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Join for freePosted: Tue 7th Jul 2026
Want media coverage but don't know where to start, or feel like traditional PR is out of reach?
This webinar, led by Hayley Knight, is designed for small business founders who want practical ways to raise awareness, attract customers and build credibility using modern PR tactics that actually work for smaller brands in the current media landscape.
build stories journalists care about
position yourself as an expert
use social media as a PR tool
secure podcasts, speaking gigs and partnerships
avoid common PR mistakes
Hayley is the co-founder of the PR and marketing agency BE YELLOW, where she helps businesses and individuals make a social impact. She has over 10 years of experience in PR, is Elle UK's 23 under 30, and is a TEDx speaker.
In just six months, Hayley has achieved 450 pieces of coverage for clients.
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Lightly edited for clarity.
Beth: Hello, everyone, and welcome to today's Lunch and Learn. I'm Beth, and I'll be your host today. For those of you attending a Lunch and Learn for the first time, Enterprise Nation is a vibrant community platform for start-ups and small businesses.
I'm pleased to introduce Hayley Knight, who is the co-founder of PR and marketing agency BE YELLOW. In this session, Hayley will share practical ways to raise awareness, attract customers and build credibility using modern PR tactics that actually work for smaller brands in the current media landscape.
If you have any questions throughout the webinar, please post them in the chat or the Q&A, and we'll do our best to answer them at the end of the session. Today's webinar will be recorded, and we'll send a follow-up email with further resources and the recording later today. So, over to you, Hayley.
Hayley: Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for joining, and thank you for a wonderful introduction. I'm Hayley – as said, I'm the founder of BE YELLOW. We specialise in working with purpose-driven and social impact businesses, organisations and individuals.
I also champion sustainability in business, and I sit on the Willow Review Government Task Force, which feeds into understanding how to make businesses more sustainable. I'm also a TEDx speaker and an award-winning PR professional. In my spare time, I'm also the co-host of the travel podcast Travelling It Like It Is, and the founder of a wildlife conservation platform that's a passion of mine, called Stay Wild.
So let's dive in. Today's agenda covers why modern PR matters for small businesses and how it differs from traditional approaches, how to build stories that journalists actually want to cover, and how to position yourself as an industry expert through content and speaking opportunities.
We'll also look at how to use social media strategically as a powerful PR tool for visibility, how to secure podcast and speaking opportunities and strategic partnerships, and how to avoid common PR mistakes that waste time and resources.
So, why does PR matter for small businesses today? All small businesses need visibility and credibility to grow, especially in an online world. Traditional PR can feel intimidating or expensive, but modern PR offers practical, achievable strategies tailored to small businesses.
There's still a strong case for traditional PR – 70% of consumers trust earned media over paid ads. But modern PR strategies help you get directly in front of the audience you're looking to target, increasing visibility, authority and sales.
If traditional PR feels out of reach, you're not alone. Many small business owners struggle to navigate the complex world of media relations, press releases and journalist outreach. Limited budgets, a lack of media contacts, and uncertainty about what makes a story newsworthy can make PR feel overwhelming and inaccessible for growing businesses, and this is a challenge that all small businesses face.
So what is modern PR? Modern PR for small businesses is fundamentally different from traditional approaches. It focuses on storytelling, building genuine relationships, and leveraging digital platforms to help you reach your audience directly.
The key characteristics of modern PR are: it emphasises authenticity and expertise over polished corporate messaging; it targets niche audiences rather than casting a wide net; and it builds long-term credibility through consistent, valuable content. It also replaces one-off press releases, which don't work as well anymore, with ongoing relationship cultivation and uses digital tools to connect directly with journalists and audiences.
So how do we build stories that journalists care about? The first step is to identify your unique angle or newsworthy element. What makes your business different? What's your USP? Focus on what sets you apart from your competitors.
Tie your story to trends, local relevance or human interest – journalists want stories that their audience will care about right now. Use data or customer stories and case studies to add credibility, and keep your pitch clear, concise and timely, giving all the information at once. Busy journalists appreciate that.
It's all about building a story around your business, rather than promoting your business directly.
Here's an example of turning a product launch into a story. I worked with a cider producer, and the idea was to move them from being seen simply as a cider producer to a champion of village orchards, which expands the PR possibilities.
So rather than focusing solely on product and business promotion, we focused on building a story around what they were trying to achieve as a business. They're a B Corp business, so what makes them a B Corp? What makes them sustainable? That has a much wider appeal than business promotion alone.
Why does this work? It has national media appeal beyond food and drink, aligns perfectly with B Corp values, creates annual news moments, and attracts environmental, farming, business and lifestyle media. As I said, it expands that PR outreach – and they've just launched into retail, so it also gives retailers a sustainability story to support.
Possible PR angles here could include an annual report on orchards in decline, a public orchard map, community tree-planting initiatives, partnering with conservation organisations, or an annual "State of Britain's Orchards" report. These are just ideas, but they show how looking beyond your business and your products or services lets you create bigger stories that are more interesting to the press and to readers, and that allows people to buy into your story, and therefore into your business.
So the potential headlines we built from this were things like "Family cider brand relaunches campaign to save disappearing orchards" and "90% of traditional orchards have disappeared, and how one business wants to save them." That's much more press-friendly and creates a story. It feeds everything we've discussed around data, case studies, and non-promotional storytelling. I hope that gives you a bigger idea of what I mean.
Other ways to position yourself as an expert, which create even wider PR opportunities, include creating valuable content, whether that's blogs, videos, guides or LinkedIn articles, that showcase your knowledge and help your target audience solve problems. This doesn't remove the need for press coverage, but it does create bigger online platforms and visibility for you, opening up different avenues for PR opportunities.
Traditional PR is about media relations: going out to the press, telling your story, and shaping it for specific publications. Modern PR strategy comes into play through creating online content, whether that's on social media, in a blog, or through partnerships or other people's websites that give you access to their audience. This is another avenue of PR that works very effectively now.
Speaking at events, which I'm sure many of you are already doing, and webinars like this one, help you demonstrate expertise and connect with potential customers and media contacts. Events, webinars and podcasts are a great way to remove the middleman: when you pitch a story to the press, they have to pick it up and publish it before it reaches a wider audience, whereas speaking at an event or on a podcast puts you directly in front of an audience that's already active and interested.
With press coverage, you have to wait for your audience to read the article and engage with it, so it's a long-term game with long-term goals. Speaking at events offers shorter-term gains because the audience is already interested, already active, and those sales opportunities already exist.
Getting featured in publications or podcasts and using testimonials and case studies strategically also builds credibility. This applies to PR generally, not just case studies: we can all say, as business founders, that we run the best business in the industry, or that we have the best products and services, of course, we're going to say that. But it's your audience, your customers, your clients and the people you support in the local community who can speak for you and share how they've worked with you, or how your product has helped them.
Those voices create bigger PR opportunities and better avenues to promote your business, and it's about allowing your community to speak for you.
Social media, as we all know, is a big tool for business promotion. Everyone's on it, and everyone's using it, but not everyone is using it as a PR tool or using it strategically.
When I mentor companies on social media, especially TikTok now, it can feel overwhelming: another thing to add to an already full plate. With everything else we're doing, no one has time to create a strategic, consistent social media plan or always show up and create content. I have the same problem myself, working across different social media platforms, companies and initiatives. It's difficult, but it's important, and it can be done effectively with no budget, and just you.
Social media can be used as a tool to share your stories and expertise, helping you maintain visibility and demonstrate leadership to your audience. It doesn't always need to be video content; it can be a LinkedIn article, a quote, or an Instagram Live. There are various ways to do it; you don't have to film three consistent videos a week.
Engage with journalists and influencers on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn. As business owners, we don't necessarily have time to build social media platforms from scratch, and you don't need to reinvent the wheel; there are already influencers on these platforms actively speaking to your audience. Speak to them, engage with them, and connect with them, whether that's messaging them about a partnership, a webinar or an influencer collaboration, or simply commenting consistently on their content to keep your visibility up.
Because you're already engaging with a niche audience that's engaged, networking through comments is a really effective way of building your presence on social media. Using live video, Instagram Live or TikTok Live, is also a great way to engage your audience regularly, whether that's once a week or once every two weeks: it gets people talking, sharing ideas and connecting.
That's what social media is all about: connecting and engaging. Consistency is key, but it's the connection and engagement that drives people to you, builds rapport, and builds sales and your business, whatever you're looking for through social media. It builds trust, and it can even help you connect with journalists, so there are a lot of benefits to it.
There are also great listening tools available. One thing worth mentioning is TikTok's Creative Center, which helps you understand trending topics, identify media opportunities, and see what people are talking about and searching for online. A lot of people don't realise that TikTok isn't just a social media platform, it's a search engine, its biggest competitor isn't Instagram, it's Google.
Once you understand how people interact on platforms like TikTok and what they're searching for, you can create better content that needs to be posted less consistently, because on TikTok, it's all about views, not followers. Understanding what people are searching for through the Creative Center, along with the demographics and geographics engaging with it, lets you create content that people are actively looking for. That means one video can get far more views than others, so using the Creative Center to identify topics relevant to your niche helps you create better content with more engagement, without needing to post constantly.
Engaging directly with your audience and media contacts builds relationships and visibility, as we all know. Social media transforms PR from one-way broadcasting into a genuine two-way conversation. With traditional PR, there's a lot of emailing and sending press releases and pitch ideas that, especially at the moment, often go unanswered, and that can leave you feeling deflated and demoralised, with a lot of effort for very little return.
Whereas on social media, if you're sharing your expertise, even just through comments, or engaging with journalists' posts and communities relevant to your niche, you build that connection more directly. Social media, especially TikTok, is incredibly effective for niche communities. For example, if you're in the vegan space, the neurodivergent space, or you have a very localised business, you can identify those niches on social media and create a bubble where you're actively engaging with people who are already looking to connect with businesses, initiatives, campaigns, activists and local businesses like yours.
It's a great way to create that two-way conversation, to network and build relationships, and it happens quickly. Responding to comments, sharing behind-the-scenes content, and interacting authentically all create connections. It's all about engagement and connection on social media, and it doesn't need to be as big as people sometimes make it out to be.
It can be as simple as finding your niche and commenting on the right platforms and the right posts; that's often all it needs to be, especially if you don't have time to build consistent content.
On securing podcast, speaking and partnership opportunities: traditional media is often highly competitive, with many pitches, slow turnaround times for coverage, and it can be costly for small businesses because of retainer fees, campaign development and research, often for a broad audience with less targeted reach.
Podcasts and speaking partnerships, as we've discussed, are more accessible entry points, with a targeted, engaged audience that's ready and waiting to buy. With webinars and speaking opportunities, people sign up and turn up because they already have a genuine interest in what you're talking about, promoting or sharing. It's an active audience, so there are lots of selling opportunities already there. You don't have to wait for them to find you; they're already there.
These are relationship-driven opportunities, with lots of scope to network, gain partnerships and build connections. It's also cost-effective brand building that's easy to set up: working with partners who already have an active audience, tapping into your network, or pushing things out to your mailing list are just some of the ways to do it, and you're probably already doing some of this.
The best place to start, especially with podcasts, is research. This is the biggest question I get asked, because everyone now understands the importance of being on a podcast, but it can be difficult to find the right ones or to know whether they have the right listener numbers and engagement for you.
Research is incredibly important here, as it is for event opportunities: find shows and events that align with your expertise and your target audience's demographics. It can be difficult to get detailed statistics unless you have the budget for a platform like Podchaser, but you can look at a podcast's social media and how engaged their audience is, who's viewing and engaging with the videos, follower numbers, how often they post, and YouTube subscriber numbers if they have a channel. It can be a long-winded process, but this information isn't hard to find, and if a podcast has strong engagement rates, you can be fairly confident it has a strong relationship with its audience.
Draft tailored pitches. This matters especially for podcasts, because you want to show the host that you understand their podcast and that you actually listen to it. When you pitch, mention a couple of episodes that inspired you, explain why you'd fit the podcast and make a good guest, and show that you understand their audience and how you can speak to them.
Talk about the value you'd bring to their listeners, what stories can you tell, and what key messages? If you can, offer something to their audience too, as this creates a transactional element that hosts often find appealing: for example, a discount on a course for their followers, an offer to join your email list, or inviting the host onto your own podcast in return.
Common PR mistakes to avoid: pitching without a clear story or angle. Journalists receive hundreds of pitches a day, especially right now, and without a compelling hook or newsworthy element, your message will get lost in the noise or simply ignored. The same is true of podcasts and events; if you're not demonstrating your value to a host, they won't be interested. You need to stand out, and as a business owner, you can; it's just about being targeted.
Failing to research journalists' audiences and sending generic pitches to the wrong contacts wastes time and damages your credibility, so always tailor your approach. Over-promoting instead of offering value is another mistake: as we've discussed, storytelling should go beyond the brand and the business, because that's what journalists are looking for. They don't need a press release telling them how amazing your business is; they need one that explains the why of the business: what it's doing, what it's achieving, and how it benefits the wider community and their readers.
Using AI to generate press releases outright is also a mistake, and we'll come back to that in a moment. Journalists are fed up with AI-generated content, and many now have tools in their email that flag AI-written pitches, so those go straight to spam and won't be read. This is actually a great opportunity to write your own content, pitches and press releases, because that's what stands out now, journalists need to know you're a real person doing real things and making a real difference.
It also isn't just about pitching when you have a story; introduce yourself and be consistent. Make a list of the top 10 journalists you think would be genuinely interested in your business, and introduce yourself, letting them know you're happy to comment in future if they're writing about something relevant. Or start a conversation with them on social media, just be friendly, and a little bit bold.
So, to recap: create compelling stories with relevance and data; position yourself as an expert through content and speaking engagements; use social media strategically to build visibility and engage with journalists; leverage podcasts and partnerships for targeted reach to niche audiences; and avoid common mistakes by focusing on value and relationships rather than over-promotion. That's your modern PR toolkit.
I can't do a PR presentation without talking about AI, and I know we're running out of time, so I'll cover it quickly. AI is transforming how small businesses approach PR, tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are all being used to help draft press releases and pitches, brainstorm story angles, research journalists, and save time. They can also help personalise content, monitor media coverage, generate social content ideas, and identify topics, all good uses.
But AI is not a replacement for authentic relationships; it's a tool, not a solution. Don't use it to write outright press releases: many journalists now have tools on their email that flag AI-written content, so it goes straight to spam and won't be read. As I said, this is now a fantastic opportunity to write your own content, pitches and press releases, because that's what stands out, journalists need to know you're a real person doing real things and making a real difference.
For your next steps in small business PR: audit your current PR and storytelling assets, what media coverage you've received, your strongest stories, and your existing content library. Identify two to three media or partnership targets to pursue, and research journalists, podcasts and local business partners who align with your brand and can amplify your message to the right audience.
Develop a simple content calendar for social media and expert content, and commit to consistent outreach and relationship-building to maintain momentum and grow your visibility over time.
There are also plenty of resources and support to tap into: media contact databases, podcast directories, built-in social media tools, and partnering with relevant businesses, charities and organisations for valuable connections and collaborative PR opportunities.
Thank you so much. I'm happy to send this presentation to anyone who'd like it. I can send it on, and it can be forwarded. I hope you got a lot of value from that, and I'm happy to answer any questions.
Beth: Thanks so much, Hayley. That was brilliant. It was interesting to see that a lot of the questions coming up in the chat, you'd already answered. So I'm just looking at one now: Giselle would like to know where we can start if we haven't done any PR before. Where would you say is the best place to get going?
Hayley: Good question. So, as I said, identify what stories you have and what's “PR-able” within your business, and identify the PR avenues you actually need. Not every type of press coverage is ideal for everyone, and it's the same with podcasts.
For example, if you think, “I want to be in the press, I want PR to build credibility and authority,” identify 10 publications or 10 journalists who you think are writing about your niche or your business, and connect with them. Don't pitch to them straight away, and don't send a press release straight away. Just introduce yourself, connect with them on social media, and engage with them. Get on their radar; it's probably the best place to start.
It's the same with podcasts: find 10 podcasts in your niche, listen to them, and learn your place within those podcasts. It's a lot of research to begin with, I'd say, rather than jumping straight in.
Beth: Yeah, no, that's great. And just on that, we had a few questions around social media and finding your niche and niche communities. Do you have any tips on actually how to find those niches on social media?
Hayley: Again, it's search terms, it's just searching your niche hashtags, which are still very active on social media, and finding those spaces where people are networking within that niche. TikTok is a lot easier now, because it also acts as a search engine, so you can literally type in "local businesses in Cambridge" on TikTok and you'll find something. On Instagram, it might be a hashtag like "vegan businesses", for example. It's just about finding that and building that community.
Beth: That's really good to know. Anna, I hope that answers your question. So, Martin would like to know, you've touched on this about ways to connect with journalists, and you mentioned social media as a really good tool to build those authentic connections. Are there any other avenues that community members should be looking at to reach out to journalists?
Hayley: I think mainly social media. There are lots of journalist networking groups, some really good ones on Facebook. If you search for journalist groups to join as a small business owner, there are also Facebook groups you can join to get press requests, because journalists are actively looking for stories there.
There are also platforms like Roxhill, which is a journalist database, and Cision, another database. They run real-life and webinar events where you can learn and connect with journalists, and understand what they're looking for and how to pitch them. A lot of journalists run their own webinars on how to connect with them, too. There's also a really interesting podcast called Fiona Scott Media, where she talks to a lot of journalists, so you can learn about what they're looking for and how to pitch them there. There are lots of different resources, but the best way to connect with journalists directly is still social media.
Beth: That's really great. Okay, I think we've got time for one more question, if that's okay, Hayley?
Hayley: That's fine.
Beth: So, what makes a story newsworthy if you're a small business without a big launch or funding announcement?
Hayley: Good question, I love this question. It's your why. It's not who you are or what you do, it's why you do it. We all have our why, the reason we set up our business, and we all have our business story.
What's the passion? What problem are you solving, or what problem did you identify that your business solves? How are you helping your community and your customers, and what results are you getting? How are you helping the wider community? It's why that's the story. It's as simple as that.
Beth: Love that, that's brilliant. Thank you. So that's all we have time for today. Thank you so much for joining today's webinar, and thank you, Hayley. That was brilliant, lots of thank-yous coming through in the chat, so that was great.
As I mentioned, we'll be sending the recording, further resources and the slides. A lot of people have asked for the slides, so we'll get those over to you. Thanks so much, enjoy the rest of your day.
Hayley: Bye.
Beth: Likewise, bye.
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