Bestselling author and Goody PR founder Liz H. Kelly will discuss her new book, "Award-Winning Publicity: 8 Media Boosters to Magnify Your Story," at Barnes & Noble Santa Monica on Wednesday, Aug. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The free event at 1318 Third Street Promenade will feature a discussion from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session and a meet-and-greet book signing until 7 p.m.
Kelly, who is based in Santa Monica, started her public relations agency after being laid off by Myspace in 2008 during the Great Recession. Rather than look for another corporate job, she launched Goody PR, which helps small business owners, thought leaders and brands earn media coverage on television, in print, and on radio and podcasts.
Kelly said the career change grew out of a light-hearted dating book she wrote 20 years ago. For that project, she hired two publicists, three media trainers and a website designer and attended book marketing seminars, eventually landing a literary agent, a New York City publisher and 500 interviews across three versions over five years.
To learn how to build a company, Kelly said she attended a Rich Dad conference for entrepreneurs in Arizona hosted by "Rich Dad Poor Dad" author Robert Kiyosaki, where she met mentors and future clients.
The book draws on national coverage Kelly has secured, including on the TODAY Show, CNN, BBC World News, NewsNation, NPR and Bloomberg Radio, and in People, Forbes, Fast Company and Psychology Today.
One example is an award-winning campaign for eclipse glasses maker American Paper Optics tied to the 2024 total solar eclipse. Kelly said the program produced 54 television interviews in 8.5 months, won six PR industry awards and contributed to the sale of 75 million eclipse glasses.
"Earned media coverage means that you earned the respect of the reporter to tell your story," Kelly said, adding that such coverage is more valuable than paid advertising and often appears in both AI and organic search results.
Kelly defines award-winning publicity as positive press tied to measurable business goals, earned media that builds positive sentiment through storytelling, and a creative campaign that breaks through with social impact and third-party validation.
"PR is a marathon, not a sprint," Kelly said.
Edited by SMDP Staff