Each month we’ll be featuring an interview with a member of the Bogues Group team
Jodi Rizzo, VP Public Relations
Washington, D.C.
About Jodi
I have been fortunate enough to have a career in sports and entertainment public relations for about 15 years. In my spare time, I love traveling, watching sports, playing host to epic parties (follow along at @jodilynnehere on Insta!) and walking my adorable pup Hayes around the monuments here in D.C.
What techniques do you use to measure the quality of your work?
In public relations, it’s all about landing that coveted media placement, but these days that can take many different shapes. It might be getting an executive on a podcast, a mention in a blog or even a retweet by a verified Twitter user. Earned media is incredibly important to any organization’s marketing efforts for a specific campaign. A secret to my success is going to sound quite simple but it’s grasping the topic you’re pitching. I have pitched everything from tech to esports and – without being an expert in either of those spaces – it was vital to understand it inside and out first, identify who are the main players and then learn how to craft the pitch to work for endemic media as well those casually covering the topic. Long story short, ask lots of questions upfront!
What are the most important skills you’ve learned to apply to events, and where/how did you learn them?
A high level of skill in writing and editing. If your pitch, blog or social media post has mistakes in it, it loses credibility immediately. My Mom, who is a former reporter, helped me get my first internship at the Fremont News Messenger, our local paper, when I was home during the summer from college. During that time, I was assigned to write and edit obituaries. Think about it – an obituary is the last thing that will likely be printed about you. Sad, right? You have to make sure it’s perfect because would you want someone spelling your name wrong!
What campaign/client are you most proud of and why?
My all-time favorite campaign was announcing sports betting at Capital One Arena, the first to do so in-arena. The announcement brought both excitement and some hesitance (which is a fun challenge to navigate) and captured a ton of media attention. We were able to position multiple executives as experts in the field and hosted a national press conference at the arena where we also showed off recent venue improvements. It was an absolute home run.
What’s your favorite brand or campaign and why?
Budweiser. I’m so impressed by their activations, especially in sports, and their ability to connect with audiences through creative and impactful campaigns.
What advice would you give to a beginner entering the events industry?
Stay creative. It is what will set you apart from the others.