PR That Builds Authority, Not Just Press: A Conversation with Cris Gordon
What does it take to build a brand that lasts — not just one that gets a moment of press and fades? That’s the question at the heart of this episode of the Brandinc PR Podcast, and my guest Cris Gordon has spent more than 17 years answering it in real time.
Cris is the founder of CB Communications, Chief Brand Officer and Head of MMC Beauty, and the creator of Brandidly Speaking — a media and learning platform built to transform real-world marketing experience into real-world impact. She has worked with global prestige names like Estée Lauder Companies and Sisley Paris, and she brings that same strategic rigor to the indie and founder-led beauty brands she champions today.
Breaking Into an Industry Not Built for You
As a first-generation Dominican woman and mother of four, Cris entered the beauty industry at a time when leadership rarely looked like her. Rather than conform to a system not designed for her success, she built her own — founding CB Communications in 2017 with an earned-first approach to PR and brand building that prioritized long-term relevance over short-term visibility.
Her story is a masterclass in what it means to lead from the outside in — and why diverse voices in communications aren’t just important for representation, but essential for strategy.
Earned Media Strategy That Actually Moves the Needle
One of the most important distinctions Cris makes — and one that every brand owner and communications professional needs to hear — is the difference between PR that generates press and PR that builds authority.
Press gets you a moment. Authority gets you a movement.
For beauty brands especially, where the landscape is crowded and consumer trust is everything, Cris argues that showing up in culture from the inside out is the only sustainable path. That means building community before you need it, creating messaging that resonates beyond the product, and investing in communications infrastructure that supports growth at every stage.
What Indie and Founder-Led Beauty Brands Need Right Now
The beauty industry is in a moment of major disruption — legacy brands are fighting for relevance while indie challengers are capturing cultural share at a pace that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. Cris has worked on both sides of that equation, and her perspective on what separates the brands that break through from the ones that plateau is sharp, practical, and immediately applicable.
Spoiler: it almost always comes back to story, trust, and consistency.
About Cris Gordon
Cris Gordon is the founder of CB Communications, Chief Brand Officer and Head of MMC Beauty, and the lead voice of Brandidly Speaking. With 17+ years of experience across agency and in-house marketing and communications, she has worked with global and prestige brands while also advising emerging founder-led businesses at every stage of growth.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.