Brian Brian Today's guest is Shahni Ben-Haim. How are you today? Thanks for joining. Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim Thank you for having me. I'm doing great. How are you? Brian Brian Very good, thank you. Shahni is the CEO and founder of SBH Media Relations and creator and host of the podcast PR on the Record. SBH Media Relations SBH Media Relations PR on the Record PR on the Record So, let's start there. What does media relations mean to you? Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim The way I look at Media relations is two-sided. From the brand perspective, it is a tool to amplify the brand messages and story through media coverage, and from the media perspective, it is the practice of connecting relevant sources to journalists or reporters. I represent startup clients and leverage their stories, which could include the founder's stories, brand narratives, or recent events within the organization. I connect these stories happening within their industry to build relationships with journalists who write about topics related to the startup. I then offer journalists a reliable, credible source, in the form of a company spokesperson, to discuss these topics and offer valuable insights. Brian Brian Excellent, and I believe something you said in there has to do with building relationships with reporters. Maybe you can speak a little on that for everybody who thinks that PR and media relations are, “you just pay for some press release or pay to play, or you snap your fingers, and you're magically a celebrity.” There are relationships that have to be built, as opposed to people just randomly thinking that everybody is instantly famous, as if our jobs within communications are so simple that anybody could go do it. So, as I was saying, maybe you could comment a little bit about building relationships and connecting the founder stories to the media? Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim Yes, so I'll start by sharing my background. I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and while I was in university and working as a journalist, I would get emails asking me to cover stories related to my beat or the topics I wrote about. And a lot of the time, there were also emails unrelated to what I was actually writing about. This is something journalists constantly talk about; their inboxes are constantly flooded with emails. And now, as a PR specialist, I need to know how to get their attention, make my email or whichever tactic I’m using to reach out to them stand out, and, more importantly, offer them value. Most of that is knowing what they're covering, so I'm not going to pitch a journalist who's writing about mobility technology a story about cybersecurity unless it's a company working on cybersecurity for EVs, which came to mind because I had a client working in that area. We need to build a relationship with the media because if we're constantly pitching unrelated stories in their inboxes, they're not going to answer those emails. It's part of bringing a journalist or reporter something that's actually useful for the stories they are currently working on or will be working on in the near future. So timeliness also has a role in the value I can provide to the journalists. And, of course, working on the PR side, I need to make sure my clients get mentioned in valuable press placements that get them attention, because that's how PR works, as an attention magnet for everything that is already working within the brand. Brian Brian Thank you for that. So I know you like to focus on founder stories, and I know when it comes to the focus of your operation is working with Israeli startups and typically ones that might not get noticed in the broader spectrum because a lot of the media is focused on cyber activities of Israel, so you carved out a really interesting niche. Can you talk a little bit about that? Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim I primarily work with Israeli startups, though I have also worked with startups in Europe and the US. I build their credibility and attract attention from their target audience in the markets where they are focusing their GTM strategy. Most times, it's startups in Israel working to establish their presence in the US, Europe, or other markets because they see greater business potential outside Israel. So if we are talking about an Israeli startup, and this is most Israeli startups, their focus tends to be on the US market. They're looking at the American buyer mindset, and that requires a lot of built-up trust over time, which traditional advertising and marketing, which says “paid for by this company,” doesn't fulfill.  And building trust over time takes just that, a lot of time. With media coverage focused on the startup or founder's thought leadership, it shows the company as a player with a stake in the industry. And when the American buyer mindset is focused on trust in the company they are buying a service or product from, they don't just want to see ads that say, “hey, you should buy this,” they want an answer to the question of why they should buy it. They want to see proven credibility from these startups, not just what they say directly to the buyer. They want to know that it actually works beyond the successful customer stories the startups share. What media presence does is give them that third-party validity to say, “if a journalist is writing about this, there's credibility there.” Being a former journalist myself, I know journalists’ M.O. is to make sure that they're seeking the truth and reporting it and with that there's a layer of trust they're building for the buyer to actually come and say, “OK I'm reading about this and and it makes sense, I’m seeing it everywhere,” and that's building up trust with the brand, in the product, in the service.\ Brian Brian Great! So, what you're saying is that sometimes there's a little bit of cultural clash or shift or mindset when it comes to let's say primarily the US market, which has a fairly sophisticated developed buyers journey, which is typically different from the Israeli marketplace and since a lot of these startups are looking to grow beyond their borders, they're mostly focused on the US. Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim Exactly. Brian Brian Now, let me ask related questions. What would you say the startup mindset is missing when it comes and seeks out your services so I would imagine sometimes people are saying well. Why do we need you? Our products are great. Maybe you could kind of provide a little bit of color and explain what Israeli start up founders should know when they're coming to work with you and everybody else that would be reading and listening to this interview. Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim Definitely. Many companies that I speak with don't see PR as a measurable marketing tactic at first. They often just notice that there's coverage or press releases, but that's only really part of the whole picture. The real value of PR is using their story to build up their credibility and visibility in front of the right people. Those right people could be investors, or customers, or partners and today, of course, it's even more relevant because of AI driven search and generative engines using more organic media and strong press coverage. PR is no longer a “nice to have” marketing tactic to plug in. In my eyes, it's never been optional, but now more people see it as a “must have.” It's necessary and it's really what's bringing up and showing how a brand shows up in front of the people that matter. My approach is looking at the function of PR as an attention magnet. I take what's already strong in the business, the product, the story, the momentum and amplify it so that the right audiences are drawn to it over time strategically, and then over that time, you're also building trust in your brand. Another layer is that a lot of companies don't understand what I mentioned previously, which was the measurable aspect of PR as a marketing tactic. So, for example, in performance marketing, you can measure the specific monetary value in the metrics. A lot of companies don't realize this can also be measured in PR, and there are different types of metrics I can share. Many times, I’m helping educate the companies that come to me and showing them, and then they are able to see that the value of PR is really there. Brian Brian Outstanding. So now that we've entered a new year, what industries, trends, client stories, and what have you, are you excited about that you're currently working on and anything that's coming up? Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim I'm really excited to work with fast-moving startups developing dynamic products that empower industries to work more efficiently. I’m currently working with a company developing technology products for the veterinary industry, and they're preparing to launch a new product. I’m also working with another startup that has built a tech-driven platform to democratize the book publishing process, and I’m excited about the stories I’m working on with them, just to name a few. As you heard, I really love working across different industries because it keeps me interested, and no day at work is the same. I also found that I really love working with B2B brands, specifically helping them increase visibility with their potential customers or clients, because I often get feedback from my clients who are getting emails from leads that say, “I saw your company mentioned in this article and I am interested in your product or services.” When I hear my work is making a real impact on the business growth, it gives me the fuel to keep going, and I would love to do more of that in 2026. Brian Brian Great stuff! I know we talked a lot about the Israeli startup mentality and mindset and sometimes needs a little bit of education understanding the US market. So what if we look at the other side what do you think that the USA misses when it comes to thinking about all of these Israeli startups? Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim I love using the word ‘tachles,’ which means getting straight to the point, no fluff. I think that a lot of Israeli startup founders have this mindset and come from an American mindset, despite my very Israeli name, to understand the Israeli perspective, I really love it and it applies to PR. When you're trying to tell your story you have to get straight to the point and you have to do it in a way that really does capture the attention of your audience. So I think that part of the Israeli ‘tachles’ mindset works very well and the American mindset, often without realizing it, is very receptive to that as well. Brian Brian Absolutely and being an American Israeli I think you understand quite well how to bridge between the two different cultures because a lot of times I think that if you have someone that's purely American and tries to jive well with Israel, they're not gonna quite understand it and vice versa. So, I think you being who you are and the experiences that you lead uniquely qualify you for such a mission would you agree? Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim Definitely. You can call me a chameleon, I fit into the Israeli work culture mentality, but also know how to tap into the American culture, given it’s where I was born and raised, as a tool to communicate with media and journalists that are based in the US and also European journalists when my clients are focused on that market as well. Brian Brian Excellent, so one final question. What would you say is the right signal or moment that a start up should notice that they are ready to work with you? Because I'm sure you don't want to work with everyone, they have to be ready for a certain level of capability or work. Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim Certainly. The way that I see it, a startup is ready for PR when its stakeholders understand the metrics used to measure the success of the PR strategy. This is super critical because if they don’t understand which metrics are used or how to measure them, they're always going to feel like they aren't getting the value they want. Part of my job is to educate and communicate how those metrics are measured in a way that helps them understand the value of PR. Across different stakeholders, those metrics change. For instance, I most often talk to marketing executives, and their bottom line is more eyes on the product, more potential for conversions to clients, but then they need to go talk to a board to justify their budgets, and there is a disconnect between the metrics marketing executives are excited about when it comes to PR and how their boards see it. Here, I come in to share, well, let's look at how much it would have cost for you to advertise on the media outlets that published an article where the company was mentioned, they’ll see that dollar amount and understand the ROI. So first, we have to align there, and then there has to be a mutual understanding that PR requires collaboration. I work as an extension of the marketing teams of the startups that I work with. I embed myself into the startups I work with to know what they're working on and the ins and outs of each company. Sometimes I'm talking to people working on the product, new features of the technology, the C-suite, and their board members, on all these different aspects within that organization. Their insights and consistent communication help me build and implement a comprehensive PR strategy that works effectively. Aligning on those two things, the metrics and the understanding that PR, in practice, requires collaboration, are super important, and how I know a start-up is ready to utilize PR. Brian Brian Love it!  It takes a village sometimes does it not? So, thank you so much for being a guest today. I really enjoyed our time together. Shahni Ben-Haim Shahni Ben-Haim Thank you so much for having me on.

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