Happy 10th Birthday, EndGame PR
- 27
- Jan
On January 27, 2006, I took a step. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a “one giant leap” kind of step, but for me it felt that big. On that day, I started my own PR firm.
I’d already been thinking about starting my own public relations firm for some time, and I’d even picked out a name. But, on that day, I hopped onto the web and bought the domain name endgamepr.com. It seems like a strange thing on which to peg your company’s “launch” date, but the start of this company was such an evolution of an idea, it’s all I have.
Back then, I was almost exclusively a local and national media relations guy. That’s what I’d done while working for The Martin Agency, and that’s what I’d done while working for Circuit City. The move to social media hadn’t begun yet. Facebook was in its infancy, and Twitter and LinkedIn didn’t exist yet. Likewise, I wasn’t podcasting yet, although I was producing what we called “Audio News Releases,” and were essentially pre-produced radio news stories.
Things began to change almost immediately for me and for the business. In 2007, I started my first podcast series, and was soon producing them for clients. About that same time, I was talked into building a website for a client, and that also became one of EndGame PR’s offerings. Also in 2007, I started blogging for clients as a way to reach their audience and help their search rankings. Then, the big changes started.
Facebook was gaining steam, and businesses were starting to notice. In 2007, the social networking site had less than 60-million users. Two years later, they had six times that number. In PR, the best way to promote something is to be where the people are. It used to be that the people were best found through the mass media. Now, we had a way to talk with large numbers of them directly. EndGame PR’s Facebook Page was founded in 2008, and I started using it to find the best way to reach the right people. Not long after, I started doing the same for clients.
By the time EndGame PR reached five years old, PR and my business had changed so much that I wasn’t even sure what I did was public relations anymore. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is, but I prefer to call it Social Media PR.
What I’ve enjoyed about the changes that have come to this firm in the last 10 years is that they allow me to do all of the things that I enjoy the most. I get to use my writing skills through articles, blog posts and news releases. I get to satisfy the geek in me by digging into website code. I get to keep in touch with the reporting business by promoting clients in the media. And, finally, I get to hearken back to my days in radio news by producing podcasts.
I couldn’t possibly have predicted back in 2006 where I’d be now. Can you imagine what the PR business will be like when EndGame PR turns 20?
