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Pippa Goulden (00:43)
Hello and welcome back to PR Made Simple. Now, the last few episodes, we've been talking about what's holding you back, the blockers, the gaps, the fears, the pitch that's been sitting in your drafts for three weeks, three months, three years in my case. Today, we are flipping it completely because I want to talk about what actually happens to your business when you stop waiting.

and start doing this work. Not the theory, not the inspiration, the real practical business changing impact of making authority building, making PR a core part of your growth strategy. Because this is what I see time and time again with the people that I work with within the PR set, within my one-to-one accelerator, within Get Known, my six week group sprint, and within my DIY PR membership. So I have the evidence to back it up.

There's also lots of ⁓ episodes I've done with clients and members on this podcast. So if you want to deep dive and hear individual examples, then have a look at some of the brilliant episodes I've done. But I want to start with some context because I think that's really important. Lots of people are saying it feels harder right now. Buying has slowed.

Trust is lower than it's been for years. We can't just go on Instagram and sell in the same way as we used to. I'm in lots of different business groups. I work with lots of different people across different industries and I am seeing some of the same themes in all of those industries. what was working isn't working in the same way anymore. That's not to say, however, things aren't working out there.

That's not to say that people aren't buying because they absolutely are. There's lots of evidence to show that they are. So don't give yourself that narrative that no one's buying but they're buying from people who are doing things a bit differently. And also I've been having conversations. I had a conversation last week with somebody who works in PR who was saying how hard it is. Nothing's landing, how frustrated they are. They're really struggling with the clients they work with.

I'm going to be totally honest with you. I had to sit on my hands a little bit in those conversations because the work that I'm doing with my clients, with my one-to-one accelerators, the work that I see people doing in the membership themselves, it is working. And I know why I want to dive into that now. It's not luck.

not because they're big brands and trying to sell in stories to loads of different places.

It's not that they've got the big budgets or better connections or more followers. It's that they're doing this work strategically, that they have spent time understanding what they want to talk about, understanding what they want to get known for, really understanding their positioning. And that makes all the difference. But it's also because they have this unique thing that big brands with big budgets don't have. And that is themselves.

And so once you get over those barriers and those blocks and those things that holding you back, you actually realize and see and have the evidence and the receipts to show that people want to hear from you because you have the expertise that they need for their publications, for their podcasts, for their events. There are opportunities out there for you and your business they're yours for the taking. And that is why I find this work so exciting.

because it's working, it's actually doing what we set out to do with it. It becomes, for those founders who do it really well, it becomes part of their core growth strategy for their business. And I see it leading to more opportunities for them. I see it bringing in clients and I can see how it is working to help them scale their business.

So I've spent some time over the last few days looking at the results that my DIY PR members, my one-to-one accelerator clients, my Get Known cohort, just coming to the end of the first Get Known cohort for the year, have been looking at what they've been getting and it's brilliant. Amazing press coverage, we've had national press, we've had some really good industry press, Director Magazine, we've had the iNews paper, all sorts of national publications, we've had...

amazing articles in Stylist magazine, Marie Claire, Grazia, Women's Health, Forbes, Business Insider, all sorts of different places. Places that their clients actually read or if their clients aren't reading, they are impressed by those publications. So when they're coming to amplify the fact that they've been in those publications,

It's really working to generate buzz around them, to show that they know what they're talking about, to create that authority, to fill that authority gap. And also, it's not just the press opportunities. Remember that PR is not just about press. It's the speaking opportunities, it's the podcast interviews, it's the brand collaborations, the dancing on other people's dance floors. We have had so many brilliant things happen to members just since the beginning of this year.

It's so exciting to watch. But also, it's not just those external factors. This is what I taught in my authority workshop last week. the authority moves. It's the internal authority that leverages and creates opportunities for you. So they have been launching podcasts, they've published white papers, they've hosted their own events, they're building communities.

They're not just getting press coverage and moving on. They are building their authority ecosystem, internal and external, working together and closing that authority gap so that when their potential clients or customers go looking for more, for that depth that we've talked about, there's something there, something that builds that trust, something that makes them the obvious choice. And that's what's changing their businesses. And that is what they are able to use as these.

growth moves within their business when so many other people are clinging on and doubling down to Instagram and trying harder to make it work. And I just love watching it happen. And I wanna get really specific, because I know that you want to understand what changes when you do this work. So I am going to spell those out. Number one, opportunities start coming to you. So instead of you always being the one that pitches yourself.

People start coming to you, they find you because of the work you've done. You get tagged, you get recommended, you get approached. One of my one-to-one accelerator clients had this recently. Someone recommended her for an opportunity in a conversation she wasn't even part of. That's what happens when you're known for what you do. You get talked about when you're not in the room, and that is so powerful. And you get asked, rather than always having to pitch for things, there's a shift that happens.

Yes, I will still encourage you to be sending the cold pictures, but also people start reaching out to you, podcast hosts, event organizers, journalists. It doesn't happen overnight, but when it does, it feels really different. I've also noticed that the third thing is discovery calls change completely. And this is one of...

the really great impacts of this work that we do. It's when you've built your authority, when your content, your press features, your podcast appearances, your thought leadership, when it's all working together in that authority ecosystem, people arrive at discovery calls knowing that they want to work with you already. The discovery call isn't actually for you to convince them. It's not there for you to do your sales job on them. It's for them to just have

that sanity check, that their instinct was right, that their research has told them what they've needed it to show them. They've done their research, they've deep dived, they've decided. The call becomes a formality. You stop convincing and you start confirming. And if you run a service business, you will know exactly how different that feels. And the other thing that I see is that your content gets easier and better.

So the one that I feel really strongly about because I think so many founders have got this the wrong way around. And I think it's something that Instagram coaches and teachers often get the wrong way around, not everyone, but it's that they think they have to nail their content first and then they'll have something to say when actually it works the other way around. When you've done the authority work, when you've worked out what you want to get known for, when you've really nailed that positioning,

Your content falls into place. So actually your Instagram, your LinkedIn, they don't become that slog that they so often are for people. You've also got all of those authority stakes in the ground to talk about, whether it's your own podcast, your own research, your own work that you're doing from an event or a white paper perspective, or whether it's your external authority factors, the podcast you've been featured on, the press features to reference and share. You've got...

those podcast episodes to point people to. You've got the frameworks, you've got the thought leadership to talk about. So you're not starting from scratch every time you open your social media, you're amplifying what you've already built. And that's when your content starts cutting through. Not photos of you when you were six, because that's what the algorithm wants this week, or that's what someone's decided is going to trend. It's those authority content pieces that show that you know what you're talking about.

Which brings me to social media because I want to reframe where social media actually sits within your business because a lot of founders that I see are really putting so much effort and energy into it and feeling like it's not working the way it used to. We know that, right? The answer isn't to double down and try harder. It's to understand that social media is your shot window. It's where people get a feel for you. It's where they land when someone recommends you.

It's where they get to know you. It's such a great place for nurture at the moment. It's really important, yes, for a lot of you out there, it will be important. Not everyone, you you can run a business without social media, but I just wanna make sure that you don't have it as your whole strategy because if you just focus on Instagram to sales, you are going to, people are gonna fall off into that authority gap that I've talked about. The authority ecosystem, your press coverage, your podcasts, your speaking, your thought leadership,

That's where the trust is built and that's what makes people buy from you. Your social media amplifies it, it doesn't replace it. And when you make that shift, when you stop trying to build your entire business through Instagram or LinkedIn and start using it as one part of a bigger ecosystem, the pressure lifts. You stop panicking when a post flops, you stop trying to crack an algorithm that's not on your side because you have got other...

things working for you. You've got other levers that you can pull when something else isn't working. And the other thing that I see happening from doing this work is your confidence growing. And that shouldn't be dismissed. That is not a small thing. It's really hard to quantify. It's really hard to say, if you do this work, your confidence is going to grow. You'll get an ROI of X, Y, Z. But it is real. And I see it every single time. When you've done the work,

when you have sent an email and got a yes, even when you have spent the time on your positioning, so you're really clear on what you wanna get known for, on who you are, on the things that you want to have an impact on, when you've been on the podcast, when someone messages you, because they've listened to you, when you've spoken on stage and you've had that incredible feedback, something shifts. Now the imposter syndrome doesn't disappear, absolutely.

but these pieces of evidence start drowning it out and that confidence seeps into everything that you do, how you show up in your business, how you pitch yourself, how you price yourself, how you talk about what you do, how you present yourself to new people. You stop overthinking. I mean, you still overthink, don't get me wrong.

But when you're clear on what you want to say and you've got the authority to back it up, that overthinking can quieten down or you can get rid of it much more quickly than when you haven't done this work because you know your angle, you know what you want to get known for, you know that if somebody approaches you to

their podcast, then you can absolutely jump in because you know what you want to talk about, you know what you want to say, you know your positioning and that clarity is liberating.

And when you're the obvious choice in your field, when people have done the research and decided that you're the one, pricing becomes less of a barrier. You're not being compared to you and three other options. They're coming to you specifically because of your credibility, because of your authority, because of the work that you do. And that makes premium prices feel obvious, not aspirational. And I really want you to have a think about that. I'm not saying all of this stuff is going to happen straight away.

But absolutely you can lean in to that pricing, into that authority, into that credibility that you are building for yourself. And you attract more aligned clients. Authority acts as a filter for you in your business. When you're clear on what you stand for and what you want to get known for, the right clients find you and the wrong ones self-select out. And that is a good thing, trust me.

And I've seen this in my own business. The clients that I have worked with since I have been doing this work are so aligned with me. I absolutely love the work that I do with them. Yeah. And that has been a massive shift. I'm not saying that the ones that I didn't enjoy before, but I definitely feel more aligned to the clients that I'm working with since I've started doing this work for myself in my own business.

And it just makes you enjoy your business a bit more. It makes it a bit lighter. And that's a real thing. I'm not saying this is the answer to all your problems. Absolutely not. But when you're known for what you do, when the credibility is there, when opportunities are coming to you, walking into a room is a bit easier. Pitching yourself is a bit easier. The whole thing just feels a bit different. It's less pushing. It's more momentum.

It's less starting from zero every week. It's more building on what you've already created. You stop feeling like you're pushing that boulder up the hill all the time. And don't get me wrong, you'll find bigger, more exciting opportunities that you will need to then reframe the overthinking. It's building towards bigger authority moves. And that is really important for you and your business. But until you start doing this work,

you're not going to be making any of those moves at all. So how do you make this happen? How do you get a piece of this pie for your business? It starts with the understanding that this is not just a bolt on to your marketing. It's a core part of how you grow your business. The founders who get the best results that I see treat it with the same strategic importance as their sales process, as their client delivery, and they start before they feel ready.

So this is what I would suggest, pick one internal authority builder, the one that's been living in your head, the podcast, the newsletter, the framework you've been meaning to really deep dive on and do that work on. Just pick one of them and then pick one external authority target, one podcast you want to guest on, one publication you want to be featured in, one stage you want to speak on, and then pick one way to amplify what you've already got because I guarantee you're sitting on authority already that you're not making

work hard enough for you, that podcast you've done already, or the article that you wrote that really aligns with your strategy and your thinking, or the white paper that you did last year that you can actually bring up again because it's really relevant to what you're seeing going on in your industry. Just pick one, one internal, one external, and one to amplify. One of each, not 10, not 50. Stop overwhelming yourself with all the different ideas, because I know you have them.

Just pick one of each and then I want you, you know what I'm gonna say, don't you? To send the fucking email. Let's get on, let's get out there, let's do this work. Because the more of us that are doing this work, the more impact that we can have collectively, the more the ripple effect happens, the more the money is put into the hands of the good people. And God, there's so much out there, isn't there, at the moment that, you know, I watched Manosphere the other day and it has just lit a fire in my belly.

because we are the good ones. We are the people who can have a positive impact on this world that we're living in. And if those horrendous people can go out and do what they do, make the money that they make, then please know that you can because you're the one that's doing the positive work, you're having a positive impact. So please do this work because it will lead to good things.

The ideas are already there, the expertise is already there, the authority is waiting to be built. The only question is when you're going to start. And if you want support doing this work, you can book a discovery call for my one-to-one accelerator via the link in the show notes.

And for my DIY PR membership, the sale is opening today for the annual membership. I only do this twice a year. We're doing it for an end of tax year, last payment, hurrah, 15 % off my DIY PR membership. It is,

crazy, a whole year of DIY PR support in the membership for £382.50. So come on in, jump into the membership. The sale only happens twice a year. Come in, the membership gives you all the umbrella support that you need to do your PR for yourself, regular media opportunities, media lists.

community of amazing fellow business owners. You can ask me questions within the community. We have regular live sessions, Q and A's, knowledge sessions, accountability sessions, so that I'm there helping you, making sure that you are getting this work done. We've got some really exciting things coming up. If you know that you want this to become part of your core growth strategy for your business, come on into the PR set.

But whatever you do, however you do it, just get started because on the other side of starting is a business that feels very different to the one that you're running now. So go on, go and send the fucking email and I will see you again soon for another episode of PR Made Simple.