Innovation in the PR industry is alive and well. Nine entrepreneurs talk about the agencies they’ve launched during the pandemic.

COVID-19 is creating disruption and opportunity in the media, marketing and public relations. Our industry is responding with a wave of new startups. But what does it take to launch a new business during lockdown?

I caught up with nine agency founders who have started their businesses during the COVID-19 crisis to talk about their proposition, motivation and the lessons that they’d share with others thinking of doing the same.

GDP fell by more than 20% in Q2 2020 according to data published yesterday by ONS. It’s too early to understand the impact of the crisis but each entrepreneur tells a story of grit, energy, innovation and a distinctive proposition.

The startups range from solo practitioners to teams, from self-funded to backed by an external investor, and are located throughout the UK.

My thanks to the founders of Authentic Comms, Boldspace, Coldr, Hard Numbers, Little Mesters, Made by Giants, Priestley, Second Mountain Communications and SHOOK. I wish them all good luck.

If you’ve started an agency during the COVID-19 crisis please get in touch. I’d love to help you tell your story.

Authentic Comms | Adam Driver | April 2020

1. What’s your proposition?

Strategic, pragmatic, authentic communication. We help brands, organisations and businesses develop and deploy measurable communications through PR, internal comms, digital marketing, SEO, social media and advertising.

2. What’s your why? Why start an agency in 2020, during lockdown?

The timing was right, regardless of the external situation. After multiple roles (in-house, agency, abroad, different disciplines and audiences) I knew I wanted to do my own thing and make my own decisions.

3. How is it going?

After a quiet lockdown start, with a few close-to-retainer clients having to take stock, I've adapted and business is going well, thank you. I'm working on a variety of exciting projects for some really good people – from tech and engineering, through hospitality and e-commerce, to architecture and higher education.

4. What one tip would you give anyone thinking of starting a PR business?

Don't be a dick, be open, engaging, genuine and helpful - and be honest about expectations.

Boldspace | Mike Robb | March 2020

1. What’s your proposition?

We want to make an objective, positive impact through bold and meaningful communications by bringing together advertising, marketing and PR in one agency.

2. What’s your why? Why start an agency in 2020, during lockdown?

Ambitious, high-growth businesses are getting a pretty raw deal from much of agency land. Given constrained budgets and an uncertain economic and funding outlook, these businesses need greater value and better way of working with agency partners as they return to growth.

Would I have chosen to launch during a global pandemic? No. But we’re now very much seeing it as a massive opportunity rather than a significant threat.

3. How is it going?

Far better than we could have expected. We are working with eight different clients in a wide range of sectors including ecommerce, financial services, healthcare, technology and energy. We are delivering a varied range of work, from traditional PR, to brand identity and design and website builds. Our first out-of-home campaign goes live this month.

4. What one tip would you give anyone thinking of starting a PR business?

Simple: do not launch a PR business, certainly not another me-too version of the thousands that are out there today. There is so much opportunity to be better than what already exists. We are on another cusp of change, with the impact of technology ramping-up.

Coldr | Kamiqua Pearce | June 2020

1. What’s your proposition? 

Coldr exists to help brands and organisations break the ice between business strategy, culture and their reason for being to do better on purpose.

2. What’s your why? Why start an agency in 2020, during lockdown?

I kept hearing brand owners and business leaders say, "we need to do things better but how do we do that?" Clients want blended, agile, creative solutions to their challenges. They want to know how to do things differently and purposefully in a way that understands their limitations and delivers on the opportunity they can see. Coldr was inspired by this need.

3. How is it going?

We are six weeks or so in. There are pros and cons of working virtually but our proposition is resonating. We are working on a couple of projects in the retail space and having some great conversations. That said, things are ever changing - ask us again in six months.

4. What one tip would you give anyone thinking of starting a PR business?
Your network really is your net worth. I have great friends, mentors and all round superstars around me who inspire me daily and I am extremely grateful to know them.

Hard Numbers | Darryl Sparey | June 2020

We are a performance-driven marketing and communications consultancy, with a focus on delivering tangible, demonstrable return on investment for our clients. We create campaigns that drive pipeline, sales and company growth.

2. What’s your why? Why start an agency in 2020, during lockdown?

We didn't plan on a pandemic when we started planning this business in December last year. But more broadly it's that there is an opportunity to do things genuinely differently - using data and technology such as CRM and analytics to make us better and more efficient at our practice and provide more demonstrable ROI to our clients.

3. How is it going?

Ahead of every business plan we have written - and we've written three since the start of the year. We've got seven clients and a healthy pipeline of prospects. We've been blown away by the interest, support, kind words and demand we've seen from the industry.

4. What one tip would you give anyone thinking of starting a PR business?

If you've got something that's genuinely differentiated, with a unique selling point, do it tomorrow. There's nothing more exciting than this roller-coaster. But if you haven't, don't bother. There's a lot of competition out there and you have to have something which stands out.

Little Mesters | Tom Scott | August 2020

1. What’s your proposition?

That there is more than just the established way to get work done. We bring together bespoke teams of experienced single discipline freelancers to deliver brilliant work. Why work with Jacks of all trades when you can work with Mesters of one?

2. What’s your why? Why start an agency in 2020, during lockdown?

The pandemic wasn’t part of the plan, but it happened and it didn’t put any stopper on the conversations happening. I wanted to show clients a better way to work and have fun doing it. I think that the more you give, the more you get back.

We launched with a Little Leg Up offering. We offer free 45-minute sessions every Tuesday, to give advice and to help if we can. The silver lining has been that everyone now has a better understanding and trust of remote working, video calls, etc. this is a huge part of what we do.

3. How is it going?

Great thanks. We’ve got several clients on board, with a mixture of ongoing and project work, the great thing is they have all bought into the concept and we’ve got work across social, design, copywriting, strategy, PPC and paid social.

4. What one tip would you give anyone thinking of starting a PR business?

Make sure you’re certain of the reasons why you’re doing it, it’s a lot of hard work, if you’re not certain, you won’t make it through.

Made by Giants | Grace Keeling and James Beveridge | July 2020

1. What’s your proposition?

We focus on growing tech-powered brands, helping them adapt to their next chapter and evolve. We call it: the next big thing.

2.  What’s your why? Why start an agency in 2020, during lockdown? 

Because every company needs to evolve to stay relevant. Businesses need to be agile and lean, adapting their propositions for the best growth opportunities.

3. How is it going?

Rather grand so far. We have some amazing early adopter clients, great partners overseas and new giant team members showing off their giant skills.

4. What one tip would you give anyone thinking of starting a PR business?

PR should not be thought of in a silo. Place it in the wider context of brand marketing: how it enables sales and builds brand affinity over time.

Priestley | Matt Bell-Watson | May 2020

1. What’s your proposition?

We’re a specialist communications consultancy that helps businesses to communicate smarter and grow faster by using data and insight to understand, engage and convert priority audiences.

2. What’s your why? Why start an agency in 2020, during lockdown?

To help communicators make connections. We uncover insights by making connections in data. We connect brands with audiences, and we help audiences connect brands with value and values. We connect disparate things and ideas to solve problems creatively and we strive to help new talent break into an industry built on connections.

I decided to start Priestley pre-lockdown. I saw an opportunity to help businesses take a more strategic, audience-centric approach to communications. If anything, the pandemic has confirmed my belief that comms teams are looking to data to give them more certainty when making decisions.

3. How is it going?

Ups and downs are part of starting a business, but so far, so good. We’ve got our first few projects under our belt. We’ve partnered with Clarity PR to offer research and insights services to their clients and partners worldwide. And we’ve tightened up our offering to focus on six core services.

4. What one tip would you give anyone thinking of starting a PR business?

Read as much as you can. Speak to people that have done it before. Check out the competition. Write a business plan and go for it. See what response you get and adapt your approach as you go. 

Second Mountain Communications | Ben Veal | August 2020

1. What’s your proposition?

Helping good firms and business leaders do good, by sharing their values and accomplishments through meaningful content, PR and strategic marketing.

2. What’s your why? Why start an agency in 2020, during lockdown?

Lockdown, while it certainly hasn't been easy, gave me my first opportunity in 15 years to hit the pause button and reflect on what's truly important in life - and the impact that I want to make as I climb the second mountain of my career.

Helping ethical and purpose-led businesses is what drives and excites me - and it's where my attention will be fully focused now. The way we all live and interact with others shifted beyond measure during 2020 - and it's been during these unsettling times that purpose-led companies have become more vital than ever before. Firms guided by a desire to do good are sorely needed to help shape the future, and these are the businesses and leaders that we'll be supporting.

3. How is it going?

It's early days but great so far. We've already started work with a couple of clients, both of whom are very comfortably in the space we're looking to occupy and there are other positive conversations happening too. It feels like confidence is beginning to return to the market.

4. What one tip would you give anyone thinking of starting a PR business?

Be clear about what personally motivates you and build everything around this: your brand, your identity, your voice and your offering. I've always been personally passionate about ethical business and companies that put purpose above profit, and now that's where I'll be concentrating my time, attention and expertise.

SHOOK | Gemma Moroney and Damon Statt | June 2020

1. What’s your proposition? 

We use behaviour design and creativity to deliver ideas with impact that fix brand, business and behaviour challenges.

2. What’s your why? Why start an agency in 2020, during lockdown?

To help good brands make a positive impact on the world. We work with brands that boost health, wealth and happiness – that’s our filter. So far that’s ranged from retailers to a billion-dollar tech company to charities.

We’ve worked together for 15 years at Frank and then Mischief and we’d always talked about launching our own agency. At the end of last year, we got offered an amazing opportunity being backed by Hope&Glory, and decided it was time to go for it. We just didn’t expect that by the time we opened we’d be during a pandemic.

3. How is it going?

Well, thank goodness. We were lucky to pick five pieces of work up without a pitch from existing contacts before we officially launched in July. We have picked up additional work from that for the next quarter. We are now picking up places on pitch lists too. Even though we’ve faced an unexpected global crisis, we’re still delighted to have made the leap to start an agency.

We’ve also seen a significant amount of work that crosses internal and external audiences – this was a trend before the pandemic but one that looks like it’s only set to increase.

4. What one tip would you give anyone thinking of starting a PR business?

Know your value and your values: What do you bring to clients that’s different and how will it help their business?