Cup of Ambition Podcast S2[10]: PR Expert Kelly Howard of EightSixtySouth

Kelly Howard had big dreams of career success, and graduating in the middle of our last economic crisis in 2008 didn't stop her. She hustled as hard as she could to find a PR job in the middle of the Great Recession, and it was all up from there. After working her way up in the industry, she got the opportunity of a lifetime: her boss offered her the chance to acquire the agency she worked at, Post+Beam, and Kelly said yes.

After a successful rebrand, Kelly has built EightSixtySouth into one of LA's premier strategic communications and PR firms. They serve clients across multiple verticals: Strategy, Public Relations, Digital and Influencer Engagement, Social Media, Copywriting and Events.

They've worked with a diverse roster of clients across the fashion, beauty & lifestyle industries, developing multi-faceted, impactful strategies while still focusing on data-driven results. Their expertise includes working with large, national brands such as W Hotels and Men’s Fitness, to boutique brands like The Beach People and Lokai.

Kelly chats with us about the huge leaps she's taken in her career, even when it was scary AF. She also shares the best ways to measure your business's PR ROI, and gives invaluable advice to people looking to break into the industry.

00:02:30: What's Kelly's job and where does she work?

00:04:15: What is PR, anyway? How does it differ from advertising and marketing?

00:11:20: What has Kelly's career trajectory looked like?

00:21:37: What services does a PR firm like EightSixtySouth usually offer?

00:32:45: What are some of Kelly's favorite PR success stories?

00:36:40: How does a PR firm successfully pivot as new technologies and platforms become more popular?

00:42:30: Business owners, listen up: Kelly provides invaluable pitching tips to editors and decision-makers.

00:45:54: How do PR firms measure success?

00:50:00: What are the rewards and challenges of Kelly's job?

00:57:44: Back to the Future: what advice would Kelly give to her younger self

01:03:10: Recent grads, listen up: Kelly gives you a roadmap of how to land your dream job, even in an economic crisis.

01:10:31: Lightning Round