Matt Kovacs, President of Blaze PR, joins Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes to discuss what happens behind the scenes of building and managing a successful PR agency. Drawing on more than two decades in public relations, Matt explains how Blaze has built processes that provide structure while allowing the team to remain nimble in an industry where the media landscape, technology, and client needs are constantly changing.

Matt’s approach to process management starts with communication rather than rigid systems. Blaze uses regular Monday and Thursday team touchpoints, client meetings, timelines, and software to keep campaigns moving, but Matt emphasizes that effective processes also require understanding what team members and clients are experiencing. The agency views itself as a partner and counselor to its clients rather than simply an order taker.

One of the central themes of the conversation is the balance between repeatability and adaptability. There are proven PR fundamentals, such as press releases, press kits, and media training, but Matt says those fundamentals must continually evolve. He points to AI as an example: rather than eliminating the need for PR, changes in AI and large language models are creating new considerations around how information is structured, distributed, and discovered. His team therefore has to continually learn while proactively creating new opportunities for clients.

Strategy at Blaze begins by understanding the client's actual business objective. Matt's team asks whether the client is seeking investment, preparing for an eventual sale, building its brand, increasing sales, or pursuing another goal. From there, they map PR activity around launches, trade shows, seasonal opportunities, retail initiatives, and other important business moments. The objective is to ensure they aren't simply "doing PR for PR's sake," but connecting PR activity to meaningful business outcomes.

Matt also discusses the importance of giving employees genuine ownership. Rather than requiring every idea or process improvement to originate with leadership, Blaze incorporates the experiences and perspectives of its team. Matt describes the company as "all our worlds," rather than his alone, and believes people should feel that their decisions matter.

That philosophy has also allowed Matt to move away from being the decision maker for everything. After working together for years, his core team has developed the judgment and confidence to make decisions independently. Instead of focusing only on completing PR tasks or securing individual pieces of coverage, Matt teaches employees to think about each client's business as though it were their own and ask how their work can contribute to the client's larger objectives.

The conversation closes with Matt's broader perspective on business ownership. For him, success isn't primarily about finding shortcuts or pursuing growth at all costs. It's built through "all the little things": remembering people's names, treating people well, being direct, doing the work, and investing in relationships. Those lessons trace back in part to his father, a third-grade teacher who emphasized the Golden Rule.

Episode Notes & Key Takeaways

• Build structure without eliminating flexibility. Processes should create consistency while leaving room for teams to react to changing circumstances.
• Communication is part of the process. Blaze uses short, consistent team touchpoints to reset priorities and keep everyone connected.
• Start strategy with the business objective. Before deciding what tactics to use, understand what the client is actually trying to accomplish.
• Don't create processes simply because you can. Systems should support the strategy and ultimately affect the business.
• Create the newness. In a rapidly changing industry, waiting for the next opportunity isn't enough. Matt believes agencies have to continually generate fresh ideas.
• Give employees decision-making confidence. Matt doesn't believe everything should require his approval. Trust develops when people understand the business, clients, and reasoning behind decisions.
• Teach people the "why," not simply the task. Blaze encourages team members to understand why their work matters rather than simply completing a checklist.
• Think beyond transactions. A single PR placement may be useful, but Matt's focus is on long-term brand building, validation, and business impact.
• Relationships remain foundational. Even as technology changes PR, Matt believes knowing people, remembering details, and treating them well still creates lasting value.
• There are no sustainable shortcuts. Business ownership requires consistent work and attention to details that can easily be overlooked.

Memorable Quotes

"The kiss of death of any agency is, 'Well, you didn't do anything new.'"

— Matt Kovacs

"It's not my world, it's all our worlds."

— Matt Kovacs

"We want participants, not hostages."

— Matt Kovacs, referencing Mike Tomlin

"I don't need to sign off on everything."

— Matt Kovacs

"Think of it more of, this is your business. How would you want to treat it?"

— Matt Kovacs

"Coverage is transactional."

— Matt Kovacs

"I think it's all the little things."

— Matt Kovacs

"Treating people the way you want to be treated."

— Matt Kovacs

"If you look for angles and edges, and you're always trying to find the quick fix, it's not going to work."

— Matt Kovacs

"You're in the foxhole together."

— Matt Kovacs, on the importance of strong client relationships

Strongest Quote for Episode Promotion

"Coverage is transactional."

This is probably the strongest pull quote from the episode because it captures Matt's larger philosophy in just three words. The conversation that follows explains the distinction: individual coverage is transactional, while effective PR strategy is about building the business, strengthening the brand, and creating longer-term value.