The latest episode of the Business Awards Show features an interview with Penny Joyner-Platt, the founder of The Plattform, a PR and marketing agency.
Penny is dedicated to helping ambitious businesses raise their profile, win recognition, and achieve measurable growth. Her career spans more than 15 years in communications. As a result, she has worked across industries to deliver strategic campaigns that get brands noticed, talked about, and remembered.
During our conversation we discussed awards in depth, given they are at the heart of her expertise. Penny has been involved in every stage of the awards process — from planning her own awards, to judging categories, to writing, designing and mentoring many winning entries for clients. Her deep understanding of the awards process, combined with her creative storytelling skills, makes her one of the UK’s go-to experts for awards success. And in 2025 she has entered the Best Businesswomen Awards, being shortlisted as a finalist in two categories.
Furthermore, Penny explained why finalists in Businesswomen Awards can often get more PR than their male counterparts. She expanded by highlighting the growing number of women in the UK SME sector. Ultimately, Penny set up her business The Plattform to help businesses achieve wider reach. She stressed this was not just from award wins but in all areas of a business. The result: her business has grown rapidly over the last three years.
She went on to explain that not every small business can afford to outsource its PR and marketing. Therefore, Penny has created a solution by offering a mentor programme. Her first mentee, Tracy Fishburn, a former guest on the Show, has grown her business exponentially, and won multiple awards, thanks Penny's support.
This episode offers some fascinating insights into the world of Awards and how to succeed in them. Penny also provides common-sense advice about starting and running a business, and how anyone can create a sensible PR and marketing strategy with a little help.
{1:32} Penny's back story.
{4:46} How award entries differ in effort.
{8:20} Penny makes the Best Businesswomen Awards Final 2025.
{10:10} Setting up The Plattform.
{15:08} The success of Penny's first PR mentee Tracy Fishburn.
{17:20} The value of awards for PR.
{21:57} Why the Best Businesswomen Awards recognise all finalists.
{22:48} Penny's own awards.
{23:57} Why her awards ended.
{25:57} Penny's business tips.
Connect with Debbie at: https://thebusinessawardsshow.co.uk
Connect with Penny: https://the-plattform.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-plattform/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.plattform.agency
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plattform
Listen to Episode 71 with Tracy Fishburn of Tracy's Treasured Keepsakes: https://thebusinessawardsshow.libsyn.com/episode-070-interview-with-tracy-fishburn
