In this episode of Do Small Business Like a Big Boss, host Aisha Jorge Massengill sits down with Nicole Blake Baxter, founder of The Blake Agency, to discuss how small businesses can use public relations (PR) to build visibility, credibility, and stronger audience connections.
With over 20 years of experience, Nicole shares how to create an effective PR strategy without a big budget, why local media coverage matters, and how entrepreneurs can build their digital presence.
🎧 What You’ll Learn:
- The difference between PR and marketing
- Why local media coverage can be valuable
- How to approach sales through storytelling
- How to pitch articles to trade publications
- How earned, paid, and owned media work together
- How to start building your PR strategy
⏱️ Episode Timestamps:
00:43 – Introducing Nicole Blake Baxter
00:46 – PR vs. marketing
03:00 – Her music industry experience
07:29 – Starting her own agency
13:48 – Business partnerships and exit plans
18:50 – Landing her first clients
20:07 – Storytelling and sales
26:52 – Why she turns down short-term campaigns
28:31 – Local press vs. Forbes
33:01 – Building your digital footprint
34:47 – Pitching trade publications
39:50 – Getting started with PR
40:42 – Earned, paid, and owned media
44:50 – Finding The Blake Agency
👤 About the Guest:
Nicole Blake Baxter is the founder and managing director of The Blake Agency, an Atlanta-based public relations firm serving clients nationwide. She has over 20 years of PR experience, beginning her career at Island Def Jam before launching her own agency.
🚀 Make Your Business Official!
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👉 Register: https://www.igotnext.co/training
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https://smallbizzlegalguide.com
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https://linktr.ee/Sedgwick_Andrews_LC
Podcast Mantra:
Build the dream messy, build it scared, just don’t build it small.
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