Taking Too Long To Respond Can Be Detrimental ‒ Interview With Adam G. Horlock
- Dec 28, 2022
- 4 min read
As one of the most influential public relations professionals in the United States, Adam Horlock has changed how businesses and brands use the powerful PR tool. He is a visionary leader in the public relations field, delivering innovative results and shaping how brands approach their public image.
With a client roster that reads like a who's-who, especially in tech, financial services, and healthcare, Horlock launched Pinnacle Public Relations Agency in the Spring of 2022. Horlock, as Founder and Principal Strategist of Pinnacle, utilizes ground-breaking strategies in PR, leaving an unmatched imprint on businesses and industries across the United States. From helping entrepreneurs reach new audiences, startups seeking new capital, and companies needing strategy while navigating a merger or acquisition to aiding nonprofits with their outreach efforts, Pinnacle has experienced remarkable growth thanks to Horlock's strategic knowledge and vision. He has also taken on public policy initiatives and brought visibility to campaigns that have made an impact nationally.
Adam Horlock is a noted contributing writer for Entrepreneur Magazine, and his influence extends to the highest media realms. He has multiple national television and media appearances, seeking to educate entrepreneurs, business leaders, and c-suite executives on strategies to utilize in their businesses. With a presence in USA Today, MSN, Yahoo! Finance, and Franchise 500, to name a few, Horlock continues to be an influential force in public relations and acts as a valuable resource for audiences globally.
Adam G. Horlock,Founder / Principal Strategist
How did you get started in the media?
Working in public relations has been an enriching and varied experience for me. I've had the chance to be a part of some truly great projects, working with personalities and publications from Gordon Ramsay to Entrepreneur Magazine. Each day involves something new, requiring me to think and innovate faster and build lasting relationships within media outlets and industries. I started writing for Entrepreneur two years ago, reaching a global audience of entrepreneurs, founders, and executives. With my articles, content, and speaking engagements featured in the media nationally, founders, startups, marketing directors, and c-suite executives started to reach out and ask for assistance. From this point, I knew I needed to launch an agency of my own but build it differently from a traditional agency model – make it virtual, national, and adaptable to a rapidly changing and dynamic environment. Many marketing agencies offer PR as part of their overall services. What makes your firm different? While it is true that many marketing and ad agencies offer PR as a deliverable, it is often viewed as an 'add-on' service or included in a proposal but perhaps not pursued or pushed as hard as other services. In many cases, other teams or departments in the agency, such as social media, also handle the project's PR. Pinnacle is different from that model. Instead of viewing PR as part of other deliverables, we first view it as its own discipline. Second, we ensure the strategy is correct before even writing the first press release. In many cases, agencies will quickly draft a press release, thinking it should be a summary of what is newsworthy. We believe in strategy and audience first, then determine if a press release is necessary or if other options will produce better results. Our secret sauce is strategy. As I wrote in an Entrepreneur Magazine article, find a company's core, and build out from there. Many assume that because they founded, own, or work daily in the business, they know the core. We find the true core of the problem being solved or the solution that is served and build a winning campaign around the best way to reach the necessary audience.
Reputation defense and management is a growing category in public relations. How does Pinnacle handle reputation defense for clients? When managing a brand's online reputation or even mounting an effective defense against slander and other malicious attacks, there is no room for no response or a weak, muted response. The rapidness at which information travels and the realm we communicate all necessitate that any response to negative publicity or attacks is swift, strategic, and decisive. Taking too long to respond can be detrimental, as those events that ignite strong emotions in the public sphere require quick intervention. Ignoring the issues entirely is not wise – remember: silence speaks loudest, and inaction says more than a string of words ever could. When facing such challenges head-on, Pinnacle builds a comprehensive plan as to precisely how you plan to counter negative reviews or press. Even if this takes time and research, action cannot wait: a thoroughly planned PR campaign that addresses the core of the problem can turn any situation around with tactful responses.
Public relations content is created everywhere and all the time. How do you and your team at Pinnacle create content that gets people's attention?
We pride ourselves in strategy first and using sound strategy to rise above the 'noise' of other PR efforts. So many of today's PR deliverables either do not resonate with the intended audience or don't help in new investment, sales, or industry verticals.
With the right strategy, we build either a short or long-term PR campaigns with a direct path to the desired outcome.
