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What's in store for this edition:
Know the difference between press that makes a difference and one that is all fluff.
Is this real “press” or something else?
There it is, a headline with your name in it. An article with thoughtful questions, and it’s all about you!
Though it is in a publication you didn’t even know existed, you’ve never heard of before.
Before you start posting about your latest “press” and adding “As seen in…” to every surface of your brand, make sure you ask:
Is this real editorial coverage, or is it basically a paid-for (or pay-to-play-adjacent) vanity profile?
There are many outlets where it can be tricky to tell if they’re providing meaningful PR or if it’s more along the lines of a glorified participation trophy.
What are “vanity profile” outlets?
These outlets often charge a fee and offer to write a story about you. Sometimes you write the story, and sometimes there is no fee. But the common thread is that they churn out profile pieces that don’t offer much real value to the readers.
Translation: They exist to feature people and their stories. Their “audience” is mainly the people that we’ve already profiled.
That’s not inherently bad. But it’s also not real reporting, nor is it earned media. The editorial bar isn’t: “Are you slightly interesting?” Rather it is: “Is this person a true subject-matter expert with something valuable to say for our readers?”
So while it’s exciting to see your name on a website that looks like a news outlet, it’s not real reporting, and doesn’t carry the same weight as earning coverage where the outlet’s first loyalty is to its audience.
💫 Pro Tip: Often these outlets’ names and logos resemble legitimate news outlets, which just adds to the confusion. Don’t fall for the smoke and mirrors.
How to spot a vanity-style outlet
Let’s say you just got an email or saw an advertisement with an “interview opportunity.” Here are some tips to see if it’s legitimate press reporting or a vanity-style interview.
Home page scan: Do you see dozens of interviews from entrepreneurs or creators? Are the interview formats and questions identical? Are the headlines in repeating patterns like “Meet So-and-so” or “Stories & Insights: So-and-so.” If so, that outlet is a vanity profile factory.
The About page: Check the mission. If it says things like “giving founders a voice,” ”highlighting inspiring stories,” or “helping people share their journeys” it’s likely a vanity-style outlet. It’s not a newsroom built around reporting and beats.
The business model: If you see pay-to-play packages, “visibility” or “amplification” packages, badges, list placements, “Top 10” list or “power leaders” roundups and all you do is fill out a form, then this is marketing and not true editorial.
If your PR firm only brings you this, it’s not doing its job.
If you’re DIY‑ing PR and you land a few vanity‑style profiles, that’s great. Just understand what it is.
However, it’s entirely different if you’re paying a PR firm and your only “wins” look like this.
Houston we have a problem.
A good PR partner should be placing you in outlets with real editorial standards and defined audience. The stories they should be getting aren’t necessarily about you, but about problems you are solving or differences that you or your company are making.
If every “feature” they send you is a Q&A, or you are the one writing the article, then you’re not really getting media relations. It’s glorified listings and vanity content, and the value is much, much lower.
You deserve better for your money.
“It is very often nothing but our own vanity that deceives us.”
Do this now: Examine the outlets that you’ve been “featured” in. Ask yourself:
Do they publish mostly founder/creator stories or Q&A’s?
Are there any other stories that don’t have to do with people promoting themselves?
Would my ideal customer ever land on this website on their own?
If you’re wondering examples of these publications, email me now and I’ll let you know which ones are a bit scammy and are worth avoiding, or ones that are ok but just not bragging about as meaningful coverage.
Term to Learn
Vanity Coverage is coverage that’s primarily designed to flatter the subject (you) rather than serve an audience.
FAQ
Q: Should I ever pay for these features?
A: Treat them like ads. If the audience, placement, and price make sense as advertising, maybe. Just don’t confuse a paid feature with earned media, and don’t let a PR firm bill it as “press they secured.” I’ve seen too many people fall for this scheme and tote it as PR they got, and they didn’t realize it’s not real press.
Get PR techniques from recent news.
Newsworthy
Candy PR is the Sweetest PR of all
The chocolatier's survey shows that adult holiday indulgence extends past Halloween.
If you’ve been reading Attention Seeker for a while you know by now, there’s nothing I love more than candy public relations. I’d say it’s the sweetest public relations of all! Every time I see a company employ surveys to make a story I applaud that savvy move.
Why do I love surveys? Because numbers tell stories and can create coverage opportunities for your product or you.
Essential strategy:
Partner with a professional survey company
Summarize the findings in a press release with all the relevant stats
Have images ready for use
Make sure your survey is done in enough time, especially if it’s tied to an event or holiday
💫 Pro Tip: Choose the juiciest, most memorable fact and start your pitch with that. Show the urgency or uniqueness of your idea. Journalists need a news hook and more often than not data can provide just that.
Useful PR Resources.
🧰 TOOLKIT
SimilarWeb Website Traffic Checker
SimilarWeb is a web analytics tool that provides data on website and app traffic along with valuable user behavior insights.
There are many ways to use this tool: See how competitors are doing, to do market research, and much more. For example, if an outlet asks for a client interview, I use it to vet the outlet and see how many visitors their website gets
They offer so many tools for free and also have a free 7-day trial for deeper stats, which I get to keep extending. This is a robust tool that I haven’t even figured out how to use to the full. Take a look and give it a try!
Attention Seekers of the Week🐩🐶
Mud Puddle, Risa and Captain - not pictured Morgan
These attention‑seeking pups keep things lively. Mud, a Shih Tzu, is the “hall monitor” or boss of the other pups. He might be small, but his personality makes up for it, and the others fall in line and listen. Risa, the standard poodle, believes her rightful position in life is on a lap; and if any dog finds their human on a couch, it’s time to pile on them for attention.
Captain and Morgan, the 4-year-old shitzhu’s favorite human also happens to be the best land broker in Central Florida, so if you’re looking to find a piece of land, contact her and maybe she will even bring Captain and Morgan to help with inspections — of laps, that is.
The last two weeks have been a whirlwind and I appreciate your patience as I have finally found some time to write. Oh and next week I have some fun wins to share with you!
Until next week, keep your shades on and stay cool.
Your fellow Seeker,
Keren
🕶️
Protect online privacy from the very first click
Your digital footprint starts before you can even walk.
In today’s data economy, “free” inboxes from Google and Microsoft, like Gmail and Outlook, are funded by data collection. Emails can be analyzed to personalize ads, train algorithms, and build long-term behavioral profiles to sell to third-party data brokers.
From family updates, school registrations, medical reports, to financial service emails, social media accounts, job applications, a digital identity can take shape long before someone understands what privacy means.
Privacy shouldn’t begin when you’re old enough to manage your settings. It should be the default from the start.
Proton Mail takes a different approach: no ads, no tracking, no data profiling — just private communication by default. Because the next generation deserves technology that protects them, not profiles them.