When it comes to marketing and public relations for women’s products, the bar is finally being raised. For decades, women were pitched to as if they were a monolith: pink packaging, smiling models, and hollow taglines that often leaned more on stereotypes than genuine insight. But as women continue to command more economic power—controlling or influencing over 80% of consumer purchases—expectations have changed. Now, doing PR for women’s products well means more than just slapping a feminine design on a generic good. It means building a brand narrative that is authentic, inclusive, and deeply attuned to the evolving needs, values, and intelligence of women today.
And yet, many brands still get it wrong.
So what does it take to get it right?
1. Know Who You’re Actually Talking To
Too often, public relations campaigns for women’s products start with a shallow persona—“Millennial Mom,” “Savvy Career Girl,” “Wellness Enthusiast”—and stop there. These avatars lack depth. Women, like all consumers, live complex lives with intersecting identities: race, age, geography, income level, ability, and more all shape their experiences.
PR professionals need to invest in real market research, qualitative interviews, and lived experience data—not just demographics. Go beyond assumptions. What are her pain points? What does success look like for her? Where does she seek information, validation, and inspiration?
Segmenting audiences thoughtfully allows PR campaigns to resonate more deeply. A menstrual care brand might target Gen Z with TikTok influencers who talk openly about period stigma, while also pitching to wellness editors of print magazines read by women in their 40s seeking eco-conscious options. Both approaches are valid, but they require a different voice, different channels, and different types of storytelling.
2. Respect Her Intelligence
This one should be obvious by now, but sadly, it’s not. Many campaigns aimed at women still fall back on infantilizing language, overly simplistic messaging, or worst of all, a condescending tone masked as “fun.” The #girlboss era might be over, but its shadow lingers.
Good PR treats the audience with respect. That means being honest about product ingredients, performance, and limitations. It means elevating substance over fluff—providing value, not just vibes. Women don’t want to be “sold to.” They want to be informed and inspired.
Consider how skincare brand The Ordinary broke through the noise: their marketing was clinical, precise, and borderline boring—but it worked. Why? Because they treated their audience as informed partners in their skincare journey. No filters. No fluff. Just facts.
3. Use Storytelling with Integrity
There’s a reason storytelling is the bedrock of great PR—it humanizes the product, creates emotional connections, and makes campaigns memorable. But when done poorly, it can backfire, coming off as exploitative or inauthentic.
Using storytelling with integrity means centering the real people who use your product—not tokenizing them. It means sharing origin stories that reflect the actual challenges and wins of your brand—not sanitized narratives for media gloss. And most importantly, it means walking your talk. If you’re pushing empowerment, show it behind the scenes. If you’re advocating for inclusion, prove it in your hiring and partnerships.
Thinx, the period underwear company, built a loyal following through raw, honest stories about menstruation. Their bold subway ads weren’t just attention-grabbing—they opened up space for taboo topics. That vulnerability created credibility. It wasn’t just storytelling—it was truth-telling.
4. Don’t Just Ride the Feminism Wave—Support It
PR for women’s products often leans on empowerment messaging. And while that can be powerful, it can also be manipulative. “Fauxpowerment” marketing—when brands co-opt feminist language without doing the work—is rampant. It risks turning important movements into hollow slogans.
Doing it right means using your platform to support real change. Donate to women’s causes. Invest in underrepresented founders. Speak out on issues that matter to your audience, even when it’s risky.
Brands like Dove have been lauded for their Real Beauty campaign—but they’ve also had to reconcile that messaging with the business realities of their parent company, Unilever, which owns brands that sometimes promote contrary ideals. Consumers notice these contradictions. PR pros should anticipate them, not bury them.
5. Intersectionality Isn’t Optional
If your PR strategy doesn’t account for race, class, sexuality, gender identity, and ability, it’s outdated. Inclusivity can’t be an afterthought or an occasional “diversity spotlight.” It must be built in from the beginning.
That means diversifying your creative team. Hiring spokespeople from different backgrounds. Featuring a range of stories in your campaigns—not just the ones that feel “safe.” It means understanding that a plus-size woman doesn’t just want to see herself in an ad; she wants the product to work for her body. That a Black woman doesn’t just want inclusion in a photoshoot; she wants to know your company invests in her community.
Fenty Beauty’s success didn’t come from flashy PR alone. It came from a product range—40+ foundation shades—that actually delivered on inclusivity. The PR amplified what the product already did right.
6. Understand the Power of Influencers—but Use Them Wisely
Influencer marketing can be a powerhouse strategy for women’s products—but only when it’s executed with authenticity. Micro- and nano-influencers (those with 1k–100k followers) often outperform mega-celebrities in terms of engagement and trust, especially when they’re passionate and knowledgeable about the product category.
A common mistake? Relying on aesthetic over alignment. Just because someone has a visually appealing feed doesn’t mean they’ll move the needle. PR pros need to vet influencers the same way journalists vet sources: do they have credibility? Do their values align with the brand? Will their audience care?
The best influencer collaborations feel like friendships, not transactions. And they go beyond the #spon tag—they include co-created content, behind-the-scenes storytelling, and honest feedback loops.
7. Media Relations Still Matter—Just Not in the Same Way
In a world of social media, brand-owned content, and influencer virality, it’s tempting to sideline traditional PR tactics like pitching journalists or securing editorial coverage. But media relations still matter—if done right.
What’s changed is that journalists today are overwhelmed, underpaid, and incredibly selective. If you want your product in theNew York Times gift guide or featured in a Well+Good round-up, you need to provide a real story, not just a press release.
That might mean facilitating interviews with your founder, providing data or third-party endorsements, or tying your pitch to a timely cultural conversation (e.g., how your menopause product fits into the growing femtech boom). Lazy pitching won’t cut it. But thoughtful, customized, relationship-driven outreach still works—and builds long-term credibility.
8. Think Beyond Launch Day
Too many PR campaigns for women’s products are front-loaded with hype and sparkle, only to fizzle out after launch. Great PR strategy treats launch day as thestarting line, not the finish.
That means planning for sustained visibility: thought leadership, seasonal campaigns, user-generated content, evergreen stories, podcast features, community-building events. It means giving your product—and the people behind it—room to evolve in public.
Sustained PR is where real trust is built. It’s what keeps your audience engaged long after the Instagram buzz fades. And it’s what gives your brand resilience when mistakes inevitably happen.
9. Don’t Overpromise—Deliver
This is perhaps the most important rule of all. PR is about shaping perception, yes—but it should never veer into deception. If your product doesn’t live up to its claims, no amount of savvy press coverage or influencer love will save it.
Women are savvier than ever. They read ingredient labels. They talk in forums. They write reviews. If your product works, they’ll become advocates. If it doesn’t, they’ll tell the world.
The best PR strategy is a great product experience. Everything else is amplification.
Final Thoughts: PR as Advocacy
When done well, PR for women’s products doesn’t just move merchandise—it moves culture. It gives voice to underrepresented stories. It challenges stigma. It builds community. It says: we see you, we hear you, we made thisfor you and with you. That’s not just good PR. That’s good business—and better yet, it’s good citizenship in a world where women deserve more than lip service.
So the next time a brand asks how to “market to women,” push back. Ask which women. Ask why. Ask what they actually need. And then tell the story like it matters.
Because it does.
