Hidden Gems: Meet Leigh Taylor Richardson of Leigh Taylor Public Relations

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leigh Taylor Richardson

Hi Leigh Taylor, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I went to esthetics school at AVEDA in Cool Springs about a decade ago. There, I found a love for skincare and makeup artistry. After getting licensed, I became a makeup artist here in Nashville. Around the same time, long before influencers, Instagram was becoming more mainstream. I had a friend who told me to start posting my makeup on the platform so makeup brands might send me free products. I started doing this but soon lost interest because I don’t actually wear makeup in everyday life. So, instead, I started posting what I was wearing, and before I knew it, a record label from New York reached out. They said one of their artists followed me on Instagram and would love for me to not only do their makeup for their album but also style them for their album. I had never thought of wardrobe styling as a career, but I ended up taking the job, and that was the last day I ever did someone’s makeup professionally. I became a full-time Wardrobe Stylist. Instagram continued to fuel my career, and I was blessed to somehow fall into the celebrity Wardrobe Styling world. Styling fueled me in so many ways for the better part of the last decade, but it was always in the back of my mind that Styling, much like makeup artistry, is hard to scale. It’s also very hard to be a Wardrobe Stylist in Nashville because we have no Fashion PR. In bigger cities like LA, NY, London, etc, you can throw a rock and hit 5 Fashion PR firms, which makes the life of a stylist in those cities much easier. In Nashville, we’re having to ship items in from those PR firms for our clients, which isn’t great for the environment and is costly to either the brands, the stylists, or our clients. I kept waiting for someone to open a Fashion PR firm but in 2022 decided to stop waiting and do it myself and that’s how Leigh Taylor Public Relations was born! Now, two years later, we have much more than just fashion clients. LTPR does Social Media Management and Public Relations for fashion brands, candle companies, interior designers, NFL players, NFL sports agents – the list goes on! I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing, and I never thought I’d be helping NFL sports agents of all people grow their businesses, but man, am I SO grateful for all of our clients! I loved makeup artistry and wardrobe styling because I love helping people feel confident in how they walk through the world! But more than that, I really love it when I believe in a person and their product or service, and I can take my own experience and network from growing my styling business via the social media and entertainment industries and help someone grow their business! LTPR is small (we have 3 employees and a handful of interns), but we’re mighty, and I’m really proud of the business we’re building!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
LOL – I feel like building LTPR has been as smooth as possible for trying to start a new business while still running another one! (Although I’m slowly trying to exit the Wardrobe Styling business altogether and solely focus on LTPR!) I don’t have a degree in PR (or at all for that matter :P) and I had no prior experience working for a PR firm – that alone can feel daunting some days, especially when you’re just starting out. But I’m overall very confident in my ability to hustle and learn, and I knew I had picked up a decent amount of tidbits over the years working so closely as a stylist with a ton of Fashion PR firms and brands globally. Then you talk about mundane things like starting an LLC versus my only business ownership experience being with a sole prop. I mean I basically had no experience in anything I was trying to do but if you just take it day by day, you slowly start to put the puzzle pieces together! Once all the business logistics are in place, then you have to get your first client with no portfolio or anything to show potential new clients .. LOL looking back, I was probably delusional that I could make any of this work. But again, I’m probably delusionally confident in my hustling abilities and where they can lead me. Then, once you start making some money, it can always feel a bit like the “chicken and the egg” scenario. If you want to grow you have to bring on more clients, but you can only do so much as one person so you need to hire. But if you hire, you’re not making as much profit because you’re paying someone’s salary. This can feel like a bit of a juggling act, and being smart about how and when you grow your business is crucial if you want it to last. Also, just learning to be a boss/employer comes with its own set of struggles. We’re obviously a boutique firm, and we work at a conference table together 5 days a week. For me, there has absolutely been a learning curb on how to still be me and show my love for these people who are helping me grow my dream and feel like great friends while realizing you’re also the one in charge. Wowzers that even feels weird typing out! — So again, I guess it’s been as smooth as possible?! haha..

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
LTPR is a full-service PR and Social Media Management firm across all areas with specialises in the fashion, beauty, lifestyle, hospitality, food, events, and retail industries! We connect brands to their ideal audience by tailoring our services to our client’s individual needs through distinct brand building, expert PR and communications, strategic social media management and content creation, plus we offer our expertise in throwing extraordinary events. We also have a showroom available by appointment-only to showcase our brands as well as offer designer rentals for industry professionals!

I think what sets us apart from other PR firms is my experience and network from Celebrity Wardrobe Styling. A lot of times it can be hard for PR firms to get in contact with A-List Celebrities, Macro Influencers, editors, etc. And if they do get in contact, there is usually a lot of hoop jumping that happens to go through management, agents, etc. And at the end of the day PR firms are paid by brands to help them connect with these types of people and it can be hard to convert because they either can’t reach them directly or they don’t stand out in the sea of brand deals that are being thrown at A-listers left and right. Whereas I have personally worked with a wide range of celebrity clientele over the last decade, I’ve been on set with the creatives that make this industry go round, and have personal relationships with the editors that cover the stories being created. And not only do I have a great working relationship with a wide network of these people, a lot of my working relationship have turned into genuine friendships over the years, so I not only have easier direct access in a lot of areas that may be harder for others PR firms to obtain, but these clients and friends know they can trust me when I tell them they need to use our interior designers or they will love our candles. My relationships directly benefit our clients.

In the same breath, I’ve personally used social media to start and grow two successful businesses of my own. Any firm can edit your reels and post your content, but do they know how to strategically create content and a long-term strategy specific to your brand, your audience, and the products and services that you offer? If a company is going to pay for someone to run their social media accounts, they should see direct ROI from those services. If they aren’t, they should come see LTPR!

The thing I’m most proud of at LTPR is our collective experience in the fields we offer and the all-hands-on-deck approach we take. My only experience in PR is from my years in the styling business, so I went out and hired someone with 17 years of experience at one of the best global PR firms in the world. I then went out and hired someone with 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. I myself have an extensive, obsessive background with Social Media, but I went out and hired a graphic designer and social media expert who I actually hired myself for my styling business 3 years ago. I hired these women to ensure our clients are covered from every angle with the BEST of the BEST! I want anyone who signs with LTPR to know they are collectively getting 4 experts for the price of 1. As for our all-hands-on-deck approach, we all work from the same conference table, so we all know exactly what’s going on with each of our clients and can chime in with new, collaborative ideas. I also take pride in knowing that my clients have access to me at all times. We intentionally keep our roster on the smaller side so every client that signs with us knows they not only have access to our entire team but also to me. We have clients that were signed with other firms previously, and the founder of that firm will come in to help seal the deal with their contract, but apparently, they’re never available again once they’ve signed. That will NEVER happen at LTPR. Our clients become like family, and I’m personally invested in their businesses as if they were my own!!

Another thing I’m extremely proud of is the philanthropic work we do at LTPR. Giving back has always been written in my DNA, and I’m proud to be able to do it on a bigger scale with LTPR at my back! I’m also very proud of helping start the Gifts of Joy Tennessee chapter alongside founder and friend Marché Ka’anehe. Marché started GIfts of Joy out of San Diego with her friends, and when she moved to Nashville needed help getting it off the ground. I volunteered, and this year will be our 3rd year providing toys for the Children’s Oncology units around Nashville at Christmas, as well as handwritten letters of encouragement with $10 Starbucks gift cards for the parents! This past August was also our first Gifts of the Joy summer experience, where LTPR was able to help book vendors to create our “Brave Bears with Big Hearts” event at Tri-Star Centennial Children’s Hospital!

I’m, overall, just full of gratitude!!!

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If you’re interested in working with or collaborating with LTPR for PR, Communications, Social Media Management, Content Creation, Events or Brand Consulting — please reach out to me directly at [email protected]

You can support us by following us on Instagram @leightaylorpr engaging with our content (liking photos, leaving comments, tagging us in stories, etc) but most importantly by spreading our business and what we offer via word of mouth!

We are SO grateful for any and all referrals and even just words of encouragement! We’re small but mighty and excited to see how we can continue to help other brands and businesses flourish in the years to come!

Pricing:

• prices are dependent on what services are needed

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leightaylorpr.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leightaylorpr/?hl=en