"Entrepreneurship is the most rewarding experience ever," says Bruno Solari, founder of SolComms and a rising star in the PR industry. With over a decade of experience helping companies grow, he has successfully applied his expertise to build his own thriving PR firm. In a recent conversation with Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media, Bruno emphasizes the importance of goal-oriented strategies, adaptability, and thought leadership in driving organizational growth.

Doug kicks off the conversation by asking, "What's the most important thing for startups to consider when approaching their PR efforts?"

When it comes to startups, Bruno highlights the necessity of clearly defining goals before launching any PR campaigns. "A lot of startups come to us because they're looking to raise funding, whether it’s their seed round or their series A round," Bruno responds. For startups aiming to attract venture capital, positioning the company as larger and more impactful is key.

Doug supports this focus on clear goal setting, pointing out that this approach is also valuable for scale-ups: "It seems like you'd want to adopt a similar approach even for scale-ups when looking to grow."

As companies evolve from startups to scale-ups, their PR needs shift towards establishing and amplifying thought leadership. Bruno explains, "A scale-up company has already established itself. Investors know them, the media knows them, and they have product-market fit. It’s about putting some firepower into that thought leadership."

Doug acknowledges the importance of this transition, and asks, "Is it sometimes difficult to apply the same ideas that you do for clients to your own business?" Bruno responds by explaining how his experience in growing other companies has been instrumental in scaling his own firm: "We've been able to grow as a business because we understand how to grow their companies."

For scale-ups, SolComms focuses on getting their leaders on the speaking circuit, securing slots at major conferences, and positioning them in top-tier editorial publications. "We start to build more of a voice and thought leadership, including commenting on larger companies in the space and newsjacking current events," Bruno elaborates.

Bruno observes a significant shift in PR, particularly in consumer tech, where affiliate marketing has become essential for securing press coverage. "When I started PR a decade ago, especially in consumer tech, it was really easy to get press. Tech was so happening at the time, and every single publication had a tech column. But over the past few years, there's been a major shift. Editorials are struggling, publications are struggling, and the thing that is keeping the lights on, in my opinion, is affiliate marketing," Bruno explains.

Echoing the importance of this shift, Doug adds that even in broadcast news media, there's been a rise in brand integration shows, highlighting the need for PR professionals to be both proactive and reactive in their strategies.

Doug then poses an insightful question to Bruno: "Is it important for people to be able to pivot, to be both proactive and reactive? And can you do both at the same time? It seems like you have to."

Bruno agrees, stating, "Creating news when there is no news is one of our values." He explains that SolComms operates like a newsroom, always pushing clients' stories through launches and news moments. "We’ve had to adapt by being both proactive and reactive in our approach," Bruno confirms.

Bruno encourages aspiring PR professionals to take the leap into entrepreneurship, emphasizing that starting is the hardest yet most rewarding part of the journey. "All it takes is hustle and grit," he says. Doug offers a counterpoint, referencing Tom Petty's view that "the waiting" might be the hardest part.

D S Simon Media is well known as a leader in the satellite media tour industry and produces tours from its studio and multiple control rooms at its New York headquarters. Clients include top brands in healthcare, technology, travel, financial services, consumer goods, entertainment, retail and non-profits. Established in 1986 the firm has won more than 100 industry awards.

View all of the interviews in the “PR's Top Pros Talk” series. Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected].