Best Startup
I’m Bridie – a PR & Visibility Coach. I founded Why You Create to empower small business founders to feel more confident promoting themselves and their business.
Tell us about yourself?
I founded Why You Create to offer an affordable and more effective way for small business founders to leverage the power or PR without working with a PR agency. I have 10 year’s experience in PR and communications, as well as six years at University studying Art History. I worked for some of the world’s most pioneering curators and artists at some of the UK’s most progressive art galleries, including the Serpentine Galleries, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Whitechapel Gallery, as well as award-winning PR agencies. I led PR campaigns from obscure to celebrity and from local to global.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Dream less, take more action – I have so many ideas, I’ve always struggled to see them all through. But I’ve learnt that we learn best by taking action. Action breeds clarity.
What problem does your business solve?
Offering one-to-one consultations, I help founders articulate how they’re unique, become seen as an expert, and land opportunities like press, podcast guesting, collaborations and guest teaching, to boost their growth and credibility.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
I’m here to help you find your voice and get your name out there so you can demonstrate your expertise, build your reputation, and raise your profile as a business founder.
I come across founders all the time who think PR is a mystery and tell me they have no idea how to start pitching to the media.
I want to make it ridiculously easy for customers to find you and trust you.
My mission is to unveil the PR process, walk you through creating an easy-to-follow PR strategy, and empower you to feel confident doing your PR yourself.
My goal is for you to gain confidence in putting your voice out into the world.
What is your magic sauce?
My approach to PR for small business owners is is about helping you promote your business overall and as a whole. We’re trying to get your name out there and build your reputation for what you do. What do you want people to know about you and your brand? That’s the job of PR.
PR is so much more than press coverage. When I work with a client I help them identify the most strategic PR opportunities for them. This could include press features as well as podcast guesting, speaking opportunties, guest teaching, expert comment, collaborations, partnerships, events and much more.
My business is all about helping you reach more people – and be more targeted about who you’re reaching (so you can grow and get in front of your ideal clients); become known as an expert, specialist, or leader in your field (so sales become easier); and become a more trustworthy, credible business (again, so sales become easier).
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
I want to keep helping my clients and see them continue to learn better ways to promote themselves, and feel more confident doing so.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
I come across founders all the time who think PR is a mystery and tell me they have no idea how to start pitching to the media. It’s my challenge to talk about how PR can transform their business even when not everyone understands what PR is!
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
There’s four ways I work with founders:
✷ Help you build clarity and confidence talking about what you do
✷ Put a plan in place so you can own your expertise and become known as the ‘go-to’
✷ Create a PR strategy for how you will promote your business (beyond social media)
✷ Teach you how to pitch and secure opportunities to promote your business, get visible and build credibility – this can include press features along with podcast guesting, speaking events, guest teaching, guest blogging, opinion articles, collaborations, partnerships – whichever are the most strategic opportunities that will work for you.
What I’ve found to be most helpful to founders is working together through a mix of one-to-one sessions with my input around them to build out your strategy, messaging, opportunity targets, and pitches.
Head to my website www.whyyoucreate.com or email me on bridie@whyyoucreate.com to book in your PR session!
