By: Lana PRME

In today’s digital age, if Google doesn’t know about you or your business, it might be challenging to establish a presence, asserts Svetlana Khachiyan, PR expert and owner of the PRme agency. She emphasizes that promoting one’s personal brand is a valuable strategy for any business owner aiming to stay competitive. Svetlana Khachiyan discusses how modesty can sometimes limit promotion and why it’s important to share your achievements more openly.

Svetlana, why is media presence important for personal branding and business today?

It’s a critical component of brand packaging, influencing reputation and audience trust. According to a survey by Page One Power, 59% of Americans are more likely to click on search results for brands they recognize, underscoring the importance of brand visibility in search engines.

Consumers tend to pay attention to who you are, where you’ve been featured, and what’s been said about you. Publications in reputable media, logos of recognized outlets on your website, mentions on social media, or features in presentations—these elements can help build trust in you, your services, and/or your product. In the U.S., editorial teams generally verify information before publication, which can create the impression that “if they’re being written about, they must have some degree of recognition and stand out among competitors.”

This is especially relevant considering the prevalence of online fraud: fake websites, inflated traffic, and companies disappearing after sales. More than ever, potential clients will likely seek information about you from external sources, beyond your website or landing page. To further validate your brand, you need external validation: reviews, media mentions, and links from trusted sources. If you don’t do this, it’s possible that your competitors might take this step.

What about those who prefer to avoid publicity?

I often remind clients that modesty alone isn’t enough to drive growth. If someone is aiming for progress, working on a personal brand can be an important part of that. In today’s digital world, your LinkedIn profile can be as important as your resume, serving as a 24/7 online representation of your professional persona.

Developing your public image and making appearances in media publications helps you become more “visible.” Your cases become connected to your name, and those associations can be lasting. This is why it’s important for Google to have a clear and comprehensive understanding of who you are: biography, career milestones, client reviews, achievements, and case studies.

A director friend of mine, who shoots music videos for Hollywood artists, once faced a situation where his line producer began using parts of his work in their portfolio. He couldn’t go to everyone viewing their portfolio to say, “No, that’s my work, I directed that.” The only way he could establish authorship and reputation was by showcasing his work through interviews, social media, and media outlets, crediting his contributions through captions, roles, and achievements.

How can an ordinary person get featured in the media?

You don’t need to be a major celebrity to appear in the media. It’s sufficient to be a professional in your field and steadily build your brand, starting with smaller outlets. American journalists often evaluate several key factors when choosing a subject for a story:

• A professional website and well-maintained social media profiles

• Clear positioning: who you are, what you do, and the value you offer

• Mentions in other media: previous coverage can enhance your credibility

Top-tier media outlets are unlikely to feature you unless it’s a particularly unique case. Therefore, it’s important to prepare in advance: position yourself as an expert, strengthen your social media presence, get featured in niche or local media, and then aim for broader publications.

How can you assess your level of visibility and media presence?

I always ask clients to Google their name or company name and see what appears in the search results. If a person isn’t actively engaged in PR and develops their personal brand only through social media, the first search results might be their Instagram, Facebook, or website (if they have one). Photos from social networks often appear too, which can sometimes be small or low-quality.

Now imagine you’re a potential partner or advertiser. What will they see, and what impression will they form of you? If only social media profiles appear, they might need to sift through posts and stories to understand your value. However, if there are media publications—or even better, publications from well-known media brands—it can create the impression that this person is noteworthy. Consistent publications and photos from significant events can gradually help create a solid media trail over time.

Can ChatGPT be trained to provide the desired information about you?

I believe this might be part of the future. When I work with ChatGPT, I notice that it can provide different information about the same client each time. If there is a large amount of data, it’s often difficult to include everything in one response. It seems that soon, it may become more common in SEO to train models like ChatGPT to create content for personal brands. It’s still unclear how this will be fully implemented, but there may eventually be a demand for AI to help provide information about media personalities that benefits their PR teams.

Who should you approach first if you want to become recognizable: a PR specialist or a marketer?

If you’re looking for recognition and a strong reputation, a PR specialist is typically a good first step. If you need more immediate sales, marketing might be the way to go. I like to explain it simply: marketing is about approaching and introducing yourself to someone, while PR is about making an impression so they want to continue the conversation.

Ultimately, PR and marketing are two sides of the same promotional effort. Marketing tends to work better when supported by strong PR. For example, in targeted advertising, you can use links to media outlets and publication logos to increase trust and click-through rates. PR also helps marketing reduce the cost per lead, as Google often evaluates a site not only by advertising but by the brand’s reputation. If your site is mentioned in reputable sources, Google may favor it over competitors, even with the same advertising bids.

How to measure the effectiveness of PR promotion?

This is a common question, and my favorite one to answer. It’s a gradual process. We create articles, hold events, lectures, and speeches—and over time, your personal brand becomes more recognizable, and your popularity can grow. You can truly assess if it’s working over time based on the reactions from people. I’ve been working on my brand for almost three years, and only in the last year and a half have I been more actively recognized at events. This suggests that investing in a personal brand can be effective in the long term.

Does a PR specialist also need PR?

Absolutely! If you’re not visible yourself, how can clients know what you’re capable of?

Published by Joseph T.