Media disruptor Kristi Piehl helps people navigate the media minefield

Kristi Piehl, CEO and Founder of Media Minefield was my guest on the show. Kristi is a member of the Women Presidents' Organization and a member of the C200 Protégé Class 2017. In 2015, Bethel University named Kristi Alumna of the Year. In addition to being named one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America four years in a row, Media Minefield has won several awards.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kristi Piehl, Founder and CEO of Media Minefield. Media Minefield has won numerous awards, including Minnesota Business Magazine’s “Best Companies to Work For” four years in a row, and most recently, named one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America.

For 12 years, I was a TV news reporter and anchor. Without a job, a plan, or a clue what I was going to do, I started volunteering, networking, and taking classes to explore my passions and strengths. Traditional public relations tactics are ineffective when it comes to news.

As a reporter, I saw it every day: PR professionals trying to secure news coverage with press releases, free pizza, or lengthy emails. Traditional PR doesn’t have a solution to secure proactive news coverage for its clients. I don’t want to just disrupt an industry; I want to create a new one!

At Media Minefield, we hire former journalists who understand news to create content and coach clients before interviews. We focus on earned media, the kind of news coverage that is not paid for. I am on a mission to teach companies how to leverage and secure “real news” to positively impact business.

We all need a little help along the journey have been some of your mentors?

In the early years, I hired an acquaintance to meet with me to help me understand the basics of business. As an English major who spent years in the news business, I needed to rely on her and books to learn strategies and trends.

I developed our NewsabilitySM cycle in the first year of the business when I was sitting alone at my kitchen table trying to figure out how to guarantee quality news coverage to clients. We are on target to achieve our goal of securing 20,000 news interviews for our clients by 2021.

“Piehl, you can do better,” Steve Hemmingsen, long-time KELO-TV managing editor and anchor As a young reporter, I was working on a story and was on a very tight deadline. Steve had to approve the script before the photographer and I could put it together for the evening news. I wasn’t sure if the breaking news story would make it to lead the newscast. He said, “Piehl, you can do better. ”

Those words have been my go-to self-talk ever since. How can I help you?

” Liz Tumulty, former President at CBS Being an entrepreneur leading a growing company is not something I ever expected to do. During my first conversation with Liz Tumulty, I explained my background and my vision for the company. She saw something in me and the company that I wasn’t able to see.

“You can do whatever you want, but no one will want to work here. ” Mark Edwards, COO Media Minefield During the early years, as the company was experiencing growth, I needed to make many policy decisions that impacted employees. I don’t remember what policy we were discussing, but Mark interrupted and told me that I could do what I wanted, but no one would want to work at the company.

What’s a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking?

It impacted me so much, every employee’s Strengths are listed outside their work area. New employees are given the book in a welcome basket sent to them before they start. Her books gave me the courage to develop myself and grow the business. Her books and TEDTalk are part of the development track for our company leaders.

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