Maximizing Business Visibility with PR Expert Jill Lublin

Tim Melanson: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to today’s episode of the Work at Home Rockstar podcast. Excited for today’s guest. We’re talking to a 25 year media magnet and what she does is she helps you to position your business for more profitability and more visibility in the marketplace. So super excited to be rocking out today with Jill Lublin.

Hey, Jill, you ready to rock?

Jill Lublin: I am Tim. Thanks so much.

Tim Melanson: Awesome. So we always start off here in a good note. So tell me a story of success in your business that we can be inspired by.

Jill Lublin: Oh, thank you. Well, you know, when my first book came out, Gorilla Publicity, that for me was a major success because I’ve been doing publicity for people for years, actually started my business in the world of rock and roll and music. I thought you would love that. and learned how to do guerrilla publicity the right way from the music business.

Um, but let me share with you that really getting my first book out, Guerrilla Publicity, was really, um, for me very successful, very exciting, and it really began my career as a, as a speaker, as a creator of [00:01:00] media mastery intensives, and really getting out there in a much bigger way. So that was a great success.

Tim Melanson: Nice. Starting in the music business, eh?

Jill Lublin: Yes.

Tim Melanson: I thought, were you a musician?

Jill Lublin: No, actually on the music side, excuse me, on the business side of it. So I was the director of promotion and publicity at four independent record labels. Plus I was the general manager of the Rock and Roll Museum in San Francisco.

Tim Melanson: Okay, okay. Well, unfortunately, musicians themselves aren’t super good at marketing, are they?

Jill Lublin: No, unfortunately they’re not. And one of my other parts of my career was I actually was a manager. For a band that made it as far as getting in front of the A and R guy. You probably know what that means. The people who make the decisions at Chrysalis records, that was pretty exciting. Um, so, so I have taken that role on, but more from the, um, more from the album side of it for the artists.

And I was handling their [00:02:00] promotion and publicity through the elbow, through the, you know, the, that was a much better position to play.

Tim Melanson: Okay. Well, so along with the good notes, sometimes things don’t go as planned. There’s some bad notes that you get to hit as well. And I’m wondering, can you share with us something that, you know, just didn’t go as well, that you recovered from, and you can help us to avoid it or recover from it if it happens to us?

Thanks.

Jill Lublin: Yeah, well, you know, I actually had an accident, literally fell over and broke both ankles at once in multiple places, and I ended up in a wheelchair for five months, which was, you know, you can imagine being a speaker or an entertainer or anything you do out in the world being in a wheelchair and limited mobility is very much going to affect your business.

It certainly affected mine and impacted my travel schedule, my speaking schedule, and my client schedule. And I was in pain and hurting and it was just hard to do life for a while, you know? And, and so what did I do? Well, I recovered. That’s the good [00:03:00] news. And I actually really had to, um, kind of look inside and say, you know, Where do I need to maybe slow down or where do I need to do things differently and and I and I use it as a time to be in that reflection and recreate some things and also, frankly, you know what I really had to do.

I had to learn how to ask for help. Wow. That was a big 1 learning how to ask for help. And very importantly. Receiving help, because I think a lot of us, number one, don’t ask for enough help. And if you got a business, you need to be getting help in all kinds of ways from all kinds of mentors. I mean, I’m a, I’m blessed to be a public relations mentor for many and visibility mentor.

But let me tell you, then receiving the help was also really important. So it was a big lesson for me. And I. And I took it well and now I have, you know, a wonderful life and have gotten a great [00:04:00] healing and I’m able to use both my legs in a good way. So we love that.

Tim Melanson: Wow. Well, you know, that work that works really well into the next topic, which is talking about the band and you know, having the people in your entourage, I guess that can help you. Uh, ’cause you know, I think that’s one of the things is that when you, uh, a lot of entrepreneurs I think, start to do their own thing.

’cause they want to do their own thing. They, and then, you know, now you’re saying that. Well, you’re gonna you’re gonna need some help. You can’t be awesome at everything, right? And so i’m wondering like what was your process like, you know, how do you find the right people? Um, and and what are those people the most important people that you have in your band?

Jill Lublin: Oh, and I love the band and the band as you know, it’s a musician is very important that you all come together. In fact, we have a team meeting today, a full team meeting. Every, uh, consistently I have team meetings. Let me just say that because you need to know what each band member is doing. And [00:05:00] frankly, as the leader of the band, which I do consider myself, I’ve got to know who’s doing what, who’s playing what, who’s, you know, creating, uh, good tasks and more, more importantly, What makes the cash register ring, you know, cause otherwise people can just do tasks.

And that was like a big realization for me. Like what are they doing to make the cash register ring? And that’s what people have to actually report in on. Plus we have 30 minute meetings every single week. And then we have full team meetings. Like everybody comes together to see each other. Cause I have probably seven different contractors and we do that every 60 days where we all come together and see each other and connect.

And

Tim Melanson: all

Jill Lublin: then we have no everybody and everybody’s in all different places. Doesn’t matter to me where anybody is anymore all over the world. Literally. Um, and that works great because there’s zoom and it works.

Tim Melanson: Yeah, that’s awesome. Yeah That’s gonna change the the playing field day now that you [00:06:00] have zoom and you’re able to like Actually see people and work with people rather than having to only hire in your local market, right?

Jill Lublin: Oh, it’s so much better. And literally, I can have people all over the world. It’s very affordable, actually much more economical and, you know, different team players focused on different parts, just like people play different things in a band. I’ve got different people assigned to different parts in my band.

Tim Melanson: You find it harder hiring people like remotely than when it was face to face?

Jill Lublin: No, I’ve got a great resource who actually helped me with this. And I got wonderful people in the Philippines that I’m able to work with at a very affordable rate and he helps me oversee them and find them. So I’m, I’m totally thrilled.

Tim Melanson: So that’s probably an important band member.

Jill Lublin: Yes, it is. Yes, a virtual assistant resource, which I have if you ever need it.

Um, they’re terrific.

Tim Melanson: Wow, right on. So now let’s talk a little bit about like learning [00:07:00] from others. Like how did you learn everything that you know now that helps you run your business?

Jill Lublin: Well, I have mentors and coaches. I’m in masterminds. Um, I keep myself very, shall we say, boxed in, meaning I have support just like I’m publicity support for many. I also have my support team and, uh, these are mentors and coaches and masterminds I’m part of. And, it is a very essential. Part of success in my business.

Tim Melanson: How do you find a mentor?

Jill Lublin: Well, part of it might be through the different networking groups I’m in or associations. I’m part of because. For instance, as a speaker, I’m part of what’s called National Speakers Association and I found one of my mentors through their, uh, first, you know, one of my first mentors for 12 years, actually, and then sometimes I go to an event and I just really resonate with someone, or they scare me.

1 of the 2. Sometimes, [00:08:00] sometimes it’s good to work with somebody who scares you a little bit because that will bring you into action. So I have always been a woman of action and, um, frankly participated in lots of events that helped me grow. And, um, make sure that I’m always, always got my eye on, on how do I be better?

How do I give better to my clients? And that means me being better.

Tim Melanson: So, how, like, when, where were you on your journey of entrepreneurship when you hired your first coach? Was it right away or was it even

Jill Lublin: Right

Tim Melanson: you? Right away.

Jill Lublin: Oh, yeah. I’ve always had somebody in my pocket because as much as I’m good at publicity and and the things I’m good at. Guess what? I don’t know everything and I need support. And I think anybody who’s an entrepreneur. needs support and your best, uh, opportunity of success is getting support quickly and not trying to figure it out.

Oh, gosh. I [00:09:00] had a woman just the other day, actually, from my Media Mastery Intensive. She’s a diabetes expert. She’s a nurse. And, you know, she’s going to go figure it out. And I’m like, you know, good luck with that. Good luck with that. That’s going to be tough.

Tim Melanson: That seems to be what holds a lot of people back is trying to figure it out themselves. And then, you know, what do you think, like, makes you different in the way that you think that you didn’t try to figure things out on your own. You actually went and got help right away.

Jill Lublin: Well, that’s part of what makes me different immediately is that I got help right away. Number one, I, I’m not going to be, uh, you know, a hero. Um, I’m going to admit that I need support and I think any entrepreneur, listen, stay in your lane, do what you do well, get paid for it well, and then pay people to support you around you.

And that is a great tip for success.

Tim Melanson: I agree. [00:10:00] So now we talked about how the, you know, you can talk to anybody in the world, you know, through something like zoom. So, you know, the reach is huge. But how do you, how do you get those people to be fans of yours rather than just an audience?

Jill Lublin: Um, so part of it, like everything is you’ve got to serve your audience, right? And give them, you know, good value. So I have a lot of people referring business to me because in my media mastery intensives, I’m giving good value. They know that they feel that they are held by me and we actually get things done.

So I’m very practical and I don’t like to, you know, mess around very much in terms of, you know, Um, I think people are busy. I want to, I want to be productive. I want to give them great results and I want to give them value and benefit and I want to be the person, you know, that, that is best for me to be in, in, you know, to give to others the best possible way.

So I’m always [00:11:00] working on me, but I’m also delivering a lot of value all at once.

Tim Melanson: Yeah, I agree. And, and it’s one of those things where, uh, like you say, the referrals is so huge. And the only way you’re going to get that referral is really like kind of over delivering under promising and over delivering. Right.

Jill Lublin: Right. Exactly. And I always hope to do that, you know, And and then to know you can’t please all the people all the time. So you just be the best you are. You’ll draw the best people to you who are right for you. That’s what I believe.

Tim Melanson: Yeah, I agree. Okay. So it’s time for your guest solo. So tell me what’s exciting in your business right now.

Jill Lublin: Oh, well, the my 4th book called the profit of kindness. I have actually started kindness circles and these are wonderful and free opportunities for people to connect and create. Well, kindness with each other and it’s just been going so great. Uh, you know, I have people from people magazine, they have this kindness issue.

They’re coming in, they’re talking for like 10 [00:12:00] minutes. And then I have, um, two wonderful breakouts and people actually get to connect and know each other and it’s all done within, you know, a short time period. And I’m very excited about that in my business, um, and, you know, what that’s creating out in the world.

And I’m also very excited about the media mastery intensive. I do, which is a short focus program, kind of like a boot camp, but a lot shorter. And, and people are getting things done. I think we’ve got the format really dialed in. And so we’re playing good tunes and, uh, and really enjoying, um, the dynamic of what’s going on and people are really getting a lot of value from that.

So, I think that’s been very successful and, and, you know, being it’s, it’s, it’s being, it’s in a good process right now. Let me say it like that.

Tim Melanson: Well, so what kind of person would get the most out of, you know, one of these programs?

Jill Lublin: Um, consultants, coaches, authors, speakers, and then what I call independent service providers, [00:13:00] people who might be chiropractors or real estate or loan people or in the financial field. Um, so typically I serve those audiences.

Tim Melanson: Okay. And do they need to be at a certain point in their business? Are they kind of just starting or?

Jill Lublin: No, I, I have actually people in the just starting category in the transition category, like maybe went from corporate into their own business. Um, as well as people are really along the road and, you know, well, into their business of success, because the truth is, listen, business is like a mountain. You keep climbing it.

You reach new elevation. You look out. Wow. What a great view. Then you take another step, right? Until you actually reach the top, which. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll probably be dead by then. But you know what I’m saying? Like there’s always a new elevation and there’s always a new beautiful lookout. And I think, you know, that’s the way to approach business.

And that’s the way to approach life.

Tim Melanson: Yeah, it’s true. Every time you get to the top, you realize that there’s another [00:14:00] mountain.

Jill Lublin: Yeah, exactly. And you know, there’s always another mountain to climb and. That’s part of the fun and you have to definitely enjoy the journey. Otherwise, it’s, you know, it’s, it’s not as much fun. But I certainly think if you enjoy the journey and know that it’s part of it, including the success, including the failures, it’s all part of it.

Tim Melanson: Awesome. So how do we find out more about these programs?

Jill Lublin: Well, if you go to I’ve done a free gift for all of your viewers and listeners, and we’d love for you to go to publicity crash course dot com slash free gift, and that is a super wonderful publicity action guide, which takes you deeper on some of the actions that will get your. business success and and double gift because I like to give a lot is the double gift is a free publicity masterclass direct with me live and interactive where you can ask any question that you need to get your publicity success done.[00:15:00]

Tim Melanson: Wow. That’s cool. Two free gifts. I like free stuff.

Jill Lublin: yes, of course, who doesn’t right? So that’s what it is. And I’m sure it’ll be also hopefully in the show notes.

Tim Melanson: Right on. And so is there any other ways that people can get in contact with you and learn more about you?

Jill Lublin: certainly jillluplin. com, my website, will take you right into all kinds of good things also.

Tim Melanson: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for rocking out with me today.

Jill Lublin: It’s a joy to rock on with you.

Tim Melanson: Awesome. And to the listeners, make sure you subscribe, write and comment and we’ll see you next time on the work at home. Rockstar podcast.