As part of the Morning Lazziness series highlighting empowering women who are making a remarkable impact with their ideas, I had the pleasure of interviewing Holly Mitton.
Holly Mitton is the owner of Little Bird Boston Marketing & PR, where she helps startups and small to mid-sized businesses boost their brand presence and drive growth through strategic marketing and PR initiatives. With a rich background in corporate marketing, public relations, advertising, and consulting, Holly has guided brands in lifestyle, health and wellness, and B2B industries toward achieving their goals. Known for creating tailored strategies that inspire connection and deliver measurable results, Holly is passionate about helping businesses tell their stories, amplify their visibility, and thrive in competitive markets.
In this interview, she dives into the challenges, wins, and wisdom she’s gained from over a decade of transforming online businesses.
What inspired you to start your own PR agency, and how did you get your first client?
I was working in corporate marketing when my son (now almost 14) was born and I quickly realized that corporate life wasn’t conducive to the flexibility I wanted to have in order to balance my work and family life. I had a very close friend who helped me learn the ropes of what it meant to work for yourself and thankfully she helped me get started and we worked together in the beginning. I was working full-time while also picking up smaller freelance clients and it grew from there so I was able to quit my full time job and work for myself. Since then I’ve built up my business and expanded into what I call a boutique agency (Personalized, dedicated one-on-one attention to clients with the expertise and capabilities of a bigger agency), specializing in supporting small businesses through PR/Media services.
What unique challenges have you faced as a woman entrepreneur in the PR world, and how did you overcome them?
PR is a pretty female heavy industry which is nice, but I think my biggest challenge was balancing my work and family time. As a mom, I am very protective over my time with my kids – especially when they were younger. In PR, there are always professional events on off hours and sometimes I would have to miss those, so it’s just always a challenge to balance work and life – in any industry. But, I think for me, planning out my “work time” in advance and having boundaries in terms of participating in evening/weekend events is just always an ongoing struggle!
How do you stay ahead of trends in an industry that’s constantly evolving with media and technology?
PR is an industry that is constantly evolving and has changed so much since I started, so it’s vital to stay ahead of trends so that my clients reap the benefits. I do that by being in tune with colleagues and journalists – I am part of many networking groups, Facebook/social industry groups and join every industry and relevant newsletter I can. I follow everyone and everything relevant on social channels and embrace what’s new and changing. I look at it as a learning experience to stay on top of the latest trends. I strive to always be learning and continuing to expand my own skills, so I love continuing to see how PR evolves and being part of that progression.
What’s your go-to strategy for building strong, lasting relationships with clients and the press?
I think being authentic and genuine in my actions and ensuring that I am a helpful resource to clients and press goes a long way. My clients can feel comfortable with my transparency and they know I am working with their best interest at heart and really care about helping them grow their brand. And Journalists know I am trying to be helpful to them as they develop their stories, rather than pushy or promotional. And also I think that being responsive is key. And lastly, actually following through with what I say I’m going to do is vital. Following up and following through is so important and builds trust with both clients and media contacts.
Can you share a campaign or media moment you’re especially proud of—and why it stands out?
Last year I supported the launch of the inaugural Whitefish Food & Wine Festival in Montana through PR coverage. It was co-founded by Chef Todd English, an amazing talent that I had been eating at his restaurants for over 20 years here in Boston. It was such a great experience helping them get coverage and seeing the results drive brand awareness and ticket sales for the event. Since it was the first year of the event and I also was hired relatively late in the game, it was especially challenging not having any previous photos or examples of the event. It felt as though I was going into the project a little blind in what I was pitching to the media, but I was able to secure over 80 articles with website audiences of over 1.4 Billion unique views per month!
Which platforms or tactics have been most effective for growing your own brand visibility?
I’ve (finally) recently taken my own professional advice and started to promote my own brand. Previously, all of my clients have been word of mouth and I haven’t done any type of promotion or marketing for my brand, but lately I’ve been posting more on my social channels, as well as doing podcast interviews geared towards helping small business owners and marketers learn more about PR. I’m excited to see the work paying off with organic growth on social and Google/SEO, as well as more prospective clients coming my way. Using PR to promote my PR services is a fun way to show that it really does work!
What role has mentorship played in your journey, and how do you pay it forward to others in the industry?
Mentorship has been huge for me, as that’s how I got my start as a freelancer/entrepeneur. I try to pay it forward by always taking informational meetings for anyone wanting to chat and I always share my knowledge with other friends/colleagues who are interested in moving from corporate life to being out on their own. It can be a huge step to quit a full-time job with a steady paycheck, so I try to share all of the ins and outs with anyone interested in taking that leap.
How do you handle high-pressure situations or crises, whether for a client or your own business?
In my line of PR, thankfully I don’t get a lot of crisis situations. When I have run into them, I think it’s vital to keep a steady head and don’t rush into anything. Don’t rush “putting out a statement” without thinking it through and getting advice from others and making sure you think through all angles. It can feel like you need to act ASAP but it’s important to take a quick breath and don’t get caught by acting without thinking.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to women entering the PR or communications industry today?
Surround yourself with experts. Always try to learn. Say yes to any networking opportunity. And surround yourself with people you trust – you never know where a potential partnership or opportunity may come up.
Is there a quote, mantra, or philosophy that guides your decision-making and leadership as an entrepreneur?
“Great is the enemy of Good.” Don’t be perfect, or don’t wait on everything to be perfect – waiting until something is absolutely perfect can hold you back. There is no such thing as perfect.
Here is our signature question: “What Are The 5 Things You Need To Overcome Self-Doubt and Build Confidence?”
Fake it Till You Make It. Imposter syndrome is so common and when you realize that other people are also overcoming their own self-doubt and normalizing it, it can help your own self-confidence.
Surround Yourself with People Who Build You Up. This one is pretty obvious – cultivate a network of people who make you feel good about yourself.
Mental Health/Self-Care: Take time to make sure you are ok. Do whatever it is that helps you – whether it’s taking a daily walk, spending time in nature, mindfulness, or whatever helps you to calm your mind.
Avoid Social Media Comparisons – Social media can be really tough mentally when you see other people with so many “successes” and can make you feel not good enough. Keep in mind that someone’s social channel is a carefully cultivated story that they want to portray – it’s not their full story. Try not to compare yourself or follow accounts that make you feel good.
Positive Affirmations/Self-talk: Talk to yourself as you would a friend. Give yourself some grace and talk positively to yourself to build yourself up. That voice in your head can really help build your confidence!
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.
For me, the movement I’d love to see continue to take off is around mental health, along with self-care and self-love. Mental health is so important and while I see the conversation evolving and becoming more prevalent in society, I think it’s an ongoing issue that our culture needs to deal with. For example, finding a mental health professional is extremely difficult in our society but it’s much needed. And for some people it’s out of their budget even if they are able to find a practitioner to help them. Accessibility to mental health resources is a huge issue and our culture needs to fix this issue.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Follow me on all the socials and visit my website- I love to connect!
