Public Relations
Case Study
Keap
Website: keap.com
Industry: CRM, SaaS, Sales and Marketing
Employees: 300+
Revenue: $100M+
The Challenge: Big Ideas, Limited Time
Clate was an expert, speaker, and author for many years. He co-wrote the book Conquer the Chaos, which was initially published in 2010 and then updated and rereleased in February 2024. As the co-founder and CEO of a company that would be acquired in late 2024 for $80 million, Clate has never had a shortage of insights to share with other entrepreneurs. But, as someone in such a role, he was limited in one regard: time. As anyone in PR knows, executing a meaningful thought leadership strategy requires immense
dedication and availability. Mindful of Clate’s rigorous schedule, the Convey team created a strategic media relations plan to maximize output while minimizing the demands on his calendar.
The Solution: A Full-Service Thought Leadership Engine
Convey was determined to meet and exceed Clate’s thought leadership goals. They committed to doing as much of the legwork as possible, proactively monitoring trends, suggesting topics and content ideas to Clate and his team, forming relationships with key members of the media and conducting in-depth research to ensure their eventual pitching would reach the right people
at the right outlets to yield success.
In addition to pitching contributed topic articles, the Convey team managed Clate’s highly successful column in Entrepreneur magazine. This involved coming up with topics, holding calls with Clate to get his insights into the subject matter, drafting the articles and working with Entrepreneur to get three to four pieces posted per quarter.
Convey also worked regularly with Patricia Price, features editor at the Wall Street Journal for opportunities for Clate to contribute as an expert on topics related to small business.
Sample articles included:
- Why I Leave My Phone in the Car From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Every Night – link
- How Entrepreneurs Can Get the Most Out of a Business Coach- link
- How Small Businesses Can Tell if They’re Underpricing Their Offerings – link
Convey additionally repurposed all of Clate’s thought leadership on LinkedIn as articles, getting as much runway as possible from them by expanding both their reach and his audience. The Convey team also recommended what should come next with his content, staying ahead of his busy schedule and maintaining a regular cadence of thought leadership to ensure he remained top of mind with reporters and his audience.
The Results: Exceeding Goals, Expanding Reach
In 2023, Convey and Clate had set a goal of securing 2-3 earned (unpaid) media hits per quarter, totaling 8-12 for the year. The actual number achieved was 23–nearly twice the original goal.
Media and Content placements included:
In 2024, the team again set a goal of 8-12 non-advertorial media placements–and, once more, nearly surpassed that goal by 100%.
Media placements included:
In addition to the tangible outcome of getting articles published in quality third-party outlets, Convey saved Clate and his team significant time by doing all the research for the media relations efforts, proactively managing the various programs, suggesting topics and drafting articles. They kept the strategy moving forward, no matter how busy Clate’s schedule got (especially when he was writing his book)!
Momentum & Ongoing Impact
Leading up to Keap being acquired in 2024 and Clate moving into a new role at a new company, Convey was a trusted partner in amplifying his voice and vision. Supporting Clate leading up to such a pivotal chapter, the team created and built momentum to support Clate’s mission of helping other entrepreneurs succeed.