Today’s business leaders don’t just want to be in the news, they want to be the news – to have their insightful voices heard and to make full use of media platforms that allow them to take a lead in driving strategy and leading innovative thinking.
Seizing on the new approach to PR, a form of reputation management, saw Jordan Greenaway walk away from a job in the House of Commons in 2014 to found Transmission Private, a niche agency providing on-demand strategic PR advice to high-profile and high-net-worth individuals.
By focusing on bringing talent into the business and driving partnerships with advisors, peers and stakeholders in the private wealth community, he’s taken the business into new areas of expertise, client segments and geographies.
“Transmission Private was targeted at people with a net worth of £100m and above, including the owners of big and well-known businesses as well as recognised celebrities and public figures,”
said Jordan.
“Among these clients, there was a real need for sophisticated and considered advice on how to manage their profiles. There was a significant amount of media and public interest in these people, and they needed it managed in a sensitive and appropriate way. This business grew organically through recommendation and referral, and we established ourselves pretty much firmly as the go-to agency for high-net-worth individuals.
“Then, about two years ago, we saw that we were receiving more inquiries from a different type of client: high-growth entrepreneurs, especially those in the technology sector. This surprised us initially, and we didn’t know how to reply to the enquiries. They were less interested in strategic media management, and more interested in building their profiles in a positive, proactive and creative way to support the growth of the business. They weren’t at the end of their entrepreneurial journey, like some of our other clients – but at the start of it. They wanted to build their profiles through a combination of social media, media coverage, and creative multimedia activity.”
The trickle of interest became a flood and Jordan and his team decided that Transmission Private didn’t sufficiently capture some of the creativity, energy, appetite for innovation and youthfulness that entrepreneurs were looking for, and so a spin-out business, Profile, was launched to focus on ambitious and high-growth entrepreneurs.
Sam Patchett, PR Director at Profile, said:
“Clients often judge how successful an agency is on how much positive coverage they secure in news publications.
“Building the profile of a business leader is far more multi-faceted than that. It’s not just about getting clients in the news – it’s about getting their ideas out into the wider world in an impactful way. This can be through multimedia content such as videos and photography; it can be through thought-provoking posts on social media; it can be speaking at events or conferences; and of course, it can be through appearances in the news media, such as interviews.
“To boil it down into one sentence – we build visible leaders. Often a leader’s top priority is establishing credibility amongst business peers and stakeholders, but we’ve done research that suggests companies with visible leaders also hire better, attract more investment, and act more responsibly. For example, 74% of the2,000 British adults we surveyed would prefer to work for a company with a visible leadership team. We’ve also done polling that shows consumers prefer to buy from businesses with visible, recognisable leadership teams, which shows how visible leadership can have far more tangible, commercial benefits as well.”
With more businesses and leadership teams starting to leverage thought leadership content to help build their profiles and drive the growth of their companies, Profile assists clients in creating a rich blend of content across a range of platforms. This gives a real stamp of credibility in a sector where thought leadership is a force for good and increasingly important in industries that are fast-moving and constantly evolving. There is a real demand for insights and expertise on the latest trends and developments in industries like technology, healthcare and finance.
Sam Patchett added:
“Thought leadership content has one underlying objective – to establish a business leader as an authority in their industry, niche or on topic area. This helps strengthen credibility with recruits, investors, customers, partners, regulators, and others.
“But it takes a lot more than just saying something for the sake of it. The public wants to see company leaders with new ideas go out on a limb: put their heads above the parapet, challenge conventional wisdom in their own voices, and show that they have some skin in the game.
“First and foremost, you have to say something that’s relevant to the public discussion and addresses real challenges or opportunities in a particular sector or industry. You have to say something that’s truly original – unexpected even – instead of rehashing existing information or repeating predictable corporate messaging.
“Thought leaders also shouldn’t be afraid to raise some eyebrows – staying within your ‘corporate safe zone’ isn’t going to get any cut through with audiences. And finally, it needs to be engaging and interactive, encouraging the audience to think critically about the ideas being presented and to share their own insights and perspectives. The very best thought leadership content starts a two-way discussion with your audience and encourages them to share their own views too.”
Find out more about Transmission Private at www.transmission-private.com
More about Profile can be found at welcometoprofile.com