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

Pippa Goulden (00:43)
Hello and welcome back to another episode of PR Made Simple. Now today I have something slightly different for you. I've just come back from a week's holiday, a glorious week skiing in the sunny Alps and I always find that that time away gives me really brilliant perspective on my business and that combined with the fact that we've had the end of the first quarter of 2026, I wanted to do something a bit different today. I want to do a bit of reflection because

I can see within my own business and within my clients' businesses, my one-to-ones, the people that I'm working with, I can see what's working and what's not working in the same way anymore and what I think that means for the rest of 2026. And to start with something really personal, because I think it's really important that I'm honest with you about what's happening in my own business, Q1 of 2026 was my best quarter ever.

And I've been sitting with that and thinking about why, because it didn't happen by accident. it didn't happen because I found some magic new strategy or cracked an algorithm or had a viral post or double down. It happened because about 18 months ago, I made a decision that it was my time. I stepped into my big girl pants, my CEO era, my...

founder era, whatever you want to call it, but I really committed to doing the work that I teach consistently, strategically, without panic, when things went quiet. I mean, don't get me wrong. There is sometimes panic, but that's just the roller coaster of being a female founder. But this approach and this stepping into kind of my CEO founder era is paying off, not just financially, but yes, you know, the best quarter ever is brilliant.

but also in the joy and the fun that I'm having in my business. The clients I'm working with are more aligned than they've ever been. The opportunities coming to me feel right. The vibe in my DIY PR membership is amazing. We've been doing some really fun stuff and the work is feeling really good. And I'm not telling you this to show off or, you know, for my ego's sake, because you know, hopefully by now that's not my style.

But I think it's important you hear it from someone who is in the trenches doing this work alongside you because this stuff works. And today I want to share with you what I'm seeing in my own business and in the business of the founders that I work with so that hopefully you can take those learnings into the rest of 2026 and look at where you can apply the relevant things to your own business. So what I'm seeing out there at the moment.

Things do feel really different right now. And I'm seeing that across the board in the emails I'm getting from the email list I'm on, from the conversations people are having in the masterminds, in the groups, in the business networks I'm in, even on LinkedIn and on Instagram as well. know, things do feel different. Buying has slowed. The tactics that were working two or three years ago aren't working in the same way. You know, I've done podcast episodes on this already. I'm not gonna go into a huge amount of detail on it, but.

I'm hearing that the same thing consistently and across different industries as well. But what I am also seeing is the founders doing certain things are having a different experience to everyone else and that gap is widening. So I wanna talk about what's not working and then I wanna talk about what is working and focus on that because that is way more exciting and there's way more opportunities with what is working. But let's look at what's not working. So.

I have talked about this in more depth on previous episodes, but relying on socials as your primary growth strategy for the majority of businesses just does not work anymore. The algorithms have shifted, reaches down. The effort as well versus return just doesn't stack up the way it used to. And I'm having more and more conversations with business owners saying the same thing.

And I really believe that the answer isn't to try harder at the same thing. It's not to double down on your socials and to do more and to find the right hooks. It's to try something different. And you know, if you've been around for a while, I am not anti-social media at all. I use it as one of my core marketing tactics, but I don't rely on it as the be all and end all of my growth strategy within my business.

because doing things the same way just because they've always worked. If that's not working anymore, then stop, be flexible, try different things, see what lands. Another thing that I'm really seeing not working is disappearing and then coming back for a launch because cold audiences aren't converting in the same way. And I think the founders that are struggling most right now are the ones who go quiet, disappear.

then come back again with a big sales push and wonder why no one's buying. Because I think actually we're in a time where people really want to be nurtured and they want to get to know you before they buy from you. And that is why all the work that I've been doing around authority and building authority and building trust and credibility within your business is so important. And within the context of PR, what really isn't working, I mean, whether it has actually ever worked, I don't know, but what really isn't working at the moment is

spray and pray PR, getting random press coverage with no strategy behind it, sending a few pictures, hearing nothing, giving up. That is not when PR works. PR works when it's done strategically. When you know your target audience, you know your business objectives, you know what you're trying to say, you know your positioning, a random bit of coverage here and there isn't going to build your reputation. It's the consistent strategic work that does. And I think what we've really seen now,

doesn't work anymore is selling on promises alone. That guru era is over, I think. People aren't buying the hype anymore. They want proof, they want evidence that you know what you're talking about before they hand over their money. I signed up to someone's email list last week because they'd been recommended on, I think it was threads, and I don't even go on threads, and I've signed up for her email list and I thought, she could be actually somebody that I'm really interested in working with in some capacity.

The emails are literally just sales, sales, sales, email. There's no nurture in there. There's no like me getting to know her. She's not giving me anything in those emails to build my trust, to build the credibility. She obviously does know what she's talking about. She's got a really successful business, but she's not pointing me to any places where I could get to know her better. She's just sending me a lot of emails, a lot of sales emails.

and I've given up because I just, you I don't wanna have to go and do that work for myself. So I thought that was a really useful thing to have a think about where are you building that trust and credibility with people that are coming into your world? Right, let's focus on what is working. Now this is the good bit because the founders thriving right now, I think are doing things differently to that and consistently, and this is what I'm seeing. So.

And this, you might not like this one, but this is what I really believe is playing the long game. My best quarter ever has not come from one big launch or one viral moment. It's come from 18 months of consistent strategic work, showing up, building, getting known for what I do, not disappearing when things go quiet, trusting the process, even when I can't immediately see the results. trust me, like that is really hard sometimes. There are wobbles.

There are three o'clock in the morning wake ups going, ⁓ God, is it all gonna be okay? But generally, I would say more than ever before, I have that faith in my business, in what I'm doing to get myself out there, to get known. I've worked out that strategic approach and that compound effect is real, but only if you stay consistent. So the founders that I'm working with that are getting the results are the ones who've been...

quietly building their authority, keeping that drum beat going, not panicking when things feel slow, not burning the whole thing down and starting again, which I know we're all tempted to do sometimes. And one thing that I think is really important that links to this is being seen in multiple places, not just one platform. And I know there's gurus out there who tell you to just focus on LinkedIn or just focus on Instagram, but I generally believe that

not just focusing on one specific platform or place has been really beneficial for me. And I see that with the work that I do with my one-to-one accelerators, when we're really strategic about combining the press with the podcasts, with the speaking opportunities, it pays dividends. I had two discovery calls recently with people who both said the same thing that...

They keep seeing me in different places. I keep hearing about you. I've had you recommended to me and I needed to book a call with you because I keep seeing you everywhere. And you know, that is not just because I'm doing one post on Instagram. It's not just because of one podcast. They keep coming across me in different contexts through the different routes because I am building this authority ecosystem. I'm doing the internal authority moves like my podcast, but I'm also doing the external stuff strategic.

podcast interviews or speaking. And that is the authority ecosystem working exactly as it should. And this is what I see with my one-to-one accelerator clients. They're not just posting and crossing their fingers. They've got their podcasts or their white papers or their events that amplifying those across their socials, their emails, their networks. They're showing up in multiple places through multiple routes in front of the same people over and over again. And the really practical benefit

about this is that when your pipeline goes quiet, because it does for everyone, even the most successful people you admire, but instead of panicking and doubling down on Instagram, you can turn the dial up on something else. So you can pitch for a podcast, you send that email you've been sitting on, you can activate a collaboration because you've built a system with multiple levers, not just one, you're not reliant solely on one specific thing working. You can move around, you can be flexible.

you can pivot. I think the other thing that I'm seeing working really well at the moment across the board with businesses I work with, with founders I know, is giving people a taste before they commit. So my authority workshop in March was a great example of this. I'd wanted to do a paid workshop for ages and I just hadn't got around to it. And I was like, again, it's a bit of a big girl pants, you what if no one comes, what if no one buys?

But people did, they came in, they spent two days with me, they got real value from it. And then they made an informed decision about whether to go deeper. Some didn't need to, I'd given them enough. But a few since have come into my membership or into my one-to-one accelerator. And I see this across the board. The founders doing well right now are creating those opportunities for people to get to know them before they buy. Low risk entry points that build trust quickly and shows that you know what you're talking about, that you've got

the substance to back it up. Which brings me on to the next one, which is owned authority moves. This is working for people at the moment. Podcasts, books, white papers, events, thought leadership, the internal authority builders that demonstrate your expertise and close the trust gap so that when someone goes looking for proof that you know what you're talking about, they find it. I've looked at the results across my members and accelerator clients in Q1 and

There are some amazing, incredible things going on out there. National Press, Stylist, Grazia, Forbes, Business Press, podcast interviews, speaking opportunities, brand collaborations, but also those authority moves, those internal authority moves, podcast launch, white papers published, events hosted, communities built. They're not just getting press coverage and moving on, they're building ecosystems, and that is what's changing their businesses.

And I know you're probably listening to this, Vicki, but I don't have time to do any of that stuff. I'm not saying you have to, especially if you're starting out doing this work, do it all at the same time. Incrementally building authority takes time, absolutely. But there are ways you can do it quickly without having to spend a huge amount of time weekly ongoing forever. There are different ways you can do it.

So have a think about what you think feels the most aligned with you, with what you love doing, with what you know connects with your target audience. And the one thing that actually this leads to as well is having your own point of view and the confidence to back yourself to say it, not just on socials, but in podcast interviews, in press, on stages, in newsletters.

The founders cutting through at the moment are the ones willing to put their head above the parapet to have that opinion, to talk about in different places. We don't want vanilla anymore. We want perspective. We want depth. I've really leaned into this myself in the last 18 months, like talking about authority over visibility. When everyone else was talking about showing up more, it would have been really easy, much easier, I think, to jump on that bandwagon.

But I knew in my heart of hearts that authority was the thing that I really believed in. That is way more powerful than visibility and being willing to say it consistently in different places. It's been probably a longer term, longer time coming, but it's made the biggest difference to my business because it is the power of the conviction of what I believe in. Another thing that I'm seeing working really well is getting out from behind the screen.

in person is back, networking, events, being in rooms with people, it's working. not the stuffy business card swapping kind, the kind where you genuinely connect, show up as yourself, as an expert, where you can build real relationships, you build trust in person in a way that takes months to replicate online, and it's all about finding your tribe and getting in the room with them. I really recommend if you haven't done it yet,

to find the right networks, the right groups. If you want to DM me and ask me about any, I will send you in the right directions.

And there are two more points that I can see working really well and I think this is across the board, is not doing it alone, getting the right support, the right strategic advice. I've done that myself. I've seen it with the people that come into my world and work with me. Someone who can see your business with different eyes and help you make better decisions faster. The founders who invest in the right support accelerate. There's no doubt about it. I tried to do it by myself for three years.

and then 18 months ago, I got the right business coach, I joined the right masterminds, I've got the right internal support in my business. I think the ones who try to figure it out all alone take much longer. So I would really recommend getting the right support within your business. Look at who you can work with to accelerate the key bits that you want to be accelerating. And underpinning all of this is the mindset shift.

It's the backing yourself. The founders getting the best results in Q1 are the ones who stopped waiting and started. They sent the fucking email. They pitched for the opportunities. They put themselves forward for something that scared them. I ran my authority workshop in March and I saw this happen in real time. female founders coming in with doubts and leaving with plans. And that shift isn't just tactical. It's something much bigger. It's that permission to own their expertise, to stop being the best kept secret in their industry.

And I felt that in my own business too, that moment that I've really stepped into my authority, I've stopped holding myself back. I've started saying yes to the things that scared me, started talking about what I really believed in. Everything has changed from there. More aligned clients, more joy, more opportunities that feel right. And those opportunities then lead to more opportunities as well. And I promise you on the other side of backing yourself is a business that feels really different to the one that you're running now.

So what does this mean for the rest of 2026? Well, I think there's three things that we can take forward from this reflection. Number one, move away from relying on socials and start building in different places. Socials, absolutely, like I've said, brilliant for nurture, for warming up the people in your world, but the growth is happening elsewhere. Podcasts, speaking, press, events, networks.

The founders I believe who are coming out of 2026 as the obvious choice are building audiences and connections beyond the grid. Secondly, I would really recommend making authority building a core part of your growth strategy, not a nice to have, not something you'll get down to when, not something you'll get round to when things calm down. A deliberate consistent part of how you grow. Show up consistently, keep that drum beat going, trust the work you do today.

is building something that's gonna pay off in ways that you can't always immediately see. And I know that is hard, but you have to hold the faith. And the third thing is back yourself and start before you feel ready. Whatever you've been putting off, the pitch, the podcast, the white paper, the event, the speaking opportunity you've been thinking about for years, let's get going with this in Q2, because you want to be one of the founders who come out of 2026 as the go-to in your field, as the ones who are starting before you feel ready.

as the trusted, credible voice in your industry. It is all there for you for the taking. I genuinely believe that you could be doing this work as well, not because of luck or magic, but because it is work. It's consistent, strategic, long game work that compounds over time. I'm going into Q2 with a really clear focus, and in fact, the rest of the year, and I want the same for you too. And if you want to do this work together,

I have a couple of spots left in my one-to-one accelerator You can book a discovery call in the show notes with me. If you wanna get started yourself, my DIY PR membership will give you the knowledge, the tools and the support to do that. And keep your eyes peeled too, I've got some things dropping very soon that I can't wait to share with you because I've put on those big girl pants and I am making them happen. So

I will see you again soon for another episode of PR Made Simple.