Please note this transcript is generated by AI - apologies for any mistakes

Pippa Goulden (00:01)
Hello and welcome back to another episode of PR Made Simple. Now today I'm talking about something that I am seeing across the board. People increasingly frustrated with Instagram, with battling an algorithm, and it's something that we've all been saying for quite a long time now. And if you're fed up of just being frustrated with Insta and actually want to do something about it within your business, then this is the episode for you because

I am going to be talking about breaking up with algorithm dependency. We all have it and how to use PR to actually grow your business in 2026. So if you are feeling trapped by Insta, if you're frustrated, exhausted, fed up with it, battling an algo, same applies for LinkedIn as well. The algos are battling us all over the place. This episode is for you. Let's dive in. And I think we need to get

really honest here, we have developed a really unhealthy relationship with Instagram and LinkedIn, haven't we? I mean, God, this is not new news, is it? It's something we've been talking about for a really long time. There was a really unhealthy codependency there. I know for myself, I do exactly the same thing, checking it constantly, panicking when reach drops, checking the views of your Reels.

changing entire content strategies every time the algorithm shifts. We wake up, we pick our phones up. Instagram's the first thing we look at. We post content. Like you're posting, crossing your fingers and hoping for the best and ending up reaching the same people over and over again. And yes, some people have experienced mega growth on there, but I want us to really look at the fact that it's become the default way we often think about growing our business.

But here's the thing, it really doesn't need to be the primary way you're building your business. You are too established for that, you're too talented, you're doing too good work to be held hostage to a meta's mood swings. The algorithm is always gonna change, that's the only guarantee, and you simply can't build a sustainable growing business on those foundations. It's exhausting, it's unpredictable, and frankly, I think the businesses that...

rely on Instagram moving into 2026 as their only channel are going to stay small, they're going to even get smaller because it is not working in people's favour. And so, you know, that's kind of the picture of what I'm seeing now with the frustration that a lot of the people that I work with are facing with Instagram. But let me paint you a different picture.

Imagine waking up to an email asking you to speak at an industry event or a DM from a brand that you love wanting to collaborate with you or a journalist featuring your products in ⁓ the pages of their glossy magazine or a podcast interview that leads to three new clients signing up. Imagine those opportunities coming to you because you're known, because you've spent time getting known for what you do, because you've got that

that goes beyond your Instagram grid and this is what happens when PR is actually part of your business strategy and this is what happens when PR is actually part of your business strategy. Now quick clarify here I am NOT saying abandon Instagram I am NOT anti-social media at all I am NOT abandoning Instagram in my own business but what I am saying is that it doesn't have to be your default

pick up your phone time waster, where you're just trying to reach the same people over and over again, still be, how I would love to see your 2026 is that you're still doing social, of course you are, but it's only one channel in an integrated approach. It's not the only thing that you're relying on to grow your business. Because let's talk about the actual joy that comes from brilliant PR opportunities.

the buzz of seeing your name in print for the first time, the confidence boost that comes from being asked for your expert opinion, the joy that you see when you see, I still get the dopamine hits from my clients like 20 years later, seeing their products featured in the perfect magazine for them or being talked about by the right influencers. The doors that open when you become known for what you do.

the quality of clients who come to you already convinced, already sold because they've seen you everywhere and they know that you're the person that they need. Compare that to the anxiety of checking your Instagram insights every single day, watching your reach go up and down, seeing your followers go up, seeing them go down, wondering if a post is gonna land or if it's gonna completely flop. Which one feels better to you? And actually, more importantly,

which one is actually building your business for the long term. I wanna tell you a little bit about my own business growth and where that has come from because hopefully you will be able to see that in like a real life example. Absolutely, I am on social media, Instagram and LinkedIn keep things ticking over for me. They're my shop window if you like. They keep me connected to a wider community. I am not dismissing it at all but, and it's a really big but.

If I look back at the major spikes within my business, every big leap forward, every moment I can actually map back and go, that was a moment when things changed. It's really come from the PR I've done, not from Instagram. So I've talked a lot about speaking at Top Draw, trade show in January this year. That was huge for my credibility and bought in clients that sought.

That was huge for my credibility and brought in clients who saw me as the expert and it led to more speaking opportunities. In fact, somebody in a community that I'm in this morning has actually written, I've seen you doing loads of speaking this year. know, people are noticing what I'm doing. Podcasts for me have always been a great route since I launched my business that lead directly to membership signups, one-to-one clients who would never have found me on Instagram.

Being able to deep dive and show that I know what I'm talking about, I found has been a really good tool for me to bring people into my world. And also the press pieces that I do, I don't do a huge amount, but they do give me credibility, establish me as a go-to person in my industry and collaborations and partnerships. They have been so amazing for me to open up entirely new audiences that I could never have got to through Instagram.

So the pattern is really clear. When I look back over the last five years, Instagram gives me that drum beat, that kind of ⁓ shot window to communicate, to engage, to have conversations, to build a kind of wider community. But PR is what has grown my business. And here's the best bit.

I controlled those opportunities, I pitched for them, I showed up, I sent the fucking email, I wasn't waiting for the algorithm to decide if people could see my content that day. And yes, there have been lots of things that haven't gone my way, that I haven't been picked for, that I've pitched and I haven't had a reply, or it hasn't been the right time, but there have been so many times when sending the fucking email, as I say, has paid off for me in my business, and I just want the same thing for you.

And actually, if I look at my DIY PR members who have committed to their PR, not just focused on their social media, there are so many examples of how PR has helped them to grow their business. Take Dani from Ecoable, for example. Dani's been in my PR membership for a while. Last week, she was on Sky News talking about the most amazing book campaign that she's doing. Sky News, so she has written a...

book for children who are going through grief, whether that's a pet or parent, grandparent, sibling, some sort of... ⁓ So, Dani's been in my membership for a while now, and last week she was on Sky News, Sky News talking about her book campaign. So she has a business called Ecoable, and she also is a children's book author, and she's written a book that is aimed at...

children who are experiencing grief. And she's launched a campaign to try and get a book in every school and library so that children have access to this book who really need it. And she managed to get herself on Sky News talking about this campaign. And that wasn't fluke, it wasn't luck. That appearance was underpinned by the proactive outreach reach she's been doing for this campaign. Underpinned.

By this year, I cannot tell you how many awards she's won, but she has won so many different awards, because she's nominated herself, she's put herself forward for them, and she's layered in press coverage around the campaign. She's building her credibility step by step. I think what's really important to know is that looking at that, she's built the foundations, she's created that credibility, so when that big Sky News opportunity came, she was ready for it, she could say yes with confidence, and that is strategic PR, that is not luck.

And then there's Priya from PriPri who you may have heard me talk about before we've got a really great deep dive interview with her on the podcast. She's focused on getting product press, she's focused on founder features, she's been really strategic about it, she's done some amazing Christmas PR and as a result her products are now stocked in National Trust, they've been stocked in John Lewis, stocked in the V &A. I mean that is amazing.

And those buyers weren't finding her scrolling on Instagram at midnight. They found her through her strategic brand building, through her press coverage, through her being positioned as a go-to in her space, through that credibility that her PR has given her. That is business-changing PR right there. And another one, last one, because there's so many, I could literally go through everybody, but there's Sarah Tobin. So she is a go-to EFT expert.

She's built her entire profile since I've known her, since she's been in my DOIPR membership. And this year she has published a book, she's appeared on TV, she's become the name that people think of in her field. And she does have an Instagram following, absolutely. But she is absolutely getting known, she's growing her business, she's creating incredible opportunities for her business.

through strategic PR, not just from her Instagram, that is layered into her strategy, but from consistent strategic PR that's built her authority over time. And so if you look at what links all three of these incredible female founders, it's not their Instagram followings, it's all that they are taking the steps to get known for what they do, whether they're product businesses, whether they're a service business.

They are all growing their businesses. They are creating opportunities that are genuinely changing the dial for them. They're committed to their PR. They are consistent with it. They've had the framework to follow. And this is what I want you to hear. They did all of this through my DIY PR membership. They didn't need to spend thousands of pounds on expensive PR agencies. They've learned how to do it for themselves. And the key is that they went out and did it. They took the action.

to get the results. So this isn't really an either or situation. What I want you to do going into 2026 is see how you can integrate PR with the rest of your marketing, with the rest of your social media approach. Use Instagram to stay connected with your people, to share your personality, to show them the behind the scenes of your business, to keep those conversations. Absolutely do that.

But what you should really be thinking about for 2026 is layering the PR to help you grow the business. It might be podcasts to reach completely new audiences who've never heard for you, press coverage for credibility, speaking opportunities to establish your authority in your field, collaborations to access new audiences, to build brilliant partnerships, awards to get recognition to give you those amazing credentials. That's how you build a business.

that isn't dependent on one platform's algorithm changing every other week. And that is how you can create sustainable, predictable growth within your business. But it does take you taking the action to make things happen. People are not going to come to you for these opportunities, especially at the beginning. They may well do once you've got established and once you've got known for what you do, but you need to be proactive in making this shizzle happen in your business.

So I want you to think about it. What if 2026 was different for you? What if you didn't have to rely on Instagram? What if you didn't feel like you were going into battle every day with a platform that wasn't really on your side? What if you actually had a strategy for getting known that you could control, that you could action, that would work whether Instagram decided to show your posts or not? And that is exactly what my DIY PR membership is for. And if you are listening to this on the week of

episode comes out then you are in luck because I have got 15 % off my annual DIY PR membership for this annual subscription is only available until Monday the 8th so if you're listening to this after then sorry about that you've missed it but if you are listening to this on the week of launch you can get 15 % off with the code smallbiz15 that means you can get a year of PR for just

£382.50, it's not a number that rolls off the tongue, but it's 15 % off. And that is you committing to your PR for 2026. And the membership gives you everything you need. You get taught my entire Get Known framework. It's got a course, it's got all the tools and templates you need. It's got regular media opportunities. I can connect you to the right journalists. It's got all the templates you need. It's got regular media opportunities, media lists.

the confidence to actually do this stuff and the knowledge to do it well, as well as me cheerleading you from the sidelines. And those member wins that I just shared with you, Danny on Sky News, Priya Stockton, some amazing retailers, Sarah getting national TV and being the go-to expert in her field, they genuinely could be you in six months, in 12 months, but you've got to start, you've got to make the decision, you've got to commit to it.

And actually starting now means that you can hit the ground running in January with real momentum. You're not scrambling to figure out your strategy in the new year. You've already started. We've got things happening in the membership in December so that you can hit the ground running into January. We've got some amazing sessions planned in in January. We've got our PR goal setting and planning session. We've got so much going on to help you get going with your PR. And I really hope that you come on.

Come on the inside and see what it's all about. So the link to the membership is in the show notes, 15 % off the annual subscription, but only until Monday. Let's make 2026 the year you break up with your algo dependency and actually build the business you want. That's enough from me this week. Just one last thing, go and send the fucking email, start your PR, change your business. And I will see you next week for another episode of PR Made Simple.