What separates a customer from clicking “add to cart” on a beauty or health brand they’ve never tried? Usually just one thing — trust.

This is one of the most competitive markets, and reputation here is everything. Our health and the health of our loved ones is the highest value we hold; beauty is what gives us confidence in ourselves. People don’t take chances with either. So what should new brands do when they’re just entering the market? How do you compete with giants who have been there for decades?

Anna Zhyr, founder of AnnyWay, an international communications agency, and a marketing strategist with over 6 years of experience helping health and beauty founders build global authority through PR and performance marketing, shares her perspective.

Why Reputation is the Real Currency in Beauty and Health

According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, 81% of consumers say they need to trust a brand before they will make a purchase. But how can young companies build that reputation from scratch? This is where PR comes in. The channels your target audience already trusts begin to quote and recommend you. In practice, this usually happens through mentions in outlets like Forbes, Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Allure, Medical Daily, and others.

Once trust has been established through third-party platforms, advertising becomes cheaper and more effective. Agency practice confirms this: brands that run ads see better results when at least some initial PR work is already in place.

The 3-Month Framework: The Main Steps

Let’s say you’ve decided to invest in PR. Where do you start?

Step 1 — Brand Audit and Strategy

Start with a simple question: what comes up about you when someone searches online? Often the answer is very little — and that’s exactly the gap to close. From there, build a minimum PR strategy. Define 2–3 key messages: what makes the brand unique, why people should trust you as an expert. Then map out the publications where your audience actually is, and prepare a “base” for outreach — an expert bio, a press kit, and a list of topics you can pitch.

Step 2 — Reaching out to Target Media

Now to the real work. You contact the publications on your list and arrange articles about the brand.

Step 3 — Working with the Content

You’ve connected with the publication and an article has come out. The work doesn’t stop there. Repackage the key points as content for social media, presentations, your website. And on your own blog, share the fact that you are being published.

Step 4 — Scaling the Experience

Articles in strong publications open doors to even more authoritative ones. It’s always easier for editors to say “yes” to an expert who already has a media portfolio. Keep adding featured outlets to your media kit. After just three months of active PR work, a brand can look like an established market player — even if it’s less than a year old.

Common Mistakes that Stall Reputation Building

Brand promotion is a bit like fine jewelry work — you need to weigh every option, study the audience, set the right priorities and emphases. But there are common mistakes people make at the start of the journey.

●       Running only your own social media accounts. Owned channels get less trust than independent sources with an established reputation.

●       Chasing volume. Even 15 articles in unknown outlets won’t build the same trust as 3 publications in relevant ones.

●       No consistent expert image. When every article is on a different topic, with a different bio and emphasis, none of it adds up to a coherent picture.

●       Hoping that trust will “come with time.” Audience reputation forms organically over years and decades.

Measuring PR in Business Terms

Founders and Project Leaders often aren’t sure how PR can be measured in business terms. Trust, recognition, expertise, publications — how do you translate all this into practical value? Depending on the strategy, PR brings a portfolio of publications, growth in inbound inquiries, easier conversations with partners, a higher company valuation on the investment market, and so on.

Conclusion

Brand reputation in the health and beauty industry can take years, sometimes even decades, to build. But its foundation can be laid in just 3 months of systematic work with the media. The fact remains: trust in the brand is absolutely essential in a field that shapes our health, our appearance, and our confidence — and that of our loved ones.

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