Communications Consultant
Communications consulting
Most communications problems show up as search problems first: nobody can describe what you do in the words your buyers use, so nothing you publish ranks and nothing you say converts. I'm Deepak Shukla, founder of Pearl Lemon and a three-time TEDx speaker, including at Cambridge University. I work on positioning and visibility together — the message, and the channels that make people see it.
- Positioning and messaging grounded in what buyers actually search for
- Digital PR and founder visibility, not press releases into the void
- Search, content and PR run as one programme
Where communications and search meet
Your positioning decides which searches you can plausibly win. If your category language does not match your buyers' language, every content programme built on it underperforms. The first piece of work is usually message testing against real query data — which phrases people use, at what volume, with what intent.
Founder-led visibility
For consultancies and founder-led businesses, the person is the brand asset. That means speaking, podcasts, writing under your own name, and a personal site that ranks for your name and your subject — which is exactly what this site is. The work is repeatable and measurable, not a vanity exercise.
Digital PR that earns links
Coverage is only half the return; the links and entity associations are the compounding half. Campaigns are built around something journalists can use — data, a contrarian position, a founder story — and measured on placements, links and branded search volume.
What communications consulting costs
Fixed scopes, no long tie-ins. Every engagement starts with a call and a written plan.
Positioning sprint
from £1,500
Two to three weeks: message, audience and proof, tested against search demand.
Monthly programme
from £3,000/mo
Digital PR, content and founder visibility run together.
Consulting call
£300/hour
Strategy session, recording and notes included.
Communications consulting — frequently asked questions
- What does a communications consultant do?
- Decides what you say, to whom, and where — then makes it visible. In practice: positioning and messaging, content and PR planning, spokesperson and founder visibility, and measurement against enquiries rather than impressions.
- How is this different from hiring a PR agency?
- Traditional PR sells coverage. This is built around search and pipeline: the message is tested against real query data, and campaigns are measured on links, branded search and enquiries.
- What does it cost?
- A positioning sprint starts at £1,500. Ongoing programmes start at £3,000 a month. Hourly consulting is £300.
Related services
Get a free 10-minute teardown of your site
Send me your site and the one thing you want fixed. I'll record a short teardown of what I'd do first — no pitch, no obligation.