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WHAT I DO
I help experts get understood, trusted, and paid more.
As a visibility strategist, I work with experts and leaders to build their reputations, get in front of the right audiences, and convince them to act. This can include:
Hiring you for consulting or leadership roles
Buying your product or service
Funding your project
In 2025 alone, my clients raised millions on Kickstarter, repeatedly booked $50,000 keynotes, grew a million-strong audience on Substack, and earned a top product award from Progressive Grocer.
After years of running The PR Accelerator, I now take on just a few custom engagements at a time. This provides frequent access to me and a visibility program built around your exact needs.
Services I offer
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I simplify your complex ideas into language people can understand, helping them see you as the right solution to their needs. I can also create a personal messaging system you can use across your website, social media, speaker’s applications, sales proposals, and more.
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I create your personal PR strategy, figuring out the best ways for you to get media attention, podcast interviews, and online momentum. I then build your personal PR system, including custom media lists and email pitches, so you can get sustained publicity without hiring an agency.
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I work with you to develop a keynote speech around one of your big ideas, ensuring it aligns with the cultural moment and what audiences want now. I then create everything you need to book better speaking gigs at conferences and with private clients.
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I help you plan how to convert new audiences into paying clients, customers, and/or funders. This includes reviewing and optimizing landing pages, sales proposals, and grant language.
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If you want to raise the profiles of several experts at once, I can create a strategy that leverages their unique skills while ensuring organizational alignment. I can then work individually with each of them to grow their reputations.
MY BACKGROUND
About Tracy Samantha Schmidt
I've spent my career figuring out how to make people pay attention and act.
I started out as the youngest staff journalist at TIME Magazine, where I covered the rise of social media and developed new methods for breaking the news. My master’s thesis ran in TIME and was re-reported by The TODAY Show, Oprah, MTV, and Vogue.
I went on to build one of the world's first influencer networks at the Chicago Tribune and created a nationwide education program for the Tribune Company. Later, I served as a media executive at Crain Communications, where I unified the global social media strategy of 18 newsrooms and trained hundreds of journalists to reach new audiences.
A frequent TV commentator, I appeared regularly on ABC, CBS, and FOX. As an educator, I taught journalism at several universities and marketing at the University of Chicago for a decade. I've also ghostwritten for executives in outlets like Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Crain's.
Additionally, I’ve designed and delivered organizational training programs for the National Association of Realtors, the National Association of Broadcasters, the American Library Association, Rotary International, and dozens of other brands.
In 2015, I became a consultant helping organizations and experts gain traction online. Over time, it expanded to include media and, after one of my clients went viral at SXSW, stages as well.
Today, I focus exclusively on expert visibility because it is the most effective way to build trust and get people to act. To date, I've worked one-on-one with hundreds of experts and taught personal branding to tens of thousands through seminars and presentations worldwide.
I live in the heart of Michigan's Upper Peninsula with my husband and travel to my native Chicago often. When I'm not working with clients, I'm most likely painting or writing novels.
What clients say
Ian Beacraft, Founder and Chief Futurist, Signal + Cipher
“Not only did Tracy help me crystallize my ideas and make them applicable to all audiences, which helped my SXSW talk go viral, but she also helped me understand and anticipate journalists’ reactions. On top of that, she helped me leverage my SXSW speech to attract a ton of media coverage that was a game-changer for the growth of our business.”
Jonathan Domanus, Founder, CardMill
"Tracy helped me turn my idea into a story people believed in. Her strategy gave me the tools to build momentum, and it directly fueled our record-breaking $2.2M Kickstarter launch. I am immensely grateful to her for her guidance, strategy, and friendship during an incredibly wild ride.”
Dr. Justin Gregg, Scientist and Best-Selling Author
“Tracy was able to find a way to take what I considered my greatest weakness as a science communicator and turn it into my greatest strength. It’s the kind of insight that only a seasoned veteran of the PR industry can provide. I highly recommend Tracy if you need someone who can quickly assess your PR needs, and provide you with an in-depth game plan to inject new life into your career.”
Christi Powell, Mindset and Visualization Strategist
“Since collaborating with Tracy, I’ve seen a huge uptick in inquiries, sales calls, and new clients—and we’re not even done yet. I can’t wait to see what happens when everything is complete. Tracy is an investment that is worth every penny.”
Sonny Garg, The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago
"Tracy masterfully helped us to realize that the right messaging is not about sound bites or catchy brochures. It is about thoughtfully revisiting and debating why we do the work we do, what our aspirations are, and how we know we're both different and making a difference. It is through this carefully orchestrated process of organizational inquiry that the messaging reveals itself, and it has proven to resonate deeply with both our internal team and external audiences, including funders."
MY NEWSLETTER
The Visibility Memo
Get my candid tips on getting more visible and monetizing your expertise. Delivered weekly.