Why we started Parks & Palmer Public Relations
By John D. Palmer, Co-founder/owner of Parks & Palmer Public Relations, LLC
After spending years in journalism and as a freelance writer covering a wide array of topics ranging from community news to law enforcement to even politics and the economy, I eventually discovered that I had a burning passion for entrepreneurship and the intricacies of doing business. I was determined to make a career pivot. At the same time, however, I still wanted to continue telling stories because storytelling runs in my blood and I genuinely enjoy the craft. As I scratched my head, pondering what field would realistically allow me to do both at the same time, it was none other than my longtime friend from my days at The University of Alabama, TJ Parks, who introduced me to the world of public relations.
At the time, TJ was working for a small but highly reputable PR firm based in the Western resort town of Sheridan, WY, that had secured major press coverage for some of Silicon Valley’s hottest new startups. He too had started his career at a local news outlet and soon found that journalism, at least in the traditional sense, was not his calling. And like me, he wanted to find a way to continue telling stories. By a stroke of luck, or perhaps fate, he was able to transition into the field of PR rather seamlessly, and he finally felt like he found his wheelhouse.
While I was struggling with what to do, he was having engaging meetings with the C-Suite executives of the firm’s client companies, connecting those executives with writers and hosts from around the world, and learning something new (and often practical) every day. On top of this, he could achieve it all from a laptop and the comfort of his own home, which was incredibly convenient considering the pandemic hit soon after he landed the job. It would be untruthful to say that I wasn’t a little envious of his new gig, and I dreamed of a scenario where I could join their team, or at least do something similar.
Fortunately for me, that day finally arrived. Taking a shot in the dark, I applied, scored an interview with the owner of the firm, and the rest is history. Although I was green regarding the nuances of PR, I eagerly absorbed everything I could from day one, eager for feedback from my employer and colleagues, perhaps, at times, even to the point of annoyance. But that was of little concern to me, because I knew that if I wanted to be good enough at this to make it my new career, I had to learn a lot in little time. Soon, I was able to match the competence of my colleagues, and I eventually found areas of the job in which I was able to perform exceptionally well.
After years of working for this firm and its many amazing clients, and equipped with a wellspring of valuable experience and knowledge, TJ and I, having similar goals and a shared vision, finally made the decision to go out on our own and try things our way. The result of our collaborative effort is Parks & Palmer Public Relations, LLC.
At Parks & Palmer, our primary goal is to uncover and shine the light on the positive aspects of our clients for their targeted audience—whether they be local, regional, national, or worldwide—in order to secure the best possible coverage for your business. Unlike some PR firms, we strive to build meaningful relationships with not only our valued clients but also the journalists and media professionals we closely work with through our tried-and-true adaptive pitching process. As former journalists ourselves, we have much respect for the field and know that side of the media industry well, so we have great insight into what makes a story worth telling to an audience.
Aside from pitching the press on you or your company’s behalf, we are also proud to put our storytelling skills to work in another way by offering professional blog and newsletter writing for your business.
If you are interested in letting us help your company achieve a publicity liftoff, we invite you to reach out to us today! For more information about us and our services, as well as contact information, please visit our newly launched website at parksandpalmerpr.com.
Also, stay tuned for more blog posts coming soon! The next post will be on the uses and benefits of public relations for businesses, and it will attempt to answer some commonly asked questions regarding this specialty field.
