How To Turn PR Into Your Secret Weapon for Market Dominance with Karla Jo Helms

Most companies think of public relations as the art of writing a good press release or landing a quote in a trade publication. But what if PR could be your most powerful strategic weapon, not just for visibility, but for market dominance?

In this episode of The B2B Revenue Executive Experience, Karla Jo Helms, Founder and CEO of JOTO PR Disruptors, pulls back the curtain on how PR can be wielded like a precision weapon to shape public opinion, defend against competitive attacks, and accelerate growth.

With a background in crisis management and a love of math, media algorithms, and momentum, Karla shares how businesses can flip traditional PR on its head and use it proactively to win.

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1. A New Era for PR

Karla's PR philosophy didn't begin in fluffy brand storytelling. It was born in the trenches of crisis communications, where companies were fighting to survive public opinion firestorms. Early in her career, she witnessed how larger competitors could weaponize media to derail smaller, faster-growing innovators who lacked protective publicity.

Her takeaway? The modern business battlefield isn't fought with bullets; it's fought with headlines.

“It’s not the Wild West where you shoot them out. You print them out.”

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2. The Math Behind Market Mindshare

Forget Ouija boards and obscure media impressions. Karla's team uses a scientific formula to calculate how much exposure a brand needs to dominate public perception.

It starts with understanding:

• Total Addressable Market (TAM)
• Emotional sentiment and the urgency of the audience
• Barriers to entry, like lawsuits or bad press
• Message saturation, or how many times the message must be seen to shift minds (usually 20–50 times)

From there, you reverse-engineer:

• Which publications and platforms reach your audience
• How frequently you need to appear there
• What narratives will displace your competitors

Think of it like filling a vacuum, one article, podcast, or quote at a time, until your narrative becomes the dominant story.

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3. Want More Leads? Start with Exposure

One of the biggest disconnects between PR and revenue teams is measurability. Karla Jo bridges this gap with a clear chain of influence:

• PR exposure raises awareness and trust
• Marketing pulls in warmed-up, educated prospects
• Sales convert those leads with less resistance
• Revenue increases as a result of faster cycles and higher close rates

Done right, PR doesn't just support the funnel; it fills it.

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4. How to Communicate with Purpose

According to Karla's research, 80% of fast-growing tech CEOs use PR not just to tell stories, but to stay visible and communicate their purpose. But not the fluffy, generic kind pasted on the About Us page. Karla gives an example:

A company that helps small businesses fight fraudulent chargebacks. Their true purpose? Leveling the playing field. So every PR story should reflect that mission, whether they're commenting on legislation, technology, or customer wins.

This alignment between purpose, press, and product builds what she calls brand resilience, the ability to withstand hits and still stand strong in the market.

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5. Pro Tips to Get the Media to Call You Back

Don't have big media connections? No problem. Karla's playbook is all about value creation, not name-dropping.

The secret: Stop begging for coverage and start offering insights.

• Share data or trends that haven't hit the mainstream yet
• Offer expert POV on legislation or news impacting your audience
• Be a resource, not a press release.

This consistent, value-first strategy snowballs. One trade article leads to a podcast. That podcast gets picked up by mainstream outlets. And just like that, your brand is everywhere.

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6. What to Do When the Firestorm Hits

Even with the best strategy, the storm can hit. And when it does, Karla has clear advice:

• Don't go silent: You must fill the vacuum with your narrative.
• Don't repeat the enemy line: Never say, "I didn't cheat." Instead, say, "Here's a certificate proving our compliance."
• Don't defend; attack strategically: Show receipts. Show confidence.

And please, for the love of your brand, hire a pro. Most companies instinctively do the wrong thing and make it worse.

On social media, the same rules apply. Amplify your message, control the tone, and never let the trolls hijack your narrative.

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If you've been thinking of PR as a press release machine, it's time to change the game. Whether you're defending your brand, launching a new category, or just trying to make sure your narrative is the one that sticks, Karla has laid out the roadmap.

Start by doing the math, speak with purpose, fill the vacuum, and never, ever leave your story in someone else's hands.

Now that you know how to leverage the full power of PR, discover the full list of episodes at The B2B Revenue Executive Experience. If you enjoy the show, instructions to rate and review it are found here.

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