Topics: How to Grow Brand Awareness, Business Visibility, How Does PR Work, Ruhi Thakker,
How to Grow Brand Awareness…
a deeper insight into PR and business visibility
Feel like your brand doesn’t get the attention it deserves?
This episode is for you if you’ve ever wondered: “Why isn’t anyone noticing my business?”
Because the truth is, business visibility alone isn’t enough—knowing how PR works and having a clear brand visibility strategy is what gets you seen and growing!
The charismatic Ruhi Thakker joins HF3 to share her wisdom. Ruhi is a PR and marketing expert and founder of ruhiandco. She is all about helping brands stand out, step powerful into visibility, and grow global impact.
If you’ve been struggling to grow your brand, this conversation will feel like a gentle roadmap. It’s practical, empowering, and a must-listen if you’re building something bold.
You’ll hear how Ruhi went from early campaigns to creating a PR and marketing approach that FEELS powerful—and why it’s not your product, your team, or even your audience holding you back…
it’s often the missing pieces of brand visibility and PR.
✨ In this episode:
- The Visibility Gap: Why even great brands struggle without a clear brand visibility strategy
- PR That Actually Works: Understanding how PR works can amplify your story organically
- Building Lasting Business Visibility: Insights to grow brand awareness naturally
This is about showing up, not shouting—and it’ll give you inspiration to step into your brand’s full potential.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – How to Grow Brand Awareness with PR Expert Ruhi Thakker
07:06 – Building Brand Visibility Strategy
09:56 – What Makes a PR-able Brand Story (and When to Say No)
15:52 – How Does PR Work: Tactics That Matter
27:03 – Are You Ready for PR?
LISTEN TO NEXT: Find Your Voice
RESOURCES
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MORE ABOUT THIS BUSINESS & MARKETING PODCAST EPISODE
“PR allows you to share that with the world the why behind everything you do. And that’s what captures loyalty.”
– Ruhi Thakker, founder Ruhi and Co
Connect with Ruhi Thakker
Website:
https://www.ruhiandco.com/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ruhithakker
- How a clear brand visibility strategy can transform a business from overlooked to unforgettable
- Key steps founders often miss when boosting business visibility in crowded markets.
- Practical tips for understanding how PR works to get your story in front of the right audience.
- Common pitfalls that stall brand visibility strategy and how to avoid them.
What happens when you know your business has something valuable to offer—but no one seems to see it? You’ve poured hours into your product, your message, your story—and yet the spotlight feels just out of reach.
That tension between creating and being seen is where so many founders get stuck. It’s the question behind every visibility plan: how do you move from invisible to undeniable?
Ruhi Thakker, founder of Ruhi & Co. and an award-winning PR strategist, captures it perfectly:
“Your story is your SEO. It is as powerful as those words people are searching for.”
She isn’t talking about clever copy or marketing trends. She’s talking about the heart of your business—the lived experience, the values, the purpose that make your brand impossible to ignore.
How to Grow Brand Awareness Through Story-First Strategy
Most founders wait for visibility to happen by accident—hoping for a feature, a viral post, or word-of-mouth buzz.
But true brand awareness isn’t built on luck. It’s built on conscious, consistent choices about how you show up.
“If you are trying to be seen, start by asking who you’re trying to see, and why,” Ruhi reminds us.
Here’s where to start:
- Define your impact. Be specific about the transformation you create. What would the world miss if your brand didn’t exist?
- Choose clarity over complexity. Visibility doesn’t mean being everywhere; it means being exactly where it matters.
- Build a PR-able story. As Ruhi says, “Your task is really to build that story.” This means knowing what makes you different and how your mission resonates with your audience.
Brand awareness grows when your story, values, and strategy align—and when every public touchpoint reinforces your credibility and purpose.
How PR Works (Without Feeling Like a Gamble)
PR often feels mysterious—a space for big agencies and glossy press releases. But in reality, public relations is simply strategic storytelling at scale.
“PR is not a sales channel,” Ruhi explains. “It’s a credibility and reach channel.”
That distinction matters. When you understand how PR works, you stop chasing attention and start cultivating trust.
Key shifts to make:
- Lead with honesty, not hype. “Your audience will respond to the truth, not the fluff.”
- Be intentional with outreach. Each message should serve a clear purpose—connection, visibility, or partnership.
- Think cumulative, not viral. Every story, feature, or podcast appearance builds brand recognition over time.
Ruhi also reminds founders that not every opportunity drives growth: “Pay attention and make sure everything you’re doing is meeting you where you are—or taking you where you want to go.” That’s the essence of PR done right: it’s not about chasing every headline, it’s about choosing aligned visibility.
Building Business Visibility Without Losing Your Voice
The pressure to be visible can make even the most grounded founder second-guess their voice. But sustainable business visibility starts with integrity.
“You don’t need to fit a mold to be heard. Your unique journey is your leverage.”
Here’s how to keep visibility rooted in authenticity:
- Stand in your truth. Ethical branding means reflecting what your business actually values.
- Celebrate small wins. Share lessons, pivots, and progress—your audience connects to real growth.
- Invest in relationships. “It’s all relationships,” Ruhi says. “You can only take that so far from behind your screen.”
Visibility grows faster when you’re seen as real, relatable, and values-driven—not just another brand shouting into the noise.
Quick Wins to Strengthen Your Brand Visibility Strategy
If you’re building awareness from scratch, start small and strategic:
- Lead with bold intros. Every pitch and post should communicate your value clearly.
- Share with purpose. Post content that educates or connects—not just fills the feed.
- Prioritize community-first visibility. The people who already believe in your work will amplify it better than ads.
“When you go out with messaging, you want to make sure that’s going to stick,” Ruhi says. “That comes from putting the foundational pieces in place.” Visibility that feels aligned lasts longer—and builds trust that turns into opportunity.
Lessons for Early-Stage Founders
If you’re in your first three years of business, remember: visibility is a skill you build, not a gift you wait for.
- Your story is your power. Visibility isn’t about noise—it’s about resonance.
- Consistency beats perfection. “The best things in life require patience. You have to build toward them.”
- PR is a tool, not a trick. Learn how PR works and use it to elevate your credibility and reach.
- Authenticity converts. Ethical branding is magnetic—people feel when you’re genuine.
A strong brand visibility strategy, consistent business visibility, and understanding how PR works aren’t just marketing tactics—they’re extensions of your voice and vision.
The founders who thrive aren’t the loudest. They’re the most intentional—showing up with clarity, courage, and connection.
Your story deserves to be found.
Your business deserves to be seen.
And your visibility starts the moment you decide to take it seriously—without losing your voice, values, or vision.
FULL TRANSCRIPT WITH RUHI THAKKER BELOW:
Chardét (00:00)
really excited about the guests we have today. Her name is Ruhi Tucker and she is the founder of Ruhi & Co. She is an award-winning PR and marketing expert who has her own agency and so I thought she would be the perfect guest to speak to us about PR, marketing, understanding a little bit more, what are the steps you need to think about, what do you need to be focusing on, and how can you get more reach. I’ll see you inside.
Welcome to her first three years. From breakdowns to blunders, learn what worked and what didn’t. I’m your host Charday and whether you’re a new entrepreneur or you’re just starting something new, this is your space to learn and feel little less alone.
Ruhi Thakker (00:48)
I’m living my Ikegai through this business and so it is very intertwined and I would say my mission is to make the world a more conscious place. As consumers we have so many options, so many products available to us and my goal is to really inspire people to really think and be conscious about what they are consuming.
Chardét (01:10)
Did you always have this line of thought, this philosophy in your career?
Ruhi Thakker (01:16)
I think I’ve had this philosophy across multiple aspects of my life and career is like at the forefront of that. I’ve actually had a really interesting journey in my career. I’d say it’s a pretty unconventional journey. I started my career in tech PR doing something so different than I do today. And throughout the years, you know, I always told the story of my first day at my first ever PR agency as an assistant and it was lunch and I was sitting at my desk with my salad and I was looking around the room and I was like, who do I want to be most like?
And I decided in that moment, I wanted to be like the partners. saw the influence they had. I saw these amazing companies that they were representing everywhere from like unicorn startups to like the Googles of the world. Since then, I have kind of forged my career path to get me closer and closer to what I’m doing today. After my last corporate role, I was actually on a solo trip in Italy for my birthday. And that’s when I decided, you know, it’s time.
to now take all the recognitions, accolades, skills I have to really do something that’s very aligned with who I am. So I always say, you know, the best things in life require patience. You have to build toward them. But when the time is right, you also have to know when to take that leap.
Chardét (02:28)
So had you been thinking about starting your agency before this? Was it kind of in the back of your mind for a bit before that Italy trip?
Ruhi Thakker (02:35)
I knew that was the end goal for me for most of my career. And so I had kind of navigated my career in that sense. I started off at a very strong agency where I’d say learned a lot of my 101 skills in the field and then moved into the wellness space, then moved into the beauty space where I actually got to work with incredible brands like Morphe Cosmetics, which is a global mass beauty brand, got to launch Ariana Grande’s beauty brand, REM Beauty.
You know, had recognitions. was recognized as a visionary by Reagan and PR Daily, which is a leading industry organization. coming out of that, it really did feel like the right time to go off and do my own thing. Being able to elevate brands that are really here to educate consumers, make the world a smarter, cleaner, healthier place.
Chardét (03:24)
I’m always fascinated by anyone who comes from the agency world to create their own because I know the amount of work that goes into that and I also know how in the beginning finding your initial clients and doing that bit can also be, you know, it is a feat so it’s amazing that you’ve done it. How did you first find those first couple clients and then what were you looking for when you decided, okay these are the kind of people or brands that I want to work with?
Ruhi Thakker (03:53)
Everyone’s networking, right? Post-COVID, we have all of these events coming up. Be selective about the rooms you show up in. If we could just network all day long for every day of the week, we could fill our schedules up. But you have to be very intentional, right? And so I think that’s the first thing is I’ve always been very selective about the rooms I show up in. I also think doing good work is the number one most important thing. So word of mouth has been big for us since the beginning. When I was in my last corporate role,
50 % of the organization was like laid off all at once and me and my entire team was a part of that. And I’m not going to lie, I freaked out. I had just come back from Italy and I was like, it feels like the right time. But when push came to shove, I was like, my goodness, what are we going to do? You know, I did the typical thing where I frantically started interviewing and you know, nothing was working out in my favor. And then I got three rejections in one week, which
which was hard, that hurt really bad, it stung. And the following week I had two brands come to me saying they’re looking for an agency and if I would be up for the task. so I feel like, again, it was just setting that goal and really having faith in the Universal Plan.
Chardét (05:08)
putting yourself in this space to be able to accept those opportunities and trusting that they will come.
Ruhi Thakker (05:14)
The hardest thing to do. It’s much easier said than done. We have like a whole process in which we, you know, bring clients through before deciding whether or not we want to work with them. A lot of that is, you know, really understanding is there a compelling founding story? Is there innovation? Are they really making impact? You know, one of the brands that we work with is Rawa Beauty and they just announced preserving over 1 million acres of the Amazon rainforest this year, but
they’re actually on the ground doing work with the tribes beyond just like we’re planting a tree or we’re saving an acre. And so that’s like the level of impact that I really look for. And then I do have a board of trusted experts that I will also get opinions up from in terms of vetting the brand, the product. And so that’s really what drives me.
Chardét (06:04)
think that’s so interesting that this desire for impact and slower living comes through in the clients that you choose and that they are having that impact. So you can multiply their results with your skillset. And that is a really fascinating place to be. mean, this is also why we want to speak to you more because a lot of people listening have those kinds of brands, but they might be just starting or they’re at the point of figuring out what the heck do I do to get some sort of visibility here?
because you know in this world it feels overwhelming and I think we often default to, let me just live on Instagram. Let me become an influencer instead of an entrepreneur. And so I’m curious to see, you what are some of the visibility mistakes or myths that you see, maybe not even in the brands, but it could be just you observing with the expertise you have and maybe some things that people can consider to realign.
for actually growing their vision and not just burning out.
Ruhi Thakker (07:06)
If I could give everybody one task, it would be to focus on building the PRable story. Your task is really to build that story. And I think some of the questions that founders can really ask themselves or teams can really ask themselves are through all of your visibility efforts, are you capturing more of your audience? And are you really building that sense of community? Is everything that you’re putting out there, is that allowing people to understand
What makes your brand different from your competitors? Why do you exist? What’s your core ethos? What do you stand for? And then is it building that credibility over time? Right. And I think once you set those core foundational pieces in place, then you can bring on that PR expert to really take your visibility even further. But I would say stay true to your story, stay true to your ethos. Don’t try to do everything because I think people who try to do everything can sometimes get lost in the noise.
Chardét (08:02)
I feel like we step out of our zone of genius trying to be the social media person or the exclusive podcast or whatever it is. Like we just kind of lose our zone trying to be all the things and do that initially. Are there any sort of questions you either ask when you’re looking at a brand or you’re talking to your advisors when you’re evaluating it in terms of the stories? For example, like the stuff you just shared with us of thinking about.
What is your story? How do you differentiate? What are some questions maybe to think about for those listening to go a little bit deeper into that?
Ruhi Thakker (08:39)
Why does a brand exist? And that’s a very easy question to ask, but I like to ask why again and again and again until I can really get to the root of that answer. Because a lot of people have a why. You ask why again and again, and sometimes it’s like, okay, then you realize that they might just probably be here for profits. think there are businesses and there is very much a niche for that. It’s just not a niche that I want to choose to represent. So I think in terms of the brand story, having a really clear
passionate reason as to why you exist. Because while I’m assessing the brands, I’m also assessing whether or not this is a PR-able story. And that’s also why I hesitate to take on brands that don’t always have those pieces in place because I need to feel really confident about that brand before I take my confidence to somebody else.
Chardét (09:26)
Two questions to follow up on that, because I think what you just said is really interesting in terms of how you’re vetting. What makes a PR-able story is the first question. And then the second question is, and I’m really curious about this one, whether in your agency or in the past, have you said no to a brand and why? Not necessarily giving specifics. So first question is what makes it PR-able? And second is, have you said no to one because of why it didn’t align with you?
Ruhi Thakker (09:56)
To be quite honest with you, I will say I have more conversations with brands where I say we can’t take them on versus the ones that we do. And again, I like to ask a lot of questions, right? So I think the things that really make a PRable story are again, is there a compelling founding story? Is there innovation? Is there impact? Do they have a vision? they really looking to make a change in the behavior of day-to-day consumers? Do the products work?
really like to understand those things. And I think those are those are really the elements that make a story PR-able. And then I like to take it a step further and say, is this brand really changing our lives and or our planet?
Chardét (10:36)
So if you’re thinking of the brands that weren’t aligned, didn’t make sense, which sounds like Izzy said it’s more often than not, has there ever been one where it was a really big, renowned brand and you had to say no? Again, you don’t have to say specifics of anything, but just curious for that side of it.
Ruhi Thakker (10:55)
Yeah, we certainly did have a brand come to us and I think this was like after three months of launching the agency publicly. And that was a very, very difficult decision for me because the money was on the table and it was a hard one to say no to. But with that brand specifically, they did have some of those key elements there. But what I realized was they actually didn’t have the internal team infrastructure to really support the PR.
And I think you can go out, you can spend the most money a brand has spent on the best PR agency. But if you don’t have the internal tools and resources to support it, you’re wasting your money and their time. I guess hand in hand with that, there is something about, you know, I will hire experts in fields that I’m not an expert in, which is many. And I think when somebody brings us on, I also want to make sure that they can come in with that mindset.
tying this back to your listeners, I think that’s a good question that people should ask themselves, or do we have the internal infrastructure right now for this? Because I think there’s always a demand for, we’re looking for PR, we want PR, we want the headlines, but wanting it and being able to execute that are two different things.
Chardét (12:11)
This resonates a lot. Yeah, because I think even from the beginning, if we’re talking about people who are solopreneurs, are really early stage small teams, there’s a tendency to not, to want to do everything and think that you can and then, let me get the PR agency to do this. And I don’t need to build any of the internal structures. And there’s a big resistance to offloading things instead of just doing them yourself. And I could see how that results in a bit of micromanaging because you don’t have the experience.
of trusting other people to do it for you.
Ruhi Thakker (12:44)
Or with you.
And especially if you’re a solopreneur, you have many hats that you’re wearing. I think if someone is a solopreneur, they’re still building up their team. There are so many other important foundational pieces that I think are really important to build first before you really go out into the world with your story, right? Because when you go out with messaging, when you go out with a narrative, you want to make sure that that’s going to stick. And a lot of that comes through putting these foundational pieces in place.
and almost learning from people what’s resonating, what’s not resonating, and what your strong suits are.
Chardét (13:20)
If I back up a little bit, we’ve talked about creating the infrastructure, the skills, the outlook to be able to embrace more visibility. But I’m also curious from your standpoint of how do you evaluate opportunities for your clients? So when you have someone and you, the brand is great, you’re working with them, you love the work they do, and you want to see what makes sense for them, how do you find those and how do you evaluate those? Because I think that’s where we get stuck too. There’s lots of shiny things and
Sometimes we say yes to the wrong ones.
Ruhi Thakker (13:51)
So I’ll start with this. Not every opportunity is going to drive you toward your goals. So pay attention and make sure everything that you’re doing is meeting you where you are and or taking you where you want to go. Right. I think when we’re walking down a road, there are, like you said, all these shiny things that distract us. Time is time, right? If you’re going to spend an hour on an opportunity, that’s taking an hour away from something else. And so it’s really important to
Again, have that intention, not lose sight of your North Star and what you’re really building and assess our opportunities through that lens. In terms of finding opportunities for my clients, this is what I love about PR and this industry and why I love what I do. It’s all relationships. You can sit there, you can email somebody, you can pitch your story, but the editorial landscape has shifted so much. know, teams are much leaner than they used to be even two years ago.
editorial priorities are shifting with everything kind of going on politically, within the environment. Now more than ever, what I find is really helpful is having those relationships that I can go to really understand what their priorities are, where they’re headed and how I can position my clients to work with within those parameters. Right? There will always be opportunities for kind of like a big story that comes from a brand that shares that narrative, but those are becoming
less and less frequent. And so I think you kind of have to flip the script a little bit.
Chardét (15:23)
the older school way of doing things that maybe was fine when there were massive teams and loads of capacity and the world was a little bit harmonious. And so you could get that story or you could get a little bit more of what you wanted. Do you find that what is the kind of balance for you for clients in terms of I’m looking for a feature for them versus I’m looking for an event for them? And how do you think about the different ways to create visibility for them?
Ruhi Thakker (15:52)
Yeah, I think each one of those have such an important role to play in the broader visibility strategy. So I think when it comes to things like feature stories, right, it needs to be newsworthy. And I know I hear this all the time and this is where I think I’ve been able to think not only like a brand through my last role being four years in-house, working for a conglomerate. So I understand those brand priorities and sometimes when you are building something that you’re really passionate about,
Everything seems groundbreaking. Everything seems really important. Right. And I hear that and I do. That’s why I also am so selective about the brands you work with. get excited about those things, but the reality is you have to put yourself in the editor’s shoes. You have to put yourself in their seat and you know, they’re being inundated with pitches. They have so many innovative stories that are coming their way all the time. And so I would say a feature story is really warranted when there is something big, right? Whether it’s a big sustainability initiative.
whether it’s a big product launch and something that ties back to culture, broader consumer trends, why their reader would be most interested in reading the story. In terms of events, I think in real life is so important, right? Coming back to the relationship building aspect. So I love getting people into a room as often as I can. When we’re not doing a formal client event, I’m personally out there getting lunch, dinner, tea, whatever it might be with writers, with influencers.
Because again, I think those relationships are so important to have and you can only take that so far by emailing them from behind your screen.
Chardét (17:29)
Yes, I hope that everyone hears that a little bit, the idea of the in real life and the relationships, because I know especially for many people who are operating online, myself included, you fall into the trap of, well, they’re online anyways, I’m online. Why do I need to like take this offline? Why do need to have these in-person relationships? And I found that too, that makes the biggest difference. And then on the side of
Putting yourself in their shoes, what do they need when you’re pitching the stories, et cetera, is so powerful. I remember when you were pitching Rawa, something you did, which was amazing, is you said that Earth Day was coming up and it would make sense because obviously they’re helping save the Amazonian rainforest, right? And that was a immediate yes because it made complete sense because you thought about, I know they have an editorial calendar.
And this is gonna be aligned, but this is even more aligned now with this date. And I think those small touches stand out a lot.
Ruhi Thakker (18:31)
I see it as beneficial to you, to me, to the brand. We’re kind of co-creating. We’re all in that front seat together and we’re all building towards something that is so meaningful.
Chardét (18:44)
How do you manage though on the other side of that? Because I imagine there’s a lot of pitching going on when you’re getting these visibility opportunities. Already you said you’re going to a lot of tees, etc. What is the ratio? Because I want people to have a realistic sense of this. Obviously your success rate is much higher because you’re a professional. What is the ratio of yeses to nos to maybes? Because I think we need to hear this. gosh.
Ruhi Thakker (19:11)
Being in PR will humble you. Most PR people will say, you know, we deal with a lot of rejection comes with it and it’s not personal. Again, I think, you know, editors, writers, journalists, they will try their best to get back to everybody. But the fact of the reality is, is I think as their teams get smaller and more brands launch, right, we’re also we’re seeing both at the same time. It’s really hard for them to respond to every email.
sit there and try to do the proactive pitching yourself, really focus on building that PR-able story yourself.
Chardét (19:42)
I love that because that’s also more exciting if you think about it is developing your story, really understanding that, thinking about how you could possibly expand the team or prepare for that kind of growth versus constantly pitching, pitching, pitching. And it is humbling, right? There’s a lot of nose, there’s a lot of ghosting.
Ruhi Thakker (20:02)
So much ghosting. Very few knows, mostly ghosting. And back to your point of, you know, the exciting things for brands, right? How are you storytelling on social? Because the thing is when, you know, you bring on PR or, even if a journalist is interested in covering your brand, even if you don’t have PR representation, they are going to check out your social media pages. They are going to look at your website. They are going to get their first understanding of what your brand is.
through those publicly available channels before they get on the phone with you or before they reach out to you via email. And so those are like the creative aspects that I also think are very exciting for a business to focus on because that’s really the narrative that you can control right now.
Chardét (20:44)
think about, I know a lot of people, I see myself included, have done this, especially in the early days of treating social media to get the likes, the views, the trending stuff, as opposed to really thinking about, if someone lands on this page six months from now, what are the stories, the posts, the things I’m sharing going to say about me? Does it really communicate my story in a way that would make me PRable, like you’re saying that would
make someone reach out and say, want to do a feature on you. I want to collab. Yeah.
Ruhi Thakker (21:18)
And back to my earlier point on the amount of brands that are launching, whether you look at tech, whether you look at beauty, whether you look at CPG, food, beverage, wellness, there are so many startups. Every week there’s a handful that I see launching, correct? And so I think in that world that we live in where consumers are being inundated with information, how do you educate people and help them understand why?
why they should believe in your product and your brand and in what you’re building. think this comes back really nicely to that conversation around community. And that’s really what you’re doing. You’re no longer just selling a product to a consumer. You’re bringing them into your ecosystem. We see this especially with Gen Z, right? Once you capture Gen Z’s loyalty, you will have it, but you need to have a strong value proposition and allow them to understand why they’re buying into your brand for the long
Chardét (22:16)
Is there much of a difference of capturing the loyalty and the attention of the different generation?
Ruhi Thakker (22:22)
Yes, I certainly think so. think Gen Z knows and understands the value of their attention. We also live in a time where attention is more scattered now, right? Whereas maybe in the past, before social media days, which seems like dinosaur days at this point, what were we looking at? Right? We were reading magazines, we were reading newspapers, we were watching TV. And now it’s like, we have social media apps, right? We have Instagram, we have TikTok, we have Facebook, we have ⁓ YouTube.
so many channels, so many emerging channels. so attention is split and you really have to also as a brand understand how you can reach your consumers where they are.
Chardét (23:02)
would love to ask you for an example of this, either with your current agency or in the past of a brand that did something a little bit different to capture attention. Because I think sometimes we might not even realize what goes on behind the scenes of a campaign or even an about page, right? We don’t even think about what goes behind it in order for it to get us to stop. We just know that it has our attention.
Ruhi Thakker (23:28)
You know, here’s what I will say. I think the best brands that are capturing attention are capturing attention across different formats. The brands that are doing this best are not only engaging with their audiences online, but also in person, right? So you might have a big campaign that goes live digitally, something on social media. At the same time, you might be doing a consumer pop-up in real life in a bigger market. New York happens to be a lot of them. I can’t tell you how many times.
I’m walking around and I see a collaboration with a juice pop-up or ⁓ just another pop-up where they are kind of capturing their main demographic. But I would say, focus on what kind of some of those different elements are and how you can really engage your community. I think one thing that works really well for brands is also having private communities. So private Facebook groups, private WhatsApp groups, private Slack channels, really where you’re bringing people together on an aligned ethos.
bringing them into something bigger.
Chardét (24:29)
This is a really interesting development because that wasn’t so much the route before this private community aspect.
Ruhi Thakker (24:37)
Yeah. And I think a lot of that comes back to education. think brands also having more awareness around you are one aspect of this consumer’s lifestyle. So interestingly enough, most of the brands that we end up working with for the most part, end up servicing that same consumer. But the reason why we’re also category agnostic is exactly that, because we can go to a writer and say,
Here’s a brand that speaks to this wellness lifestyle aspect for that person. This is a brand that should be in the pantry of their, in their home pantry. This is a brand that they might be interested in putting on their face or using as their main beauty product. And so I think brands having that approach to marketing is also so beneficial. Like no longer are you just…
the brand that consumers are going to buy, I you really have to integrate yourself into their broader life.
Chardét (25:35)
style. Understanding who those collaborations could be with as well is super helpful, right? That you’re one tiny part of someone’s life, but there’s something aligned, another company, brand, etc., where you could partner together in a way that is now two parts of their lives or it gathers their attention more, I think is super interesting. It’s not this just let’s, you know, cutthroat competition. I can be the only one.
Someone only uses me in their bathroom.
Ruhi Thakker (26:07)
I love when I see creative brand partnerships happening. I think that it’s like my favorite thing to see because it’s really two brands that are in complementary categories who are joining forces to really tell a bigger story. And you can’t tell those stories sometimes when you’re operating in silo.
Chardét (26:23)
Because you just mentioned operating in a silo and how I think we do that not only for our brands, but also in terms of what we had talked about before, trying to do everything ourselves. So I think one natural question from this for people listening is to understand where do you need to be at before you look at hiring someone to help you with your PR? What are the important things? We’ve talked about some things you should have in place.
But are there more even logistical concrete stuff that make sure you have this before you reach out to someone to work with here? So you people don’t get taken advantage of, right? They’re at the right stage.
Ruhi Thakker (27:03)
I would say the number one most important thing is like having your brand voice down, having people who have tried your products, right? And you really can understand what consumers are looking for. You have use cases or case studies, something you can really like, you can use to add color to your story. I think you can always shout from the rooftops about how great your product, your brand is. But when you bring
in kind of a consumer case study or a review and you can really speak to that. think that can really go a long way. And then other things like, you know, brand assets, creative assets, you want to make sure that when you’re kind of taking your story out into the world, especially to somebody who has such third party credibility, you’re putting your best foot forward. I also say first impressions are lasting impressions across any area of life, but this is especially so in PR.
Right? If you’re going to go approach the New York Times, you’re going to go approach Vogue, you’re going to go approach ⁓ MindBody Green. You want to make sure you are truly able to put your best foot forward. Are you even ready for an agency? Right? There are also incredible PR consultants, freelancers who might be a better fit for you, especially in some of those early stages. PR is, while it has elements of conversion tied to it, it is not a sales channel. It is a brand building.
a credibility, a reach channel. That’s where like a lot of the times I’ll talk with a brand and I’ll say, you know, I don’t know if you’re ready for an agency. It sounds like you have some PR readiness. Maybe you should work with a freelancer and here are some freelancers that you should, you can consider. If you don’t quite know where you are, ask somebody, ask an expert, try to understand like what you need in that time. Because at the end of the day, I think the
Most successful businesses are the businesses that don’t lose sight of their P &L.
Chardét (28:58)
I love too how you said this stuck with me so much because you were answering this question, but I was also thinking about as a final one, when people think, okay, what’s the value of PR? Why focus on it? Why do it? And you were saying that it is about building credibility, building reach, building awareness, which is different from some other aspects of your business. But what are some other ways you would say that PR is really important for a brand, for a business?
Ruhi Thakker (29:29)
think it’s a way to capture loyalty for the long term. PR is so long term. It’s a very big picture. I think back to like my ethos with why I’m building what I’m building is, you know, I really want to educate people and help them understand that they can still enjoy the products that they like, but they can find alternatives that are better for them and the world around them. And it’s never been easier than today.
have access to those products. So when I think about the brands that we bring on, PR really does that. PR allows them to share that with the world and really share the why behind it. And I think that’s what captures loyalty. That’s how you can really differentiate your brand in today’s noisy marketplace.
Chardét (30:15)
With everyone that I’ve at least seen you have as clients, the brand story and the aspect of that, the PR that you’ve created for them is every word creates an image and a sense of what they’re doing and a differentiation. There’s no sentence in the bio or the description you send that is not intentionally there for that reason. You understand this person who you might have never seen on social media, you’ve never heard of in your life, you get it.
like that and that’s so powerful when you can, when you’re able to do that.
Ruhi Thakker (30:49)
I appreciate that so much. like, those are really the reasons why I feel so fueled to do what
Chardét (30:53)
I do. Where can people connect with you to learn more?
Ruhi Thakker (30:57)
Yes. So my DMs are always open. Instagram, LinkedIn, it’s just my name, it’s Rufi Tucker. And yeah, I’m so happy to answer any questions. If anyone is wondering, know, should I invest in an influencer? Should I do PR? I love this stuff. I’m so passionate about doing it.
Chardét (31:15)
And I will encourage everyone to take a look, we’ll include in the show notes links to connect with you. For people, even if you’re not at the stage yet, to think about outsourcing your PR, I think it’s very helpful for them to see your website and the way you have represented your brands. Because it’s like I say, you really get a sense of their stories and it gives so much guidance for, I didn’t think about communicating this way.
and you start to see maybe some areas that you could refocus your efforts. So everyone go there, even if you’re not ready. And thank you so much for being here and for sharing so much of your expertise and your insights so freely. And thank you so much for listening. Remember, go check out Ruhi’s profile, go look at it on Instagram, just to see some of the stuff she’s sharing on LinkedIn as well. There’s a lot of insights on what makes a brand stand out.
Whether you are a consumer brand, services, whatever you’re in, you’re going to see some of the really unique ways you can start building your story. And I will see you in the next one. Your story is your SEO. It is as powerful as those words people are searching for. Go to the her first three years website or go to my Instagram, sharderayel. Both of those links are in the show notes and get the private podcast series, how to stand out.
online. You will listen to that series. You will probably binge it and you will find your way. Thank you so much for listening. Share this with someone who needs it. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review. Share this energy. You know, it’s all about spreading receiving. If you feel like it’s made a difference, made you think, please, please, please share your thoughts.
