COMPANY OVERVIEW 

 

Nardi Media brings media relations, media training, and publicity services to those seeking positive attention from the press, with a special focus on broadcast media placements. Based in Washington D.C., the firm has worked with start-ups, large corporations, academia, non-profits, influencers, and more. Its primary clientele are book authors ranging in scope from the self-published to the New York Times bestseller list.  

CHALLENGE

Streamlining media relations efforts

Nardi Media’s main communications goal is often to reach a large number of press very quickly. “Before we had Cision, our email system would crash under the load of our bulk emailing process, which wasn’t ideal,” said Ashley Bernardi, Founder & Publicity Director at Nardi Media. “We wanted to protect our infrastructure and also develop a more targeted pitching approach.”

As the team has grown, the firm’s needs have also grown. “We used to rely heavily on our in-house lists. When we were smaller, it was easy to maintain the records. Now, with more people now using the data, it’s harder to keep an eye on the status of updates and changes. It was time for us to look at bigger and better platforms,” said Bernardi. (click to tweet)  

APPROACH

From discovery to list-building and pitching

Nardi Media turned to Cision Communications Cloud™, an all-in-one platform that allows the team to build targeted media lists and send out pitch emails without putting pressure on the firm’s technology. “With the Cision Communications Cloud, I have access to all major media outlets as well as local or niche outlets that I may not have known about,” said Bernardi. (click to tweet)

Cision’s contact profiles allows Nardi Media to pick the best, most relevant influencers quickly and easily. “The detail is incredibly valuable because I can discover exactly who I need to speak with at each outlet,” said Bernardi. “Providing their beats is key.”





While in most situations an email would suffice, Bernardi often calls journalists directly when she wants to make a more personal connection. Having a robust database at her fingertips helps her to prepare quickly for each conversation. Bernardi’s number one tip for cold calling media? “Make yourself useful.” Bernardi’s team will often open with, “What stories are you working on?” or “How can I help you do that?” This approach has often led to booking clients with additional outlets.

Cision’s focus on adding non-traditional media to the database is another high point for Nardi Media. “I’m happy to see more podcasts populating in Cision,” said Bernardi. “It’s an area of our pitching strategy that we’re rapidly trying to develop.”  

RESULTS

Ample earned media opportunities with seamless execution

A long-time user of Cision products, Nardi Media moved to Cision Communications Cloud, and prefers the intuitive nature of the new platform to those that came before. “This platform is extremely user-friendly. After a quick on-boarding session with the Cision team, I learned to accomplish all my tasks in less than five minutes,” said Bernardi. (click to tweet)

The platform’s workflow capabilities make work easy. “Now I can build my lists and email pitches while also conducting a phone pitch,” said Bernardi. “I have much more time in my day and am more productive.”  

The breadth of Cision’s media database has boosted Nardi Media’s success overall. “An expanded network of contacts has ultimately helped the business grow,” said Bernardi. With Cision’s assistance, Nardi Media was able to secure earned media from both FOX News and an appearance on CBS’ The Doctors for one of its medical author clients. “I’m better at what I do because of the Cision Communications Cloud,” said Bernardi. (click to tweet)  

FUTURE PLANS

Monitoring as a next step

Nardi Media is looking to take greater advantage of the monitoring capabilities within the Cision Communications Cloud in the months to come. “We definitely see a long-term partnership with Cision in our future,” said Bernardi.