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As a part of the Morning Lazziness sequence highlighting empowering ladies who’re making a exceptional affect with their concepts, I had the pleasure of interviewing Justine D’Addio.
Justine D’Addio is the founder and lead publicist at Hyde Park PR, a boutique agency specializing in earned media for life-style manufacturers, consultants, and creators. With over a decade of PR and Advertising expertise, she has executed international campaigns for tech startups, indie magnificence manufacturers, influencer-backed trend labels, CPG merchandise, luxurious boat equipment, and extra. Justine is especially enthusiastic about services and products that enhance our areas and each day routines, which she typically options in her Substack “The Hyde Out” and YouTube channel.
On this candid dialog, Justine shares her journey, insights, and the methods which have helped her construct a results-driven enterprise—and empower different entrepreneurs to do the identical.
What impressed you to start out your individual PR company, and the way did you get your first shopper?
I wasn’t born with a pure entrepreneurial spirit, so it was a mix of issues that motivated me to start out my very own agency. The 12 months was 2020. I had been working in PR for 5 years and felt stagnant in my Account Supervisor position at my earlier company. I used to be working with a tech accelerator on the time and was motivated to safe nationwide press for his or her startups, however our company’s focus was principally native alternatives.
One other motivator was an impending transfer to San Francisco with my Coast Guard boyfriend (now husband). Distant work wasn’t broadly accepted on the time, and I reasoned that if the connection labored out, I would wish to create a sustainable enterprise to help our cellular life-style.
My first shopper was a referral from a advertising and marketing govt I met by way of the tech accelerator account at my earlier company. He launched me to the founding father of an adtech mobility startup who was on the lookout for media visibility, and we labored collectively for practically a 12 months, securing placements in high retailers like Forbes and Enterprise Insider. The startup has since been acquired by a robotics firm in California.
What distinctive challenges have you ever confronted as a girl entrepreneur within the PR world, and the way did you overcome them?
The general public relations {industry} is dominated by ladies, which makes the job really feel like a secure area. It may get isolating as a solopreneur, however networking with sensible PR execs on-line appears accessible in some way, and anybody I’ve reached out to for recommendation has been extremely supportive.
Actually, I believed breaking into the B2B tech startup area as a girl could be met with extra challenges. I beforehand labored in-house at a magnificence model initially after which at a female-owned life-style PR company, so I had solely been surrounded by ladies enterprise leaders for the primary half of my profession. As a solo PR practitioner, I signed an account with a tech firm valued at $100 million and retained them for a number of years. It was a brand new expertise to be a younger publicist on a advertising and marketing name with all senior male executives.
General, I’ve solely had optimistic experiences as a girl in PR; nevertheless, being an entrepreneur presents a number of challenges every week. One I can recall included hiring a PR contractor for a shopper that had an upcoming personal fairness funding announcement. When she had a battle, I needed to step up and execute the whole marketing campaign alone. All of it labored out in the long run, and the shopper was very proud of the outcomes, however hiring dependable contractors is an artwork in itself.
How do you keep forward of developments in an {industry} that’s continuously evolving with media and know-how?
I make a each day, concerted effort to learn {industry} information and work together with related content material that my friends are posting on LinkedIn. Following and deciphering developments has change into a necessity for PR execs with latest AI developments and media fragmentation. It may be overwhelming at first, however I’ve discovered methods to make it extra enjoyable.
That’s the place my Substack, The Hyde Out, is available in, the place I share real-time PR developments and media alternatives for life-style manufacturers, material consultants, and digital creators. Publicists must be without end college students, and the Substack is a option to hold myself accountable whereas sharing what I’ve discovered with my group.
What’s your go-to technique for constructing robust, lasting relationships with purchasers and the press?
Personalization is the secret in PR, and it’s one thing that AI can’t replicate. For purchasers, I’m all the time going above and past, whether or not it’s serving up a chance exterior of scope or making a customized useful resource for them. Sadly, PR continues to be thought-about a luxurious arm of promoting. Which means I’m constantly delivering white glove service throughout my roster, however particularly when it’s a shopper’s first time investing in PR companies. High quality outcomes construct belief and assist preserve robust shopper relationships. There’s simply no method round that.
My media relationships are related. All of the press needs from publicists is assist to do their jobs higher and extra effectively. That may imply going the additional mile, packaging up a shopper’s property in a selected method as a result of I do know it’s the journalist’s choice, or doing a ton of homework with my shopper earlier than we even strategy a contact in order that they have all the data upfront. Journalists need a story that matches their publication’s demographic, is on beat with their protection, and exhibits you’ve been paying consideration.
It’s all the time good to construct these relationships organically at instances if you don’t essentially must faucet into them. Merely participating with a journalist’s work in a considerate method on social media can assist you stand out from the group whereas additionally studying extra about them.
Are you able to share a marketing campaign or media second you’re particularly happy with—and why it stands out?
There are just a few that come to thoughts, however I had a lot enjoyable engaged on magnificence guru Jaclyn Hill’s DTC trend manufacturers a few years in the past. It was the primary influencer-led model account I signed for my enterprise, and it pivoted me to an entire new shopper path that I’m centered on immediately.
My crew and I have been answerable for boosting model consciousness for Jaclyn’s athleisure and jewellery manufacturers, which led to placements in The Zoe Report, Enterprise Insider, The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah Every day, Byrdie, Fashionista, and extra, producing greater than 3.5K backlinks to the model web site. We additionally carried out an affiliate strategy to their editorial technique, which has change into often known as efficiency PR in 2025.
Which platforms or techniques have been best for rising your individual model visibility?
LinkedIn and Instagram have attracted probably the most shopper leads for Hyde Park PR. Posting unique ideas about {industry} developments or behind-the-scenes classes in your small business tends to get nice engagement on LinkedIn, which has change into my main platform since that’s the place most enterprise choice makers stay.
Substack, as a long-form platform, can be nice as a result of I can repurpose the development posts and highlights from the week for social media. As a solopreneur, the one method I keep constant is to make posting so simple as attainable. I’ve discovered that creating a chunk of long-form content material as a central supply helps me break it down into bite-sized variations for short-form platforms.
What position has mentorship performed in your journey, and the way do you pay it ahead to others within the {industry}?
It took me completely too lengthy to hunt out a mentor, however it was an entire eye-opener once I lastly did. I feel mentors and coaches can really take your small business to the subsequent degree. Just a few years in the past, I jumped on the likelihood to work alongside my all-time favourite publicists once I noticed her promote for a tech publicist contractor on Twitter. I spent the subsequent 12 months studying from her, and I even returned earlier this 12 months to help on considered one of her life-style accounts. It’s a privilege to be taught from folks whom each you and the {industry} at massive respect.
I’ve mentored a number of junior publicists at Hyde Park PR and championed them as they grew. I nonetheless keep up a correspondence with previous interns and contractors who kicked off their PR careers working for me. It’s so gratifying to see them safe their first media hit they’re actually happy with or lead a shopper name completely on their very own.
How do you deal with high-pressure conditions or crises, whether or not for a shopper or your individual enterprise?
In PR, we’re taught to take cost of disaster conditions with a relaxed but calculated strategy and a fantastic sense of urgency. Even should you’re not a disaster communications guide, crises occur on daily basis and there’s a protocol that must be adopted. It’s our job to proactively put together with the intention to stop them, but when they do, we have already got a plan in place. Having that plan eases a number of anxieties on each side of the fence. I extremely suggest that every one PR professionals have a disaster plan in place for retainer purchasers, even when they don’t suppose they’ll ever want to make use of it.
What’s one piece of recommendation you’d give to ladies coming into the PR or communications {industry} immediately?
Discover a option to fall in love with the information. Get actually good at rapidly assessing which macro and micro information developments have an effect on your shopper roster and tweak it on daily basis. That method, you possibly can come ready to shopper conferences with contemporary story angles and have a cheat sheet for whether or not a pitch will really land that week. Keep curious. It will serve you in some ways, like staying on high of the headlines, experimenting with industry-disrupting know-how, and monitoring the place your favourite journalist landed after a layoff.
Is there a quote, mantra, or philosophy that guides your decision-making and management as a PR entrepreneur?
I lately listened to an episode of the Working Onerous podcast with Emma Grede, and her recommendation actually resonated with me as a enterprise proprietor. “Decide, and transfer on.” She mentions the way it’s straightforward to get caught in a perfectionist lure and change into paralyzed by all of the attainable paths we will take. It sounds easy and simple, however I feel extra leaders want to listen to it.
Right here is our signature query: “What Are The 5 Issues You Have to Overcome Self-Doubt and Construct Confidence?”
Be uncomfortable and do it anyway. The one option to construct confidence is to point out up and do the factor, even should you’re not sure how. It’s half the battle. We’ve entry to extra assets than ever earlier than, so discover consolation in understanding that somebody has executed it earlier than you, and typically it’s as straightforward as wanting it up. The opposite half is placing your self in conditions that you simply’ve by no means encountered with the intention to construct up publicity and a “classes discovered” financial institution. The extra conditions you’ve dealt with, the extra assured you’ll be sooner or later. Something I’ve discovered in my enterprise has been incremental and cumulative. There’s no method round it.
Nobody is aware of something 100% (even your mentors). It’s only a undeniable fact that we’re all figuring it out as we go. Nobody is an omniscient being. Even your position fashions. In the event you’re simply beginning out in PR, I hope this places you comfortable. The dynamics of a PR company generally is a lot to soak up if you’re first beginning out, however so long as you’re paying consideration, it should make extra sense every day. It’s a delusion that anybody has all of it discovered, and when you understand that, it should set you free. We’re all simply doing the most effective we will with the data in entrance of us.
Lead extra shopper conferences. Rip off the band-aid and simply do it. If you wish to work in PR for the lengthy haul, whether or not that be beginning our personal agency or selling to a VP position, you’ll all the time have shopper face time. Studying how you can run a gathering with precision and professionalism is crucial to your success in a public relations profession. In the event you’re a junior publicist, ask your supervisor for the chance to run an upcoming assembly with a shopper you’re further aware of, so it’s a low-stakes surroundings. There may be an artwork to shopper communication, and the earlier you be taught, the higher.
Execute a marketing campaign end-to-end. In the event you’re solely contributing to at least one a part of a shopper’s marketing campaign success, it may be obscure how the complete scope of its effectiveness (or not). Understanding how you can provoke, plan, execute, and report a shopper marketing campaign will take you from participant to chief. Most significantly, it should improve your PR literacy tenfold so you possibly can talk why one thing did or didn’t find yourself working.
Why not you? I like asking this query to quiet limiting beliefs that pop up. Likelihood is, nobody in your crew or somebody who’s operating their very own enterprise is especially smarter or extra gifted than you might be. Studying which you could and may take up more room will change your work life. So long as you’re placing within the work and also you’re an honest human being, you need to be on the assembly desk too.
Okay, we’re practically executed. You’re a individual of nice affect. In the event you may encourage a motion that may deliver probably the most quantity of excellent for the best variety of folks, what would that be? You by no means know what your thought can set off.
Storytelling is so highly effective. My motion could be centered across the tales of underestimated and underrepresented teams to assist folks really feel seen, understood, and fewer alone. The lived experiences of others have the potential to be so academic and galvanizing that they break what we thought was attainable extensive open. That’s how extraordinary folks accomplish nice issues.
How can our readers additional observe your work on-line?
You possibly can observe me on social media @justinedaddio and @hydeparkpr. In the event you’re fascinated with receiving curated life-style media alternatives and real-time PR suggestions, you possibly can subscribe to The Hyde Out Substack without cost.
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