Aeris PR Founder and CEO Katerina Antonova leads an company specializing in boosting model recognition for tech startups in varied areas, incomes respect for her revolutionary method to merging know-how and communication.
Antonova is a seasoned international PR advisor famend for her experience in industries reminiscent of AI, AR/VR, fintech, and martech. She additionally passionately helps feminine entrepreneurs by her worldwide Womenpreneur membership.
We caught up with Antonova to get her tackle the way forward for comms execs and the evolving communications {industry}.
What e-book, podcast or different media do you suggest to different comms execs?
Let’s begin with books. My first advice can be “Made to Stick: Why Some Concepts Survive and Others Die” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. As communication execs, we at all times attempt to carve out messages which can be memorable, and this e-book analyzes why sure concepts grow to be eternal whereas others don’t.
The second e-book I wish to suggest is “Constructing A StoryBrand: Make clear Your Message So Prospects Will Hear” by Donald Miller. As we speak, within the age once we are bombarded by new data virtually each minute, it’s essential for a enterprise to have a transparent and compelling message with a view to minimize by the noise. To realize that, one ought to study to simplify what they’re attempting to say. This e-book helps with that.
As my third advice, I’d go along with “Contagious: Why Issues Catch On” by Jonah Berger. It’s a superb match for my first advice as a result of this e-book explores why some merchandise and concepts go viral and the way a enterprise can leverage these insights.
As for podcasts, normally I flip to “The PR Week” for industry-related information, traits overview, and interviews. I like “The Artwork Of Allure” for precious ideas and tips for environment friendly communication which can be useful in each private {and professional} settings. I additionally like “How I Constructed This” with Man Raz. It’s not strictly about communications however these interviews with entrepreneurs can provide precious classes on branding, messaging, and storytelling.
As well as, I’d suggest listening to TED Talks. A number of them are about communication, storytelling, and media, and so they can spark inspiration.
What’s your favourite device you employ recurrently for work?
I exploit a set of go-to instruments frequently, every helps me with explicit duties. Zoom permits me to speak with my shoppers and my crew. In each instances, these are people who find themselves located in numerous nations and continually journey, identical to me. At Aeris PR all of us work remotely and our shoppers are tech firms from the US and Europe, so video calls are essentially the most environment friendly technique of communication.
Dilims is one other app that helps me with communication with the shoppers and the crew. It permits protecting monitor of workplace hours in varied time zones and discovering overlapping slots for conferences with individuals working inside them. Additionally, I intensively use Notion as an area to retailer data and a device to share it with others and Miro, an internet whiteboard that’s nice for collaboration.
These might not be precisely instruments for work, however I recurrently use apps for meditation with a view to recharge, regain focus, clear my thoughts, and hold anxiousness away. I feel they assist me to work higher and keep away from burning out, so they’re essential too.
What excites you most about the way forward for communications?
Just lately there have been a whole lot of technological breakthroughs which can be altering the panorama of media particularly and human communication generally. To begin with, let’s take some of the hyped-up matters of the current – synthetic intelligence. It’s fascinating to see how AI helps velocity up some communication-related processes. As an example, it will possibly fairly effectively compose drafts for emails, displays, social media posts, and different texts.
Secondly, it’s very probably that sooner or later sooner or later AR and VR are going to be a typical a part of communications. These applied sciences are already used fairly extensively, and a communication knowledgeable ought to take into account incorporating them into their technique when brainstorming. Possibly, now it’s not in such a excessive demand however issues are altering quick these days. So, it’s higher to consider it now.
What communications problem retains you up at evening?
Truthfully, I don’t expertise any hassle with sleeping at evening. Firstly, I do my job totally and pretty, so my conscience is at all times clear. Secondly, by now, I’ve discovered take management of stress with the assistance of meditation and yoga. These two issues have extremely boosted my potential to maintain calm.
Basically, I favor to maintain my give attention to issues that get me up within the morning as a result of my work drives me and provides me vitality. Typically, although, if I journey late at evening or transfer to a special time zone, I may match late within the night and even throughout evening time. I journey rather a lot and my crew and shoppers are all in numerous time zones, so work retains me awake at evening every so often.
What’s the largest problem you’ve overcome in your profession?
At Aeris, we’re at all times bold. We’re continually attempting to surpass our consumer’s expectations by serving to them to get printed within the top-tier media shops which can be virtually unattainable to get into. It’s at all times a problem however an thrilling one. We take pleasure in it.
Additionally, we largely work with early-stage startups and it has its challenges. Above all, we’re very versatile and adaptable. As an example, we had a consumer who determined to barely shift and broaden the positioning of his startup and alter its technique after three months of working with us. Our crew rapidly tailored to that by crafting a brand new PR plan for the upcoming three months whereas protecting some bits of the earlier plan and merging them with our new concepts organically.
What’s the greatest recommendation you’ve ever gotten?
There’s rather a lot that I’ve discovered by the years that I’ve been working within the area. Most likely, the very best piece of recommendation can be to at all times have in mind the place you’re going and why, which means that you must at all times bear in mind your targets and values and examine every so often in case your present trajectory is well-aligned with them. And, in fact, you must always remember to benefit from the journey.
One other helpful piece of recommendation can be to by no means cease studying. There are some common classes that all of us should study whereas rising personally and professionally. There are some issues that it’s important to study relying in your background and the trail that you simply’ve walked up this very second.
For an entrepreneur and a frontrunner, it’s essential to study to delegate and belief your crew, to keep away from the will to manage every little thing on a regular basis and micromanage. By the way in which, going again to the query about sleeping at evening, studying these classes additionally helps to lower stress and sleep properly.
Isis Simpson-Mersha is a convention producer/ reporter for Ragan. Comply with her on LinkedIn.
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