Expanding Your Influence

Scaling Influence Beyond the Headlines

Why This Matters

PR isn’t just about traditional media. Expanding into new channels builds credibility and extends your reach.

Founder's Point of View

As a founder, your voice is your superpower. Speaking on panels, contributing to niche communities, or briefing analysts can amplify your influence far beyond headlines.

Overview

Influence grows by engaging across different platforms and networks:
- Communities & events: conferences, trade shows, online communities
- Thought leadership outlets: podcasts, Substack newsletters, guest columns
- Analyst relations: briefings, reports, and roundups that influence buyers
- Non-traditional spaces: Reddit AMAs, Slack groups, LinkedIn Lives

This approach builds authority, expands reach, and keeps your brand part of industry conversations.

Key Actions to Take

- Identify 3–5 key communities, conferences, or analyst firms relevant to your space
- Build a list of speaking and guest content opportunities (podcasts, LinkedIn Lives, etc.)
- Submit speaker pitches or apply for awards to establish authority
- Engage in non-traditional spaces like Reddit AMAs, Substacks, or Slack groups

Metrics

Engagement and reach of non-media appearances (downloads, views, shares)
Growth in backlinks or domain authority from analyst/community mentions
Inbound opportunities following non-traditional placements

Examples

A B2B founder builds credibility by joining a private Slack community and contributing regularly.
A CTO participates in an AI panel, leading to an analyst mention and new demo requests.
A D2C brand founder appears on a niche podcast, generating a spike in referral traffic and social follows.

Tools

Speaking & events: Sessionize, AllConferenceAlert (paid/free)
Podcast outreach: Podchaser, ListenNotes (free)
Influence tracking: SparkToro, BuzzSumo (paid) + LinkedIn analytics (free)

Optional Assets

- Thought Leadership Opportunities Tracker
- Speaker Pitch Template
- “Where We Show Up” Influence Map (across media, events, communities)

Pro Tips

Relationships compound—being a recurring voice in a community builds lasting influence
Don’t wait for invitations; proactively pitch yourself to podcast hosts and event organizers

Don't Make These Mistakes

Focusing only on mainstream media instead of niche, high-trust spaces
Treating thought leadership as one-off placements instead of ongoing engagement
Overlooking analyst or community channels that influence buyer decisions