Sonam Shah, Founder and CEO of Treize Communications, is a leading Public Relations consultant with around 15 years of experience in corporate communications and PR. She has worked with diverse clients to deliver timely media presence and content-driven strategies that strengthen brand narratives. At Treize Communications, Sonam leads a team focused on offering tactical PR solutions with a sharp emphasis on transparency and storytelling. In this conversation, she reflects on reputation management in a fast-paced media landscape, navigating crises with integrity, and building purposeful strategies that balance authenticity with results.
Having built Treize Communications from the ground up, what core principles have guided your approach to reputation management in today’s fast-changing media environment?
Starting any business requires a lot of grit, commitment, patience, and a lot of other qualities, which one gets to know over the course of time. To build a business in a dynamic market, where media sentiments change on a literary daily basis, the base needs to be strong.
Our base has always been to maintain transparency and to stick to our commitment. I strongly believe that timely communication can solve most of the challenges that come across in anything, be it professionally or even personally.
And this thought I bring in my business also, as I continue to build and scale Treize Communications. Even as the media landscape evolves rapidly, our methodology and transparency are what help us live up to the pace.
With nearly 15 years in PR and communications, what shifts in client expectations have you observed, and how have you adapted your strategies to meet them?
There has been a massive shift in client demands. A decade and a half back, clients focused on quality versus quantity, while today they are looking at a fast turnaround. The focus has become very short-term. Earlier, clients used to come with their requirements much in advance, while today we have very last-minute requirements.
We have adapted to the growing needs and have PR strategies as per client demands. There is a lot of research and monitoring done to understand media sentiments, and also a deeper analysis of the various mediums. We actively ensure our clients are balanced between Print, Digital, Electronics, and Radio—to bring in an overall presence.
Consumer consumption patterns are also changing rapidly; thus, this is a very important step for us at Treize Communications at this point in our journey.
Strategic storytelling is at the heart of strong media relations. How do you strike the balance between brand objectives and authentic narratives that resonate with audiences?
Balancing is an art, and a very crucial one in storytelling. We are very focused on our area of expertise and offer our clients simple yet effective PR routes.
Yes, maintaining a balance between brand objective and authentic narrative can get quite challenging, and for this, we focus on our content strategy. Positioning the press releases, articles, and quotes with the right form of content holds immense value in corporate PR.
For us, it’s not what the readers want to read; it’s more about whether the journalist will be keen on picking this up. Media relations come before anything.
Crisis communication has become more complex in the digital era. What practices or mindsets do you believe are essential for brands to navigate crises effectively?
In today’s time, we do not have a ‘swim lane’ or a ‘silo’ that confines our professional capabilities, especially in times of crisis. Any crisis needs to be addressed in a timely manner and with the right attitude, honesty, and transparency. What makes PR a valuable tool during any crisis is the ability to bring any business back in the game. Ups and downs are bound to happen if a brand is in the public eye, and there is no running away from it. Rather, one should go and revisit their core positioning and offering and focus on it.
Brands should focus on being authentic and address the situation sensitively, rather than in a reactive way. Brands should also understand that PR and social media are very different and need to have different approaches.
At Treize, we strongly believe in the right mode of communication and urge clients to have official statements and responses ready, along with availability to quick media queries. There is nothing in this world that is not possible if communicated in the right manner. I think any PR handling a sensitive situation should go back to basics and concentrate on it. Build a clear purpose behind doing PR. Crisis management for PR professionals is an opportunity where the team gets to showcase its A-game. Get the team excited about it rather than making it sound heavy, which helps a lot.
As a founder leading an independent consultancy, what lessons stand out from your entrepreneurial journey—and what advice would you share with young professionals entering PR today?
My learning from entrepreneurship can be a whole different article altogether. But my two cents for the young entrants today, in PR or in any agency setup would be – please don’t come with an ‘I know it all’ attitude, be open to discussions and learning from teammates and colleagues, it’s much real.
I would also advise them to focus on their soft skills and not take basic manners for granted. They shape you more than you think. Real experiences are slow. While it may be different from the ‘digital life’ you live, being present will help you learn something new with every hurdle. Be curious, listen more than you talk, and never lose your integrity! Skills will grow over time, but your integrity is what will keep you.
