How Potion is Reinventing PR 🧪
An Interview with Juliana Goldman, founder of Potion PR
GM everyone! Today’s newsletter we have a very special guest: Juliana Goldman, the founder of Potion PR, a modern day communications agency. We find New York’s foremost PR trendsetters hot off the success of their recent Joe & the Juice campaign, which featured Alix Earle and Paris Hilton.
But first, some housekeeping… Friday’s newsletter was divisive to say the least. I tackled Graza’s new canned olive oil refill, and some of the comments I got on TikTok really laid into my hot take LOL. Here are a few favorites—
Many reply guys made some really poignant points which I appreciate, but what I didn’t expect was for Graza themselves to chime in. Read their response—
I really have to applaud Graza for stepping up and commenting, they confidently addressed my points and even replied to some other comments as well. This is a great example of a brand that actively uses social media to add to the discourse, not shy away from it. Kendall Dickieson, who runs their social, is a pro and she has a great newsletter… go subscribe to that.
But with all that being said, its time to move past Graza and get into one of the best Who Do You Know interviews to this date. Juliana gave insights on her career, Potion’s best work, and how to analyze a clients problems and create solutions that create real buzz. Let’s get into it—
✨ INTERVIEW WITH JULIANA GOLDMAN 🧪
Jake Bell: Can you give me a quick breakdown of your professional career so far?
Juliana Goldman: My career has not been linear in any sense, and I kind of love that it's taken some twists and turns. I started out in finance and made my way to PR via an internship back in the day, which turned out to be a very smart and pivotal shift because it quickly became apparent that this was my path. From there, I gained a ton of experience at several agencies in various fields—food, fashion, entertainment, beauty, design, etc. I've always been curious to learn more about every aspect of the industry and have consistently sought to broaden my repertoire in terms of what I'm capable of.
JB: What inspired you to found Potion? Was there a white space you thought you could fill?
JG: My entrepreneurial spirit ultimately led me to found Potion. Throughout my career, I’ve acquired so many cool lessons from every place I worked and every role I held. I wanted to absorb all of that, the good and the bad – and shape it into something I felt was truly missing from the market. I have never really subscribed to the antiquated approach to PR, and nowadays that has only grown stronger. The white space I see clearly now is the idea that PR doesn’t have to just be PR; it never really has been.
✨ The white space I see clearly now is the idea that PR doesn’t have to just be PR; it never really has been ✨
JB: What makes Potion different from other PR agencies?
JG: What sets us apart is that we don't really view ourselves strictly as a PR agency. We liken ourselves to the persona of the 'introverted extrovert,' since we combine introspection with that outgoing energy. This allows us to think more dynamically about everything we do. We also deeply understand nuance, which to me is key. Something else we do is ideate and produce impactful moments, rather than relying on conventional outreach methods. I’ll be honest, we're navigating a bit of an identity shift, functioning less like a traditional PR agency and more like an experiential agency with a comms approach.
JB: What have been some noteworthy successes along the way? Any standout campaigns?
JG: We’ve had the opportunity to work on some really cool projects, with some incredibly talented people. I’d be remiss if I didn’t call out our work with Ceremonia, a haircare brand rooted in Latinx heritage that we launched during the height of Covid.
We also launched Parade, and they were a brand that made me see marketing in a new light. But of course, the latest work I am proud of most is our work with Joe & The Juice. The collaboration with Serena Kerrigan was the first of its kind for the brand and it drew a lot of attention & sales. Working on this latest digital ad with Paris Hilton & Alix Earle serves as a new terrain for Potion though, and so I gotta say it stands out.
JB: I loved the Joe & The Juice campaign, can you give me a brief breakdown on the high level strategy?
JG: Thank you! Of course. The entire strategy for Joe was built around creating connections over breakfast. The launch rolled in phases, with a focus on the brand’s debut breakfast sandwich – The Eggcado. First, we focused on the product through a hyper-local influencer mailer in New York. Then we collaborated with the jewelry brand AGMES on a friendship necklace and promoted it with a visual Out of Home campaign that featured food & fashion tastemakers. The grand finale was our digital ad featuring Paris & Alix, which engaged a broad, multigenerational & global audience.
JB: When working with a new client, what are the key considerations to question before diving into creation?
JG: Great question! Being highly analytical, it’s important to me to do a deep dive with any brand before we create anything. We have an onboarding process where we collect a lot of information. It’s paramount that we understand the brand, its objectives, core values and of course its target customer demographic before anything else is done.
JB: Speaking of which, how is creative collaboration pivotal to crafting a well rounded campaign?
JG: It’s everything. When we bring a ton of creative power together, it allows us to really nurture an idea and see it from every angle— design, strategy, production, impact, etc. It’s important to consider all perspectives.
JB: What's next for Potion in 2024?
JG: I’m really excited to see how the rest of this year shakes out! We have a ton of fun initiatives happening over the summer: an activation at Wimbledon, a pop-up with a really cool new wellness brand in Nolita in July, and more collabs & campaigns, of course. I’d love the chance to connect with as many creatives like yourself and keep creating alongside great minds and brands.
Major shout out to Juliana for coming on the newsletter. Potion is truly at the forefront of experiential communications, working with clients to elevate their brands through buzzy partnerships and incredible campaigns. I am looking forward to seeing what else they do this year, and I hope you all were able to pick up some gems from the interview.
One key takeaway that struck me is that the most multifaceted pros take lessons from every experience they have and use it for their next endeavor. Even if you aren’t doing exactly what you want right now, you will use that experience relevantly elsewhere and it will make you stronger.
Today is my 26th birthday, and I want to thank all of you for taking the time to read this newsletter, it means the world to me. Today I am basically just going to work, head to Bemelman’s for a strong martini after work, then off to one of my favorite restaurants, Minetta Tavern, for some steak frites.
Hope you all have a great day!
Jake Bell is a content marketing and creative strategist based in NYC. He specializes in content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.
To learn more about Jake visit www.jb.studio
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Happy happy birthday! ty for the introduction to Juliana, I've loved their work with Ceremonia!
Happy birthday! Enjoyed the interview 🤠