This guidebook is for:

• Founders launching a new product or brand

• Small business owners wanting media exposure

• Side-hustlers looking to attract customers and build credibility

• Budding PR professionals learning the ropes

• Anyone doing their own PR with limited budget

It’s made for you - if you know you have a great story, but just need help shaping and sharing it.

Our sweet spot is small-medium sized brands in lifestyle, beauty, wellness, hospitality and fashion. That said, the tools you’ll learn here are designed to be flexible and foundational - no matter your brand, industry, or customer pathways.

This guidebook is intended as a practical toolkit, not a rigid manual. Take what resonates, adapt it to your needs, and leave what doesn’t serve you.

Note: While public relations (PR) can be valuable across both B2B and B2C industries, this guide is primarily designed for consumer-facing (B2C) brands - where media coverage, brand storytelling, and social proof are often central to growth. If you’re a B2B brand, many of the principles still apply - particularly when it comes to thought leadership, founder profiling, or trade/industry media. Though some examples (like product launches or seasonal story angles) will be more directly relevant to B2C.

We’re not here to fill space with the history or psychology of PR - because as a small business owner, we’re guessing that’s not what you’re here for. This guide is built for action.

We’ve distilled a decade of real-world industry experience into a step-by-step resource that’s designed to be genuinely usable - even if you’ve never thought about PR before.

Inside, you’ll find a practical roadmap that takes you from refining your brand messaging and writing your press release, through to building a media list, pitching journalists, and keeping momentum going through strategic thinking.

It breaks PR down into practical steps, repeatable frameworks, and real-world tools that help you shape your message, tell your story, and earn the media attention your brand deserves - without the guesswork.

No - and that’s intentional. We believe in building trust the right way. We’re all about empowering you to forge your own media relationships, tailored to your brand, your story, and your goals.

We focus on equipping you with the tools to identify the right media outlets, angles and contacts for your business, with the strategies to approach them confidently and professionally.

Not every media outlet is the right fit for every story. Often, you only get one shot to make an impression. That’s why, rather than handing you a generic list, we show you how to think like a publicist - so you can pitch the right story, to the right person, at the right time.

The guidebook includes practical tips for identifying your ideal media targets, determining your ideal and realistic placement, and sourcing publicly available contact details in a professional, respectful way.

Many small businesses use this guide alongside their marketing or comms support. It’s also a great resource to train junior team members or align everyone on your media approach.

Absolutely! You can purchase the guidebook as a gift - just include their email at checkout or drop us a message so we can send it to the right place.

One important request:
Please don’t forward your download link or share the file freely. Like you, we’re a small business - and we’ve poured years of hard-earned industry experience into creating something affordable, useful, and empowering for other small brands because we’re genuinely passionate about helping this ecosystem succeed.

By keeping this guidebook paid and protected, you're helping us continue to offer practical, high-quality tools at a fraction of the traditional cost - for those who need it most. Your support means the world.

Once purchased, you’ll receive a secure digital download link via email to access your guidebook (PDF format). Your purchase also includes a bonus sample media document featuring Sunday Late (our fictional hospitality case study) complete with a press release, founder bio, and boilerplate - these examples are designed to illustrate how clear messaging translates into compelling, media-ready content as core assets in any PR toolkit, no matter your brand or industry.

If you have any issues accessing your download, just reach out to us at hello@pollenpublishing.com - we’re here to help.

Due to the nature of digital products, we’re unable to offer refunds once the guidebook has been downloaded. However, if you experience any issues or have questions before or after purchase, reach out via hello@pollenpublishing.com and we’ll do our best to help.

The core frameworks and strategies are designed to be universally applicable. While The PR Guidebook is written from an Australian perspective (including some references to local media titles), the core principles of storytelling, brand messaging, and pitching strategy are relevant to most markets.

You should still find the guidebook offers valuable insights you can begin applying right away - from identifying media angles to refining your pitch and building journalist relationships.

That said, some elements (like the included media examples) are specific to Australia. If you're using the guide internationally, you’ll need to adapt these sections to suit your region.

pollen press club is our five-week PR kickstart for small brands. We shape your story, create your media-ready assets and pitch you to a hand-picked list of editors and journalists. Then we hand everything back to you, so you can keep the momentum going. It's senior-level PR support for a fixed, one-off fee, without the cost or commitment of a traditional agency.

The PR Guidebook gives you the strategy and tools to do your own PR. pollen press club is for brands who want an expert to do the heavy lifting for them, while learning along the way. Think of it as going from DIY to done-for-you, with skills to keep. The PR Guidebook is also included in every kickstart.

pollen press club works best if you have a genuine story to tell or key moment such as a launch, a new product or a milestone that deserves attention. You'll also need high-quality imagery and a working website. If that sounds like you, the best next step is to fill in the form on our pollen press club page so that we can get in touch to book in a free exploratory call: no obligation, just a conversation about where you're at. If you're not quite ready, The PR Guidebook will help you lay the foundations first.

The kickstart runs for five weeks. We start with a strategy call to find your strongest angle. Then we write your press release, founder bio and boilerplate, build a tailored media list and personalise every pitch. We send your pitches, follow up, and finish with an outreach report. You keep all your assets, plus a PR calendar, our template pack, The PR Guidebook and a clear plan for what to pitch next.

You'll complete a short intake questionnaire before we begin, and join us for a strategy call in week one. You'll also need to share your imagery and turn around feedback on your copy within a few business days. For product brands, having samples on hand for interested media makes a big difference.

No one honestly can, and it's worth questioning anyone who says otherwise. What we guarantee is the work: media-ready assets, a targeted pitch round, considered follow-ups and a clear report on the outcome. A strong story, told well to the right people, gives you the best possible chance. You also work away with skill that you can use for life, and a guidebook to reference any time you need it.

You'll keep a list of the outlets we targeted, so you have a good reference point for where your brand could fit and know where to pitch next. Individual journalist contact details stay with us, in line with standard privacy protocols.

The kickstart is a one-off fee of $1,500 AUD. There's no retainer and no lock-in, and the assets we create together are yours to keep, along with skills you can use for life.

You can reach us at hello@pollenpublishing.com or use the enquiry form on our Pollen Press Club page. We aim to respond within 48 hours.

You'll walk away with everything you need to keep going on your own: your media-ready assets, your templates, The PR Guidebook and a clear plan for what to pitch next. Most importantly, you'll have seen how it's done from the inside, so the skills are yours for life. Our goal is to build your confidence, not your dependence on us.

We're also developing a light-touch membership for pollen press club alumni. It's designed to keep you top of mind with relevant media at key moments throughout the year, from Mother's Day to Christmas gift guides. Stay tuned. Pollen Press Club alumni will be the first to know.