Leaders

Every company, irrespective of size, relies upon gain­ing a reputation for success. If reputation and brand image is your business goal then PR professionals are drivers of it. Yet, some are extremely good at it; and Manminder Kaur Dhillon is proudly one among them in the Asian market. She is an award-winning PR practitioner and the founder of the media tech startup, PubliCT.io. The award winning media web app aims to be an enabler by help­ing brands get publicity on demand.

The startup is establishing itself as a game changer in the domain by innovating and going beyond traditional PR. Touted as the Public Relations Super App, one the first investors that believed in it was Cradle Fund, Malaysia’s top startup enablers. PubliCT.io is empowering brands to get published in their preferred news sites and in return is enabling news sites to monetise through the platform.

In an exclusive conversation with Women Entrepreneur India, Manminder shares interesting aspects of her journey and PUBLICT.IO.

Take us through your early journey and the prior industry experience that you both bring to the table.

Despite starting my professional journey as a Biology and Chemistry teacher, I was always intrigued by Journalism. Although I did my bachelors degree in science, I decided to pursue masters in corporate communications. Subsequently, joined a leading TV station in Malaysia as a journalist. After a couple of years, I moved to the overlooked dark side of communication; at least that is what the PR industry is presumed as. In 2009, I started a PR training firm ‘Intelectasia’ which is now positioned as Malaysia's leading company in the niche. Within three years, we managed to diversify into a PR consultancy offering strategic PR services, specifically in crisis communications. We soon became an award-winning PR firm and were conferred with the Gold Award for Excellence in Public Relations. PUBLICT. IO (erstwhile Supernewsroom) was established in 2015 focusing on PR tech.

What are some important features of your expertise as a leader and professional?

My forte is in crisis communications, media relations, and on-camera media coaching. In my journey, I have conducted media training and media coaching for corporate figures from various reputed organizations. I believe that my complementary experience in journalism and PR enables me to come up with strategic insights for the participants and solutions for customers.

"Manminder combines her expertise in pr and media to deploy digital pr solutions for startups and large organizations to tell their story through the best media houses”

What motivated you to establish PUBLICT.IO? Tell us about the underlying idea behind the platform.

I trust that necessity is the mother of invention, which is true in my case as well. As a PR practitioner, I myself witnessed a lot of pain points. It was not easy to get in touch with journalists. Contacting them was so tedious; let alone pitching a story. It would take at least three to four days just to get a proper RSVP for a press conference. Indeed long-winded tiring process for PR professionals, who can otherwise spend that time on strategic areas. PUBLICT.IO came into the picture to address these issues and resolve them. It is Asia’s first DIY PR platform where an organization can get publicized with a single click while getting instant responses from journalists.

What are some of the most unique features of your brainchild, why should a brand choose PUBLICT.IO over others?

PUBLICT.IO is a one-of-a-kind technology platform that automates every PR process. We offer five cool and unique features: Firstly, pay as you publish to make this affordable and accessible to companies of all sizes even if they are unable to hire a PR agency. This option eliminates the huge subscription fee. Clients can buy credits and use them when required. The second feature is the guaranteed placements in a specific media that they choose. Unlike a distribution service, our clients are empowered to earn placement in a media they want to and then monetize it through us. If the press release or story is not accepted, they need not pay a single penny to us. The platform progressed and evolved to provide various other features such as hiring writers and translators from a pool of talents to work on a press release. Further, we bring experts to serve as virtual PR to clients and help them with advisory services. Additionally, we also provide assistance to gain publicity in other countries of Asia.

Manminder,  Founder,  Publict.Io.

Manminder is the founder of the award winning media tech startup, PubliCT.io. She is also the CEO of Intelectasia, one of Malaysia’s top PR agencies that provides consultancy and PR training across the Asia region. She holds a Master's degree in Corporate Communications and has won the Marketing Excellence Award in Public Relations.