Katie Radel grew up in her family's funeral home and decided early that she didn't want to take it over. She majored in communications almost by accident, then built a career in house at a large life insurance company, a private equity firm, a bank and a hospital before opening her own PR firm in 2019, six months before the pandemic shut everything down.
Seven years later, Ripple Consulting Group helps executives get seen, and Katie is the first to admit the launch was rough. She assumed the big names on her resume would bring clients to her door, and they didn't. In this episode of The PR Bunker Podcast, Katie and Don talk about the networking lesson that changed her business, how she separates real news from good owned content, and why hiding is the worst thing a leader can do.
A few takeaways from the conversation:
For her first few years on her own, Katie sat across the table from people in her big Nashville network and told them she did marketing and PR and used to work for large companies. Nobody cared, and she says that was a her problem, not a them problem. Borrowing Brené Brown's line that clear is kind, she narrowed her focus to executive visibility, which raises the profile of a leader and the organization along with it. The light bulbs started going off once she did, and she's now niching down again into healthcare.
Katie's test for news is the so what, who cares factor. When a large publicly traded client wanted press for its 50th anniversary, she told them it wasn't newsworthy and steered it into owned media instead, with a CEO blog post, LinkedIn content and an invitation for the hyperlocal paper to come take photos. She says the key is building enough trust that clients bring you ideas without fear, then asking curious questions before deciding where a story belongs.
Asked what she'd tell her younger self, Katie said to be seen more. It's easy to hide behind a company, a title and a hierarchy in the corporate world, and she did for a long time. She points to a stat she shared recently that 75 percent of job seekers look up a company and its leader before they apply, which makes executive visibility a recruiting strategy as much as a reputation one. Authenticity and vulnerability still win, she says, the same way a good story always has.
Katie is spending the rest of the year making things happen instead of letting them happen, doing her own thought leadership and outreach as she moves deeper into healthcare. You can find her on LinkedIn.
Listen to the full episode above.
Reading is the hello. SBGA is where we get to yes.
What is executive visibility?
It's the work of raising a leader's profile through thought leadership, media, LinkedIn and speaking. Katie Radel says a more visible executive also raises the profile of the organization they lead.
How do you know if a story is newsworthy?
Katie applies the so what, who cares test. If a story doesn't pass, like a company anniversary, it can still work as owned content on a blog, on LinkedIn or in a local paper.
Where can I find Katie Radel?
Katie is active on LinkedIn, which is the best place to reach her and Ripple Consulting Group.
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