Lauren Harris says even MrBeast probably watches his own videos and thinks, “I should’ve gotten more views.”

It’s a small, funny moment in our conversation, but it points at something bigger: most of us are chasing the wrong numbers in our marketing, and it’s keeping us stuck. Lauren is a marketing strategist and co-founder of Reliable PR and Marketing, and in this episode she walks through what separates a business that’s simply “doing” marketing from one that’s actually strategic about it.

Lauren co-founded Reliable PR and Marketing after building it from a fake business she dreamed up for her master’s degree in marketing at Northeastern. Since then, she’s grown it into a full-service agency handling launches, PR, and marketing strategy for businesses across a range of industries. Her focus is helping business owners move past random tactics and build a strategy — target audiences, content pillars, and the analytics to match — that actually compounds.

We Also Talked About
How Lauren went from a graduate school class project to co-founding a full-service PR and marketing agency.
The difference between “doing” marketing tasks and marketing with real strategic intention.
Why copying a competitor’s tactics can backfire when your audience isn’t the same as theirs.
How Reliable PR builds a marketing strategy from the ground up: business basics, competitor analysis, target audience psychographics, and content pillars.
Why each of your five content pillars should tie back to a specific audience and a specific goal.
How to get past the fear of analytics by matching the right metric to the right goal, instead of only watching likes and followers.
The real difference between a marketing strategy and a marketing plan.
How to think more strategically by stepping out of your own preferences and into your audience’s.
Lauren’s “60/40 rule” for balancing what your audience wants to see with staying true to your brand.
Why the generations aren’t as different as you’d think when it comes to doing their due diligence before they buy.
How to start making short-form video even if you never want to be on camera.
Why PR matters for small businesses, and how to pitch your own story to journalists and local media.

Want this kind of practical, expert help every week — before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

Resources Mentioned
Reliable PR and Marketing — https://reliablepr.net/ (free guides and checklists for business owners)
Reliable PR and Marketing on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/reliable.pr/

My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home — practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

Lauren Harris says even MrBeast probably watches his own videos and thinks, &ldquo;I should&rsquo;ve gotten more views.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s a small, funny moment in our conversation, but it points at something bigger: most of us are chasing the wrong numbers in our marketing, and it&rsquo;s keeping us stuck. Lauren is a marketing strategist and co-founder of Reliable PR and Marketing, and in this episode she walks through what separates a business that&rsquo;s simply &ldquo;doing&rdquo; marketing from one that&rsquo;s actually strategic about it.
Lauren co-founded Reliable PR and Marketing after building it from a fake business she dreamed up for her master&rsquo;s degree in marketing at Northeastern. Since then, she&rsquo;s grown it into a full-service agency handling launches, PR, and marketing strategy for businesses across a range of industries. Her focus is helping business owners move past random tactics and build a strategy &mdash; target audiences, content pillars, and the analytics to match &mdash; that actually compounds.
We Also Talked About
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">How Lauren went from a graduate school class project to co-founding a full-service PR and marketing agency.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The difference between &ldquo;doing&rdquo; marketing tasks and marketing with real strategic intention.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why copying a competitor&rsquo;s tactics can backfire when your audience isn&rsquo;t the same as theirs.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How Reliable PR builds a marketing strategy from the ground up: business basics, competitor analysis, target audience psychographics, and content pillars.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why each of your five content pillars should tie back to a specific audience and a specific goal.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How to get past the fear of analytics by matching the right metric to the right goal, instead of only watching likes and followers.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The real difference between a marketing strategy and a marketing plan.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How to think more strategically by stepping out of your own preferences and into your audience&rsquo;s.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Lauren&rsquo;s &ldquo;60/40 rule&rdquo; for balancing what your audience wants to see with staying true to your brand.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why the generations aren&rsquo;t as different as you&rsquo;d think when it comes to doing their due diligence before they buy.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How to start making short-form video even if you never want to be on camera.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why PR matters for small businesses, and how to pitch your own story to journalists and local media.</li>
</ul>
Want this kind of practical, expert help every week &mdash; before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter
Resources Mentioned
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Reliable PR and Marketing &mdash; <a href="https://reliablepr.net/">https://reliablepr.net/</a> (free guides and checklists for business owners)</li>
<li aria-level="1">Reliable PR and Marketing on Instagram &mdash; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reliable.pr/">https://www.instagram.com/reliable.pr/</a></li>
</ul>
My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home &mdash; practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

This podcast is for new and emerging online business owners who are determined to do what it takes to reach their financial goals, help people along the way and learn a bunch of useful new skills. Have a love/hate relationship with the tech? We talk about that. Not sure you have what it takes to achieve success? We talk about that, too, plus how to deal with mindset challenges. Trudy Rankin, Founder of the Online Business Program, shares actionable tips that will help you really get your business growing, as well as interviews with experts and inspiring stories so that you can grow your online business with confidence.

This podcast is for new and emerging online business owners who are determined to do what it takes to reach their financial goals, help people along the way and learn a bunch of useful new skills. Have a love/hate relationship with the tech? We talk about that. Not sure you have what it takes to achieve success? We talk about that, too, plus how to deal with mindset challenges. Trudy Rankin, Founder of the Online Business Program, shares actionable tips that will help you really get your business growing, as well as interviews with experts and inspiring stories so that you can grow your online business with confidence.

Online Business Launchpad | Start An Online Business | Online Business Growth

The Online Business Launchpad podcast shares tips, techniques and stories from small business owners who have solved problems and challenges like the ones you face.  This podcast is for you if you want to increase revenue and profits without burning out so that you can have more time for yourself and your family and more choices in how you live your life.

The Online Business Launchpad podcast shares tips, techniques and stories from small business owners who have solved problems and challenges like the ones you face.  This podcast is for you if you want to increase revenue and profits without burning out so that you can have more time for yourself and your family and more choices in how you live your life.