Like our client Techstars, Barokas Communications abides by the motto of “Give First.” This rule of thumb manifests itself perhaps most visibly in the time we provide helping seed and early stage startups understand the why, the when and the how to engage with a PR partner. Our guidance comes from more than 20 years working across the tech landscape, including the aerospace, AI, fintech, health tech, and sports and entertainment categories. We work with businesses right out of beta all the way to the NYSE. That said, our sweet spot is high growth tech startups. We wanted to share some of thes ..read more

Are you tired all the time? Taking more naps than seems healthy and normal? Confused about the cause of your uncharacteristic exhaustion—especially considering all of the extra downtime you’ve had over the last two months? If so you might be suffering from Zoom fatigue—a new phenomenon sweeping the tens of millions of people who have traded their bustling offices and team building lunches for video meetings and virtual happy hours. Left unchecked, the effects of Zoom fatigue can become detrimental to work outcomes, particularly for communications professionals and spokespeople. In April, Zoom ..read more

Spring is in the air. Farmers markets are bustling, baseball is in full swing and the parks are filled with crowds of people happy to see the sun for the first time in months. Wait…hold that thought. Never mind. For a moment there I forgot our present reality—that the coronavirus pandemic has brought all of our bright and sunny plans for spring to a screeching halt. Still, while this may not be the spring we hoped for, quarantine life has its upsides at home, and at work (from home). For one, 2020 will undoubtably become the most productive spring cleaning season in history. My social media f ..read more

How the hell did this happen? How did it happen so fast? When will it end? I’ve asked and been asked these questions dozens of times over the last month. Even before the pandemic, this year was already off to a difficult start. Australia was burning, we teetered on the brink of war with Iran, and our beloved Kobe died in a tragic accident. Then, the reality of this vicious virus began to set in, as did the ensuing fear and total chaos. Over 250 million Americans are now on some sort of lockdown, and businesses are scrambling to adjust to the new normal. None of us are immune to this scourge ..read more

The current COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented disruption to modern life. Worldwide, society, business and the things many take for granted (conferences, face-to-face meetings, food service, travel, schooling) have been upended. Widespread social distancing and remote work has challenged all of us to pause and evaluate how we communicate, operate and manage projects in the workplace. It’s also caused many companies to refocus their PR, marketing and communications plans. For many companies, it’s fair to wonder what role they should play in the national conversation. It’s a question many of ..read more

Welcome to February. A month marked by love poems, conversation hearts, chocolates, flowers, cards and cupid. As most PR specialists will tell you, “Hallmark Holidays” like Valentine’s Day provide an opportunity to make a media splash—if done right. These annual occasions give companies the opportunity to reinforce key brand attributes, show their personality, create viral buzz—and hopefully have a little fun along the way. There are countless ways brands can integrate holidays and themes into their communications programs. Here are a few that have proven to work: Infuse Your Campaign with Co ..read more

The Houston Astros were one of the most dominant defensive teams in baseball the last two years, but they’ve committed a gallery of errors off the field this offseason. A national story at this point, Houston “allegedly” set up TV monitors in the tunnel at Minute Maid Park, where players and coaches watched a video feed from a camera perched in center field. Players would then decipher signals from the opposing catchers, notifying Astro hitters about what pitch was coming by banging a garbage can in the dugout. In hindsight, the bravado might be most appalling. Videos have been widely circula ..read more

Say what you mean and mean what you say. It’s a simple enough sentiment. The foundation of good communication, a building block of any successful relationship. Speaking in a clear, direct way enables collaboration, growth, better outcomes and innovation. While we may all know these things, many of us fail to follow through on them in our personal and professional lives. All too often, we miscommunicate and cross wires. Whether out of fear, lack of clarity or biased perspectives, messages get mixed and misunderstanding runs amok. This happens in corporate messaging all the time. Young startups ..read more

Happy 2020 to all of our No BS blog readers. Entering a new year (and this time a decade), we’re always inundated with predictions for the next 12 months. My favorite stories, however, are the ones that look back to see if the previous year’s headline-grabbing predictions were correct, or totally off base. In early 2019, I wonder if anyone accurately forecasted the chaos that ensued with high profile unicorns such as WeWork. Looking back now, it’s a safe bet that a focus on sound business fundaments vs. an all out focus on growth will be a hot topic in 2020. In reading through various 2020 pr ..read more

It’s well known that the media landscape has been shrinking for years. According to the latest figures, it appears that the decline is picking up momentum. Pew Research reported a 25 percent drop in newsroom employment from 2008 to 2018. Earlier this year, Onclusive released a study based on analysis of more than 2 billion pieces of editorial content between 2018 and 2018, which revealed that the percentage of authors contributing to mass media is down 11 percent. The study also claimed the landscape is becoming more fragmented across topics, tiers and formats, and contributions to blogs, tra ..read more