Social Media Portal interview with Kizzi Nkwocha from PRHQ

Profiled - Kizzi Nkwocha, director of PRHQ

Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your role at PRhq?

Kizzi Nkwocha (KN): I?m Kizzi Nkwocha, director of PRHQ.  Although my agency is a PR consultancy,  I am essentially a publicist.  I work primarily with people and have been lucky enough to have provided services for some pretty interesting individuals.

I see my job as helping to make, mould and mobilise public opinion.  Some of the more high profile people I?ve represented include the boxer Chris Eubanks, Reggae, Reggae Sauce entrepreneur, Levi Roots, the King of Uganda, teenage adventurer Mike Perham and quite a few of the housemates from Big Brother.  I?ve also advised Amnesty International,  Malaysia Tourism and, quite bizarrely, a town called Fakenham.  It?s a long story?

SMP: Briefly, tell us about the book 'Insiders Know-How: Public Relations', what?s it about?

KN: 'Insiders Know-How: Public Relations' is all about best practice in running a successful PR agency.  Although I?m the editor of the book, 'Insiders Know-How: Public Relations' has been written by some of the sharpest minds in the PR business.  It side-steps classroom theory and, instead, knuckles down to tackling practical, every day challenges PR consultants might have. It?s a success and survival guide written by people who do PR every day.

SMP: What is the publishing house is it released by?

KN: 'Insiders Know-How: Public Relations' has been produced by Mithra Publishing, a publishing venture of mine that sets out to demystify the publishing process by opening the doors to more new writers.

SMP: Who are your target audience and why?

KN: The book is aimed at people either working in, or running, their own agency.  Our main readers are professionals who deal with the media and are responsible for helping clients make headlines.

SMP: Where can it be purchased (please provide direct URLs)?

KN: The book is available from Mithra Publishing http://www.mithrapublishing.com and Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Insiders-Know-How-Public-Relations-ebook/dp/B007MLWKB2 (on Kindle and as a paperback).

SMP: Why did you decide to write this book on public relations?

KN: The book came about through talking to friends and colleagues who all run their own agencies. It quickly became apparent that we all experienced the same, every-day challenges.  The really interesting thing, though, was discovering all of the different yet highly effective ways these challenges were dealt with.  A lot of the writers in the book have come up with such ingenuous and incredibly practical ways of solving problems that, when reading the book, you will occasionally slap your forehead and whisper ?eureka.?  

SMP: Why did you include aspects of online PR and social media into it?

KN: Social media is the new face of public relations.  To not understand how to leverage social media pretty much guarantees that you will soon become irrelevant.  A footnote in history.  Great PR consultants adapt to change and constantly find ways of finding the gift in everything a situation throws at them.  We wanted to help agencies find the gift in social media and offer them a guide to really getting the most out of the greatest communication revolution of our lifetime.

SMP: How did choose guest writers for the book and why do you do this?

KN: We had to do a lot of research.  We checked the writers background by doing Google searches and their social media presence.  The more influential and experienced a writer is, the more interested we were in them.  It may sound mercenary but, in the years to come, the new celebrities will be the people with the most influence online.  The number of followers you have on Twitter will soon determine whether you get upgraded to first class on the plane or not.

SMP: Is there a list of writers that you can point us to?

KN: At the beginning of the book there is a roll call.  A list of all the contributing authors and the agencies they represent. It?s pretty much a who?s-who in PR.

SMP: How did you initially attract potential readers of the book, and how do you do it now?

KN: We used a lot of social media to tell people about the book.  We created a Facebook page specifically for Mithra and our authors and made extensive use of LinkedIn and Twitter.  We have also just launched an online radio show called Writers Talk which is all about (who would guess? ) writers and books.  Writers Talk will be streamed via YouTube, Facebook and iTunes.

SMP: What are the low moments of what you have been doing so far?

KN: It?s been a real rollercoaster ride. Far too many highs and lows to even begin to list in one interview.   I could possibly write another book about it.  Or maybe not.   I think the rule here has to be; ?when life gives you lemons, you learn to make lemonade.?  I have a few barrels of lemonade to sell if anyone?s thirsty?

SMP: What are the high moments of what you have been doing so far?

KN: A much easier question.  One of the most memorable moments was when the first iPad copy of the book was produced.  Wow. It felt odd actually seeing the book on the screen after it began life as a casual conversation in a café many, many months ago.  

SMP: What do you see as your biggest challenges and opportunities?

KN: I think staying ahead of the curve is probably a challenge and an opportunity.  I?ve won awards for my social media work but constantly need to keep learning and finding out what?s on the horizon.  I remember the days when ?internet? was something you got at the hairdressers.  Now, if you?re not influential online, you might as well not exist.  Scary.

SMP: What are the next moves for you and the use of social media in line with PR?

KN: I?d like to produce more interactive multi-media content.  Perhaps a complete online radio station and maybe even online TV.  Something that really involves members of the public.  I think there?s a huge opportunity to fuse PR, social media and broadcasting in a way that will strike a responsive chord with people all over the world.

SMP: What?s the next big step for social media / networks and what role do you see PR having in this?

KN: Social media companies will very soon replace TV stations and news publishers as the most widely used form of communication in the world.  Facebook will start creating user-generated TV content, LinkedIn will publish its own online B2B magazines and Youtube will be the new BBC.  All of this change will need online-savvy PR consultants who understand how to talk to connected audiences.

SMP: What was the most challenging part of building the book presence in digital environments?

KN: Its very hard to not try to sell the book the readers.  Old habits die hard.  But people want to be engaged rather than sold to.  Of course there are already a few good books on public relations and trying to carve a niche in what is a pretty crowded marketplace has had its challenges.

SMP: What?s going to be the most interesting aspect regarding social media / technology throughout 2012 and into 2013; how could PR have an impact upon this?

KN: I think the convergence of social media and TV / Radio/ and newspapers is going to be quite remarkable.  With the increasing use of apps on our phones and TV?s,  the accepted line between social media and ?traditional? mass communication will soon be a thing of the past. Pinterest will grow in influence over the next 12 months and community managers will be the most important asset of any PR agency.

SMP: What are your top predictions for social media throughout 2012 and into 2013 ? what are the top things that PRs need to know?

KN replies with: Top 5 predictions for social media:

• Multi-media social media will grow and grow over the next 12 months.  Seeing the world through someone else?s eyes will become the next holy grail.  If you haven?t tried Instagram yet, put that on top of your ?to do? list for this week.
• With its new venture into creating channels firmly underway, YouTube is likely to become the fastest growing social network in the world.  Yes, even surpassing the mighty Facebook.  With the growth of smart TV?s, more and more people will be watching user generated content on their TV?s rather than just their laptops.
• As more people read books like ?Insider Know-how: Public Relations? and our recent title, 'SocMed: Social Media For Business,'  businesses will begin to realise the strategic value of social media.  Its not just about keeping in touch with your mates in the pub.  Social Media is about leveraging a communication medium to promote your brand,  engage customers and making money.
• Newspaper and magazine apps will outsell their traditional print counterparts by two to one.
• Mobile marketing will become the most powerful (and effective) form of marketing.  More people are using their phones to access the web than they do using laptops and desktop computers.  This presents a whole host of challenges and opportunities for marketers.  QR codes will become standard marketing tools.

SMP: What are your top social media tips for PRs in using social media from you?ve understood in writing your book?

KN replies with: Lessons learnt:

• Your customers are your best brand ambassadors
• Identify influential bloggers and reach out to them.  They talk to the people that you need to make contact with
• Accept criticism and, if you?re clients have done something wrong, apologise and make amends as quickly as possible
• Facebook is the most important social network for business ? not LinkedIn.  If you haven?t got a Facebook Page for your business,  stop reading this and set one up today
• Social media is about being social.  So loosen the tie and ditch corporate buzz-words.  Listen to your customers / readers and talk to them in a language that they understand

SMP: Are there any other book that you?ve written recently that are related and we should know about?

KN: I?ve worked on a great book called ?SocMed: Social Media For Business? which is all about using the social media networks for your brand.  And another book I?ve been involved with is called ?Facebook for Business.? No prizes for guessing what that book?s all about.

SMP: Is there anything else you?d like to tell us?

KN: We?ve recently launched a World Record attempt to produce the most collaborated book in history.  Its called My Big Book Project and involves creating a story line and throwing it open to writers from all over the world to contribute to. You can find out a bit more about the project at: http://www.mybigbookproject.com/

SMP: Best way to contact you and Insiders Know-How: Public Relations?

KN: I?m always on Facebook (it?s work, honestly) at: https://www.facebook.com/kizzi.nkwocha
And my Twitter profile is
http://twitter.com/#!/kizzinkwocha
To get a copy of the book, you can visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/Insiders-Know-How-Public-Relations-ebook/dp/B007MLWKB2




SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?

KN: For breakfast: two slices of toast and orange juice

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

KN: The last good thing?  I?ve just agreed to do some pro bono work for a charity called Giving Dreams.  They help terminally ill children and their families.  I?ve agreed to help raise the charity?s profile.

SMP: How many hours to you work a week?

KN: Around 50 I imagine.

SMP: If you weren?t writing books and doing PR, what would you be doing?

KN: I?d probably be a sports agent.  Not that I?m a huge sports fan, but I like negotiating deals for clients.  Must be in the blood.

SMP: When and where did you go on your last holiday?

KN: Northern France in the countryside last June.  We?re now thinking of buying a home there.

SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?

KN: Check my emails and read the news headlines online.

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

KN: The power to persuade.