For better or worse, here’s what I think we can learn from the Emma Grede PR machine…

…without having to be too controversial.

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity’ and we probably all agree that this a principle often leveraged by the most publicly visible celebrities and entrepreneurs.

Think Kim Kardashian saying: “I have the best advice for women in business, Get Your F**king Ass Up and Work”

• She didn’t acknowledge her immense privilege and she didn’t want to allow for nuance; she wanted the impact that this kind of statement was going to get her.

Think Molly Mae saying: ‘we "all have the same 24 hours in a day" and that if you want something badly enough, you can achieve it irrespective of your financial situation’

• She didn’t acknowledge her immense privilege and she didn’t want to allow for nuance; she wanted the impact that this kind of statement was going to get her.

Emma Grede saying: “work from home culture is a career killer for women”, calling herself a “max three-hour mum”, “work-life balance is your problem, not your employer’s”.

• She didn’t acknowledge her immense privilege and she didn’t want to allow for nuance; she wanted the impact that this kind of statement was going to get her.

This type of PR doesn’t have to be your type of PR.  We can learn from this method but we don’t have to emulate it.

Signature POVs:

What made Grede's tour work (even with backlash) is that every interview laddered back to a small number of clear, ownable viewpoints. Hot takes, talking topics, phrases that are designed to garner attention and media coverage/public discourse is the desired outcome.

We need our own hot takes. We need our own authority angles. We need our own thought leadership messaging. We need our own media hooks. We need our own talking points.  But they don’t need to be sensationalist. What conversations do you want to have with your audience? What expertise or innovation do you want to be known for? How do you want to inspire your audience? How do you want to tell your story?

Pick 3–5 signature POVs you'll say the same way in every interview.

Messaging pillars:

Emma’s PR team will have listed the POVs; the sensational takeaways for the press releases & the pitches. Every interview on this tour - WSJ, People, Fortune, Elle - pulls from the same 4–5 pillars giving repeated headlines & compounding impact.

Create a juicy bullet point list of Signature POVs/talking topics to sit in your PR pitch email. A pitch that goes out on repeat. Each outlet will gravitate to the angles that will work best for their audience/within their wider editorial schedule.

note: this is a starting point as there is nuance here with seasonal angles, topical POVs etc

Own the headline by writing it yourself:

"I'm a three-hour mom" is designed to be quoted. Emma knew what she was doing when she ‘wrote’ the headline into the interview.

Follow her lead and don’t leave this to chance - make a statement that works as a headline to give you more strength in controlling the narrative.

Lead with Conviction:

Whether we agree with Emma Grede or not, she is fully committed to her messaging - her refusal to walk it back is what kept the story alive. She believes in how she shows up and is advocating for what she sees as the best path to success.

Have conviction in your own messaging, in your own signature POVs, in your own talking points. If it’s a POV that would soften under pressure then it’s just a media line and not a true, honest belief you hold. Trust your expertise, know that there is value in your story and share it with the knowledge that people will benefit from it.

Be sharp, not shocking:

You don’t have to create to shock. You don’t have to aim for controversy or sensationalism.  Consistent POVs, repeated across platforms, tied to a clear framework and authentically aligned to you is the best, most powerful method for positioning you with impact, value and safety.

—

In Emma’s own words: “I told a lot of truths. I wanted this book to be a bit of a wake-up call. And my intention was to, I don’t want to say ‘upset people’, but it was to have this realisation that so much of what’s out there for women feels to me so performative; this idea of soft ambition, you know, vision boards and manifestation… that’s just not my experience, it’s bullshit.”

Opinion & stories is all it is. And you can lead with yours.

I’m working on a ‘Signature POV Playbook’ to help you craft your own powerful, authentic PR worthy Signature POVs & Media Hooks🪝

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