Blurring the Lines with Michelle Ciciyasvili at Betches Media

This week I spoke with Michelle Ciciyasvili at Betches Media . Michelle joined the company in 2023 after working at Authentic Brands Group , NBCUniversal and A+E Networks .

Tell me about your career journey up until this point.

I always knew from a young age that I wanted to work in entertainment. Entertainment was my guiding star when it came to figuring out my career. Back in the day, I imagined myself as a mix of Ari Gold and Miranda Priestly, which, in retrospect, might not have been the best role models. Nonetheless, I was determined to make it in Hollywood.

My mom wasn’t really on board with this plan at first and warned that it was a challenging industry. As the oldest in my family and without many connections, I knew I had a tough road ahead. When I first went to 美国罗格斯新泽西州立大学新布朗斯维克分校 as a Freshman, the only major that truly appealed to me was psychology but once I discovered PR, I doubled-majored in communications. Being near the city, many people interned, and interning was gaining popularity back then. In the summer of 2010, I landed my first internship.

I reconnected with an old family friend who knew a talent agent at Abrams Artist Agency, working in the children’s commercial division—a very niche field, but it was a great window of opportunity. About two weeks into that internship, I received a call from Disney Theatrical Group. Someone from my sorority remembered me from a recruitment event and saw my application. Disney had always been a dream of mine. I know that now, in the present day, it’s considered somewhat cringe-worthy and millennial to be a Disney fan, but in my early 20s it was something I was excited about when I first started out in my career and had always dreamed about it. By my junior year of college, I had decided I wanted to be a studio publicist for films. I fell in love with PR almost immediately at the Disney internship and knew that entertainment PR was going to be my career path.

I continued to intern until graduation. While my friends with accounting degrees had job offers lined up from big firms since April, I was still job hunting in June. I was particular about wanting to work in film and entertainment and was a bit anxious about the process since there’s a lot of unknown, but then I received an offer from the History Channel publicity department to be an assistant.

At the time I graduated in 2012, television was undergoing a major transformation, with cable and Hollywood intersecting in unprecedented ways. Big celebrities were appearing on TV shows, and streaming services like Netflix were on the rise with shows like "House of Cards," "Orange is the New Black." Shows like "Game of Thrones," and "Breaking Bad” were gaining popularity and it was an exciting era for television, and I quickly fell in love with it.

As a publicity assistant for the History Channel, I was eager to learn and wanted to jump right in. I learned about both scripted and unscripted TV, and it was an amazing experience that I loved. Eventually, a former boss recruited me to Bravo, which was a significant and really exciting opportunity. Working at Bravo opened many doors for me, granting access to some major reporters and opportunities I hadn’t had before. I became deeply involved in the world of Bravo, where press coverage often felt like a part of the show’s drama (which was a great learning experience.)

By 2019, I started to sense that television might not be sustainable for me long-term due to the oversaturation of TV and streaming services. I decided to transition my career and eventually got an offer from a licensing company that managed iconic brands like Marilyn Monroe's estate, Elvis Presley's estate, Sports Illustrated, and Shaquille O'Neal’s business ventures. This role shifted my focus from driving TV ratings to leveraging PR as a crucial component of a broader marketing strategy.

Eventually, I ended up at Betches, which was always a dream job for me for years. I was thrilled when the opportunity arose, as I had always felt a strong connection to Betches and its story. During my time at Bravo, I made it a point to build a relationship with Betches, so it felt like a full-circle moment.

Can you give insight into what your day-to-day looks like at Betches? What are the biggest challenges and opportunities that you see at this brand and in your role?

My day-to-day can be quite varied. You never know what or who might come up or land on your desk. Since Betches had never had an in-house communications person before and had always relied on agencies, I was excited about the opportunity when it arose. I had long anticipated that Betches would eventually bring communications in-house, and once I landed here I had to really integrate this function into the overall fabric of the business which has been both unique and challenging.

Initially, my focus was on raising Betches' brand profile across consumer and B2B press, and also serving as a point of communication for the internal team. Prior to being acquired, we were still a private company with no investors; with the co-founders having bootstrapped the business. I’ll discuss that acquisition in a bit, but when I started, the primary goal was to enhance our visibility and reputation overall.

I began by focusing on media relations. Without a set direction, I had the freedom to explore and establish our media presence. My main goal in the beginning was to introduce reporters to Betches, making sure they understood who we are and what we do. Given Betches' popularity among Millennials and Gen Z, I wanted to ensure that reporters had Betches on their radar beyond just our podcasts or Instagram account. Betches also needed both internal communications, so I partner with HR on employee communications frequently.?

In those early months, I also worked on getting our podcast hosts guest spots on other podcasts and generating organic press for our content. I also strategically placed several B2B stories.?

When I learned that Betches would be acquired, it was an exciting new development rather than a cause for concern (as some acquisitions are known to be). The acquisition was by LadBible Group, a UK-based firm known for its massive global social presence. This new phase meant my role shifted to be more B2B-focused, including managing the announcement of the acquisition on the US side and collaborating with our London counterparts to position this as a significant and exciting milestone for both companies

As part of this transition, I started participating in client dinners and B2B strategy planning. While I continued to pitch our content and podcasts, my focus increasingly leaned towards B2B communications. I still? work on consumer press for notable content, but the emphasis was on integrating our strategy with the broader B2B objectives.

One major accomplishment at Betches was securing coverage in the Sunday Business section of The New York Times, which was a significant milestone. In May I celebrated a year here but I am still learning and adapting as Betches evolves. It’s an exciting environment, but as a solo practitioner handling many aspects, I need to be strategic with my resources. I have to evaluate what is newsworthy and aligns with Betches' broader strategy.

Managing expectations has been crucial, I’ve also had to educate the team about the role and importance of communications, ensuring they understand what I do and why it matters for the business and for them, too. As a new role in the organization, I had to make sure that my contributions were visible and valued.

You spent years handling communications for networks including BRAVO, The History Channel and Oxygen. How has that experience differed from Betches, which is a digital media company?

That's a great question. As I mentioned earlier, in television, my primary focus was driving ratings and increasing viewership. Brand awareness was important, but the main goal was to generate buzz during the launch period. With television shows and movies, there’s a defined promotional window that you work within.

Now, at Betches, our product is social media. This changes the game entirely. The Betches product I’m pitching isn’t just about follower counts; it’s about engagement and cultural relevance. Our goal is to ensure that Betches maintains a prominent place in popular culture, which is a broader and more challenging task. Unlike the more straightforward metrics of television ratings, social media success is less about immediate numbers and more about sustaining a significant and highly engaged platform.

In television, a press hit on "The Today Show" might not directly translate to viewers tuning into "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," but it still raises national awareness about the show’s launch. With social media, however, everything moves much faster and content evolves quickly. It’s less about gaining followers or driving engagement in the traditional sense and more about solidifying our place in the cultural zeitgeist.

The key to achieving this is through effective press coverage and impactful partnerships. While the content and voice of Betches are already distinctive, my role involves amplifying it and placing it in front of the right influential audience to help grow the business.?

The ultimate goal is to be a key player in defining what is relevant in entertainment and culture. By leveraging press and forming meaningful partnerships, we aim to enhance Betches' impact on the broader cultural landscape.

How does communications, PR and social media work together at Betches? How integrated are the teams? What advice do you have for communication and marketing teams who might be more siloed?

Many people still don’t fully understand what PR entails. In larger, corporate environments, like some of my previous jobs, there’s a lot of red tape and layers of bureaucracy. In those settings, PR and marketing often have to work closely together, and it’s important to recognize that they are interdependent. You can’t have effective marketing without PR, and vice versa.

Unfortunately, some people view marketing as a substitute for PR, but PR really plays a crucial role in influencing public perception and media coverage. With the fast-paced nature of social media, the lines between marketing and PR have blurred. Instead of seeing these functions as separate, it’s vital to embrace and understand how they complement each other.

At my previous role at Authentic Brands Group, I was assigned to work on Juicy Couture’s 25th anniversary campaign in 2020. Despite having no fashion background, I leveraged my pop culture knowledge to shape the campaign around Y2k nostalgia rather than just fashion. This approach helped me secure coverage in prominent outlets like Vogue. I learned how impactful it could be to partner with influencers and align with cultural trends—like gifting Charli D'Amelio a Juicy tracksuit and having her feature it on TikTok.

The challenge with PR is that its impact can be harder to measure compared to marketing, which has clear KPIs. Without effective PR, though, even the best marketing campaigns may fall short on influence. So, it's essential to recognize the value of PR and strive to demonstrate its importance. In larger corporations, you might find yourself siloed and less visible due to the many layers of hierarchy. In contrast, smaller or more dynamic environments, like Betches, allow you to wear multiple hats and make a more visible impact. For instance, at Betches, we can adapt quickly and have more flexibility versus layers of approvals, which is often missing in bigger organizations with much larger teams. This agility is crucial for staying relevant and effectively communicating in today’s fast-paced media landscape.

2023 and 2024 have been historic years, especially in the cultural, entertainment, political, racial and social landscape. How do these moments impact storytelling for Betches??

At Betches, we are all about creative problem-solving because culture and media are constantly evolving. We need to work both smart and hard, embracing creativity, experimentation, and agility with an entrepreneurial mindset. To be the authority on women’s content and culture, we have to stay ahead of the curve and always stand out from others. This means proactively addressing challenges and seizing opportunities.

For example, during the "Scandoval" moment last year, we effectively leveraged this cultural event to tell a story about Betches. At Bravo by Betches, led by the incredibly talented Dylan Hafer, we not only joined the conversation but turned it into an opportunity to gain about 44,000 new followers from March to June. This tactic, known in PR as "newsjacking," involves capitalizing on current events to boost your brand's visibility. Dylan’s unique brand voice and respected commentary in the Bravo space provided a solid foundation for this success. By continuously engaging with the buzz around Scandoval, including creating rewatch moments for our podcast, we kept the momentum going.

Another recent example is how we responded to President Biden's departure from the upcoming election. With Vice President Harris now in focus, we swiftly introduced new merchandise, such as the "coconut tree" merch on our shop. We prioritize immediate action over waiting for the perfect moment.

What advice would you give to someone that wants to work in communications?

It’s interesting because the advice I received when I was younger was to go into marketing for better pay. However, the advice I’d give is to read everything. Stay informed by consuming news, checking out Twitter, Threads, and paying attention to industry updates. Whether you’re interested in entertainment or any other field, keeping up with current events and industry trends will help you stay sharp.

Even if you’re not actively working, like when I was furloughed during the pandemic, it’s crucial to continue absorbing information. Staying updated on industry news can be incredibly valuable during those times because you don’t want to miss anything that’s happening and fall behind.

Another piece of advice is to focus on your writing skills. Good writing is essential, and if your writing isn’t strong, make it a priority to improve. Be prepared for feedback and revisions; it's a natural part of the process.

Networking is also vital. Your network is your net worth. Don’t hesitate to reach out to people you haven’t met before or aren’t friends with. Building and maintaining relationships is key. Even when I was at Bravo and had great interactions with reporters, it was up to me to follow up, invite them for coffee, and nurture those connections.

In fields like entertainment and pop culture, knowing who’s who and cultivating relationships with key people within your industry? is important. Networking doesn’t stop with age or with existing connections; always strive to make new ones. As the only PR person on my team, it's up to me to ensure these connections are made and maintained.

Rapid Fire Questions:?

What’s your favorite song right now? Guess by Charli XCX

What’s the last book you read? Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Who’s one person in your industry that everyone should go follow? Molly McPherson

If you could meet one person for coffee, who would it be? Kris Jenner or Miley Cyrus

Who is doing a great job on social media? Teletubbies on TikTok

What is one word you would use to describe 2024? Brat