INK Inc. Public Relations

10561 Barkley St., Suite 600

Overland Park, KS 66212

913.602.8531

Website: Inkincpr.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/INKincPR

Twitter: Twitter.com/inkincpr

LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/company/inkincpr

Client List: Downloadable PDF

Executive Team

Dick Grove

CEO & Founder – Downloadable PDF Bio

Ryan Gerding
President & COO – Downloadable PDF Bio

Founded in 1997, INK inc. Public Relations is a full-service, digital PR agency with a specific focus on media relations, media training, video production, writing services and content marketing.

Key Highlights

• INK inc. was one of the first Public digital PR agencies to implement a pay-for-performance model – a practice that continues today
• INK inc. was one of the first Public Relations agencies to utilize a virtual team of senior-level publicists
• INK inc. has represented hundreds of clients across all categories with a focus on tech, consumer product, non-profits, hospitality, vendor services and social impact campaigns
• INK inc.’s core competency as a media marketing and communications company is in attaining top-tier, digital, broadcast, and print media coverage

Dick Grove – Expert Source Of Commentary Topics:

• Why storytelling will never go out of style
• How the gig economy has impacted pay for performance
• Creating and working with remote teams
• How to “spin” without “spinning”
• Current and upcoming media/PR trends
• Effective and ineffective PR strategies
• Why work/life balance delivers better professional results
• The challenge and strategies for placing “white hat” stories
• The role of client expectations and education in a successful campaign
• The trend of International companies seeking a U.S. media presence

History

In 1997, PR and MarCom industry veteran Dick Grove leaned on his many years of corporate and music industry experience to identify what was wrong with client relations and set out to rework the traditional model. He determined that inflated, billable hours, irrespective of the outcome, was unfair to clients and didn’t promote diligence from PR teams. With large retainers in place, doing “just enough to get by” was the norm. Grove decided to change that.

With the founding of INK inc. PR, Grove implemented a unique model for the time. Clients would be charged a nominal retainer with additional fees tied to delivering actual press coverage based on a targeted, client-approved media list. Outlets are assigned specific fees based on their reach and importance to a client’s efforts. In essence, the more press coverage attained – the more the client pays. Less coverage results in less cost to the client.

“It didn’t take me long to realize that by having some ‘skin in the game’ in relation to our client’s success was speaking to a major concern of those seeking media coverage. Companies were tired of paying for a PR firm’s nice offices and reputation. They wanted results. By sharing in the financial risk INK made it clear that we weren’t just representatives. We were team members.”

Dick Grove

As part of this new model Grove recognized that communication via the increasing capabilities of the internet and the rise of professionals wishing to work from home, enabled him to eliminate the heavy overhead of staffed satellite offices. With a headquarters based in the heartland in Kansas City, and top PR pros working from home around the country and eventually the world, Grove launched INK PR.

“The biggest concern I had was acquiring top talent. I wasn’t looking to train new publicists and wanted to cast a wide net throughout the country for Senior Publicists looking to move out of their commuter-based environment. It wasn’t a difficult sell. No traffic to and from the office, no long, insufferable meetings in a boardroom, no dress codes, and unlimited financial opportunity. For those who had already achieved some success in the field, it was a golden opportunity.”

Dick Grove

INK inc. has sustained its unique model and results-driven strategies for more than 23 years. The staff consists of former reporters, journalists, producers and long-time publicists with strong media relationships and a practiced knowledge of what makes a good story. INK’s goal as a digital PR agency is to make our client’s story pitch singularly more interesting than all the others aimed at a shrinking media. And, just as importantly, the understanding that serving the media will serve the client.

“There’s no question that social media and shorter attention spans have changed the media landscape. But there’s still, and always will be, a place for stories in traditional media as well. We offer our clients’ stories based on real news, not puffery. ‘Here’s our client’s widget’ isn’t our focus. The “why” is our focus. That’s what makes it newsworthy. What we want is our client’s efforts to resonate in a way that can’t be attained just through a one-sentence mention and a link. The result is that we’ve been able to achieve a level of trust with both our clients and our media colleagues. You have to serve both to be successful.”

Dick Grove