Zetlin

What Zetlin does

Zetlin Strategic Communications is a New York-based strategic communications and public engagement consulting firm founded in 1986 by Alexandra "Alec" Zetlin. The firm serves government agencies and corporations facing public-perception and stakeholder-management challenges, with a particularly deep footprint in Northeast U.S. transportation and infrastructure clients including the New York City Department of Transportation, New York State Department of Transportation, NYC Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, New Jersey Transit, and the Governor's Office of Storm Resiliency. Its core offering comprises five service lines: Strategic Communications (message framing and media relations), Community Outreach (cross-demographic engagement via high- and low-tech channels), Public Engagement (events including town meetings and webcasts), Communication Audits (analysis of internal and external messaging vehicles), and Gamification (interactive workshops for sensitive stakeholder contexts).

The firm's underlying "technology" is a set of proprietary public engagement methodologies rather than a software platform. Zetlin pioneered several practices now considered industry standard, including framing messages as compelling stories, systematic opinion-tracking procedures for trend anticipation, televised and webcast town meetings, direct audience portal platforms, and gamification-based participatory workshops designed to surface information in sensitive contexts. The company explicitly designs these tools to reach both tech-savvy and non-digital audiences. The firm holds no patents, operates no app, and exposes no API.

Zetlin is a privately held, woman-owned business (WBE-certified) and maintains an extensive portfolio of government procurement certifications — DBE with NYSDOT and the Port Authority of NY/NJ, SBE with the Port Authority, plus certifications from NYC SBS, NYS Empire Development, MTA, NJ, and Caltrans — which materially expands its addressable contract pool in set-aside programs. Revenue is generated through negotiated, project-based professional services engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm employs between 11 and 50 people, operates from a single headquarters location at 314 West 71st Street in Manhattan, and has not raised outside funding.

Name

Zetlin

Legal name

Zetlin Strategic Communications, Inc.

Website

https://zetlin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zetlin Strategic Communications is a New York-based, woman-owned strategic communications and public engagement consulting firm serving government agencies, primarily in Northeast transportation and infrastructure, using proprietary methodologies for messaging, outreach, and stakeholder engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Communications Consulting

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG/Sustainability Reputation & Purpose Communications (MPAAAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Stakeholder Engagement & ESG Governance (Policies, KPIs, incentives) (EUAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Strategic communications consulting
• Public engagement services
• Community outreach consulting
• Communication audits
• Issues management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Consulting: Professional services engagements providing strategic counsel to government agencies and corporations on public perception and influence management

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Zetlin Strategic Communications is a New York-based consulting firm that provides strategic communications and public engagement services to government agencies and corporations. The firm develops messaging strategies, conducts communication audits, organizes community outreach and public engagement events (including town meetings and webcasts), and uses gamification-based participatory workshops to help clients manage public perception and achieve community buy-in for infrastructure, planning, transportation, and land use projects.

Product overview

Zetlin Strategic Communications is a strategic communications firm offering a unified portfolio of consulting services. The core offerings include Strategic Communications (message development and media relations), Community Outreach (cross-demographic engagement), Public Engagement (events and town meetings), Communication Audits (analysis of client messaging), and Gamification (interactive tools for public participation). These services work together to help government agencies and corporations manage public perception, engage stakeholders, and achieve project goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Communications Consulting service focused on developing communication strategies grounded in shared vision and client goals, including message framing, public opinion tracking, and stakeholder engagement for government agencies and corporations.
• Community Outreach Service that reaches across demographics through content-driven platforms using both high and low tech tools to ensure distribution, reception, and action from target audiences.
• Public Engagement Events and programs designed to elicit useful data that helps clients shape their perspectives, products, and policies, including town meetings and webcasts.
• Communication Audits Reviews of all available internal and external communications vehicles, graphics, branding, protocols, and formal and informal communications channels to analyze how a client communicates with their audience.
• Gamification Interactive and innovative tools for public engagement that elicit information in sensitive circumstances through games and participatory workshops, heightening participation while reducing conflict.

Quantifiable outcome

• 180-degree turnaround in public opinion on ARC project across the Hudson River
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BerlinRosen: Strategic communications and public affairs firm serving government, advocacy, and corporate clients on complex stakeholder engagement campaigns—directly comparable in service mix to Zetlin.
• M Booth: Independent strategic communications agency with strong public affairs and issues management practice serving corporations and nonprofits—comparable in approach to Zetlin's issues management work.
• Subject Matter: Public affairs and strategic communications firm focused on government, corporate, and nonprofit clients with similar campaign-based engagement model to Zetlin.
• GMMB: Strategic communications firm specializing in public affairs, advocacy, and public engagement for government and nonprofit clients—comparable in methodology and target buyers.
• The Reis Group: Strategic communications firm with strong public sector and government practice, providing comparable public engagement and stakeholder messaging services.
• 270 Strategies: Grassroots organizing and public engagement firm serving progressive causes and government entities, with comparable focus on community-based engagement campaigns.
• Mercury Public Affairs: Public affairs and strategic communications firm serving government and corporate clients with issues management and stakeholder engagement—comparable in service mix.

Emerging players

• Hilltop Public Solutions: Public affairs firm with focus on transportation, infrastructure, and government clients—significant overlap with Zetlin's transportation vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Largest independent global PR firm with extensive public affairs and government practice, providing overlapping services to corporate and government clients including public engagement work.
• Weber Shandwick: Major global PR firm with public affairs practice serving government and corporate clients with issues management and stakeholder engagement—comparable in offering but much broader in scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ZetlinNYC
• Facebookfacebook.com/ZetlinNYC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zetlin-strategic-communications

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zetlin