I recently had the privilege of interviewing a young celebrity publicist handling PR for a number of celebrities and influencers. In this interview, the PR expert breaks down what public relations professionals really do and how he built his brand to work with high networth clients.
Below is a transcript of the interview:
Lana: How did you start out in PR?
Mo: Well, after starting and failing in like nine businesses in almost a decade, I was ready to give up,
be realistic and get a real job with guaranteed monthly income. I had graduated from University
as at the time. I stumbled upon a social media post by a young PR entrepreneur who charged
5figures to get social media stars featured on major publications. “This is a very lucrative idea” I
thought to myself, “but even I can do it.” I had a very low self-esteem and I was lazy, but to find
something that even I can do was a big deal for me.
I emailed the young entrepreneur and asked how much he will pay me if I got him leads that will
be interested in his service, he replied back and the rest is history.
Lana: Who is Mo Adjei?
Mo: Mo Adjei is a media strategist and a serial entrepreneur. He is the PR expert celebrities and CEOs call
when they want media coverage for their brand.
Lana: Why do u think people should invest in their public image?
Mo: You might find it ridiculous that people willingly pay as much as 5figures for a single article on a
major publication, but people who want to become authorities in their industry Don’t find this
ridiculous. I have a client who used the coverage I got for her to get an artist visa to another
state, others to get signed to agencies. Getting your brand all over the media serves as social
proof.
Speaking gigs, brand partnerships social media verification are all easier when you’ve promoted your brand in the media. Media relations is mainly about being an authority in your industry globally.
Lana: What do PR pros do?
Mo: A PR practitioner helps his or her clients with media relations, publicity, public image, press
release, promoting their brand and a number of other related services. People sometimes accuse us of manipulating public perception but all we really do is to build relationship with the media then pitch our clients’ products or services.
Lana: If you had to start all over again, what would you do differently?
Mo: Nothing really comes to mind but I would act more and earlier while talking less.
Lana: Does it matter if no one knows me? All I want is to make money?
Mo: You have to understand this, “The reason people don’t buy from you is because, they don’t know you.” Why would you be too careful about hiring the anonymous solopreneur who cold
emailed you last week but not do all those background checks with Amazon? Because you don’t know the other guy. If you want to exponentially increase your sales, put your brand out there, and PR helps you do that. It makes you the ‘go-to guy’ while letting you rank higher on search engines to increase traffic.
Lana: What are some of the challenges you faced when you started out in PR?
Mo: Well I had just started out and I was pitching prospects while mentioning trademarked names of media firms. It almost got me in trouble but I learned my lesson. I also started working right
away immediately someone agreed to my prices without signing any papers or having an official agreement. It can be an obstacle to being paid in full after you get the client featured. I was so focused on the clients’ branding that I neglected mine.
Lana: Do you think entrepreneurship is for everyone?
Mo: I always thought everyone should be an entrepreneur. However, growing up, I realized not everyone is cut out for this.
Some people just want a decent job to feed themselves and their immediate family, others just want to attain the highest level of education. That’s totally alright. The likes of Tim Cook are not entrepreneurs but they are out-earning most entrepreneurs.
Lana: What’s your advice to people seeking to get press coverage for their business?
Mo: Simply build relationship with journalists and editors. Do not be too pushy and always offer value first. Find journalists whose ‘beat’ relates to what you do and pitch them from a unique angle. Then just rinse and repeat!
I recently had the privilege of interviewing a young celebrity publicist handling PR for a number of celebrities and influencers. In this interview, the PR expert breaks down what public relations professionals really do and how he built his brand to work with high networth clients.
Below is a transcript of the interview:
Lana: How did you start out in PR?
Mo: Well, after starting and failing in like nine businesses in almost a decade, I was ready to give up,
be realistic and get a real job with guaranteed monthly income. I had graduated from University
as at the time. I stumbled upon a social media post by a young PR entrepreneur who charged
5figures to get social media stars featured on major publications. “This is a very lucrative idea” I
thought to myself, “but even I can do it.” I had a very low self-esteem and I was lazy, but to find
something that even I can do was a big deal for me.
I emailed the young entrepreneur and asked how much he will pay me if I got him leads that will
be interested in his service, he replied back and the rest is history.
Lana: Who is Mo Adjei?
Mo: Mo Adjei is a media strategist and a serial entrepreneur. He is the PR expert celebrities and CEOs call
when they want media coverage for their brand.
Lana: Why do u think people should invest in their public image?
Mo: You might find it ridiculous that people willingly pay as much as 5figures for a single article on a
major publication, but people who want to become authorities in their industry Don’t find this
ridiculous. I have a client who used the coverage I got for her to get an artist visa to another
state, others to get signed to agencies. Getting your brand all over the media serves as social
proof.
Speaking gigs, brand partnerships social media verification are all easier when you’ve promoted
your brand in the media. Media relations is mainly about being an authority in your industry
globally.
Lana: What do PR pros do?
Mo: A PR practitioner helps his or her clients with media relations, publicity, public image, press
release, promoting their brand and a number of other related services. People sometimes
accuse us of manipulating public perception but all we really do is to build relationship with the
media then pitch our clients’ products or services.
Lana: If you had to start all over again, what would you do differently?
Mo: Nothing really comes to mind but I would act more and earlier while talking less.
Lana: Does it matter if no one knows me? All I want is to make money?
Mo: You have to understand this, “The reason people Don’t buy from you is because, they Don’t
know you.” Why would you be too careful about hiring the anonymous solopreneur who cold
emailed you last week but not do all those background checks with Amazon? Because you Don’t
know the other guy. If you want to exponentially increase your sales, put your brand out there,
and PR helps you do that. It makes you the ‘go-to guy’ while letting you rank higher on search
engines to increase traffic.
Lana: What are some of the challenges you faced when you started out in PR?
Mo: Well I had just started out and I was pitching prospects while mentioning trademarked names of
media firms. It almost got me in trouble but I learned my lesson. I also started working right
away immediately someone agreed to my prices without signing any papers or having an official
agreement. It can be an obstacle to being paid in full after you get the client featured. I was so
focused on the clients’ branding that I neglected mine.
Lana: Do you think entrepreneurship is for everyone?
Mo: I always thought everyone should be an entrepreneur. However, growing up, I realized not
everyone is cut out for this.
Some people just want a decent job to feed themselves and their immediate family, others just
want to attain the highest level of education. That’s totally alright. The likes of Tim Cook are not
entrepreneurs but they are out-earning most entrepreneurs.
Lana: What’s your advice to people seeking to get press coverage for their business?
Mo: Simply build relationship with journalists and editors. Do not be too pushy and always offer
value first. Find journalists whose ‘beat’ relates to what you do and pitch them from a unique angle. Then just rinse and repeat!