Objective
PetProov, a pet-tech startup tackling the rising issue of online puppy scams, engaged us to elevate its brand profile, secure widespread media coverage, and position the founders as trusted voices in pet fraud prevention. The overarching goal was to amplify awareness of the problem and drive meaningful conversation with pet owners, animal lovers, and mainstream audiences.
Approach
To maximise relevance and reach, the campaign married founder narrative storytelling with timely, data-driven news angles:
1. Founder story + human interest anchors
We led with the emotional and relatable origin story, the personal experience of the founder who lost £500 to a puppy scam and went on to build PetProov to protect others. This narrative underpinned proactive pitches to nationals.
2. Targeted media hooks
- Consumer interviews: Secured sit-down pieces with titles such as Metro and Daily Express (e.g., “I was scammed by a puppy breeder…”) that highlighted the real financial and emotional impacts of pet fraud.
- Data + advisory content: Provided expert commentary and guidance around puppy scams and responsible buying, positioning PetProov as the authority on these everyday issues.
- Feature placements in trusted news sources: Worked towards securing placements in broader lifestyle and mainstream publications, including The Guardian, to reinforce reach and credibility.
3. Strategic pitching cadence
Pitches were tailored around known editorial calendars and news seasons, combined with reactive outreach based on emerging scam trends and seasonal pet buying spikes — ensuring stories felt timely and editorially worthy.
Results
Total media coverage: 158 pieces across online, print and broadcast
Audience reach: 20.4 million
Brand mentions: 322
Backlinks: 82
Coverage highlights included:
- The Guardian — National feature profiling puppy scams and prevention
- ITV’s This Morning — Live interview with the founder on personal experience and pet fraud advice
- Daily Express and Daily Mirror — Multi-article coverage reinforcing PetProov’s credibility
- BBC UK and Your Dog — Reaching core pet-owner audiences with trust signals
- Good Housekeeping — Lifestyle placement amplifying expert perspective
- Startups 100 — Recognition as one of the UK’s leading startups for 2026
Offline coverage was captured in traditional print outlets including Daily Express and Vet Record.
Insights & Impact
1. Elevated brand authority across audiences
By blending emotional storytelling with expert insight, PetProov achieved media coverage that resonated with both general audiences and pet-centric communities, crucial for a behaviour-change campaign.
2. High-value national visibility
Securing coverage with The Guardian and mainstream nationals like Metro and Daily Express helped shift PetProov from niche startup to widely recognised commentator on pet fraud, a major achievement for a social mission-led brand.
3. Strong engagement & longevity
The campaign generated sustained media interest over seven months, with cumulative exposure across news cycles and continued relevance through evergreen editorial interest in pet safety.
Conclusion
This campaign demonstrates how a carefully orchestrated PR strategy, grounded in a founder’s compelling story, targeted media engagement, and audience-specific messaging, can generate meaningful awareness, drive high-impact national coverage, and position a mission-which matters at the heart of press discourse.
Kate Margolis
Co-founder, PetProov.com, said:“Jess has always understood our business, our mission and the challenges we’re trying to solve better than most. From the beginning, she quickly grasped what PetProov was trying to achieve and has been instrumental in helping us build visibility and credibility through national media coverage.
Jess has a real ability to find the stories within a business and turn them into opportunities journalists want to cover. She understands the news agenda, knows what makes a strong media story and is constantly looking for new angles, whether that’s using our data, our founder story, reacting to breaking news or finding ways to position PetProov as a credible voice on pet fraud and safer pet buying.
Her genuine love of dogs and interest in animal welfare also means she really cares about our mission. She understands why the work matters and brings both enthusiasm and a huge amount of PR experience to the campaign.
I would highly recommend her to any startup or growing business looking for someone who will take the time to properly understand their business, find the stories others might miss and turn them into meaningful media opportunities.”
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