Taryn Scher celebrates 5 years as TK PR’s ‘Sparkle Boss’
Having recently celebrated five years in business, Taryn Scher of TK PR took time to talk about how she started out and where the business is today. Her official title is “Sparkle Boss,” and she started the year with her first employee, junior publicist Laura Morton, “Sparkle Sidekick.” Scher takes sparkle seriously, from the bejeweled pink telephone, keyboard, stapler and insulated coffee cup on her desk, to a bright and energetic attitude that is hard to overlook.
Starting Out
Scher had moved to Greenville from Boston with her husband, working remotely for a Boston PR company while he completed his residency at what was then Greenville Hospital System. Within a year, however, she was told that her position would move to contract, and she would have to start her own business.
“I said ‘Sure, no problem,’ but I didn’t have any idea how to start a business.” Scher said. “I never thought I’d hire a full-time employee. I have never had a business plan, goal or target client list.” She’s now reevaluating her business and taking steps she had skipped in the rushed startup phase. She is working with a business coach.
Telling the Upstate’s Story
TK PR has represented companies including Red House Inn in Landrum and High Street Hospitality in Greenville. She also works pro bono for organizations and events that have brought people to the city, such as the annual Euphoria food festival.
Scher has also been behind some of the significant national publicity Greenville has received in recent years, through her work with VisitGreenvilleSC (formerly known as the Greenville CVB). That includes a 30-page profile in US Airways Magazine in 2010 and coverage in Oprah and Southern Living magazines.
Old-fashioned Values
Even though it seems like an obvious PR tool, Scher eschews bulk email in favor of individually addressed communications with every media contact, believing the personal touch increases her credibility.
“I will not send blast emails or press releases. I think it’s rude,” she said.
Similarly, she sees social media as more effective for advertising than for publicity. She said most new clients assume that TK PR will manage their social media, but the company does not offer that service.
“Social media is needed, but it’s not enough. You need multiple platforms,” Scher said. Still, she does check on clients’ Web traffic when publicity hits the media; it’s one way to see how the work is paying off.
Working with Clients
“Some clients think everything is newsworthy or a media opportunity,” she said, “but sometimes it’s just an ad.” Taryn said she has to educate some clients and get them to trust her expertise when it comes to publicity.
“I will not tarnish my reputation with a reporter because I’m being bullied by a client,” she said.
She also works to ensure that clients don’t miss opportunities by being too narrow in their focus. Working with national media helps her understand how her client might not be the center of a story, but might play a significant part in a larger story on a different issue. One client, Kids Bowl Free, was mentioned on an NBC Nightly news story about the economic depression in Flint, Mich., and a family there that valued Kids Bowl Free because they could not afford any other summer activities for their children. She said her client wasn’t the focus, but that publicity was priceless.
PR’s Private Side
“PR is a funny industry. My perfect day is sitting at the computer firing off emails and phone calls for hours,” Scher said. She says she has had wonderful opportunities, such as sitting in the front row at New York Fashion Week events, but such glamorous moments are atypical of the work.
More often, regular and meaningful communication with the media is what pays off. Case in point: Greenville is scheduled to be featured in Travel and Leisure Magazine as one of the top three emerging cities in the United States. She attributes that to two years of keeping the reporter on Greenville’s radar so that he called on her when it was time to find the hot new spots.
Self-promotion?
For all of her work putting her clients in the spotlight, Scher admits that she sometimes neglects her own brand. This year is the first that TK PR had a website that is search engine optimized, making it easier to find on the Web. And Scher says she should be more vocal about the large amount of pro bono work she does.
Going to bat for clients is one thing, but talking about herself is harder. As hard as it is to believe, the PR maven says she is actually a shy person by nature.
