Skip the PR agency.

We are the publicists who empower you to get top press, speaking gigs, and online momentum. Our goal? To set you up to succeed without us.

150+ organizations · 25,000+ people trained

Tracy Samantha Schmidt

Media coveragePodcast & YouTube showsStagesSocial media

Clients featured in

Jonathan Domanus
“Tracy helped me turn my idea into a story people believed in. Her strategy gave me the tools to build momentum, and it directly fueled our record-breaking $2.6 million Kickstarter launch.”
Jonathan Domanus · Founder, CardMill

Who we are

A PR firm that teaches you
to do it yourself.

Since 2010, empowerment has been key to everything we do.

  • Built, then handed over

    Our publicists write your message, your pitches, and your campaigns, then show you how to run them.

  • Teaching since 2010

    We started as a training company. More than 150 organizations and 25,000 people have learned to do their own PR with us.

  • One flat fee, never a retainer

    You leave with press, speaking gigs, a following, and the skills to keep going on your own.

Programs

Pick the program that fits.

Our signature program, plus strategy sessions and custom training. All come with a flat fee and no retainer.

The PR Accelerator

Our signature program. Our publicists create complete PR campaigns you or your team can easily run, and a PR system to use long after we’re done.

Strategy sessions

90 minutes with Tracy, and a written plan in your inbox the same day.

  • For individuals

    1:1 strategy session

    Tracy assesses how you show up online first. You leave with a complete Visibility Plan for yourself, covering your positioning and what to do next.

    Book a session
  • For organizations

    PR strategy session

    You pick a PR topic or two to focus on, such as targeting or messaging. Tracy does a competitive assessment first, and you leave with a strategy your team can run on its own.

    Book a session

Custom PR training

Built around your organization’s goals, on site or virtual.

Tracy Samantha Schmidt

Meet Tracy

I built a smarter way to do PR.

I’m a former TIME journalist and media executive who started out teaching thousands of people to get the right attention online. But I kept watching friends and clients blow their money on PR agencies and get little back. Now our publicists set you up to get press, speaking gigs, and online momentum whenever you need it.

Join the 20,000+ people following Tracy for free PR advice and templates.

Our track record

The right attention, without a retainer.

From venture-backed startups to Johns Hopkins, our clients hire us for the same thing.

75+Organizations trained
25,000+People taught in person
150+Brands advised

Our clients have included

The University of Chicago Johns Hopkins University YPO National Association of Realtors American Library Association Rotary International

Industries we work in

  • Tech & AI
  • Healthcare & med tech
  • Higher education
  • Nonprofits & associations
  • Professional services
  • Finance & real estate
  • Civic & government
  • Consumer & food
  • Arts & culture
  • Media & marketing

Results

What getting the right attention looks like.

Here are some of our clients’ success stories.

Tech startup

From idea to $2.6M raised

CardMill’s founder had an AI-powered trading card sorter and a passionate niche to reach. We nailed his origin story and built the complete PR system, and he ran it. The Kickstarter funded in 24 minutes and has raised $2.6 million to date.

Futurist + creative technologist

From one viral talk to global keynote speaker

Ian Beacraft wanted his SXSW talk to make a mark. We shaped it with him before he gave it, and the talk went viral. Within a year he had 500 media mentions, representation by UTA, and keynotes around the world.

Johns Hopkins surgeon + professor

From the exam room to Oprah, CNN, and NYT

Dr. Emily Boss wanted to reach two audiences at once, moms and healthcare leaders. We refined her narrative to carry both and helped her learn to attract consistent media coverage without a publicist. Within six months she landed in The New York Times, CNN, and Oprah.

Global nonprofit

From a growing social presence to a plan teams could run worldwide

Rotary International’s social media presence was growing across time zones and languages. We worked with its global communications team to build a strategy and a six-week, in-person training program at international headquarters, and teams left with a unified plan they could run in every region.

Independent film

From independent release to a New York Times exclusive

The docuseries “I Bid You Peace” was releasing independently and wanted national attention. We clarified the film’s narrative and built the media system its director ran, and The New York Times covered it exclusively, including in print.

Community nonprofit

From complex work to a message that clicks

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago does work that is hard to sum up in a sentence, and wanted funders to get it fast. Our messaging process uncovered its differentiator, and the reframe resonated with foundations immediately.

CPG brand

From “Food Stars” to CPG industry recognition

Globowl’s founder came off Gordon Ramsay’s “Food Stars” with national exposure and wanted to build on it. We built the strategy she ran herself, landing The Bump, Good Housekeeping, and a recurring NBC cooking segment.

See all results →

In their words

Erica Bethe Levin
“Although I’ve always considered myself PR savvy, traditional PR hasn’t always felt like it was working. Tracy armed me with the tools I needed to do it the right way, on my own, and it’s been more effective than anything else we’ve ever tried.”

Erica Bethe Levin

Founder and CEO, Globowl

Dr. Emily Boss
“As a Johns Hopkins University Provost’s Fellow, I spent over a year training in public-facing and media skills. I then had the amazing opportunity to work with Tracy, who transformed my outlook, presence, and messaging far more than what I learned during the year.”

Dr. Emily Boss

Surgeon and Professor, Johns Hopkins University

Jeff Julian
“Tracy is an expert on social media and she demonstrates that in her explanation of philosophy, strategy, approach, and tactics. ALA staff were enthusiastic about her presentation on social media crisis communications.”

Jeff Julian

Director, Public Awareness Office, American Library Association

Dr. Justin Gregg
“Tracy was able to find a way to take what I considered my greatest weakness as a science communicator and turn it into my greatest strength.”

Dr. Justin Gregg

Best-Selling Author & Scientist

Let’s talk

Ready for the right attention?

Book a call with Tracy. We’ll walk you through how it works, share pricing, and tell you honestly if it’s not a fit.

Book a call with Tracy