When I first started freelancing, all I knew about PR was that you get free stuff if you write about stuff. For example, a friend of mine was a beauty editor and the amount of beauty PR she got is what inspired me to start beauty writing. Closets and cabinets full of Fenty, Dior, lip stains, face cleansers, and anything else you’d find in a Sephora near you. It took about a year for me to fully understand how much more PR is than that.
Rather than me telling you, I asked a pro in the world of public relations to break down what PR is, when you should consider it as a business owner, and how you can enter the field yourself.
Meet Nantale Muwonge, Founder of Black Girl PR
For the people who may not understand what you do, can you briefly explain what working in PR (public relations) means?
Sure, PR is the practice of managing information about a brand to shape how people perceive and feel about the brand. You can do this in a variety of ways, from strategically sharing information via press releases to hosting events. And your goals are usually to help build brand awareness, establish trust and credibility, build relationships, or manage the brand’s reputation.
Is there a specific realm of PR that you like to work in or that you work in often?
Yes, I specifically help Black women in e-commerce curate content that gets publicity and media coverage, so they reach more people and have a bigger impact. So far I've helped 2,500+ entrepreneurs increase their reach. And for the core group of clients who’ve been through The Brand Impact Program™, I've helped them expand their reach to a potential audience of 3,265,651,942+, and increase their website traffic and sales by up to 60%. They've been featured on major platforms like Ebony, Essence, Fox TV, Insider, MSN, Rolling Out, Shondaland, Time, and Yahoo News. In addition to visibility, the media exposure has brought them website traffic, brand partnerships, corporate sponsorships, awards, and more importantly, it's helped them claim their rightful place as leaders in their industries.
What inspired you to enter this industry?
An existential crisis actually. I was freaked out by Breonna Taylor's murder and the police openly killing Black people without impunity, stressed by how hard were being hit by Covid-19 because of racial disparities, unsettled by the insanity of the lockdown, in total isolation away from my family, and I was struggling with my health after a car accident and being mistreated by racist doctors. It was a lot going on at the same time! But it forced me to go inwards and really look at my purpose. When I settled my soul and thought about how I could contribute to all of this in a meaningful way, I landed on helping Black women founders because Black women founders invest in their communities. It's an investment that you can't even quantify when you consider the fact that America is where it is because of Black women. Black women raised American children, fed American families, and tilled America's soil...And most of that was unpaid! So I decided I was going to teach Black women in e-commerce how to get publicity and media coverage, to increase their visibility and ultimately drive traffic and sales. Because on the real, we need money to truly advocate for ourselves in this country. Nobody is coming to save us.
What do you look for in an ideal client and how do you usually find clients (or do they find you)?
My clients want to have a positive impact on their environment. They want to build up their communities, change the narrative and show that there’s a better way to be. They’re changing their trajectories and building generational wealth, setting themselves up for a future where their time is their own and they can spend it as they wish. Whether that’s traveling, being with their families (not having to miss out on their children’s events!), or resting and enjoying their time. Their end goal is impact and the freedom that comes with it. And they want to be strategic about this, they are not here to play because this is about legacy for them. So they want systems and processes that save them time and help them make the best use of their money. My clients usually find me because I’ve curated an online experience that reaches all corners of the internet and won multiple awards as well, so I’m in the feeds.
What are some things that you wish people, especially Black women, understood about getting and maintaining a PR rep that isn't usually talked about?
The fact that PR is a process is because once your PR rep builds a strategy for you, they need to implement it and then let it do its thing. You get real results by investing time in a process that’s going to help you meet your goals because you’re able to monitor the process and continuously improve it. And yes, this does take budget. PR can cost anything from $2K-$20K per month, which is why I teach founders how to do it themselves, so they own all the relationships we build with the media and continue to leverage them forever, and they can eliminate this monthly expense and re-invest this spend elsewhere.
When does a business owner know that it's time to reach out to a potential PR rep or company? How would a reader know that it's time to start a conversation with you to help their business reach the next level?
They’ll know when:
They’re tired of being invisible despite the fact that they’re doing amazing work.
They’re done trying to figure things out on their own because they’d rather optimize their time.
And their offering is good enough that they’re willing to stake their reputation on it.
Where can people find you? Website, socials, etc.
GRANTS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
If you need money for your business, check out this link. There are 5 grants in there that are still available for submissions! HURRY THOUGH. Some of these grant applications expire on June 30th.
For next week:
As many of you know through my IG stories, I was in Aspen last week for a fancy food & wine festival for Food & Wine Magazine. I’ll be sharing more pictures, my favorite brands that you can buy at stores near you, and some stories that were too long to share on IG next week. Spoiler: Carla Hall is officially EVERYTHING I want to be when I grow up, and she’s an astro-girlie!
More on that next week, though <3