A Chat with Jennifer Hodgson, Founder at Award Winning PR Agency: MODA PR

I started MODA PR back in 2020 during the first lockdown. To put it bluntly, I was miserable & I’d had enough of walking into the office every day feeling deflated; I just knew there was something else out there for me. After a trip to Las Vegas & a spur of the moment decision, I came back to the UK, handed in my notice & started MODA PR two days later.

I had a second hand printer, my laptop & a desk. I had no idea how to raise an invoice, but I knew I had a love for PR & a strong gut feeling that I’d made the right decision. Two years on, my life as a freelance PR agent grew very quickly & before I knew it we were a growing boutique agency.

I’d always worked in PR & Communications and knew that’s where I belonged. MODA PR to me is more than just my job or career; it’s a culmination of everything I’ve ever worked for my entire life. I now wake up every morning being proud of the work I do & the people we represent, and that for me is more than I could have ever wished for.
 
 

 

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

 
The idea started the year before during my business module at University. I’d always wanted to have my own business & essentially be my own boss, but I was never a businesswoman. So, I put together a loose business plan from a template I’d found online & submitted it during my course.

I forgot about it until March 2020 when I was in fact on the brink of leaving my current role & thought about revisiting it then. In theory, I did just that. I created the MODA PR company & the rest just happened naturally. There was certainly a gap in the market in the North West for a boutique agency to come into the fold & disrupt the market; and I can confidently say I think we’ve done that.

It hasn’t been easy though; starting a company has genuinely been one of the most challenging & mentally testing things I have ever done in my entire life, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. At times, the imposter syndrome has been very real & VERY overwhelming, but worth every second so far!

MODA PR to me is about delivering the big city approach in a small city setup. To many clients, that is appealing & rather intriguing. We’re not corporate by any means, we don’t waste our time with timesheets & unnecessary tasks. We live & breathe PR and we don’t stop until we get results.
 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 
The business has grown from just me in my back bedroom to a head office in Chester & a fabulous team. We work with clients from all over the UK covering a variety of sectors incuding beauty, fashion, lifestyle & live entertainment which I couldn’t be prouder of. We’ve learned a lot over the last two years and in all honesty – made a lot of mistakes.

I never like to think of these as mistakes though; they are learning curves & a chance to make changes. Some of the biggest “mistakes” we’ve made have actually been blessings. For example – trust your gut, create boundaries dont work with idiots; all 3 lessons learned from doing the exact opposite at one time or another.
 

What can we hope to see from MODA PR in the future?

 
Looking into the future, I would love to expand both the team & our offering even more. We’re really passionate about working with brands who have purpose or a strong passion for their craft or talent. People who can engage an audience & really make them and us feel alive and people we can be proud of. Location wise, we really love being in the North West & being able to travel so freely to the south if needed so to be honest; we dont have any intention of moving anytime soon.

We’re at such an exciting time in the business where we’d love to expand our team with incredibly passionate like minded people who live and breathe PR.

This industry & MODA PR isnt something you can be half hearted about; you’re either in it 100% or youre not in it at all.