How to Build a Personal Brand Without Selling Your Soul

Learn authentic PR strategies to become 'findable' through being useful. Professional branding tips for startups, solopreneurs, and tech leaders.

#personal-branding#pr-strategy#startup#public-relations#visibility#marketing-tips#solopreneur

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City Ladies Networking · Paris 2026

How to Get Seen
Without Selling
Your Soul

Julia Maslennikova

Founder & CEO · 25/8 PR Agency

Building visibility. Staying authentic.

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About Me

I Make People Visible
for a Living

Founder & CEO, 25/8 PR Agency

International PR for tech companies, startups & VCs

Clients featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, Bloomberg

“

I make people visible for a living — and I learned the hard way what actually works.

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My Story

The Post That Changed Everything

The Facebook Post

After years in Russian tech PR, I wrote one post: 'I'm starting my own agency.' It was shared dozens of times by founders I'd helped.

100+ Messages Overnight

The next morning: over a hundred messages from potential clients. No press coverage, no content strategy, no LinkedIn page.

The Real Reason

For years I had been publicly useful — sharing how PR works, what to expect, how to measure results. For free. Consistently.

"Personal brand isn't built by being visible. It's built by being useful out loud."

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The Journey

I Started Over. Twice.

Moscow → Yerevan, 2022

When the war started, I closed my agency in Russia and left the country. Started from zero in a city I barely knew.

Yerevan → Paris

Built 25/8 PR Agency from scratch. International clients, global media placements, a team that spans borders.

Both times, what saved me was years of being useful — long before I needed anything from anyone.

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THE KEY REFRAME

Stop trying to be visible.

Start being findable.

Right now, someone has the exact problem you solve every day. They're searching. Are you there when they look?

Being findable = a service to others. Not self-promotion.

Visibility is about ego. Findability is about service.

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ACTION PLAN

How to Become Findable

Three things you can do this month

Know Where Your People Are

Where does your ideal client spend time? LinkedIn, podcasts, trade press? Use AI to research in 30 min what used to take 2 weeks.

Share What You Know

Tips, observations, lessons, mistakes. Even 'obvious' things aren't obvious to your audience. Show how you think — that's what makes people want to hire you.

Start Small, Start Ugly

Set the goal as 'record five terrible podcasts.' Lower the bar on purpose. Perfectionism is just a very elegant way of hiding.

You cannot grow and look good at the same time.

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Next Level

Let Others Tell
Your Story

Earned Media = Credibility That Multiplies

Subscribe to HARO / Quoted — journalists post expert requests daily. Respond quickly and usefully.

Find 5–6 journalists who cover your space. Read their last 10 articles. Pitch a relevant story angle.

A well-researched pitch already puts you ahead of 95% of people who email journalists.

One day you'll open a publication and see your name. That article works for you for years.

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For Solopreneurs

You Are Two People. Keep Them Separate.

You the Professional

Shows up on LinkedIn, podcasts, events. Shares knowledge, solves problems, helps people. Thinks about impact. Gives generously with no strings attached.

Share. Educate. Inspire.

You the Businesswoman

Quotes rates, negotiates contracts, sends invoices. Knows her worth and charges accordingly. Negotiates clearly with no guilt.

Quote. Negotiate. Invoice.

When you share — share generously. When you negotiate — negotiate clearly. Same person. Different hats.

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Remember This

What to Take Away Today

Personal brand is built by being useful out loud — long before you need anything from anyone.

Stop trying to be visible. Start being findable by the people already looking for you.

Start small, start ugly. Perfectionism is just a very elegant way of hiding.

The most magnetic personal brand is always the most honest one.

You don't need to be the loudest person in the room. You just need to be findable.

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City Ladies Networking · Paris 2026

Thank You

"The path to something incredible always runs through the cringe."

Julia Maslennikova

Founder & CEO · 25/8 PR Agency

Julia Maslennikova

25-8.agency

julia@25-8.agency

Be useful. Be honest. Be findable.

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