Inside Marketing with MarketSurge

Today’s guest brings a refreshing — and much-needed — perspective to the world of PR.

Meet Anna Tran, a values-driven PR strategist with 15+ years in sales and 7+ years in marketing, who’s built her career on one core belief:

👉 Marketing creates attention.
PR creates trust.
And trust is what converts.

Anna's approach to PR goes far beyond “get me in a magazine.” Her philosophy centers on purpose-driven storytelling, shaping narratives that actually mean something — and turning brand stories into momentum that compounds over time.

In this episode, we dive into:

✨ How PR connects the gap between traffic and conversion
✨ Why trust is the missing ingredient in most marketing campaigns
✨ What purpose-driven PR looks like (and why most companies get it wrong)
✨ How to find your real story — even if you think you don’t have one
✨ How to polish your narrative without losing authenticity
✨ Why consistency in media visibility builds long-term authority
✨ The future of PR in the age of AI — and what humans still do better
✨ How to leverage major media placements for years of ROI

If you’ve ever wondered how to go from invisible to in demand, Anna lays out the roadmap.

Let’s dive in.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• PR vs. Marketing — Why both matter and how they support each other
• Purpose-Driven PR — Crafting narratives rooted in values and mission
• Real Storytelling — How to shape your journey (even if it’s messy)
• Reputation Management — Why credibility is earned, not assumed
• Long-Term Leverage — Turning one media win into sustained authority
• Entrepreneurial Growth — Anna’s lessons from building her own brand
• AI in PR — The opportunities, the limitations, and the future

🔗 Connect With Anna

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithanna

🌐 Website: https://levelupwithanna.com/

🔗 MarketSurge Links (Required for All YouTube Show Notes)

🌐 Website: https://marketsurge.io

📘 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035121171654

👥 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/15wpKr1WmN/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsurgeio

🐦 Twitter/X: https://x.com/marketsurging

🎙️ Podcast: https://marketsurge.transistor.fm/

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@marketsurge-q7q

🎯 Book Your 15-Minute “Value or Free Coffee” Call:
https://link.marketsurge.io/widget/bookings/marketsurge/demozvwcxw

📢 SurgeCast Guest Placement: https://marketsurge.io/surgecast

Creators and Guests

Host
Reed Hansen
Reed Hansen is a seasoned digital marketing executive with a proven track record of driving business growth through innovative strategies. As the Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge, he focuses on leveraging AI-powered marketing tools to help businesses scale efficiently. Reed's expertise spans from leading startups to Fortune 500 companies, making him a recognized authority in the digital marketing space. His unique ability to combine data-driven insights with creative solutions has been instrumental in achieving remarkable sales growth for his clients. ​

What is Inside Marketing with MarketSurge?

Welcome to Inside Marketing with MarketSurge — your front-row seat to the boldest business insights, marketing breakthroughs, and entrepreneurial real talk.

Hosted by Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge and a digital marketing veteran who's helped scale everything from scrappy startups to Fortune 500 giants, this podcast dives deep into what’s really moving the needle in today’s marketing world. Find us at Marketsurge.io

Each week, we’ll break down the latest marketing and business news (minus the fluff), explore tech trends you actually need to know, and feature unfiltered conversations with the most interesting minds in entrepreneurship and marketing.

Whether you're a founder, a marketer, or just a curious hustler looking to level up, this is where growth happens—loudly, smartly, and with just the right amount of sass.

Subscribe, tune in, and let’s scale something legendary. 🚀

Speaker: Welcome to Inside
Marketing With Market Surge.

Your front row seat to the
boldest ideas and smartest

strategies in the marketing game.

Your host is Reed Hansen, chief
Growth Officer at Market Surge.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Hello and
welcome back to Inside Marketing with

Market Service Applications over 15
years in sales, seven in marketing.

Anna's built a reputation for her
values driven approach, blending

creativity with smart media strategy
to get coverage that actually matters.

philosophy is simple.

PR isn't about chasing headlines.

It's about crafting a bigger
narrative that aligns with who

you are and what you stand for.

Today we're breaking down what that looks
like in practice, from purpose-driven

PR and storytelling that sells to how
to go from invisible to in demand.

Anna, welcome to Inside
Marketing with Market

Anna Tran: Thank you for the intro and
um, thanks for the compliment by the way.

I honestly, think it's
the rice that I'm eating.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
Well, Fanta, whatever you're

doing, I need to do more of it.

That's awesome.

So, before we dive into strategy, I just
wanna start with like your background.

You know, you've touched
different business disciplines.

How did you go from sales and
marketing into PR and, and what

made you wanna make that leap?

Anna Tran: Yeah, that's a really
good question because as you know,

in the market, the people people
and throughout my experience

helping other businesses, the main.

Core of everything, what makes them
successful is the trust factor.

And it naturally, I just naturally evolved
into pr, um, with the understanding

and experiences, um, that I gained
through sales and marketing it is the.

Bridge between the gap, the disconnect.

For example, if a client, is experiencing
high traffic or high volume to their

sales team, however, it's not converting.

That is where PR comes into play.

And then that's how I
got here pretty much.

Mm-hmm.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Now you, you
had a life before pr, like we said.

What do you think are some of the
misconceptions you may have had or,

or you frequently see others have?

You know, particularly from like
entrepreneurs that they have about PR and,

and getting featured in, in publications.

Anna Tran: Yeah, so the main thing is
a lot of people don't really understand

the difference between PR and marketing.

They think that if you're getting
featured, it's going to translate into

a high, um, and people are gonna buy
from that article after they read it.

Um, that's really not the case.

It actually works hand
in hand with marketing.

marketing is generating attention, and
it's a one-way, communication channel.

With pr it's a two-way communication.

it's communicating with your target
audience, building that trust and

credibility through third party validation
and favorability in the market so that

once they see the attention through
ads, it's generating interest through,

public relations from qualified buyers.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: No.

Fantastic.

So I saw on you know, I've seen
in some of your content that you

use the term purpose-driven pr.

Can we talk a little bit about that?

If you have any examples of what that
might look like versus kind of this

like spray and pray or, you know,
just mass pushing out press releases.

Anna Tran: Yeah, Reid.

That's the huge part about PR is that
you, build a foundation first, and

that's where the purpose comes into play.

Actually even taking a step, back,
making sure that you're working with

the right agency, that one stands
behind your beliefs, sees your vision,

and, aligns with your values so that
they can properly represent you in

the market to your target audience.

and, share and frame you in
the right light because we're

both on the same page now.

Right.

So and then moving forward, what you
put out there, it's not just brand prey,

it's not just noise, it's strategic
communications on a larger scale.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Awesome.

Okay.

Well that, that's very helpful.

Do you you know, so for a company that's
like thinking about investing in a PR

effort, how do they find this story?

you know, I'll tell you from experience
that, it doesn't always come naturally,

you know, and like, as I've even
thought about doing it for our company,

it's like, well, we do what we do.

I don't know how to make
it an interesting story.

You know what, how do you draw that out?

Anna Tran: Yeah, a lot of the times,
um, I even get the client that

would say, Hey, I wanna build some
meat first before I get published.

And then I always say, it's great
to have a documentation of the

development of your, business so
that even though it's starting off

small, you don't know how to frame it.

If you're working with the right team
that can see your vision, this is where we

can help you frame, each step of the way.

Each article kind of just
built that momentum so that.

In the long run, we have something
that we're working towards, right?

So if you aspire to launch nationwide
or international, what are the pieces

in place that we can document now
at your beginning stages that will

set you up for, ah, this is why
they made it this far, later on.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Anna Tran: Mm-hmm.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: makes sense.

Have you seen any examples where,
had a big impact on a company?

Know, and I'm thinking like a company
that might have been a little you

know, wary of the approach, but, uh,
you know, after, some pr hit, you

know, that it might have shifted their
visibility or their authority on a topic.

Anna Tran: Yeah, oftentimes you
know, PR is a long-term game.

If you're expecting instant results,
it's not gonna happen overnight because

again, you're developing a relationship.

However, if you are
consistent enough and you are.

Communicating, consistently I would say
even a year's time, you will see traction.

I've worked with consultants and coaches,
um, and there's so many nowadays, right?

How do you stand out and how do you
confirm that you are able to deliver this

type of results that you're promising?

And this is where.

PR comes into play and I've had clients
where they're so searchable online or

organically through our placements that
we got them featured in that people

would just pick up a phone call and
just based off of Google search even.

So I've seen that.

And again, it, it's the awareness side.

People are going to want to, one, remember
your brand and know what you stand for,

and then later on they'll take the action
if they see your ads enough and then

everything is consistent across the board.

It's confirming for them what
they're getting into kind of thing.

Yeah.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
Yeah, no, that's very helpful.

So, you know, I understand that
a key element of an interesting

story is, is that it's real, you
know, it's not fabricated and,

you know, maybe it's unique.

You know, how.

how do you strike the, the balance
between, how do you polish a story, like

sometimes the real stories, it's not
like we saw a problem, we immediately

identified, a process to solve it, and
then we solved it and everybody was happy,

we cheered and it was a great success.

That would be a, that
would be a nice story.

It doesn't sound super real though.

And, and most real business stories
have a lot of twists and turns.

Maybe they're too long for a,
a PR release or of any kind.

can you talk a little bit about
how you polish stories that as

you're thinking, it's like, well,
it was we had a minor success.

We tweaked something and we
had a little better success.

We tweaked something else.

you see where I'm going with this?

Like how do you, how do you turn
that into a Polish story while

still seeming very realistic?

Anna Tran: Yeah, that it ties.

Kind of reputation management side.

if you are working with the right
team, um, they can help you angle each

challenge that you overcome the right
way to properly set you up for success

on the next project or next launch.

say if.

It is just a minor challenge.

You can always kind of
document that a little bit.

Maybe you're preparing for
an event but you failed.

You can document the preparation part.

And then build momentum into the
event that you're going to be in.

And then afterwards,
what's the result of that?

So it's in three different sections, but
now we have uh, kind of like a timestamp

between each stage going into each other.

And later on if you.

If there's any challenges that you didn't
overcome or a brand doesn't overcome, now

we can see, okay, this company tried this,
and then this is what their pivot is.

So if we break it down that way, kind of
developing the story bit by bit, getting

the people engaged and involved in the
story, that is a great way to polish it.

And then.

Later on, perhaps get them
into an interview, a long form

interview, kind of like this.

They can just address all of those
publications all at once in a long form.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Anna Tran: Yeah.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Well,
Anna, I'd be interested to, back

out a little bit and talk about
your entrepreneurial journey, you

know, you're, managing a company.

Tell us a little bit about,
what's worked for you.

Do you spend a lot of time in
PR efforts for your own brand?

What works for you as your seeking growth?

Anna Tran: Absolutely.

So what's worked really well,
again, is just being consistent.

I don't just have pr for my own
brand myself, but also my business

partners and our company We also have a
business consultancy side that we have

invested quite a bit into our branding
and awareness and trust building.

We've even experienced, you know, people
just picking up a phone call and calling

us because of our brand awareness and
trust building and it's nationwide

as well, even into the United States.

But yeah.

So to answer your question, it's
very important to help your potential

audience or people that don't know
about you, just to build that trust.

'cause at the end of the day,
marketing without trust is just noise.

People need to remember and know
what you stand for before they even

wanna get into contact with you.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Anna Tran: So,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: that

Anna Tran: yeah.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: to
another interesting topic.

I know you are really
committed to values and.

Authenticity.

You know, we often think of PR as kind
of like puffing somebody up or like

exaggerating accomplishments or whatnot.

It sounds like authenticity and
integrity are really important.

I assume that there's pressures to.

Exaggerate or overemphasize or fabricate?

How do you fight that pressure
and, stay honest and true.

Anna Tran: Hmm.

So it goes back to making sure that you're
working with the right brand or business,

because PR itself is a superpower.

You're giving the person that you're
working with a platform to scale their

brand and reach people at scale, right?

And you don't wanna, you know abandon
your own values just for the money.

And there are times, well, all the time
when I work with a team I make sure

that I set that expectation correctly
because I'm also putting my reputation

on the line to pitch to these outlets.

And I wanna make sure that I stay
a reliable source on both ends.

I'm making sure that, you
know I communicate everything

correctly, otherwise.

If I'm giving the platform to
somebody that has very bad reputation

in the past I will lose that
credibility on my end as well.

So managing expectations.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

And you know, it's hard for, I'm sure.

It's hard to turn down business, you know?

and that is the, like if you
knew you were being hired to do

something dishonest it's a balance.

And, you know, I appreciate that there
are people like you that the right choice

and, You know, so let's envision on a
brighter note, say you're successful

in landing a very big media feature.

Like Forbes or New York Times, or, joe
Rogan podcast, something like that.

What would be a great way to
maximize that opportunity?

so it doesn't just become like, a
one week or a few days of, a pr bump.

How do you maximize that over a long term?

Anna Tran: Yeah.

So that's a huge thing, I always ask my
clients, okay, do you have any marketing

strategy or team in place to maximize
your placements that we're gonna get you

in I make sure that, there is a strategy
or a game plan in place, and if we're,

let's just say Joe Rogan for example,
if we were to get on there, then just.

Make sure that we're in alignment with
their team and how they're going to roll

out their campaign as well, so that both
ends are, benefiting from this feature.

Right.

In terms of Forbes,
there's different ways.

Just making sure, first of all, that the
online profiles are consistent and it.

Accurately reflects the quality
of the person before getting

featured on Forbes so that when
they say, Hey, I was seen in Forbes.

If they go to LinkedIn, any social
media, Instagram, it just clicks

like, okay, this makes sense, this
is why that person is in Forbes.

And then continue to leverage
it in, different outlets,

whatever the team has in place.

So email, website, landing pages.

Books.

It is great to have a quote
like, Hey, I was seen in Forbes,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
yeah, that's great.

You know, definitely something
that everybody should be doing.

So maybe ask if you were to leave
somebody that's totally unfamiliar

with how the PR process works.

Do you have like a rule of, you
know, some PR 1 0 1 tips that they

should, really grasp before they get
involved or start paying for a service?

Anna Tran: Yeah, so I always say just.

When you invest in either PR or marketing,
um, just getting yourself out there.

Make sure that everything that you have
online already accurately represents who

you are and the quality of your service,
so that once you pay for ads and you

get a ton of traffic, at least that will
help build the trust and you feel like,

Hey, you know, I'm spending way too much
money on ads and it, it's not converting.

Then that's where the PR comes in.

I would say.

Invest in PR first so that you have a
foundation laid and when people land on

your website, there are trust building
factors that when you push ads, now it

makes sense, that you know, they're going
to, uh, take the action to work with you.

'cause the trust is there.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Anna Tran: Mm-hmm.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: well, I
didn't prepare you for this, but I am

always interested in the AI topic and
I'd be interested in your thoughts

on how AI has impacted the PR world.

You know, and do you see in
the next few years greater

impact or relatively the same?

Yeah.

But I'd love to hear your
thoughts on AI in pr.

Anna Tran: Yeah, aI is a very
helpful tool, not just for the client

side, but also for the agency side.

And at the end of the day, it does speed
up the process on market research or even.

Coming up with different angles
that you may have not even

thought of for the clients, right?

So leveraging AI can
definitely help in that sense.

However, at the end of the day,
AI can create content, but only

humans can create real connection.

So we can't just leave
everything up to ai.

We must work with what we know, is
going to make a lasting relationship.

So, yeah, in that sense, AI has
been helpful, but we can't stray

away from the human connection side.

On top of that, on the client side, it
has dramatically helped us, search and

find out what their presence is online.

Especially with coaches, consultants,
they are always curious, okay, if you

type in my first and then last name,
what shows up on Google, now let's

chat CPT that and confirm that there's
no negativity and that it confirms

everything that you find on Google, right?

And then build a strategy from there.

So it's kind of interesting.

I don't know, have you tried,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: well, you
know, and I, were talking earlier

before it started, I guess my only
experience with AI and PR and.

So I mean, I completely agree
with every thing you're saying.

I almost think it works.

You know, there's a lot of PR processes
that are kind of repetitive and,

um, like you're submitting pitches
and I was actually using it to get,

placements as a guest, podcaster.

And you know, I'll give them
a shout out this, pod pitch

tool, which I really liked.

But it almost worked too well and I
was, tired of being a podcast guest.

But I do think that the real human
connection, you cannot replicate it.

You almost have to be a little bit more
deliberate, and like bespoke in each

pitch than I think AI can really provide.

So, that's my experience with it.

I am a big fan of, using pr.

We're not big, but we do try to have.

Planned PR efforts and, I think it's
a great investment for every company.

Anna, tell us if people
would like to work with you.

You know, if they think they're
ready to jump into, pr or maybe

they'd like you as a future guest on
a podcast or like to run some ideas

by you, where can they find you?

Anna Tran: Yeah, the
best place is Instagram.

It's level up with Anna,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Awesome.

Anna Tran: so Anna with two Ns.

But yeah, that's also my website
too, if they wanna connect with me.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Anna Tran: I would love to continue to
deliver value on those channels too.

So I usually post tips or, um, I
showcase publications that I've

done in the past with my, previous
clients and you can see how much

they've grown in those channels too.

So I like to share wins

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Awesome.

Anna Tran: on there.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
thank you so much.

It was such a pleasure to have you,
and you shared some great information.

I think people may on the fence hopefully
would want to, jump into, doing some PR

projects and I hope they reach out to you.

Anna Tran: Thank you so much, Reid.

It was a pleasure.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Likewise.

Thank you.

Anna Tran: Thank you.

Speaker 2: Want to stay ahead of what's
actually working in marketing right now.

Head over to Market surge.io

and see how we're helping businesses
grow smarter, faster, and louder.

That's market surge.io

because your next breakthrough
shouldn't be a guess.