You’re listening to the My simplified Life podcast and this is episode #67.

Hello friends and welcome back to another episode. I’m your host Michelle Glogovac. There’s one thing that I feel is of the utmost importance when it comes to life and that is your relationships. this feels like it could be such a huge topic to cover because we could literally start with how your childhood shapes the relationships you’ll have over the course of your entire life, but I don’t want to go that far back or deep today. I want to discuss the importance of relationships when it comes to your business. 

Before we dive into it, I want to touch on the events of last week. Although many weren’t completely shocked by all of us witnessing rioters and domestic terrorists take over our nation’s Capitol, what was surprising was the lack of security that was pre-planned for what we expected to happen and how it looked starkly different from all of the protests we saw in 2020. To say there was a difference is an understatement. Last year as we watched the black lives matter movement grow, we all needed to stop and educate ourselves, reflect on who we are, what we believe in and how we can stand up and support our black brothers and sisters. For me this strengthened my relationship with friends and clients. I was one who stood with them, but didn’t speak up enough and I vowed to change that. Last week I paused my scheduled posts and shared my opinion and support for those who need it most right now. 

When I talk about having the power to change the world, it’s in standing up for what is right that we can make true change happen. I have the incredible honor to represent change makers in our world who are making lasting impact. This in turn helps me create an impact in the world and all of this is done with the relationships I have created both with clients and the media. So let’s talk about how your relationships can help the world and your business. 

Now here’s the thing…it really doesn’t matter what line of business you’re in, what your career is or whether you offer a service or a physical product, relationships are the foundation of it all. Some of you might be saying, yeah i know that’s an important aspect, but isn’t it really the quality I provide that’s important? Yes, of course quality is important, meeting and exceeding expectations is important, but your relationships are what are going to build your business. Relationships are how you will make connections to bigger things, not only in business, but in life as well. 

In this online world that we’re living in it can be hard to identify genuine people and genuine relationships and I certainly have experience in thinking I found genuine people and connections, only to later discover that it was a lot of fluff and just surface level. That’s taught me to be more cautious about wearing my heart on my sleeve, but it hasn’t changed who I am or the fact that I want to search for those real relationships with people who want the same. I will invest my time and energy into others and true relationships will provide the same from the other person to you. As you reflect more about this, think for a moment about the fact that the social platform Instagram will rank you higher if you engage with other accounts and that their definition of engagement is writing 4 or more words in a comment. During a time when more and more of us are online, behind screens, working from home, even the social media platforms want to see more genuine interactions between all of us. That speaks volumes.

As a publicist, my job is all relationship based, from my clients to the media. I’ve referred to myself as the podcast matchmaker and being a matchmaker is all about relationships, getting to know people and then identifying two groups fit together. With my clients, I get to know each of them on a deep level. I listen to their stories, ask questions, follow them, interact and engage with them. I become privy to details that the public doesn’t know because it helps me understand them, what their life and experiences are like and what kind of impact they can have. I build a relationship that is genuine and I am my client’s number 1 fan. It’s my job to promote them, but in order to do so, I have to believe in them and understand them. The only way I can truly know a client is by creating and nurturing a relationship with them. 

Relationships are built on mutual trust. I trust that my clients are going to remain in alignment with their message and that they will show up when booked. They trust that I will represent them in the best light and work my hardest to land them media features. But the trust in me doesn’t end with just my clients. 

As with all kinds of PR and pitching, whether it’s traditional media or podcasting, the key is building authentic relationships. Yes, I send cold pitches, we all do and it’s a part of my job, but and this is a big but, the reason clients want to work with me is because of the relationships I have built with podcast hosts, media talent, journalists, writers, and other influencers. I’ll let you in on a little secret…it’s not that I have a big secret on how I have created these relationships. I didn’t wake up and suddenly have connections, I made them. Every single one of my media contacts was at one time a stranger who I didn’t know and who didn’t know me. 

How did I change that? I follow them, I engage on their content, I get to know them and let them know who I am and what I’m about. I get a feeling for the type of people they were looking to connect with and find for content and then I work on figuring out who would make a good fit, what makes sense and I make the introduction or pitch. 

Here’s the thing, following someone is going to make the connection. We’ve got bots that follow people, but it’s true human interaction that gets the attention of others.  It’s going above and beyond to say you appreciate this person and the content they provide and you genuinely mean it. It’s not a one and done type of thing.

Relationships take time and effort whether it’s in real life or online, so you have to invest some of yourself and your time. As I mentioned earlier, it won’t always pan out to be a requited investment, but not everything or everyone in life is perfect, nor do we all want the same things. My opinion is that you should give freely of yourself as much as you can. I’m not saying give all of your knowledge or love away for free and be ok with never getting anything back in return, but I am saying that you should be more than ok with giving and not always receiving. 

I’m a giver by nature. I give of my time and knowledge and sometimes it might be too freely, but I’m ok with that. I’d rather someone see me go above and beyond with the expectation of receiving nothing in return than to be seen as the one with my hands always out for something.  I’ve been in twitter chats and seen someone tweet that they were looking for a job in a specific field and remember that the other day I had seen an opening that would be a perfect fit, so I went an extra step and found the link and sent it to the gal looking. That simple act of kindness is what goes a long way. 

I follow reporters and freelance journalists and when I see they need sources and I know someone who would make a great source, I’ll connect them. It’s not all about money, even though business is. I’m in the relationship business and in building the relationships, the money will follow. I’m a firm believer in that.

I know I can’t just make connections all day long for people who don’t pay me, but isn’t it true that what you give away for free will come back ten times greater? Isn’t it a wonderful feeling to know that you are helping others without expectation? Imagine if more people did this in our world. Let’s start leading lives of giving and less of expectation. It’s going to change our mindsets and our relationships and ultimately our businesses. 

Think about a time when someone did something unexpected for you, how grateful you were, how happy it made you. And when given the opportunity to return the favor, haven’t you wanted to? So imagine how you will make others feel when you nurture a relationship without expectation and how you could be on the receiving end of the unexpected. 

Give of yourself more freely this year. Make an effort in your relationships simply by checking in with others. Send a birthday card. Pick up the phone. Engage on an account you admire and let them know that they are changing your life in a positive way. I promise that the more you lift others up and are genuine, the better you will feel, the better your relationships will be and at some point, the generosity you give will be returned.

Now more than ever friends we need to give more of ourselves and support each other. It does not matter who you are, you have the power to change the world with what you do and say. Go out and change someone’s life today. I dare you to.

As always, stay safe, healthy and happy and wishing you all the love and support you need.