A Beauty Pro’s Guide to PR: How to Get Featured and Build a Trusted Brand
Hi, I’m Barbie Patel, beauty business owner, educator, and founder of Beauty CEO University. With over 17 years of experience in the beauty and wedding industries, I’ve built brands from scratch, led teams, and spoken on national stages like Premiere Orlando, IECSC, and WIPA, where I currently serve as Vice President on the executive board. I’ve hosted workshops, mentored interns, and coached beauty professionals through everything from pricing to press. What sets my coaching apart is that I don’t just teach theory, I share strategies I’ve personally used to get featured in Forbes, Bravo, USA Today, and leading wedding publications. Everything I offer is built on real-world experience and results that work.
Public relations isn’t just for celebrities or massive beauty brands. It’s for the hardworking makeup artists, estheticians, stylists, and wedding vendors who are ready to grow their visibility and book high-value clients.
If you’ve been relying solely on social media or word of mouth to grow your business, you’re likely leaving major opportunities on the table. In this blog, I’ll break down why PR matters, what most beauty pros are doing wrong, and how my coaching and my digital guide, A Beauty Pro’s Guide to PR, can help you build a trusted brand that gets noticed and respected in your industry.
What Is PR and Why Should Beauty Pros Care?
PR (public relations) is about how the public perceives your brand. It includes features in the press, interviews, podcast appearances, online mentions, and how you present your story to the world. Traditional PR focused on print and celebrity fame, but today's digital PR leverages online outlets, social media, backlinks, and influencer mentions to build meaningful authority and reach your audience where they already are.
In today’s saturated beauty market, visibility and trust are everything. Potential clients are searching for social proof before they book. They’re Googling your name, checking out your website, and looking to see if you’ve been featured or recognized by trusted sources. The brands and professionals that get seen and trusted first often get booked first.
This is why PR is no longer optional for beauty entrepreneurs; it’s essential.
With a solid PR strategy, you can:
Get featured in respected media outlets
Build trust with high-end clients
Increase website traffic and SEO
Boost brand recognition
Position yourself as the go-to expert in your niche
Effective digital PR gives you:
Backlinks from reputable websites, boosting SEO and referral traffic
Mentions and shares via online publications, blogs, and podcasts, amplifying your reach
Enhanced brand reputation and trust, supported by measurable metrics like traffic and ranking increases
In essence, when done the right way, digital PR turns visibility into trust, and trust into bookings.
The Beauty Pro’s Biggest PR Mistakes
Despite the benefits, many beauty entrepreneurs miss out on PR opportunities because they aren’t prepared or simply don’t know where to start. Here are a few common mistakes:
1. Pitching Without a Clear Brand Message
Editors need more than beautiful work; they need a story. If your brand messaging is unclear or inconsistent, it's difficult for a publication to understand how you fit into their editorial calendar.
2. Skipping the Visuals
Even the most well-written pitch can fall flat without high-quality images. Professional photography is crucial in the beauty industry and often determines whether or not you get featured.
3. Waiting for Opportunities
PR isn't about being discovered; it's about putting yourself out there. Successful beauty pros don’t wait for the perfect moment; they create their visibility by pitching the right way.
4. Lacking a Media Kit
When an editor expresses interest, you need to be ready. Without a polished bio, headshot, and examples of your work, you may miss out on time-sensitive opportunities.
How to Build a Simple PR Strategy
You don’t need to hire a publicist to start building your visibility. You just need a plan. Drawing from both industry best practices and my coaching method, here’s a refined roadmap to take your PR efforts digital:
1. Clarify Your Brand Story & Goals
Define whether you’re pursuing brand-wide recognition or promoting a specific product. Tailor your pitches accordingly
2. Build a Media Contact List
Use tools like Google News, MuckRack, and BuzzStream to compile a list of relevant bloggers, podcasters, and online journalists focused on beauty, weddings, or wellness
3. Create Newsworthy Assets
Develop content that appeals to journalists: data-driven articles, unique insights, and timely commentary. Include ready-to-use quotes, statistics, and imagery
4. Pitch With Precision
Send personalized pitches that match the publication's tone and audience. Offer exclusive stories, guest posts, or expert commentary, then follow up thoughtfully.
5. Distribute Digital Press Releases
For non-time-sensitive news, like product line launches or mentorship programs, release digital press statements focused on SEO-friendly distribution and securing backlinks.
6. Leverage Influencers & Micro‑Influencers
Partner with creators whose audiences align with yours. Their authentic endorsements can lead to high-value mentions in blogs and vibrant user-generated content
7. Track and Iterate
Monitor your results: referral traffic, mentions, backlinks, ranking boosts, podcast features, and media inquiries. Use tools like Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and BuzzSumo
My Journey From PR Beginner to National Features
When I first started, I made plenty of mistakes. I sent generic pitches, lacked clarity in my brand story, and didn’t understand how the media world worked. But once I learned how to position myself, things changed.
I’ve since been featured in outlets like Forbes, USA Today, Bravo, and many industry-specific platforms. These features helped me book clients faster, raise my rates, and build a recognizable brand.
Today, I coach beauty professionals through the same process, whether they're trying to land their first media feature or prepare for national attention.
Your Shortcut to Getting Featured
To make PR more accessible, I created A Beauty Pro’s Guide to PR, a downloadable resource for beauty entrepreneurs ready to elevate their brand.
Inside the guide, you’ll find:
A step-by-step roadmap to PR, created specifically for beauty and wedding professionals
Pitch templates for blogs, podcasts, and press outlets
Insider strategies for landing features and interviews
A breakdown of what editors look for
PR dos and don’ts that save you time, money, and stress
Examples of what makes a beauty brand newsworthy
This guide is the same framework I use with my coaching clients—designed to help you fast-track your way into media features without hiring a publicist.
Why PR Matters for Booking More Clients
In the beauty industry, trust is currency. Press coverage not only builds credibility, it also attracts the right clients. When your name appears in a respected publication or on a podcast your audience already listens to, it reinforces that you’re the real deal.
PR can:
Help you break into luxury markets
Open doors to collaborations and sponsorships
Support your SEO strategy
Boost your confidence as a professional
Ready to Become the Go-To Expert in Your Niche?
You don’t need a huge following or celebrity connections. You just need the right tools and a willingness to show up confidently for your brand.
If you're ready to be seen, trusted, and booked more consistently, download A Beauty Pro’s Guide to PR and start building your visibility today.
Have questions about how to apply it to your brand? Reach out via DM or contact form—I’m happy to help you get the recognition you deserve.
Want to keep up with Barbie? You can follow her here:
BarbiePatell, BeautyCeoUniversity, Luxx.Escapes, CinderellaBridez
