In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews PR and media strategist Eric Reamer. Reamer shares a memorable personal story about turning down an invitation to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, emphasizing that integrity outweighs opportunity. He outlines his core PR insight: success hinges on who knows you, not who you know, urging listeners to identify and pursue their own "Oprah"—the influential figure who can amplify their visibility. Reamer offers broader business counsel, recommending that you only take advice from someone whose paycheck you’d be willing to swap, and to surround yourself with people who stretch and challenge you. Reflecting on his younger self, he advises to relax, let go of trivial concerns, cherish what truly matters, and seize personal moments without regret. When asked about happiness, he describes it as a dynamic balance between contentment and constructive discontent. His favorite recent book, Do It Marketing by David Newman, taught him to eliminate roadblocks, help others, and act decisively. Reamer also shares a personal quote—"It's not my job to do everything, it's my job to make sure that everything gets done"—highlighting the importance of leverage and delegation. The episode concludes with his online presence at PRmediacoach.com.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Eric Raymer with us. He's a PR and media expert. So welcome to the show, Eric.
Hey Tyler, thanks so much for having me on.
Of course, man. Thank you for joining us. We'll dive in. The first question I have for you, Eric, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Oh, you know, I'm old, so there's been a few stories, but the one that I narrowed it down to is I actually am that guy who turned down the opportunity to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno back in the day. I used to be a professional illusionist. I tell people I'm the most famous magician you've never heard of. And there was an opportunity. I was in Los Angeles overlooking the Hollywood Hills. And given the opportunity to, um, actually fill in for somebody who canceled on, uh, on filming for The Tonight Show. And unfortunately, the filming was the, the next day, and I had to be in, uh, Idaho that next day. And so given that opportunity, I looked the guy in the eye and I said, man, I really appreciate what you're asking me But integrity trumps opportunity every time in my book, and I have to be in Idaho, so I turned down the Tonight Show. Wow. Right?
Yeah. And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
I believe that it is not who you know, but who knows you that makes all the difference in the world, in business and in PR for sure. If you think about it, if you start to think, if I ask you, do you know who Dr. Phil is? Most people would say, of course. And then I ask, well, why do you know that? Why do you know Dr. Phil? And most people say, well, it's because he's on TV or he's on radio. But if you peel back the layers far enough, you find out that you know Dr. Phil because of Oprah. Oprah Winfrey put Dr. Phil on the air. Same thing with Dr. Oz, same thing with Suzy Orman, and basically created that. My piece of advice is find and then pursue your Oprah.
And what is your best piece of overall business advice, so not necessarily industry-specific?
Sure. I think that would be never take advice from someone you wouldn't want to switch paychecks with. Surround yourself with people who stretch you, who challenge you, who get the very best out of you.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I think I would tell myself to chill out, to let go of the things that don't matter, and never let go of the things that matter the most. Oh, and, uh, go ahead, kiss the girl. Absolutely no regrets.
Yes. And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
You know, this is deeply philosophical if you allow it to be. I think that the key to happiness is understanding the dynamic relationship between being content and discontent all at the same time. At peace with who I am in the moment and always challenged to improve.
And what is the best book that you've read and what's the number one thing you learned from that?
Tyler Wagner, I think that, you know, whenever trying to narrow it down to one book, it's so complicated. I mean, one could easily say the Bible, and there's all kinds of reasons for that, but I'm going to go this way. Most recently, I read a book called Do It Marketing by David Newman, and I think the number one thing that I learned or took away from it was eliminate roadblocks, help others, and take decisive action.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
Um, I think my favorite quote actually is something that I came up with, and it's probably not original with me, but it was something that I didn't know existed anywhere else, uh, probably 20 years ago. And it's this: it's not my job to do everything, it's my job to make sure that everything gets done. And it just kind of summarizes the role that I play, which isn't to do everything, we'd be overwhelmed. But to make sure that everything gets done requires leverage and a little bit of delegation and help from the people around you.
Yes, I think that's huge for business owners. So thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find you online?
Thank you for asking, Tyler. It's been my pleasure being here with you. You can find me online at PR mediacoach.com.
Perfect. Thanks again for joining us, man. We appreciate it.
Right back at you, brother.
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