Today we’d like to introduce you to Marla Selph.
Hi Marla, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always loved reading, writing and storytelling. Even as a child, I entered writing contests and loved finding ways to tell an interesting and compelling story. When I discovered broadcast journalism, it felt like the perfect fit. It combined my love of storytelling with my curiosity and the opportunity to learn something new every day.
I spent 18 years as a broadcast journalist. I had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people and share their stories. Some were stories of people who inspired us or overcame adversity. Others informed the public, made people think or offered a new perspective. I loved that no two days and no two stories were ever quite the same.
Eventually, I had an opportunity to take that experience into a corporate communications role for a major healthcare system. It gave me a chance to see storytelling from a completely different perspective and understand how organizations can use communications strategically to build trust, establish expertise, and connect with the people they serve.
At the beginning of 2024, I decided to take everything I had learned throughout my career and start Selph Strategies. Today, I’m still telling stories, just in a different way. We help our clients share their expertise, tell the stories behind their businesses and organizations, and bring greater awareness to the work they’re doing. Stories have the power to educate, inspire, bring attention to issues that matter, introduce us to new ideas and perspectives, and remind us of the good happening around us.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Owning a business is definitely a learning process. I knew journalism. I knew communications. I knew media relations. But suddenly, I was also learning all the other pieces that come with running a business, from contracts and accounting to building a team and learning when to say yes and, sometimes, when to say no.
Something I didn’t fully anticipate when I started Selph Strategies was how much I would draw on my journalism background in ways beyond working with the media. As a journalist, you’re constantly asking questions, looking for the story and thinking about what will resonate with an audience. I realized those same skills are incredibly valuable when working with businesses and organizations. Sometimes an outside perspective and the right questions can uncover a story that hasn’t been told, expertise that hasn’t been shared or an opportunity that hasn’t been considered.
That’s become one of the most rewarding parts for me. Sometimes it takes someone from the outside asking the right questions to uncover the stories that haven’t been told or the expertise that hasn’t been shared.
As you know, we’re big fans of Selph Strategies. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Selph Strategies is a public relations and strategic communications company that helps businesses, organizations and individuals build greater visibility and share their stories, expertise and work in meaningful ways.
We help our clients build visibility in a number of ways, from earned media and podcasts to speaking opportunities and thought leadership. For earned media, that means identifying timely, newsworthy topics and pitching them to journalists. Across all of our work, the goal is to help our clients share what they know, reach the right audiences and build greater awareness and credibility.
Our background in journalism has shaped the way we approach communications as a whole. Our team includes professionals with newsroom experience, so we’re trained to ask questions, find the story, understand the audience and communicate information in a way that is clear, interesting and relevant. Those skills apply whether we’re developing a media pitch, helping someone prepare for an interview or thinking more broadly about how a business or individual communicates their value.
In a lot of ways, Selph Strategies feels like a culmination of everything I’ve done throughout my career. Storytelling and communication have always been a big part of what I do, and now I get to use those skills to help others share their stories, their expertise and the work they’re doing.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I have to give a lot of credit to my family. Starting Selph Strategies was a major decision and having my family’s support meant so much to me. I remember talking to my dad about a year after I started the company and telling him how much it meant that he, my mom and my sister had believed in me from the very beginning. Without hesitation, he said, “It just seemed like the next natural thing.” I loved that response. To them, it wasn’t this surprising decision I had made. It was almost as if they could see where I was headed before I could.
My husband has also been incredibly supportive from the beginning. Having people closest to me believe in what I was building, encourage me and celebrate the wins along the way has meant more to me than I can really put into words.
I’m also incredibly grateful for our team and for the clients who have trusted us with their stories and their work. Selph Strategies certainly wouldn’t be where it is today without them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://selphstrategies.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selphstrategies/
- Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/selphstrategies/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/102031249/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SelphStrategies
