When Jared Shapiro moved from New York to Miami in 2013, the city was a shell of what it is today (thanks to a mass migration prompted by the pandemic, a tech boom, tax haven qualities and it's overall status as a global hotspot). For Shapiro – who went from editorial director of two of the highest selling magazines at that time (In Touch Weekly and Life & Style Weekly) and editor-in-chief of the South Florida luxury bible, Ocean Drive Magazine, to opening up his own ‘Miami-based, Globally Connected’ PR firm The Tag Experience – the timing couldn’t have been better. Now, operating in a hybrid and remote world, the New York Times Bestselling Author spends much of his day connecting brands with top media while serving their some 20+ clients, which include The Miami Marlins, Fuel Venture Capital, Chicago based Scott Harris Hospitality, as well as liquors, hospitality, consumer packaged goods, tech, celebrity clients, and more. Shapiro’s secret sauce? “Connections. You can have all of the great ideas in the world but if you don’t have anyone to pitch them to, it falls upon deaf ears.” We spoke with him about how to establish and nurture those key relationships in the context of our remote and hybrid workforce – and why that remains a must for PR pros today.
Richard Lavina, Jared Shapiro, Michael Mouriz, William Sahatdjian
Q: What are the three most important aspects of connecting with people?
You have to go out. There are some people who are really good at what they do and never need to leave their house/office/computer. Usually they are established and have a network. But if you need to build that network, you have to go out. This is not web coding or video editing – public relations literally has the words “public” and “relations” in it. That’s happy hours, conferences, networking opportunities, or like we have down here in Miami, its grand openings, anniversaries, magazine cover parties, etc. See and be seen. It can be exhausting, but if you are hungry and starting out, you should have plenty of energy.
Second, I would say social media. Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are wide open. Connect, like, comment, DM. Get it done. Also, if you are a bit of an introvert and going out isn’t your best strategy, sometimes social media is your best bet. Lastly, you have to establish meaningful relationships. How are you going to go back to the well year after year for a favor or story if you can’t carry the torch of the relationship?
Q: What's the best way to engage in meaningful conversation even if not in person?
People are slammed, now more than ever, but good editors need good stories. I’m not a huge fan of small talk, but remember we are all in this together – editors/producers need publicists and clients with good stories. So, deliver the good. Two years ago we landed a Good Morning America story with a producer I had interviewed with for a job some 20 years prior. There are editors out there that I worked with at my first job in publishing at Us Weekly back in 2002. That’s 21 years ago and I’m still connected to them in one way or another. Of course, they are at different jobs and different outlets, but we all shared a bond and maintain it in some fashion still today.
If you hide on social media and don’t show what you do, don’t show your successes or where you like to eat or what you do on weekends, or who your clients are or the silly faces your dog makes, you’re missing out on a chance to connect. And if you don’t go out, that’s a double whammy. I respect and urge privacy. And to each their own. But you should realize social media is a way to connect, and if you aren’t doing it in person, and you aren’t doing it on social media, how/where are you doing it? Generally speaking, the publicist or staffer that has the most connections and the largest set of contacts will land the most hits. It’s simple math. And connections don’t happen overnight; they could take decades. There is no better time to start than right now. For every publicist out there, put this on a Post-It note on the top of your computer: “The more people you know and are connected with, the better chance you are going to have of landing a press hit.” Very simple.
Q: How do you build connections with remote employees?
I’ve slowly been brought over to the ‘dark side’ of remote/hybrid. I think if you have a responsible and loyal team, it can work. Not just work, but thrive. Why spend two hours a day commuting to work when those hours can be spent working? We have Zooms, Google meets, Microsoft Teams, check-ins. We are on it. I remember when working in NYC hearing some staffers' horror stories about the commute – taking the Path train to Grand Central, then transferring from one train to the next and then hopping on the bus or walking five blocks in the cold. As a manager, is that what I want my team doing every morning before 9am? A 90-minute hell commute? And they have to do it again on the way home? And then they get stressed or have to call in sick because they got the flu?
In the long run, I’m not sure that’s the best way. It’s why I believe every situation is different. In terms of building connections though, this is really for the next generation to figure out. That’s on them. I put my time in already and continue to do so. I’ve already met 10,000 people and have some 5000+ names in my phone. But if you are just starting out, and you work from home 100% of the time or 50% of the time or 75% of the time, you are missing out on a lot of facetime from your boss, co-workers, clients, and potential people you might bump into at Starbucks, lunch, the hallway, parking lot, the lobby. I wrote a Forbes Council article about how I met one of my top employees in the gym sauna. The saying ‘never not working’ always should apply to a publicist. I would like to say, the remote/hybrid situation is VERY comfortable for staffers who want to cruise, but maybe not for the manager or owner who has to manage them. It’s up to you, the manager or owner of the business, to see that it works.
Q: How do you see the PR workforce evolving as we continue to live in a hybrid world?
I still believe the early bird gets the worm, and the more you hustle the better off your chances will be. We can’t look at Instagram and see our peers ‘working remotely’ from Tulum and assume that a) they have as much business as you b) they are happy as they want you to think c) they are thriving and d) their boss or client is happy they are there. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. What looks good and feels good could ultimately be a weight that slows down your journey. I’m a big believer in ‘to each their own,’ but for me, I know what works. So to answer your question, what works depends on what clients want. Anyone can sign a client for six months. Can you keep them for a year? Two years? Three years? We just celebrated a five-and-a-half year anniversary with one of our clients last week. A day one client. I think one advantage we have at The Tag Experience is that we are not fully remote; you’ll NEVER see me or a staffer running the account from the jungle or beach. We are dialed in. That’s what works for us.
Q: What are the biggest changes you see now vs when you were first starting out, and what’s a final statement you’d like to share for those reading this?
For one, while working in NYC, I sometimes was kept in the office until 2am. We were making magazines, breaking news, and it was big business. We didn’t go home until we were done. And then sometimes to let off steam, our 2am work night turned into a 4am bar night. And then back in the office at 9am. Rinse and repeat. It’s up for debate whether that was healthy (ok, fine, it wasn’t) but I had no choice. I can’t think of anyone I know ‘starting out’ right now that would do that.
For one, I NEVER took exotic vacations, traveled the world, or rushed out of the office to make a workout class. And even if I had done that, it wouldn’t be splashed all over Instagram for the world to see. Imagine you are a client, watching your account exec post every day about the Maldives, but not your account? I’m not hating that lifestyle either. I love when my team is healthy and happy. So those things are very important. I also never once took a lunch break from 2001-2013 as far as I can remember, unless it was a business lunch. Healthy? Probably not. BUT... every time I asked for a raise or promotion, I got it. You can’t look at my career trajectory and ever say, “well, he spent a lot of time on vacation” or “he was always running out of the office to get somewhere” or “he always requested to work from home.” Again, I’m not saying what is right or wrong, I’m saying what worked for me was full on 100% devotion and effort to my job.
Like I mentioned above, you don’t know other people’s (peers/competitors) situation. Maybe they don’t need that much to get by (I had two kids AND was living in NYC), maybe they have family money, maybe their spouse/partner has money. Everyone’s situation is different and you have to find out not only what works for you, but what do you need? But here’s the thing: I know I did a great job in terms of overdelivering and being valuable to my boss and company. Let’s just say hypothetically I was an average employee – good but not great – but I was there every day, I was likeable, friendly, part of the team, pitching in, and being part of the culture. Now, compare that with an employee who is average but who is remote, never around, not part of the culture, not pitching in, and you wouldn’t know if they are likeable or friendly. Which one do you think is safer when ‘corporate’ says they have to make budget cuts? We are 36 months into this remote/hybrid experience. I hope it works. But I also know the only way we will be able to judge that is through success.
