What do journalism, Google, and raccoons have in common? Caroline McCarthy's career, apparently.
Caroline is the founder of Raccoon Strategies, a PR and communications consultancy she built after stints in journalism at CNET and time at Google. She joins Don Martelli on The PR Bunker Podcast for one of those conversations that's equal parts tactical and genuinely fun — a rare thing in a world of cookie-cutter PR advice.
Caroline didn't take the traditional path into PR. She came up as a journalist — writing about tech and media at CNET — before moving into communications roles on the brand side, including time at Google. That background as a reporter gives her a distinct edge: she understands what journalists actually want, how stories get assigned, and what makes a pitch land versus get deleted in under three seconds.
Her transition to freelance and eventually to launching Raccoon Strategies wasn't without friction. She talks openly about the learning curve of going independent — the business side, the client work, the discipline of building something from scratch without a safety net.
Yes, the company name gets addressed. And the explanation is better than you'd expect. Caroline breaks down the thinking behind Raccoon Strategies — it's not just a quirky brand choice, there's genuine philosophy baked into it about adaptability, resourcefulness, and thriving in unexpected environments. In a sea of bland agency names, it stands out. That's the point.
Much of this conversation zeroes in on what actually makes communications work. Caroline's take on storytelling is rooted in her journalism instincts — the best PR isn't spin, it's finding the genuinely interesting angle and getting it in front of the right people at the right moment. Timing, she argues, is everything. A great story pitched at the wrong moment is a wasted story.
She's also candid about media relations in a media environment that's contracting rapidly. Fewer journalists, smaller teams, faster cycles — the old playbook of press releases and spray-and-pray outreach is even more dead than people realize. What works now is specificity, relationships, and genuine news value.
Caroline reflects on what she'd tell herself earlier in her career, the balance she's trying to build as she grows her business, and what running Raccoon Strategies has taught her about the relationship between doing good work and building a sustainable practice.
It's an honest look at what it takes to bet on yourself in the communications space — and what you can expect when you do.
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