How And Why You Should Use Pr As A “female Founder”

Caroline Beswick, Managing Partner, Trinity PR

As one of the founding partners of an OG “female founder” PR agency, set up in 2003 by three  healthcare comms professionals, I feel on home ground on this topic. Not only is female-led business something I’m personally passionate about, I’ve also had the privilege of representing many female owned and led organisations, using PR to raise their profile and grow their business.

For our Agency, a supportive and nurturing approach has always been the core of our business. A major factor in our success is that very early on we recognised and applauded each others’ strengths and specific skills sets, and pulled together creatively and strategically as a unit to deliver a more rounded service to clients.

Whether you’re just setting up our own health care clinic, you’ve founded a non-profit or you’re the head of a tech start up – now is the time to celebrate your success and share your vision.  So, how can you use PR & Comms to harness the power that comes as a “female founder”. Here’s 3 key points to consider:

1. “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” Coco Channel

Whilst the world is a very different place to twenty years ago, and women are much more visible in high profile roles across sectors, many women still feel under recognised, under valued  and are under represented in their careers.  And so, you might still need to shout louder to be heard! PR can help to amplify your voice and support you in accessing opportunities that may have been harder to secure otherwise. Depending on your sector, platforms and forums such as LinkedIn, Insta Lives & Stories, online webinars, podcast appearances and broadcast interviews present fantastic opportunities to get your “news and views” heard authentically. “Earned” media via expert comment on topical issues in trade or consumer titles and platforms or authoring thought-leadership features placed in key media also help raise your profile. Trinity PR recently placed a series of thought-provoking articles authored by Vivanti CEO Marina Hicksman, as she leads her business to the forefront of bioscience and pharma AI Marketing.

If you’re new to PR and you’re at all apprehensive about speaking publicly, posting on socials or giving comment to a journalist, a short media briefing session with an experienced Agency will help to give you some practical “pointers” and boost your confidence.

Using an evidence-based approach to raising your profile and your online presence can also help highlight your experience and skills. So, do take time to consider your biog – whether that’s on your company website, social media profile or your intro to journalists.

Be upfront about your accomplishments, as well as highlighting your educational and professional qualifications or memberships. It’s also important to demonstrate your passions, your ethos and the positive impact of your work. Many female founders will have diverse skill sets and may well have career changes that can demonstrate strength, resilience and adaptability. So, if you’re a lawyer, turned tech expert turned wellness expert – own it! For example, Trinity PR client Eva Proudman was a successful businesswoman before retraining as a clinical trichologist – and now has a network of clinics across the UK, as well as a burgeoning online business offering a range of specialist treatments for people with hair and scalp issues.

Through strategic PR, female founders can establish themselves as thought leaders and trusted voices in their industries, building trust and confidence with investors, customers, and partners.

2. “Your network is your net worth” Porter Gayle, entrepreneur, author and public speaker

Investing in PR can open doors to valuable networking opportunities and collaborations with other female-led businesses and industry leaders. So, lean into the female founder community to build and maintain strong connections and create reciprocal links, which can lead to business referrals, secure funding, create positive reviews and editorial opportunities.

Growing your reputation with journalists is still fundamentally based around networking – and journalists are fascinated by experts’ advice and the human interest story around a business or organisation. So, it not only “pays” to be well-informed on your subject matter, prepared to give key insights and understandings in your specialism and expert advice, but also to be engaging, creative and personable. Journalists will keep coming back to people who provide sound advice and fascinating copy!

Women supporting women is a powerful comms tool – so work together and raise up other female founders and fellow workers to help complete the circle.

3. “You can’t be what you can’t see” Mariam Wright Edelman (American activity for children’s and civil rights)

Sharing your own unique perspectives and experiences as a female founder including your personal journey and the unique value proposition of the business, allows you to challenge traditional narratives in business and help to model behaviour change for women in work.

By using your voice, you can become a positive role model to inspire other women to pursue entrepreneurship or to enter the job market in your sector. Paving the way for future generations of women in work can act as an important motivator underpinning PR for female founders – and you shouldn’t underestimate the role you can play in creating a positive story.

In the post-Covid world, conversations around working structures and patterns for women are starting to open up, with a better understanding, for example, of the pressures we may face, from anxiety and confidence issues to childcare struggles and the challenges of life stages such as pregnancy, maternity leave and menopause.  For the main, technology is allowing women to be more flexible and present, whether at work or at home – so make sure you’re confident and honest in your comms, so that you can model the type of working life you’d like the next generation to enjoy and thrive in.