Otter PR’s commitment to providing innovative and impactful communications strategies that deliver guaranteed business-building results has earned it a prestigious Tampa Bay Business Journal 2024 Fast 50 Honoree Award.
“We are incredibly honored to be named a FAST 50 company,” said Scott Bartnick, co-founder and CEO of Otter PR. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team. We’ve achieved significant growth, and we’re excited to continue on this trajectory.”
The FAST 50 Awards celebrate the fastest-growing companies in the Tampa Bay business community. The Tampa Bay Business Journal provides comprehensive coverage of business news from a local, regional, and national perspective and has honored elite Tampa Bay businesses with annual FAST 50 awards for two decades. Companies considered for the award are evaluated based on revenue growth over a three-year period.
“We are immensely proud to be acknowledged as a 2024 Tampa Bay Business Journal FAST 50 company,” says Dr. Jay Feldman, co-founder and CMO of Otter PR. “We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of excellence in the PR and marketing industry. The growth we are experiencing is a result of that commitment.”
Otter PR’s innovative formula for fast business growth
There are a number of key ingredients that lead to exceptional business growth, all of which are included in the celebrated services Otter PR offers. The first ingredient is customer focus. The firm’s team obsesses over delivering exceptional customer experiences to all of its clients.
Otter PR’s commitment to its clients can be seen in the long list of “people’s choice” awards it has received in recent years. In 2023, for example, Otter PR was awarded the 2023 People’s Choice Stevie® Award for Favorite Public Relations Company. The award’s winner was determined by public vote, with nearly 100,000 people participating in the process.
“It’s a great feeling when the public acknowledges you as the leader in your industry,” shares Bartnick. “Of course, we believe that the innovative practices we bring to the PR field are the best approach to achieving meaningful PR exposure. To hear from our clients and others in the community that they agree is extremely encouraging. Winning a people’s choice award serves as a special type of validation, showing that we are not only effective but also that our clients love working with us.”
Otter PR is also the top-ranked PR agency on Clutch, a leading business-ranking platform that identifies top companies based on client reviews and other key metrics. The outstanding work Otter PR does for its clients has earned it a 5-out-of-5 overall review rating on the Clutch platform. The Clutch Awards Otter PR earned during 2024 include Top Public Relations Company for Legal Industry, Top Corporate Communications Company, Top Crisis Communications Company, and Top Public Relations Company in the US.
Otter PR also stands as the #1 PR firm on G2, another leading business ranking platform that bases its evaluations on client satisfaction. The G2 algorithm factors client satisfaction from review data to identify companies that provide the highest level of service. G2 identifies Otter PR as the leading PR firm in terms of Expertise of Team, Execution Ability, Professionalism, Responsiveness, and more.
Otter PR empowers client success through deep market understanding
Otter PR has rocketed to the top of the public relations space by providing clients with PR communications strategies that work in the world of modern media, leveraging the power of digital PR to achieve client success where traditional PR fails. Through its expertise in digital PR, Otter PR fosters a dynamic connection between brands and their target audience and provides its clients with PR at a greater speed, reach, and engagement than other firms in the field.
“Digital PR is the tech-savvy counterpart of traditional PR,” explains Bartnick. “It utilizes online platforms to manage and elevate a brand’s reputation, cultivating a favorable online image that resonates with the target audience and encourages active engagement.”
To achieve fast growth, businesses must identify unmet needs and pain points in their industry and then provide clients with a solution that delivers.
“When Scott and I set out to establish Otter, we each wanted to provide a fresh perspective and approach to the PR space,” Dr. Feldman recalls. “We understood PR methods needed to change to keep pace with the evolution of the media world. Companies were not getting what they wanted from the status quo approach. So, to meet their needs, we set our sights on emerging outlets and took a new approach to storytelling, engaging with audiences, and building meaningful media relations. Our trajectory — and the awards it continues to bring our way — prove our approach to PR has the power to outperform conventional approaches in today’s modern media landscape.”
Otter PR’s modern perspective has allowed it to enhance the effectiveness of traditional PR tools, maximizing their impact. Reshaping the tried-and-true press release for a digital world is one of many examples of the ways Otter PR has done this. By capitalizing on search engine optimization and targeted distribution, it has become one of the best press release companies in the PR space.
Inc. Magazine and the University of Florida honor Otter PR’s impressive growth
Otter PR’s recent Fast 50 Award is one of many it has earned this year due to its impressive growth trajectory. In February 2024, Otter PR was named to the Inc. Regionals list of the fastest-growing private companies in the Southeast US, appearing at the No. 33 spot on the list, which is an extension of the Inc. 5000 regional rankings.
“Being named by Inc. as one of the fastest-growing private companies in our region reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire team during the past few years,” says Bartnick. “We have focused on innovating within the PR industry, recruiting top talent, and enhancing our client offerings. The strategic growth we have experienced as a result has allowed us to better serve our clients while expanding our own impact as an agency.”
Inc. Magazine is well known for its “Inc. 500” and “Inc. 5000” lists, which acknowledge businesses around the world that are driving explosive growth through excellent service and innovative strategies. The Inc. Southeast Region list included 233 businesses, which together were responsible for creating a total of 20,496 jobs in the region and adding $8.8 billion to the economy. Those on the list experienced a median revenue growth rate of approximately 166 percent from 2020 to 2022.
“The honorees in our Inc. 5000 network are the Who’s Who of private companies. They’re energizing regional economies as they engineer the future of their industries. Learn who they are and what they do — they’ll be impacting things for a while,” said Eric Hagerman, Special Projects Editor at Inc. Media.
Bartnick and Dr. Feldman cited Otter PR’s inclusion on the Inc. list as validation that the company’s strategy is bearing fruit. They also said the company will remain focused on sustaining its celebrated growth for years to come.
“Being honored by Inc. is not only a great validation for our agency, but for our wider community,” Dr. Feldman says. “Our sustained growth has allowed us to add dozens of well-paying jobs and put money back into the region’s economy, which has been incredibly rewarding for us. We’re proud of our contribution and we plan to continue growing our agency in a way that brings shared prosperity for our team, clients, and community alike.”
Otter PR was also recently recognized on the 2024 Gator100 list, a special honor given by the University of Florida (UF) Alumni Association to the top 100 businesses run by UF graduates, such as both Bartnick and Dr. Feldman.
“Being included on the Gator100 is evidence of the education and support we received at UF, which laid the foundation for us to achieve success in the business world,” Bartnick says. “We are grateful for this recognition and look forward to continuing to make our alma mater proud!”
Otter PR continues to build on a foundation of innovation
In January 2024, Otter PR was featured in a USA Today article that highlighted the leading role the company has played in bringing impactful innovations to the PR industry.
“What sets Otter PR’s approach to media relations apart is that their team brings a fresh perspective to the landscape,” USA Today explains. “Although some of the team are PR professionals by trade, Otter PR realized the value and insight offered by those who have seen the other side of the business — journalists and reporters among them. Because of their background, these media professionals have unique insight into what it takes to have a story picked up by the media, having spent years picking up stories themselves.”
Otter PR provides its clients with the core services that drive effective PR in virtually every industry, including media relations, reputation management, crisis management, and social media management. However, Otter PR’s approach ensures that each of those services achieves a maximum impact by leveraging modern tools.
“The evolving media landscape in the digital revolution demands successful public relations campaigns adapt and harness its power,” Dr. Feldman told USA Today. “In today’s increasingly online world, leveraging digital platforms and strategies is not an option. It’s a necessity for PR to thrive and make a lasting impact.”
