How to Get Featured as a Woman Entrepreneur — Without Paying a PR Agency Thousands

Right now, somewhere, a woman with a business as strong as yours is being trusted by a client, an investor, or a journalist — not because her product is better, but because someone else vouched for her first. That’s what a magazine feature does. And every month you go without one is a month a competitor closes that gap instead of you.

Here’s the uncomfortable part: most women entrepreneurs don’t stay invisible because they lack a good story. They stay invisible because the traditional path to press coverage is broken for them.

Why the Traditional Path to Press Doesn’t Work for Most Founders

Look at how the established players actually operate: – Entrepreneur Magazine’s contributor program — one of the few ways to guarantee your name appears in their pages — now charges up to $3,000 a year, and even then, acceptance isn’t guaranteed. – Independent PR agencies charge $1,750 or more for a single “guaranteed” placement, often outsourcing the actual writing to non-native freelancers, with no say over your own story. – Some women’s business directories charge as little as $27 — but only for priority queue placement, with publication itself never guaranteed.

None of these options were built with a first-time founder, a solo consultant, or a woman running her business alongside a full-time job in mind. They were built to extract fees from people desperate for visibility, with the risk sitting entirely on the founder’s side.

What a Fair Feature Process Actually Looks Like

Leiden & Leuven Magazine was built the opposite way: transparent pricing, a guaranteed publish date, and a story you approve before it ever goes live.

Step 1 — Apply Tell us who you are and what you’ve built. We accept founders at any stage — idea, side hustle, or established company — and any age.

Step 2 — Choose Your Plan Rising Voice, Leading Lady, or Global Icon (see our Feature Plans page for full pricing). No hidden retainer, no annual fee, no bidding for an editor’s attention.

Step 3 — Tell Your Story A short interview, written or by video call. We ask the questions that make your story specific — the moment you started, the problem you solve, what’s next.

Step 4 — Approve and Publish You review the draft before it’s public. Your name, your words, your control.

Step 5 — Use It Everywhere Your feature becomes a permanent, linkable asset: on your website as an “As Featured In” badge, in your investor deck, in your email signature, and shared across your social channels.

Why This Matters More Than Ever Right Now

The number of women entering entrepreneurship is climbing fast, which means the competition for attention — investor attention, customer attention, media attention — is climbing with it.

Key data: In the Netherlands, women now represent 38% of all entrepreneurs, up from 33.7% in 2013 (CBS, 2025). In Australia, women-owned businesses have grown 46% over the past two decades and female business ownership has risen 77.4% since 1991 — nearly double the growth rate of male-owned businesses over the same period. This is not a niche trend; it’s a structural shift in who runs the economy, and the founders who get visible early are the ones who benefit most as the field gets more crowded.

Who We Feature

We don’t gatekeep by follower count or years in business. We look for a founder who can be specific about her “why” — women building a first idea, women scaling a ten-person team, women who left corporate life at 45 to finally build something of their own.

Don’t let another quarter go by being the best-kept secret in your industry. [See Feature Plans & Pricing →]

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to be featured in Leading Ladies Magazine? Plans start at $19, a fraction of the $1,750+ typically charged by PR agencies for a single guaranteed placement.

How fast will I be published? Between 5 and 10 business days, depending on your plan — with a guaranteed publish date, not a queue.

Do I need a large following to apply? No. We evaluate the strength and clarity of your story, not your follower count.

Can I be featured if my business is brand new? Yes. First-time founders, side-hustlers, and established CEOs are all welcome.

Your story is worth more than staying unseen. [Apply to Be Featured → Whatsapp @perumira]