Dear BAMf Podcast: Episode 20 with Maya Lockwood

Dear BAMf // Episode 20: Maya Lockwood of IndieBio talks about the adverse effects of fluff news and what makes a story newsworthy.

In this week's episode of the Dear BAMf podcast, we speak with Maya Lockwood, Head of Investor Relations at IndieBio. In her role, Maya oversees IndieBio’s communications strategy around venture capital communications and program messaging. In this episode, Maya explains the role emotional intelligence plays in preparing CEOs for media interviews. She also covers some juicy PR questions from listeners, like this touchy one about handling fluff press releases:

Dear BAMf,

"Story-worthy vs. not" is a problem I'm facing right now with a client in the biotech space. For instance, my client contact suggested that the change of the founder to the title of CEO was "worthy of a press release." I consistently will point back to our goal of wanting to secure some top tier media placements. So this is just fluff news and not strategic. How do I balance the bigger goals of focusing on top tier coverage with the internal pressure to push out non-news?

Listen now to hear Maya's thoughts on why pushing out fluff press releases can actually hurt a brand's credibility. 

Dear BAMf: Episode 20

Episode 20 highlights:

• (01:42) Maya gives us some solutions for the classic communications issue of time management. Establish priorities, but don't ever tell someone that you don't have time for them. Set specific boundaries on what you can and cannot provide. Use "No, but" statements, to offer resources to assist the person asking you for help. For example, "No, but I know someone who can do that for you."
• (07:20) How to create messaging for a product that has been stigmatized. Talk about it openly, be upfront, and research competitors and companies that have a similar target audience. Think as much about the consumer as possible and make sure they're not surprised.
• (10:51) Suggestions on helping a long-winded CEO: The apparent advice is media training/coaching, but ultimately, you will want to encourage the CEO to be themselves. Show your trust by not giving up, and by helping your CEO develop a weekly practice that shows success overtime.
• (15:10) Maya breaks down how to explain the importance of noteworthy news to a client. Be honest with your client about what story needs to be covered to reach long term milestones. If the story doesn't contribute to your overarching goal, it could potentially damage the broad objective and reputation of the brand. If your goal is securing top tier coverage, your focus should be targeted towards securing top tier coverage. Explain the time it takes to complete every step of the release process. Client management is about educating and guiding the client towards efficiency.

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