One of my favorite types of content to read is quick snackable Q&As – think @quickklist and The Cut’s Auto-Refill. But my one complaint is that so many of the ones I love to read feature the same people who are on a PR run or pushing a product. After realizing I know some pretty fucking cool people, I decided to introduce my own take – which I’m creatively calling Five Things. Check back each Friday for a new Five Things, or read past interviews here.
Meet Emily Parr
Emily is a self-proclaimed “publicist by trade, face-washer by nature.” Not only is she the Founder of Poke PR (she’s worked with brands like Drunk Elephant, Dae and Farmacy – you may have heard of them?), but is also Co-Founder of HoliFrog, where she’s reinventing face wash as we know it.
I had to pick her brain for Five Things because I love myself a good PR-turned-brand-founder story. As a PR girl myself, there’s no story we haven’t heard, so watching a fellow publicist disrupt a category is truly magical. Read on to see what I mean.
Her morning routine:
I pop open my eyes at 6:45am; never hitting the snooze button. I truly am excited to wake up and start each day. I scan my inbox and HoliFrog Instagram DMs before I get out of bed. I take out my invisalign retainers, go to the bathroom (of course, because who doesn’t guzzle water before bed!), and hit the Nespresso start button. I drink my coffee in peace, while my little Havanese Bichon dog (Sire) and fiance are still sleeping. This is my time to read WWD, NYT DealBook and headlines on Apple news.
I then scoop Sire out of bed like a baby and take him for his walk around the neighborhood. When we return, I wash my face (Tashmoo), apply a hydration serum (Galilee) and lip balm (Kosas LipFuel) before hitting Central Park for an 8 mile run. As soon as I walk in the door, my dog expects a Turkey Tendon treat (he never lets me forget it!); he gnoshes away while I do my full day-time skincare routine (I don’t shower after my run during this COVID winter because I’m not sweaty and am going to stay in my workout clothes), pack my lunch and jet downtown to the office with Sire.
Three things that are always on her nightstand:
iPhone, Warby Parker glasses and Kosas LipFuel.
The PR lessons that every entrepreneur should know:
- PR is ever-evolving. What it is today is not what it was 5 years ago, nor what it will be 5 years from now. So learn to adapt and accept the new communication mediums.
- Tell your clients that they may be used to writing the narrative for their marketing activations, but press doesn’t function the same way. So if you want to squabble over headlines and semantics, then stick to paid marketing!
The biggest career mistake she’s made:
I don’t look at mistakes as a bad thing. Any mishap I’ve ever had has helped me grow and learn.
The recent Amazon purchase that she can’t stop talking about:
Nuun Sport tablets. I don’t love drinking flat water and sparkling water makes me bloated and gassy. So these electrolyte tablets keep me hydrated without dreading that next 8 ounce glass of water!
