The role of the old is to inspire the young. But often the young inspire the old.

This book is about an innovative application of modern public relations. But it's also a young woman's story about innovation, motivation and hard work.

I first met Iliyana Stareva in Dublin in October 2015. I sought her out on a visit to the city after reading her blog, and seeing her work at HubSpot on the inbound PR model. I'm a long-time fan of Iliyana's blog. She uses it as a means of thinking out loud, and sharing ideas. She's earned a reputation as a forward thinking practitioner in marketing and public relations. Iliyana has used her blog to help develop her thinking. She's generous in publishing her ideas, and as a result has built a community that supports her work through conversation and sharing. It's a highly effective form of learning that requires both bravery and humility, characteristics which Iliyana possesses in abundance.

I first learned about inbound PR from Iliyana's blog. It's a means of identifying and understanding an audience or public and using content to start a conversation. It's made possible thanks to a growing industry of data, media and tools, to help understand behavior on the internet and social web. Inbound PR seeks to build a relationship based on an organization meeting a need rather than creating a need. It lies at the heart of the difference between public relations and marketing. It's a subtle but important point of difference. The internet is full of spam and unwanted marketing content. Inbound PR enables an individual or organization to build relationships and trust, and influence behavior. It's a highly effective form of lead generation in business-to-business or professional services, although its application is by no means limited to this sphere.

The inbound PR model has been stress tested in Iliyana's day job at HubSpot where she helps agencies around the world get to grips with the tools they need to execute content marketing campaigns. She's a regular speaker at HubSpot events, and has joined the international speaker circuit in the footsteps of the likes of Seth Godin, David Meerman-Scott and Brian Solis to share her ideas. She has written extensively for a variety of industry publications, including #FuturePRoof and Spin Sucks.

In Dublin, we talked about how Iliyana could develop her thinking and writing on inbound PR into a book. I followed up after our meeting with a list of potential publishers. It's a testament to Iliyana's drive and motivation that 18 months later she sent me a proof of Inbound PR, and the news that she'd landed a publishing deal with Wiley. Inbound PR codifies the model that Iliyana devised, and describes its application in practice. The book is written very much in the style of her blog. It's clear, concise and highly informative. You'll have no problem in applying her teaching in your work.

I couldn't be more proud of Iliyana for what she's achieved.

—Stephen Waddington

Partner and Chief Engagement Officer, Ketchum

Visiting Professor, Newcastle University