Q&A With Annie Pace Scranton, CEO Of Pace Public Relations And Author Of The Guide To Earned Media

Annie Pace Scrantonis the founder and CEO of Pace Public Relations, a global PR firm based in New York City. Clients have included Away,Inc.,Fast Company, the Global CMO Growth Council and NewsNation. Scranton is dedicated to helping PR professionals earn meaningful placement for their companies. She regularly presents on PR at industry events, including Digital Summit, Silicon Slopes, INBOUND and New York Advertising Week. She is an adjunct professor at New York University (NYU). Scranton recently served on the Board of Directors for the Smith College Club of New York City, and she is a member of New York Women in Communications, The Step Up Network, Ellevate and Ladies who Launch. Having arranged bookings for networks including CNN, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC and ABC early into her career, she is an expert on obtaining earned media. Her new book The Guide to Earned Media: How to Use PR Strategies to Enhance Your Brand is out August 29, 2023.

Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better. (Feel free to share your hobbies, your passions, your family life, your pets and anything that makes you unique.)

Hi! I'm Annie Pace Scranton and I'm the founder + CEO of Pace Public Relations, a global PR agency, focusing on media relations. I started my career as a national TV news producer and had the chance to work with some big names in the news, such as Diane Sawyer, Deborah Norville and Geraldo, which is actually how I met my husband -- he and I were both producers for her Fox show way back in the day. That was nearly 20 years ago -- we've been married for nine years and have a five-year-old daughter named Rose. In my spare time, which isn't much, I love to be at the beach, watch some good reality TV or do a Peloton workout.

What kind of audience is your book written for?

The Guide to Earned Media: How to Use PR Strategies to Enhance Your Brand is intended for any business professional who wants to understand and master the art of media relations. Companies and leadership often realize the need for PR-- but may not have the budget to outsource an agency ... so sometimes, the responsibility of working with the media can fall upon an employee, who may not have any background or expertise in the space. That's where this book comes in handy. It's literally written to be a guide for how to pitch your company in a way that will be effective and land media placements. Of course, PR professionals and Communications students will be the biggest demo of reader of this book, but I think many business professionals could gain something out of it.

What are your current goals for your book and your business?

I'd love to see this book utilized in college classrooms that teach PR and I hope it will help professionals who want to gain more visibility for their company or their CEO. As a business, Pace Public Relations is thriving and we hope to continue that growth for years to come.

Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?

My family and my colleagues inspire me to wake up each morning and be the best version of myself. I have a lot of people in my life who rely on me, and while there is a fair amount of pressure that goes along with the role I'm in, it's a great privilege for me to run a company that supports so many great individuals and their families.

Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.

Not only staying in business for 13 years, but growing and thriving year over year!