)”
“There are 2 important pages in any crisis manual…”
26 mins Lesson 7: It’s an exciting time to work in Corporate Affairs - enjoy it30 mins Lesson 8: Give yourself a break33 mins Lesson 9: Embrace change
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“In the UK, our home market, economics have been a challenge. Brands have temporarily pulled back from looking at things holistically.”
“There’s a quiet confidence in the PR industry at the moment. But no-one is getting cocky.”
“We were able to look at the differences between the different markets and make them work for us.”
“I remember once being called an expert generalist.”
“You need specialist skills and generalist interest.”
42 mins
6 mins James updates us on the PRCA’s finances.
“The numbers were a bit tough for 2023, they’ll be a bit tough for 2024, but the organisation is on a much much more stable footing.”
“The organisation has been a break-even business for a very long time. In a world of great uncertainty, you need to be a bit better than that.”
“We are non-profit making with a good cash reserve…we’re cash generative.”
10 mins Are the PRCA’s membership numbers growing again?
11 mins Over the years, there have been stop-and-start rumours about the CIPR and the PRCA merging. Are there any active conversations on that side of things at the moment?
12 mins Where does James want to take the PRCA under his leadership?
19 mins The PRCA’s Articles of Association talk about growing the organisation internationally. James talks about how that has gone so far.
22 mins Who are the key people at the PRCA now?
23.30 mins What does James see as the most important issues affecting the PR sector currently?
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Lesson 10:
Hope&Glory win Trainline
The Romans win Candy Crush
Tin Man wins Smart Energy GB
18 mins Andrew’s PR M&A update
Finn Partners acquire Hyderus
JIN buy Opinion Act
News of Martin Loat’s exit from Propeller
12 mins Sami identifies his top buyer priorities when Clarity is buying a PR firm.
16 mins How do you maximise the chances of success of the integration of 2 agencies
“It’s a change management process…we massively over-communicate!”
18 mins Sami lists the agencies Clarity has bought over the past few years.
21 mins In our pre-show chat, Sami reckoned Clarity will grow at 50% in 2023, so presumably, he intends to continue to go shopping?
22 mins Sami on how he intends to build Clarity into a $250 firm in 5 years.
“On an annual basis, we are looking to acquire $25m of revenue per year for the next 5 years”
24 mins Which vertical sectors are the investment priorities?
27 mins Clarity hired quite a few expensive senior people quite earlier in its story - how much of a risk was that and has it paid off?
29 mins Why Sami's move to the US, which initially didn’t work out as he had intended, led to the acquisitional strategy of Clarity.
9.30 mins Did Taylor Herring approach Publicis or did they approach you?
"I was mowing the lawn at 5:30 pm on a Friday afternoon and Chris (McCafferty) called"
11 mins Why were they interested in a business that had so recently lost so many clients and fee income?
12 mins What was the due diligence process like?
"There were 2 bits to it, the informal due diligence process…and the harder end of the legal and financial due diligence - it was a full-time job for 8 weeks."
"Cath runs an extremely tight ship when it comes to the organisational side of things"
"The process took about 18 months in all"
14.30 mins Since the deal was done Taylor Herring’s fee income has increased by 40% - so the earn-out is going well?
"Internally we called it the third runway, it was about putting that infrastructure in ahead of the growth"
"We've grown from 25 to 55 people over that 2-year period"
16.30 mins Is this a rare example of a PR acquisition that has worked?
"We've declined more pitches than we ever have before - because when you add up the money spent on those pitches it adds up to hundreds of thousands (of pounds) in terms of the hours"
"The blending of social and PR and content and brand and events means there is a much bigger playground"
19 mins Do Taylor Herring and MSL share many clients?
20 mins How does it feel for James not owning his own business anymore?
21 mins In our pre-show chat, James said prior to the sale to Publicis he'd "basically run Taylor Herring as a lifestyle business for 19 years” James talks us through what he meant by that.
23 mins What is the opportunity for PR-integrated briefs?
"Integrated is the single biggest opportunity for a con
23 mins There are plenty of stories of larger agencies hiring aggressively from smaller firms that have a diverse workforce. How much of a problem is that at the moment for smaller independent agency owners?
26 mins Rachel’s agency employees work 4 days a week. How does that work? Does Rachel employ 20% more people because the agency works a 4-day week?
30 mins What do Gen Z employees want from their employers?
“I’m convinced more corporate affairs and communications professions… will in the future be CEOs - the ability to talk, the ability to engage, the ability to open and to lead discussions around business-critical issues are vitally important to that (the CEO) role“
“It (the corporate affairs role) can take over your life”
“You want to be ahead of the innovation curve”
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