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Strategic Communications Advisory For Visionary Founders
Conversation
Highlights
In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Jessica Pratt, Director of Marketing and Communications at Peak Metrics. PeakMetrics is pioneering the narrative intelligence category, helping brands monitor and respond to emerging online conversations that can impact their reputation and bottom line. As the first marketing hire at this AI-driven startup, Jessica has built a relationship-first marketing strategy that breaks from traditional playbooks, focusing on authentic connections over mass outreach. Her approach leverages everything from lunch-and-learns to customer advisory boards, proving that even in an AI-saturated world, human connections drive the most meaningful business outcomes.
Topics Discussed:
- Building relationship-driven marketing strategies in emerging categories
- Leveraging founders and advisors as content creators and thought leaders
- Creating customer advisory boards for product development and marketing amplification
- Moving beyond traditional conference booth strategies to intimate networking
- Using product insights as PR and relationship-building tools
- Scaling content quality over quantity as a solo marketing team
- Adapting traditional PR tactics for modern media consumption patterns
Actionable
Takeaways
Prioritize Relationship Marketing Over Scale Marketing:
Jessica's team has abandoned traditional mass marketing tactics in favor of building deeper connections with key decision makers. Their approach includes lunch-and-learns, one-on-one meetings at conferences, and working with accelerator programs to make early connections. This relationship-first strategy proves that in complex B2B sales cycles, authentic human connections often outperform broad-reach campaigns.
Transform Your Product's Output Into Marketing Assets:
Peak Metrics leverages their platform's ability to surface emerging narratives as a relationship-building tool. They proactively share critical insights with brands during crisis moments and provide journalists with data-driven context for breaking news stories. This demonstrates how B2B companies can use their core product capabilities as marketing weapons, creating value before any sales conversation begins.
Build Customer Advisory Boards That Serve Dual Purposes:
Rather than traditional customer success programs, Jessica created advisory boards that simultaneously provide product feedback and create marketing advocates. These influential early adopters not only help improve the product but also amplify Peak Metrics' message through their networks, creating a compound effect on both product development and marketing reach.
Pivot From Booth-Heavy to Relationship-Heavy Event Strategies:
Jessica discovered that traditional conference booths attract other marketers trying to sell rather than actual prospects. They've shifted to hosting intimate dinners, one-on-one meetings, and happy hours at conferences. This approach yields higher-quality connections and allows for deeper conversations with actual decision makers rather than surface-level booth interactions.
Leverage Your Startup's Advisor Network as Marketing Assets:
Jessica emphasizes tapping into advisors not just for strategic guidance but as active marketing resources. Advisors like Dave Richard from Big Fish PR bring both tactical marketing ideas and industry connections that can accelerate growth. Startups should view their advisor network as an extension of their marketing team, not just a strategic resource.
Scale Content Quality, Not Quantity, When Resources Are Limited:
Instead of trying to match large companies' content volume, Jessica focuses on creating fewer, higher-quality pieces that directly address customer questions. She works closely with customer success teams to identify common prospect questions, then creates content that addresses these specific pain points while showcasing PeakMetrics' capabilities.
Use AI Tools Strategically While Maintaining Human Oversight:
Jessica employs AI tools like SurferAI for SEO optimization, Jasper AI for content creation, and Swan for LinkedIn outreach, but emphasizes keeping "human in the loop." This balanced approach allows her to scale efforts as a solo marketer while maintaining the quality and authenticity that relationship marketing requires.
Create PR Strategies That Serve Your ICP, Not Just General Audiences:
Rather than chasing broad media coverage, Jessica targets specific publications her ideal customers actually read - from Dark Reading for CISOs to newer platforms like TVPN for tech audiences. This focused approach ensures marketing efforts reach decision makers rather than just generating vanity metrics.
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