As part of the Morning Lazziness series about empowering women who encourage and do incredible things with their ideas in society, I had the pleasure of interviewing Taryn Scher.
Taryn Scher, “The Sparkle Boss”, started TK PR in 2008, and has spent the past 17 years building the award-winning public relations firm specializing in the travel & hospitality industries.
Taryn’s clients have been seen on CBS This Morning, The Today Show, and Good Morning America, as well as features in Travel + Leisure, O the Oprah Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and thousands more.
Under her leadership, TK PR has received 9 Adrian Awards from HSMAI – the largest and most prestigious global travel marketing competition which honors excellence in hospitality, travel, tourism and media.
What inspired you to start your own PR agency, and how did you get your first client?
In 2007, I relocated with my now husband to Greenville, South Carolina from New York City. The company I was working for in New York said I could keep my job as PR Director but not as an employee, so overnight I set up an LLC. In reality, TK PR started as a way for me to keep my job in fashion PR. I never imagined 17 years later I’d be running a Nationally recognized award-winning boutique PR firm. But I’ve learned the best things always happen when you don’t plan on them.
What unique challenges have you faced as a woman entrepreneur in the PR world, and how did you overcome them?
I’ve never let myself believe that because I’m female I have a glass ceiling above my head. Never once have I blamed losing a piece of business or a lesser retainer rate on the fact that I am female.
I firmly believe you don’t get what you don’t ask for- male or female. I’ve sat in plenty of board rooms as the only woman in the room. And then I became Chairman of those boards.
On that same note, I’ve never allowed my age to dictate my opportunities either. I started this very young- I was often not only the only female in the board room, but the youngest person in the room by 20 years. But I proved every time that I belonged in that room as much as anyone else.
PR is a grueling job. The hours are long- and weekends aren’t guaranteed. You’re basically always on call- even when you are on vacation. It’s easy to go all in when you’re in your twenties and building your career. It’s a lot harder when you have a family that wants you present with them as well.
Learning to balance being a mom and a business owner – in PR in particular- is by far the hardest thing I’ve had to do. It doesn’t necessarily get easier as the kids get older as one might expect. Being a mom in 2025 is without question the hardest job in the world.
There are good workdays, there are bad workdays. There are good life days and bad life days. It’s almost impossible to have a good workday and good life day. If I’m being a great mom, chances are I’m not all in at work. But every now and then, there are good work life days. And those are the best days.
Once I realized that “women can have it all” is really a myth, I gave myself permission to fail- or at least not be the best at everything all the time.
How do you stay ahead of trends in an industry that’s constantly evolving with media and technology?
For this first time in 20 years, I am finding myself at a major crossroads when it comes to the services we provide our clients and really evaluating what we offer and what we need to change in order to stay relevant in the media landscape.
At our core, we seek traditional “Earned Media.” We do this through outreach to journalists in television, newspaper, magazine, and online mediums. But the way people consume media is changing rapidly, and there are more media platforms and outlets than ever before. While content creators are not exactly new- they are more and more being considered part of the PR initiatives for an organization and we’re being tasked with engaging with them while simultaneously working with traditional journalist- and the two don’t often mix well together.
As a company who has always worked with smaller hidden gem destinations, we are seeing a massive uptick in acceptance and interest. These destinations used to be snubbed by major media but now they are considered worthy of a second look. I think these smaller destinations are only beginning to realize the tremendous opportunities they have in the tourism industry and will begin to really invest in their PR programs and take a more proactive approach to media relations. Regardless of whether you are a well-known major city or a smaller destination, creating unique experiences is key to PR. The bigger, crazier, weirder, more exclusive the better.
We work to develop story ideas that are fresh, timely and relevant, that honor the current news cycle and storylines. We are constantly ideating to come up with those big, crazy ideas that will ultimately generate buzz for our clients.
What’s your go-to strategy for building strong, lasting relationships with clients and the press?
As the media landscape constantly changes, we continue to look for ways that we can be a partner to our clients and add value to their organizations beyond the earned media coverage we are hired to do. We constantly look for new ways to measure our results and show the impacts earned media coverage has on visitation.
We work with our clients to maximize every media moment and ensure that those big press wins and accolades aren’t fleeting. We work with our clients to amplify every story that we land- whether it’s repurposing an accolade or power quote for advertising or marketing materials, or erecting a mural in its honor.
In order to land stories and achieve results that matter, we have prioritized strategy– developing a comprehensive plan for each client that targets their primary goals and PR initiatives for the year. We reevaluate mid-way through the year to see how we are tracking and if there’s anything we need to reassess.
We work with our clients to identify their top competitors- who they are really competing with (not those they wish or think they are competing with) so that we can really narrow down our media targets for them and set goals accordingly. We analyze each client’s data and demographics of visitors so that we can target the most appropriate media outlets for them.
We typically develop 3-4 major initiatives each year for each client that dictate the narratives and media goals for the upcoming year. With each of these initiatives we work with marketing, social and web teams to develop comprehensive campaigns that will first attract media attention but then cross over into other opportunities for the brand as a whole.
We work with the client to develop KPIs & understand their priorities and what matters most to them. We analyze the message pull-throughs with each story and analyze each client’s “share of voice” amongst their top competitors in the industry. We use this tool to track our progress and forward movement, always trying to take more of the conversation away from their identified competitors.
We have become more than just a PR firm to our clients. We are invited into some of the most top secret, inner circle conversations with them to be strategic about not only our role within the organization but offering insights to many of the other parts of the business as well. They view PR as a crucial component to their marketing mix- often our initiatives are what drive the rest of their marketing plans for the year.
Our strategy is to continue to raise the bar on ourselves. We have long term multi-year relationships with most of our clients. We want to continue to exceed expectations and be a vital part of their team.
As for relationships with the press, they have always been our #1 priority. We work with journalists that I’ve known for almost 20 years now- they might not be at the media outlets where I first met them at, but we’ve kept in touch and only reach out when we have something really relevant.
We understand their deadlines and do everything we can to make their lives easier.
I’m proud of the fact that we are the go to for so many journalists- meaning we are the ones they call in a pinch, when they’re on deadline and need to fill a gap in a story. They know we’ll come through and get them exactly what they need before they have to submit.
Every pitch we send is intentional. If we contact a journalist we’ve never worked with it’s because we read a story they wrote and believe we have something they’d be interested in.
And we’ve always known we have to “earn” every story we land. We never expect anything- we don’t make demands on the media either. It’s our job to knock their socks off and make them want to tell our stories- whether it’s an exceptional dining experience at one of our restaurants or a press trip that they won’t soon forget.
And we never forget to say thank you. It’s amazing how few people do something so simple in today’s world.
Can you share a campaign or media moment you’re especially proud of—and why it stands out?
Each year VisitGreenvilleSC aims to earn as many quality, feature-oriented stories and media mentions about Greenville, South Carolina as possible, through multiple pillars of focus —one being Greenville’s impressive food scene.
TK PR has been the official PR firm for the destination since 2010- the only one in the organization’s history- and over the years we’ve run many campaigns that have highlighted Greenville as an new up-and-coming foodie destination; always striving to one day get Food Network star, James Beard nominated Chef AND Greenville native — Chef Tyler Florence — to come back home and tell the culinary story of Greenville through his lens.
In 2014 we first reached out to Tyler’s team, after having this idea of engaging him for some kind of event in his hometown; but we weren’t quite ready for the opportunity financially, or as a place we knew Tyler would be proud to call home.
In 2022, with the budget intact, and multiple National accolades for both our culinary scene and individual restaurants, we were given the green light to bring Tyler Florence home for his first official major culinary event since he became a James Beard award-winning chef, Food Network star and household name. Greenville, as a city, was finally in a position as a culinary destination that we knew Tyler would be proud to call home. In September 2022, in partnership with VisitGreenvilleSC, Tyler hosted “A Tyler Florence Homecoming,” a multi-course dinner at Soby’s New South Cuisine, a beloved Greenville dining institution. Florence also had a personal connection to Soby’s, as he wrote the foreword in their cookbook. The dinner was held during Euphoria, an annual food, wine & music festival that highlights the best of Greenville’s culinary scene along with some of the most celebrated guest chefs in the United States.
Prior to the event, TK PR reached out to top-tier national food & wine journalists and invited them to Greenville for a firsthand experience and to attend Tyler’s dinner in the hopes of earning national media coverage. VisitGreenvilleSC hosted nine journalists for the event who contributed to top publications including Travel + Leisure, Southern Living, Food & Wine, New York Times, Robb Report & more.
VisitGreenvilleSC also hosted a private Lunch & Learn for local media with Tyler which resulted in 88 social media posts and stories with a potential audience of 686,000.
As a direct result of this event, TK PR earned 16 print and digital stories in outlets including AFAR, Garden & Gun, Travel + Leisure and Yahoo Life. The coverage had a total online readership of 603M, 1.8M print circulation and $5,578,994 AVE. In January 2023, Greenville was named one of the 52 Places to Go in 2023 by The New York Times from a journalist that attended this event.
The campaign also won us a gold Adrian Award- which are basically the Emmy’s of travel marketing.
Which platforms or tactics have been most effective for growing your own brand visibility?
All of our clients have come to us- entirely through word of mouth or having seen what we’ve done for another resort or destination. We are very lucky to have a reputation that precedes us especially in the travel and tourism industry.
We have invested heavily in the branding of our agency though – making sure that if you see something pink and sparkly you think of us. And that’s definitely worked! We’ve gifted everything from sparkly Rubix cubes and glitter covered wine bottles to glitter filled snow globes and candles over the years. And you can bet anything if I’m speaking at a conference something I’m wearing is sparkling.
You know that saying she leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes- that’s our goal…. Leave a trail so you remain in the back of their minds….
In 2024 we had the honor of hosting the PRSA Travel + Tourism Conference alongside our longest running client, VisitGreenvilleSC, and had the opportunity to share some information about our firm in front of 300 other PR professionals from DMOs across the country. The buzz around the room after we aired a highlight video was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I heard from multiple attendees that everyone at their tables were questioning how many people we had working for us based on the work we do. There are so many huge PR firms out there that dominate the industry that score all the big clients and don’t really deliver the quality work. This moment was such a win for the little guys out there- and TK PR in particular –and was by far my proudest moment to date. And yes, I was wearing sequins.
What role has mentorship played in your journey, and how do you pay it forward to others in the industry?
So I mentioned TK PR started overnight essentially- which also meant I had no idea what I was doing in terms of running a business. But I also am self-taught in PR. I have never taken a business class or a PR class. But I had an incredible mentor in New York when I first started out- she was tough- but she taught me so much about the industry and running a PR firm.
Because of her, today whenever anyone asks me to meet for coffee/ chat with them, I say yes. These days, its mostly virtual coffee, but I am always willing to share advice or spitball ideas.
One of the things I am most proud of is my work with the Minority Business Accelerator program in Greenville, South Carolina. The program gives entrepreneurs the tools and resources to advance their businesses in ways most can only dream of. I’ve volunteered as a coach for that program for years- and I think I get just as much out of it as the participants do.
How do you handle high-pressure situations or crises, whether for a client or your own business?
Part of what makes a great PR person is the ability to solve any problem.
I always tell our clients- say yes immediately- and then we’ll figure it out.
When you’re working with a reality tv show, which we often do, the week of filming always comes with its share of pivots and last-minute changes. The last time we worked on a major female-driven reality show, crew nights were shifted at the hotel no less than 8 times, when the producers wanted more vibrant visuals for camera — we had dozens of fresh floral arrangements delivered to embellish the halls and adorn the coffee tables. When the schedule shifted by two hours both days of filming — we made phone calls, sent emails and recreated the production calendar no less than 10 times so everyone involved would be in the right place at the right time. When the crew needed van seats taken out of the shuttle to make room for their cameras — we had staff pulling apart the vans to accommodate. You have to problem solve- and do it so fast.
Luckily, most of our “crisis” situations aren’t as bad as most people’s. I like to say my worst day at work is a lot of people’s best day. But when they do happen, we take a moment to decide how quickly this will blow over, if it will go away on it’s own, or if it’s something we need to tackle head on. Often times- especially in the current news cycle- clickbait headlines or stories will disappear fast and would probably get more attention if we decided to do anything about it rather than just letting it quietly go away on its own.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to women entering the PR or communications industry today?
Ask questions. Don’t pretend to know all the answers and don’t assume you understand the task. No one can possibly know everything about everything- especially when you are starting out. There are no “rules” when it comes to PR; no playbook on guaranteed success. But ask questions and LISTEN to the people who are willing to give you answers.
The best leaders ask for help. This takes courage. Most professionals are far more likely to fake the answer or cover it up and ultimately create major problems down the line. I didn’t know how to read a P&L until I took over as Chairman of a Board of a non-profit- but I asked for help because I knew I couldn’t sit at the front of the board room and pretend to know what I was approving each month.
Is there a quote, mantra, or philosophy that guides your decision-making and leadership as an entrepreneur?
Does this (idea) (quote) (pitch) (photo) (proposal) sparkle?
If it doesn’t have the wow factor — the sparkle — why are you sending it?
Here is our signature question: “What Are The 5 Things You Need To Overcome Self-Doubt and Build Confidence?” (If possible, please share a story or example for each one.)
Realize everyone deals with imposture syndrome from time to time- even the CEO. There are days that I question everything I know and think I’m doing it all wrong. Realize those are good days to get away from your desk, take a walk, go get a manicure and come back again tomorrow.
Understand that silence is not no. Journalists are getting hundreds of emails every day. They don’t respond to 90% of them and chances are pretty good they didn’t even read your pitch. Don’t assume because you don’t hear back it’s a no. We land the majority of our media coverage because we follow up over and over again- it’s not a no until it’s a no.
Just because it’s the way it was always done doesn’t make it right. Speak up and change it. The world is changing. And you have the chance to make change. You might need to speak up more than once.
Don’t try to be everything to everybody. I see this all the time- people trying to do the job of 8 different people and just being mediocre at all of it. Be the BEST at just 1 thing. That’s why TK PR has been successful. We can’t brand you. We can’t create your logos. But we can get you National media coverage.
Know what you are worth. Chanel never goes on sale. Once you give it away it’s much harder to get people to pay you for it. You would fall out of your chair if you knew what my earliest retainer fees were. I couldn’t even pay my cell phone bill with them this month. But I didn’t believe I was worth it.
Persistence is mandatory. See above.
Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Save the world one PR person at a time.
PR pros get a bad rap. Journalists love to complain about PR people- but we are some of the hardest working people out there. There are definitely some “best practices” I wish more PR people would adhere to- it would be nice to have the overall respect of journalists- especially when the reality is they rely on us to get them what they need and often under a crazy deadline. That’s actually why I published “Sparkle School” on YouTube a few years ago. They’re basically free DIY PR tips and best practices that anyone can watch; basically really strong foundational tools for anyone looking to get into PR.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Website: www.tkpublicrelations.com
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