Leyla Bolho Garlatti Brings Style and a Global Perspective to PR
Born and raised in Niamey, Niger, Leyla spent her summers traveling to France from Africa, where she immersed herself in the latest fashion trends.
“I actually fell into PR by chance because I just loved fashion,” Leyla says. “When I was younger, I was following everything my sister was doing - if she was wearing boots, I just wanted the same boots.”
At 17, Leyla moved from Niger to Paris, France to study at ESCE International Business School in La Défense, Europe’s largest purpose-built business district.
Immersing Herself in Fashion PR in Paris
In the bustling heart of Paris, Leyla secured a fashion PR internship and worked with some of Europe’s most iconic brands, including the Italian luxury house Moschino.
“I got to go to Milan multiple times a year for fashion shows,” Leyla says. “It was such a great experience.”
Alongside major luxury labels, Leyla also worked with smaller, emerging brands, an experience that taught her the nuances of navigating the distinct challenges and opportunities that differentiate up-and-coming brands from globally recognized names.
“The smaller brands are more challenging for sure, because it’s a struggle to gain coverage,” Leyla says. “At the time it was a lot about bigger brands that are advertisers getting bigger coverage.”
Leveraging Social Media in PR for Emerging Brands
For Leyla, staying on top of the social media landscape is a key strategy in her PR toolbox for emerging brands.
“I did six months of social media management training,” Leyla says. “I had to know how to maneuver around social media because it became a major part of the PR strategy for most brands. It’s a good way to understand the brand identity, see the type of followers they have, and the reach.”
Leyla leverages social media to gain deeper insights into TaleSplash clients to look for clues about their customers and followers, to help make her media outreach even more effective.
“Seeing what our clients’ constant posts are about and how people react to them is helpful to me as I’m writing my pitches and reaching out to the media,” Leyla says.
Getting Products into the Hands of the Right Journalists
Having worked in beauty PR for high-profile designer fragrance brands like Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, and Chloé, Leyla also emphasizes the importance of getting products into journalists’ hands, because firsthand experience can be the key to securing, authentic impactful coverage.
“If journalists don’t try the product, see it, or touch it, it’s very hard to sell the product to an editor and push your brand,” says Leyla.
”Even smaller companies, despite the cost of the items, should consider this approach because that's the only way of gaining media exposure and eventually getting coverage.”
Building Authentic Client Relationships
Leyla’s ability to build genuine, authentic relationships with founders by taking the time to deeply understand their goals and aspirations, helps her translate their vision into a results-driven PR plan.
“Getting good feedback from the clients is a big win,” Leyla says. “The connection we’re building as a team with them is really gratifying.”
Leyla champions their wins, too. “It’s so rewarding to see the client coverage coming up.”
For Leyla, problem-solving is also a key: finding creative solutions and ensuring client needs are met, even when it means pivoting to a new strategy in real time. To unlock new opportunities for media coverage, Leyla also crafts compelling award submissions that have successfully earned clients industry awards, like the SELF Healthy Beauty Awards.
“Most clients that I’ve worked with are female founders,” Leyla says. “ I love engaging with our clients. I love that they have a mission of making an impact in their field. They all have a different product or service, and everyone has a unique story.”
You can learn more about Leyla’s PR journey by connecting with her on LinkedIn.
