Turn Up PR is an unapologetic spin on publicity curation: a PR firm with a focus on collaboration, coverage of untold stories & creative voices
Turn Up PR began its journey just last year with co-founders Umaila Akhter and Naina Hussain at the helm of the ship. Smack at the centre of transformation, but socially conscious at the core, Turn Up PR specializes in paving the way through a crowded media landscape so their clients get the visibility they need to make a lasting impact. Its mission is to integrate traditional PR with its own innovative strategies and unique approach. One of the core purposes of Turn Up PR is to curate content by promoting talents, mobilizing partnerships and galvanizing efforts of unique collaborations. The PR firm aims to meet each client’s unique needs with honesty, integrity and accountability. Turn Up PR aims to create a global footprint, as a result they are also working with prospective clients who live outside Bangladesh and helping them connect with local talents and artisans.
How did it all begin?
Naina: The idea of Turn Up PR first came into being when Umaila approached me in March 2020, right before the first lockdown hit, and the pandemic became our reality! We sat down to discuss what Turn Up PR could potentially be, if it ever were to be a thing. A huge shoutout to Umaila for instilling the basic framework of Turn Up PR into my mind because honestly, I was too scared to think this big back then! We picked each other’s brains regarding what sorts of services we would offer through the firm and spent some time brainstorming – inactively ideating our visions, and our missions at our own time, at our own pace.
Due to other commitments, hurdles that life brings, and of course the pandemic, the idea would sometimes lose its spark and fizzle out, but we tried to keep each other motivated and somehow kept at it. Finally, in August 2020, both of us decided to just try out our luck and give it a proper shot, with no solid end goal in mind. Our mantra at the time was – “If it works, it’ll work; if it doesn’t work, we’ll chalk it down as a learning experience.”
Why PR curation? What does it mean and how is it relevant to the current market?
Umaila: For many years, there has been a segregation between advertising and public relations, with most agencies handling only one discipline or the other.
However, with the advent of the web and rise in digitalization, advertising no longer controls the distribution of a message, and PR is no longer the only means to control a feature. These days, audiences are information-savvy, they have access to social media platforms at their fingertips, and they can also tell stories themselves. This is why advertising can no longer be a one-way channel. In the era of digital and social media, both advertising and PR must work together to create an engaging digital dialogue so that the message becomes a two-way, credible conversation. Paid advertising needs to ignite the kinds of ideas that initiate conversations in earned media while PR develops the positive perception to help brands stay relevant and authentic.
To bridge the gap we curate and integrate traditional media with digital PR strategies in order to create direct and authentic connections. Our PR Outreach programs are designed to open opportunities and find new ways to build relationships with the right people for the right reasons – to help you tell your story. Our PR outreach strategies aim to help to make your story authentic and relevant.
We believe that the thought and foresight that goes into how you present yourself and your business is important to get the recognition you deserve. Most of our services focus on paving the way through a crowded media landscape, so our clients get the visibility they need to make a lasting impact. In addition, we conduct and provide our clients with research to make sure their brand is aligned with the current market trends enabling a more thorough understanding of their target audience, the market demand(s), and possible campaign outcomes.
That’s why when you’re our client, it’s all hands-on deck.
Who is your target group? Why them? Is it better to pick a niche or target the masses? Why?
Umaila: Our mission is to make PR accessible to everyone – from early stage entrepreneurs to leading businesses (both brands and individual talents). At Turn Up PR, we have a growth mind-set and our mission is often fuelled by our client’s mission. We try to analyse each client’s business and provide unique strategies rather than a cookie-cutter strategy for all. We treat our clients’ business like our own, and will never stop being their biggest cheerleaders – always here to support them throughout all the stages of their personal and professional growth.
We want to provide our support to both niche and mass segments as we want to be able to cater to a diverse range of clients who hold different values and approaches to the way they live their lives and run their businesses. We are culturally aware and have the resources to relate to people from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds and appreciate the contributions that different groups make towards a dynamic society and the country’s economic growth.
Moreover, it’s difficult to get news published in any media outlet for clients whose budget is limited due to the current economic unrest. And considering that the situation is likely to persist even after the current pandemic abates, we also support struggling businesses by providing alternate solutions and media tools to ensure that their stories are heard. Taking the current situation into account, our PR pitches are now to be more targeted and tailored.
TURN UP PR SPECIALIZES IN PAVING THE WAY THROUGH A CROWDED MEDIA LANDSCAPE SO THEIR CLIENTS GET THE VISIBILITY THEY NEED TO MAKE A LASTING IMPACT
Over the past year, we have been lucky to have signed clients who have been in business for forty years, to clients who are new entrepreneurs. We are helping small business and early stage ventures establish themselves as trailblazers by positioning and shaping their stories in ways that promote their brand and its values. Rather than just featuring brand-specific stories, we help brands and talents shift to a thought-leadership approach where the focus is on how the founders are helping their teams deal with the challenges they are facing during the pandemic and keep their business afloat without giving up.
Launching during the pandemic must have been difficult – what has the experience of running the firm been like for you guys so far?
Naina: Launching during a pandemic has been both a challenge and a struggle! We have been working from home since our inception, and while it’s quite possible to get a lot done remotely in this age of digitization, it has been a bit of a struggle to get a routine in place, and work consistently as a team due to social distancing. Working from home, however, has also made us much more accessible to the brands that we work with, so I suppose it has also been a blessing for us in a way.
Running a business from scratch has been rewarding in so many ways; we get to learn something new every day which is mentally stimulating and exciting! As young working entrepreneurs, I would say time management is a goal we both had to master – I have two other jobs that I juggle, and Umaila was doing the same at one point. The learning process, however, has outweighed all the challenges that come our way so far, so all in all, it has been a crazy, adventurous ride! Regardless of the sleepless nights, the hustle always pays off since it’s something you truly believe in, and something you are truly passionate about.
I feel like we hit a new milestone every day; whether it’s collaborating with a company we have dreamt of working with, or a new skill set we get to work with – every day is full of excitement and the unknown.
Why is PR important for start-ups? How is it different from branding? Or would you say it’s the same?
Umaila: Through my time leading PR for a tech company that specialized in start-ups business to working as a Business Lead for women banking segment, I have had the opportunity to ensure financial inclusion, and support minorities, women-led and early stage ventures with limited budgets. I have had a firsthand view of the different stages of how a start-up operates – from the seed stage to the expansion stage.
Initially most start-ups invest heavily on advertising and marketing to promote their business and build exposure. However, it’s important to know the importance of PR and how it helps to build trust by focusing on the bigger picture. For start-ups, PR activities play an important role in identifying and building relationships with influential individuals and groups responsible for shaping market perceptions in the industry. A strong PR campaign makes your story highly credible. It has more successful converts in the long run, especially for start-ups because the majority of consumers still trust earned media over traditional, paid ads.
AT TURN UP PR, WE HAVE A GROWTH MIND-SET AND OUR MISSION IS OFTEN FUELLED BY OUR CLIENT’S MISSION
The worst thing a start-up can do is to go out prematurely and attract negative press coverage. Along with raising capital, I believe it’s equally important for start-ups to have a PR strategy in place. PR can help with investors, increase backlinks to your website, increase brand awareness and put you and your business on the map.
A well devised PR strategy can help start-ups shape a positive public image and establish social media and traditional media networks. It is PR that helps the start-up build its reputation, which in turn will eventually lead to monetary growth and increased sales. However, it is undeniably challenging, especially when facing larger, aged businesses. As a result, a PR firm or PR professionals in general can be a great source of help for start-ups.
Photographs: Courtesy of Turn Up PR