If December had a vibe, it would be that moment when you finally sit on the couch after cleaning your whole house… hair messy… candles lit… staring at the wall like you just ran a marathon you don’t remember signing up for.

That’s the founder energy in Q4.

But before you mentally yeet yourself into “new year, new me” land, there’s one thing you need to do… a real, raw, unapologetic PR audit.

Not a “look at the numbers, shrug, and hope for the best” audit.

A DBALP-level shake-the-snow-globe and get brutally honest about what the hell worked, what tanked, and what needs to go in the 2025 trash pile audit.

This is where you stop playing small, stop hiding behind “I didn’t have time,” and stop letting your brand coast into another year like a sleepy Hallmark movie character who needs a wake-up montage.

Ready? Let’s slice into it.

STEP 1: STOP… the PR habits that quietly drained you

There are things your brand did this year that looked productive on paper but gave you absolutely nothing back. December is the month to call them out.

❌ Stop pitching reactively

If your pitch calendar looked like a panic button… congrats, you’ve been doing PR the hard way.

Media loves proactive experts. Not founders who only reach out when they need a quote like they’re borrowing sugar from a neighbor.

❌ Stop posting content that could belong to anyone

If your content feels like oatmeal… it’s forgettable.

If your content feels like ChatGPT wrote it… it’s forgettable.

If your content feels afraid to have an opinion… it’s forgettable.

The neutral zone is the danger zone.

The PR audit requires you to ask:

“What did we publish that actually sounded like us… and what was just noise?”

❌ Stop chasing platforms you secretly resent

Some of you spent 2025 forcing yourselves onto platforms that drain your soul.

If TikTok feels like a hostage situation… stop.

If X feels like shouting into the void… stop.

If Instagram feels like performing for a high school talent show… stop.

Your audience exists everywhere.

Your results exist where you show up consistently.

STEP 2: START… the moves that get you seen, quoted, and bookmarked

PR isn’t complicated… it’s consistent.

The biggest problem brands have is they keep restarting instead of recalibrating.

Let’s fix that.

Start using story as strategy

Data makes you credible.

Stories make you unforgettable.

If you’re not weaving your founder story, client stories, or origin story into your comms… you’re missing the jet fuel.

Humans buy from humans.

Journalists quote people with a pulse, not a pitch deck.

Start positioning yourself like the go-to expert

Here’s the spicy truth…

If you don’t define your expertise, the internet will define it for you. Usually incorrectly.

Pick your lane.

Own your lane.

Talk like you built the freeway.

Start building relationships with media now… not when you need coverage

Most founders treat journalists like slot machines… drop in a pitch and pray for payout.

That’s not PR. That’s wishful thinking.

Follow them.

Share their work.

Respond to what they’re actually talking about.

You want to be top of mind… not bottom of inbox.

STEP 3: SUPERCHARGE… the things that already worked

Too many brands abandon strategies that worked because they’re bored or distracted.

Supercharging isn’t reinventing… it’s amplifying.

Supercharge content that converted

Look at your analytics.

Find the posts that hit.

Turn them into:
• newsletters
• videos
• carousels
• pitches
• podcast guest topics

The audience already voted.

Repeat the hits.

Supercharge your visibility by niching harder

Generalists get lost.

Specialists get spotlighted.

The more specific your expertise… the more irresistible your pitch becomes.

“Marketing expert” is vague.

“Marketing expert who helps wellness brands go from invisible to irresistible” is gold.

Supercharge your founder presence

People aren’t buying your service… they’re buying your perspective.

You are the story.

You are the hook.

You are the differentiator no competitor can copy.

If you weren’t visible this year, 2026 is the time. Because invisible brands make invisible money.

THE END-OF-YEAR QUESTION YOU MUST ASK:

“If I were launching my brand for the first time today… what would I keep, cut, and change?”

That question alone can rewrite your entire strategy.

THE 2026 ENERGY CHECKLIST

Walk into next year with clarity, not chaos.

✔ stronger angles
✔ bolder opinions
✔ more relationship-driven pitching
✔ storytelling that makes people feel something
✔ a content strategy dripping with personality
✔ metrics that go beyond vanity
✔ a founder voice that stops playing small

This is your invitation to stop being the quiet kid in the media room.

You didn’t build a brand to whisper.

Do this audit.

Get honest.

Get loud.

And step into 2026 like the PR powerhouse you were always meant to be.

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