Insights

As a data-driven company, we’re always learning — and that knowledge is meant to be shared. Kickstand is forward-thinking, constantly evolving to keep up with our industry’s trends. Stay up-to-date with us.

Happy tenth anniversary to Kickstand!

This month, Kickstand is celebrating our tenth anniversary! From our humble beginnings at a kitchen table to supporting some of the world’s most innovative brands, Kickstand has always set ourselves apart from the rest. Our commitment to unparalleled proactivity, supporting working parents, and empathetic leadership has been at the core of what we do...

Closing the Proactivity Gap in PR

By Molly George When I sit down with prospects, the biggest pain point I hear day in and day out about past experiences with PR agency partners is a lack of proactivity. Agencies tend to come in hot and operate with a high sense of urgency to impress new clients right out of the...

This Mother’s Day: The Truth About Working Moms

By Kristina Kennedy At Kickstand, we are consistently acknowledged for the robust benefits package we offer our working parents. But we are also consistently asked “why” we offer benefits unique to this group. Before we share the somewhat long answer to this question, here’s the short version: Because we should offer these benefits. Because...

To Be or Not to Be: Can Generative AI Change PR?

By James Paasche “With great power comes great responsibility” might be a cheesy, popular superhero slogan masquerading as a general philosophy about the ethics of power, but cliches gain their status because there is a kernel of truth in them. And with the recent rise of generative AI tools, like ChatGPT and DALL-E, the...

Five Tips for Navigating a Successful Crypto PR Program

By Ally Rung From Dogecoin to the collapse of FTX to the vision of a cashless society, the world of cryptocurrency can seem overwhelming and difficult to navigate, especially from a PR perspective. Macro conversations about the future of finance abound, so there’s no shortage of opportunities to feature client expertise and commentary on...

Debunking the Scariest Things About PR

By Nora Panahi This spooky season at Kickstand, we’ve decided to face our fears. We asked everyone at the agency to share what scared them the most when they first started their PR careers, and any advice they’d give themselves if they could go back in time to quell those anxieties.  Whether you’re at...

Celebrating nine years of Kickstand!

This month, Kickstand is celebrating our nine year anniversary!  What began as a two-woman operation at a kitchen table in Texas is now a rapidly growing global team, with programs spanning North America, the UK, EMEA, and APAC. A recent honoree of the Inc. 5000 (and a proud one at that!), we can attribute...

Best PR Practices for Turbulent Times

By Rebecca Reese I’ll leave it to Johnny Cash to say what we all know, “Well, bad news travels like wildfire.”  The 2020s have been defined by headlines that are unsettling at best… but I don’t need to tell anyone that. As public relations professionals, we have to strike a balance between breaking through...

Three Questions To Ask Before #Posting This Month

By Becca Reap and Nora Panahi Today, June 1, marks the first day of Pride Month 2022. Traditionally, Pride Month is a time to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities and highlight the ongoing pursuit of equal justice and opportunity. We’ll also be observing Juneteenth this month to honor the emancipation of enslaved people in the United...

How we use our Mental Health Hours

By James Paasche “It is not a lunch break or a quick walk to get coffee. It is a full hour for YOU and that is forever needed in the crazy world of media and PR.” “Mental health hours give us the opportunity to remove a worry/task off our mental shelf.” In honor of...

Supporting Mental Health Year-Round at Kickstand

By Nora Panahi May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but supporting employees’ mental wellness is an effort Kickstand takes seriously year-round. Whether folks are dealing with the emotional fallout of the global pandemic, struggling with depression, or just simply need time to rest and recharge, Kickstand has a number of initiatives and benefits geared...

Celebrating Our Clients’ Sustainability Efforts This Earth Day

By Amanda Montgomery On this Earth Day and beyond, sustainability should be an essential consideration for businesses as awareness and concern rises across all types of Earth-dwellers. And whether the intention is to better serve their customers or just pursue a personal passion, more and more companies are adopting sustainable practices and business tactics....

Media in the age of COVID-19

As a team of folks whose professional lives revolve around the media, we already have a particularly strong interest in this area. But we also had a hypothesis that Americans’ news and media consumption habits have likely shifted in light of the pandemic -- so we took a closer look in our most recent...

The Great Work From Home Shift

In the last few weeks, companies around the globe found themselves suddenly making the shift to 100% remote, thanks to the spread and growing concerns related to COVID-19. In addition to our weekly COVID Pulse Survey, where we are taking a look at how COVID is impacting Americans’ stress levels, the research team at Kickstand...

So…just how stressed out are we?

COVID-19 got you stressed out? Well, you’re not alone and our nerdy, data brains over at Kickstand wanted to understand just how stressed out we all are and if it’s getting better or worse (please, please get better!). Last week, we did our first pulse survey to understand exactly what’s getting...

Think before you tweet: a lesson in social engagement

In a world where today’s reporters often break news on in 140 characters or less, social media offers another great channel for companies and PR pros to better understand and engage with reporters. Done well, it can help brands cut through cluttered inboxes and contribute to impactful conversations. But approach it poorly, and it’s...