Matt Phillips – PR Consultant

www.linkedin.com/in/phillipsmatt
www.mattphillipspr.com

Who are your ideal customers and what is their pain point?

My ideal customer is a socially conscious entrepreneur who gets how important strong communications are to drive their business forward, but is not looking to hire a PR agency. This could either be due to not feeling ready to start investing in PR support or not having the funds to pay a retainer fee.

What differentiates your business?

What differentiates the business, in truth, is me. I am a solo consultant so no work is outsourced, and I have a proven track record in helping lesser-known brands to punch above their weight in terms of media coverage. I take a ‘full funnel’ approach to PR where the comms strategy is aligned to the businesses’ growth objectives and is right-sized for its resources, brand profile, and team.

What is an insight that your customers should know?

Much of PR’s value is hidden. As well as the invisible long term influence on driving awareness and consideration media coverage can have, the process itself of holding a business up to journalistic scrutiny can pay dividends in sharpening the narrative for investors, partners, and staff. It’s estimated that high-profile companies attract valuations of around 50% in excess of peers who are identical on the balance sheet. On a billboard, I’d simply put “We are drawn to the famous and extraordinary. Why would you choose otherwise?”

Who are your ideal partners?

I’m looking for people who know and trust me, who do not do PR as a primary activity, but are fishing in the same pond. Typically NEDs, fractional C Suite people, who are connected and understand the scaleup world, and are open to collaborating with me on business development. Often companies will optimise their sales, then look to invest in marketing to increase leads, and then look to PR to take them to the next level. People in fractional CMO roles, or CRO roles, traditionally.

What is the next goal/milestone/priority for your business?

I’m restarting as a solo consultant after nearly seven years running my own agency and operating in interim agency roles. I like to ‘think in ink’ which means using the coming months to write a book that aims to unpack ‘full funnel PR’ in a way that’s both inspiring to the ‘constructive disruptors’ I want to work for, and is practical to apply. This will help me both refine my product and service and enable me to offer something of tangible value.

Can you share a book, podcast or similar that has helped you and your business?

I’m going to share three.

The first was Felix Dennis’ How To Get Rich. It spurred a penny-drop moment which made me think, am I capital or am I labour? By this I mean are you building a business that can operate independently of you, or are you selling your time i.e. maximising your earning potential? The path you choose, and both are valid, will have a transformational impact on how you prioritise.

The second is The E-Myth Revisited. If you do want to move from being a lifestyle business to a larger business that will live longer than you this is a great place to start.

The third is Daniel Priestly’s Key Person of Influence. I believe his vision for the future of work is right and that building your personal brand will serve you well in the times that are only getting more uncertain.