About Mickie Kennedy

Founder & CEO, eReleases.com

For 27 + years, Mickie Kennedy has been leveling the press release playing field for small businesses, startups, and authors, giving them the same access to national media that Fortune 500 companies have always enjoyed, at a price that actually makes sense.

27 + Years in PR & Marketing | 150K+ Press Releases Distributed | $132M+ Earned Media Generated | 30K+ Clients Served

eRelease’s Origin Story

Born from a Phone Call That Proved the Publicity Industry Was Broken

Mickie Kennedy founded eReleases in 1998 after witnessing firsthand how broken the PR industry was for everyday businesses. While working at a large Public Relations firm, he took a call from a small business owner who had just won a major industry award and wanted to send a single press release. The owner had already called every PR firm in the yellow pages, and every one quoted a minimum of $20,000. Mickie had to deliver the same answer because the company he worked for simply wasn’t set up to serve the needs of small businesses. He saw an obvious gap in the market and decided to fill it.

He launched eReleases as the answer to that call, a service built specifically to give every business, regardless of size or budget, access to a national newswire and a genuine shot at getting earned media coverage.

Over the next six or seven years, Mickie ran eReleases as a side business while keeping his day job, pouring revenue back into growth. When the dot-com crash wiped out his consumer newsletter income overnight, eReleases became his full-time focus and grew into the industry leader it is today.

“PR represents one of those small things you can do that delivers incredible leverage. So many companies I’ve helped don’t even believe they stand out. But if you’re willing to put yourself in the spotlight and lead with your best foot forward, you can get media attention that matters.”

Mickie Kennedy

Education

MFA in Creative Writing, Emphasis in Poetry at George Mason University, 1992-1996. Mickie’s graduate training in poetry sharpened the storytelling instincts and economy of language that define his approach to PR writing and strategy to this day.

About eReleases

The Press Release Service Built for Small Business

eReleases is the exclusive nationwide partner of Cision PR Newswire, providing full-exposure national distribution for every press release they distribute. This means that every press release gets published on the same wire service that Fortune 500 companies use. No regional limits. No syndication-only workarounds. Every release reaches the full national newswire, plus an email release to a hand-selected group of journalists, trade reporters, bloggers, and influencers most likely to act on the news.

The company Mickie founded now reaches over 1.7 million media contacts, delivers 94% of its releases to targeted journalists, and provides WireWatch™ reporting within 2 hours of distribution, so clients can see exactly where their release landed.

What makes eReleases different from every other service:

Real Newswire Distribution: The only press release distribution service that provides complete national distribution on Cision PR Newswire, not state-level or regional. Releases go to 3,000+ newsrooms and 4,500+ major news websites.

1.7M Journalist Database: In addition to PR Newswire distribution, every release is also emailed to a hand-targeted group of journalists, reporters, bloggers, and social media influencers, from eRelease’s 1.7 million database, organized by industry and geography.

94% Targeted Delivery Rate: eReleases achieves 94% delivery to hand-selected journalists in each specific market, compared to the spray-and-pray approach of cheaper competitors.

Professional Editorial Review: Every release is reviewed by journalism-trained editors before it goes out, with feedback designed to improve results, not to upsell you.

WireWatch™ Proof of Distribution: Within 2 hours of distribution, clients receive a WireWatch™ report with live links confirming where the release appeared, on sites like MarketWatch, Yahoo!, and PR Newswire.

Starting at $399, a fraction of what others charge: National wire distribution that competitors charge $1,000+ for, built for startups, small businesses, and authors. Plus, first-time customers save 30%.

Expertise & Impact

The Numbers Behind the Name

Over more than two and a half decades, Mickie has built eReleases into one of the most trusted press release services in the country, specifically for the clients that the big firms have historically ignored. His client roster includes more than 40 companies that appeared on Shark Tank, among them Manscaped and Squatty Potty.

• 150,000+ Press releases distributed for clients
• 30,000+ Small businesses, startups & authors served
• $132M+ In earned media generated for clients
• 1.7M+ Journalists & influencers in media database
• 40+ Shark Tank companies worked with
• 94% Targeted delivery rate to selected journalists

Published PR-Oriented Books

Two Books. One Clear Mission: Get You Covered.

Mickie has distilled 27+ years of press release strategy into two highly practical books for small business owners, startups, and authors. Both are available on Amazon.

Beginner’s Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases

Amazon Bestseller in Public Relations & Marketing

The definitive guide on press release writing, covering history, technique, social media integration, distribution strategy, and what to realistically expect. More than 10,000 print copies sold, with 40,000+ digital versions delivered via Kindle, Apple Books, and eReleases.com.

Get a free, downloadable copy here or order through Amazon.com

The PR Strategy Manifesto: 8 Steps to Build a PR Campaign Designed to Get Massive Media Coverage

Highly Rated on Amazon

A compact, action-oriented playbook (under 100 pages) covering 8 specific steps for building a PR campaign, even for businesses that don’t think they have anything newsworthy. Includes 70+ press release ideas and the full campaign-building framework.

Get a free, downloadable copy here or order through Amazon.com

Mickie’s Signature Publicity-Building Strategy

The Survey-and-Trade-Association Method

Of all the PR strategies Mickie has developed and refined over 27+ years, one stands out as his most consistently powerful: a systematic approach to generating industry-level media coverage and SEO authority that he calls the survey-and-trade-association method. It works especially well for businesses that don’t have obvious “news” to announce but still want to generate real earned media pickup.

How It Works: Step by Step

Result: The release generates earned media pickup. The data earns organic editorial links, boosts SEO, and positions the company as the go-to source on that topic.

Mickie has used this method to turn websites with no inherent authority into recognized, link-earning thought leaders in their industry niches. It’s a strategy he shares freely in both of his books and on countless podcast appearances.

Podcast Appearances

A Storyteller with Strategies Worth Sharing

Mickie is a sought-after podcast guest who brings something rare to business and marketing shows: a poet’s instinct for narrative combined with a 27-year track record of real PR results. Hosts consistently note that his episodes are both immediately actionable and genuinely entertaining.

Primary topics Mickie covers as a guest:

press release writing & strategy · earned media vs. paid media · PR campaign architecture · pitching journalists · local media outreach · crisis communications · the survey tactic for link-building · using PR to close more sales · what makes a story newsworthy · building credibility through media coverage

Some of Mickie’s Most Listened-to Podcast Messages:

• The Action Catalyst: Press releases for every business, the “3% rule,” and why local media delivers outsized wins
• I AM CEO Podcast: Turning a creative writing MFA into a 25-year PR career and building media coverage without a big budget
• The Marketing Expedition: Spotting industry blind spots, using surveys as PR tools, and tracking the metrics that actually matter
• Inbound Success Podcast: When press releases are worth the investment and how to write one that gets noticed by journalists
• Screw the Commute: Building a business on the side, the patience of the long game, and the real story of eReleases’ growth
• Morning Upgrade Podcast: Creative writing and entrepreneurship, and pushing through when a project isn’t working
• Hollywood Branded Podcast: Tips for writing eye-catching press releases that move the needle for your brand
• Solo2CEO: Earned vs. paid media, PR campaign strategy from scratch, and why most releases get ignored

Learn more about having Mickie as a guest on your podcast here.

Beyond Business

The Poet Behind the PR Expert

Mickie’s MFA in Creative Writing didn’t lead where most might expect. Instead of academia or publishing, it led to PR. But the training never left. It shapes how he reads a press release headline, how he identifies the angle a journalist will actually care about, and how he teaches other business owners to find the human narrative inside their company news.

He still writes poetry. Most Monday nights, he joins a virtual group of what he calls “fellow misfits” from across Maryland, Virginia, and occasionally Nepal, something he’s maintained alongside running a company for decades.

Good poetry and good PR writing share the same core skill: finding the precise angle that makes a reader stop and pay attention. Both require economy of language, a clear hook, and something that earns the reader’s next sentence. The MFA trained those instincts, and they’ve informed every press release strategy Mickie has taught since.

🏆 Winner: 2024 Button Poetry Chapbook Contest

The Person

A Few Things You Should Know

Mickie lives in Baltimore County, Maryland with his family and two cats who have maintained a persistent feud with each other for years. When he’s not writing press releases, poetry, or fielding podcast invitations, he’s most likely deep in a British science fiction series or, as he puts it himself, feeding what he freely admits is an unhealthy addiction to diet soda.

📍 Baltimore County, MD | 🎓 MFA, George Mason University (1992-1996) | 📚 British Sci-Fi Devotee | 🥤 Diet Soda Aficionado | 🐱 Two (feuding) cats | ✍️ Monday Night Poet | 🏆 2024 Button Poetry Chapbook Winner

Mickie Kennedy is the Founder & CEO of eReleases.com, the press release service trusted by small businesses, startups, and authors since 1998. Articles on this site written by Mickie draw from his 27+ years of hands-on experience in press release strategy, media relations, and earned media marketing.