Episode 186: 3 Ways to Overcome The Fear of Being Seen
In this empowering solo episode of Small Business PR, host Gloria Chou shares the three mindset shifts that every entrepreneur needs before pitching their story to the media. If fear of judgment, imposter syndrome, or self-doubt has ever stopped you from pressing “send” on that pitch—this is the episode you need.
Gloria dives into real success stories from her PR program, including how a solo skincare founder landed a feature in Elle Magazine without any PR background or paid placements. These mindset reframes will help you overcome fear, get visible, and start building real media momentum—organically.
Mindset Shifts Every Entrepreneur Needs to Land Media Features and Build Long-Term Visibility
Your industry’s narrative is incomplete without you. Your voice is the missing puzzle piece that adds meaning to your niche.
With growth comes resistance. Visibility means new problems—but that’s how you know you’re leveling up.
Your customers want your story, not just your product. People buy from people, not faceless brands.
Overcoming fear leads to opportunity. Learn how Gloria’s members pitched successfully—starting with mindset, not media lists.
Brick by brick progress builds an empire. Why consistent action, even in small steps, leads to big PR wins.
Pitching to the media isn’t just about having the perfect headline or press angle—it starts with mindset. Whether you're a startup founder, coach, or small business owner, your ability to get visible, share your story, and build authentic media coverage depends on your willingness to overcome fear and show up.
Remember: your industry’s narrative is incomplete without your unique voice. By taking small, consistent steps—like building your PR confidence, crafting your founder story, and sending that first pitch—you’ll begin to unlock organic visibility, brand credibility, and lasting impact.
Product Businesses! Download my free HOW TO GET INTO A GIFT GUIDE/PRODUCT ROUND UP roadmap for free HERE to get more sales and traffic to your site this season.
If you want to land your first feature for free without any connections, I want to invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought-after industry expert. Register now at www.gloriachoupr.com/masterclass.
Resources Mentioned:
Join the PR Secrets Masterclass
Join the Small Biz PR Pros Facebook Group
DM the word “PITCH” to us on Instagram to get a pitching freebie https://www.instagram.com/gloriachoupr
Connect with Gloria Chou on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloriaychou
Join Gloria Chou's PR Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/428633254951941
Additional Resources:
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TRANsCRIPT
00:00:00 Gloria: Hey, small business heroes. I'm so happy that you're tuning into another episode of Small Business PR where we make PR and marketing super actionable and simple so that everyday small business heroes can be seen, heard, and valued. Oftentimes, the industry makes us believe that there are all these different hurdles, and challenges, and complexities to getting our business in front of more people. And it's my mission on this platform and through our programs to empower you to think differently.
00:00:24 Gloria: So, you know, the reason why I wanted to hop on here and record this was because I have been doing a lot of new year check-ins with our PR members, and they come from all walks of life, very diverse crowd. And one of them is a musician. And she was saying that, you know, on all the calls, she keeps seeing win after win. And she kept assuming that these businesses that were getting wins either had PR experience or maybe they just got lucky.
00:00:49 Gloria: And that she was worried about pitching, even though she had such an incredible story of impact. She was worried that the journalists either would misconstrue what she said or she wouldn't be properly represented. And so we really had a mindset shift moment for her because I really just asked her this question.
00:01:05 Gloria: I said, "Are you willing to truly make a bigger impact?" And she said, yes. And I said, "Well, are you willing to tell your story to more people so that you can impact the people who are waiting to be served with your message?” And she said, yes. And I said, "Then you know that you should not be worried about those problems. You should not be worried about the one or two haters or the people that might misconstrue your stories. You should be focusing on the people that you are serving."
00:01:30 Gloria: And it really brought me back to the reason why I wanted to make this episode is that I wanted to give you three mindset shifts or three ways to reframe things next time you are in the similar boat. Next time you are maybe putting up hurdles for yourself because you're worried about pressing that send button or because you're afraid to be seen, which honestly happens to all of us. Even the people who have been seen in media over and over again, they still get those butterflies. They still get a little bit anxious. So this is not a natural thing for us to put ourselves out there.
00:01:59 Gloria: But as you know, because you're listening to this podcast, that you cannot make the impact that you're here to make and you simply cannot build a business that you're here to build without being seen and putting yourself out there. So here is the first mindset reframe is that the universe will only give you the level of business whose problems you're capable of solving. What does that mean? It means that if you are worried about attracting more haters or if you're worried about what your high school classmate is going to think because you're growing your Instagram following or that you're getting onto a podcast, then maybe the universe is telling you that you're not ready to unlock a bigger business.
00:02:34 Gloria: Because at a bigger business, when you're serving more people, making more impact, and just showing up more, yes, you will attract some more haters because it's just a numbers game. You will inevitably attract people who maybe, they don't agree with what you're posting. And that's just a part of having a bigger presence.
00:02:51 Gloria: So always think to yourself, am I willing to grow my business? And am I willing to solve these problems that I have at my current level? If I can't even deal with one or two people who disagree with me, then maybe I need to figure out how I can reconcile with that and really overcome that challenge before I'm ready for a bigger business, before I'm ready to tell my story to more people. So always think about this. Are you ready and willing to do what it takes to have a bigger business, to have a bigger story, and to have a bigger impact?
00:03:21 Gloria: Now, I'm actually going through this myself with my team right now. And I am having a lot of team transitions, a lot of shifts, a lot of different hard conversations with my team members. And I always talk about this, leadership is probably the hardest thing for me growing this business and platform. It's not the sales. It's not the visibility. It's not that we can't get people's results. Those happen all the time.
00:03:41 Gloria: But what's hardest for me is really understanding that it's hard for me to be a leader. It's not natural for me to lead a team, lead with vision, getting everyone to row in the same direction, empowering them to be their best selves, and be in the day-to-day of my business. And that's hiring, recruiting, social media, marketing, showing up for my members. It's a lot. And leadership is one thing that I'm constantly realizing I really need to get better at. And it's something I work on every day.
00:04:07 Gloria: So right now, if I can't even deal with the difficulties and the challenges, and the realities of having the team size that I do, then the universe is not going to allow me to have a bigger business where I have an even bigger team and a bigger, you know, machine working with me and for me to make this world and make this whole PR program happen in a bigger way. So what I'm trying to say is this, know that you're exactly where you need to be, but realize that the reason why you cannot have a bigger business or a bigger impact is because you're still solving problems at this level.
00:04:41 Gloria: So think about how you orientate yourself to these problems and challenges. Because here's the thing, business and life are an inevitable array of problems. The problems will never stop coming, right? In business, we are here to solve problems. We just get better at solving them and we solve bigger and bigger and bigger ones. The problems will always keep on coming.
00:05:03 Gloria: So how can you solve the problem right now? Whether it's a mindset block, whether it's your, you know, inability to take action on something you know you need to do. How can you really confront that and overcome that first? Because that is what's required for you to unlock a bigger level, a next level that's going to have even bigger problems than right now. So that's just another mindset shift for you.
00:05:25 Gloria: Number two, if you are feeling like you're afraid to be seen or putting yourself out there and you're at odds with the things that you want and what it takes to get there, think about how in your industry and the narrative and the history that's being written about your industry with all the different articles and people appearing on podcasts and all those experts, it is absolutely incomplete without your unique angle, without your unique contribution.
00:05:48 Gloria: Think of it as a complex and beautiful puzzle board of your industry where everyone is putting in their unique piece, but it is absolutely incomplete without you putting in your puzzle piece. And, you know, what's funny is that this allegory or this metaphor was told to me by a 20 year old startup enthusiast and he just was still in school and never really had startup experience. But he really wanted to be featured in those tech magazines because he was just starting out his career, but it didn't mean that he was just starting out with his ambition.
00:06:16 Gloria: So he, you know, joined our PR challenge, he learned how to pitch, and he was able to get in one of the most prestigious magazines alongside other startup founders when he was just a fresh grad. And he said, "You know what, Gloria? The only thing that kept me going, even though I was in a sea of bigger players who raised so much money and had such a powerful network. And here I was as a nobody, as just a coder, you know, sitting in my parents' bedroom. I kept thinking, I need to put in my puzzle piece. My industry will be incomplete unless I add my puzzle piece. No matter if it's small compared to other people's, I need to put my puzzle piece."
00:06:50 Gloria: So how can you motivate yourself the next time you're afraid to press that send button? To think about the fact that your world, your narrative, the industry, it needs your puzzle piece to be complete. That's a really beautiful example and something I always remind my PR students. Because I get it, it's hard to put ourselves out there. It's one thing to maybe post something on Facebook where you have a limited number of friends, but when you do pitch and get on the media for anyone to see, it really takes a different frequency.
00:07:17 Gloria: It takes you stepping into a type of power and container that maybe you're not quite used to. And so, how can you motivate yourself to learn to know that this is just a part of the process of growing your business and impact and that you absolutely can do it. You just need to add your own puzzle piece.
00:07:34 Gloria: Now, the third thing, a third mindset shift that I would love to invite you to think about when you are facing a difficult time or you're just anxious or you're just feeling like, "Ah, I don't think I can do it." We all have those days. Or maybe you're just feeling down and you feel like, “Oh, there's such a gap between what I want to be and where I am right now."
00:07:51 Gloria: Think about it this way. Your customers, they are waiting to hear from you. And in this day and age, we don't just buy for someone's benefits and features. We want to know who is the person behind the brand. And there's no better way to show that other than getting organic PR, other than getting on a podcast, other than telling people your value add, sharing it on a podcast, because a journalist is not going to buy from you. The journalist is not going to be just putting out your benefits and features. That's your marketing. That's your sales page.
00:08:18 Gloria: The journalist is going to interview you and you're going to be able to tell them your perspective, your point of view, and what you're seeing from your customers. Your customers are waiting to hear from you. And it is your sacred duty, I say your mission, to really let them know who's behind the brand.
00:08:33 Gloria: Now, if you're not a camera person, that's okay. I'm not asking you to be on daytime live TV. I haven't been on it, and I'm not expecting you to. But you can also be in a digital publication. Maybe it's a piece of writing, or maybe it's a podcast without video. Regardless your customers want to hear from you, and they deserve to know who is behind the brand. Who is a story? Who is this person? And so that is the third piece of, I want to say mindset shift, but more of an encouragement for you next time you're feeling anxious about putting yourself out there, and that there's this heavy block, and you just feel resistant. Your customers are waiting to hear from you. They are waiting to be reflected in your story.
00:09:08 Gloria: They want to know you. They want to know your story, so that they may connect with you, because that is why people buy. People want to do business with people that they connect with. And it depends, you know, it doesn't matter what industry you're in, people want to buy from people. They want to know your story. They want to know your mission. They want to know your unique experiences, your why. And you need to do that by telling that story in the media and being on podcasts, and being on all those things. And it starts with pitching.
00:09:35 Gloria: So I hope that today's short episode has given you some food for thought. We all have those days where we just feel like there is such a resistance and that there's a huge ocean between what we know we can do and where we are now. And hopefully, these three mindset shifts can help make a little bridge for you and give you that little nudge to know that you are exactly where you need to be on your journey and it's not a destination. It's just making little steps every day, bit by bit towards your goal.
00:10:02 Gloria: You know, someone said to me, you don't… you don’t lose weight by going to the gym for 20 hours. But if you go every day for 20 days, you will see incredible gains and transformations. So it's not about doing things with such intensity. And it's not like either you got this and you're a confident person and you're in the media, or you're not. It's about planting those seeds and the little things that you do every day towards your goals.
00:10:27 Gloria: Maybe one day is just watching one training in my PR program or showing up to one of the calls or maybe installing a Google News Alert and seeing what types of stories are being written about. Maybe it's about watching the PR Masterclass and seeing what is your unique pitch, how can you tie seasonal relevance to it. All of those things can compound. It's about those little things, little steps that you take every day, laying that empire by brick, by brick, by brick. And before you know it, you will be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
00:10:58 Gloria: I actually had someone, the person that was featured in Elle who I described earlier in this episode, she was featured in Elle. She's a skincare founder and you know, she didn't know anyone else. She pitched, and for months she didn't hear anything, crickets, but she kept following up with a journalist because she knew that this journalist was perfect to cover her story. She kept following up. She said, “Hey, I love your article.” And just little nudges here and there, maybe liking their Instagram posts. And before you know it, in the new year, boom. She was featured in Elle magazine alongside these multimillion-dollar brands and she's a skincare founder.
00:11:33 Gloria: And she was listed one of the best skincare oils of the year. No, this is not a paid award submission. This is purely organic, free PR. And to have that confidence to know that she was featured alongside multimillion-dollar companies like Dermalogica, right, who have been for decades. And she's just a solo founder, maybe a few contractors, you know, pouring these skincare oils in her lab, it gave her such a feeling of confidence that she belongs, that her mission of why she created her unique beauty brand and the impact that she wanted to make. That it matters and that people care.
00:12:08 Gloria: So, just think about all the seeds that you can start planting today. Even if you don't hear back, have patience. I know that you can do it. I'm here cheering for you. This is why the podcast exists. This is why our community exists. And if you know anyone that is a small business owner who maybe is just starting out in their business or is doing something absolutely incredible and has a really unique mission to share, someone who's a kind heart, a great human, those are the type of people we like to have in our community. Share this episode with them. Talk to them about this podcast. It's my hope that this has given you motivation and inspiration, and affirmation that you are absolutely on your journey, and you're really making your way. So here I am cheering you on. Keep going and you got this.
00:12:52 Gloria: Hey, small business hero. Did you know that you can get featured for free on outlets like Forbes, The New York Times, Marie Claire, PopSugar, and so many more, even if you’re not yet launched or if you don’t have any connection. That’s right. That’s why I invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass where I reveal the exact method thousands of bootstrapping, small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to a credible and sought after industry expert. Now, if you wanna land your first press feature, get on a podcast, secure a VIP speaking gig or just reach out to that very intimidating editor, this class will show you exactly how to do it.
00:13:31 Gloria: Register now at gloriachoupr.com/masterclass. That’s gloriachou, C-H-O-U, pr.com/masterclass. So you can get featured in 30 days without spending a penny on ads or agencies. Best of all, this is completely free so get in there and let’s get you featured.