Shakers

The Objective

Following a €14M Series A, Shakers was at a pivotal moment in its growth. With a strong presence in Spain and 25% of its business already coming from international markets, the startup needed to introduce itself to the UK as a credible leader in workforce orchestration.
The goal was to establish the Shakers brand across key European markets as a strategic partner for both businesses and freelancers, starting with the UK:
Increasing brand awareness among businesses and tech freelancers
Standing out in a crowded freelance and HR tech market
Establishing Shakers as a credible authority on the Future of Work and AI

The Campaign

Ballou designed a PR strategy in the UK to turn short-term funding visibility into long-term reputation and momentum.

Our approach combined three strategic layers:
Category positioning:

• Crafted narratives to differentiate Shakers from gig economy platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, positioning its AI-human hybrid model as a smarter, enterprise-ready alternative.
• Credibility building at European level: Leveraged English-language trades covering startups, investment, business, HR and AI to anchor Shakers in the European tech and HR ecosystem.
• Thought leadership for long-term influence: Positioned Shakers’ executive team as experts on AI, talent and the future of work through op-eds, expert commentary and broadcast opportunities.

Key highlights in six months:
15 dedicated articles covering Shakers’ Series A with strong investor-facing visibility (EU Startups, Tech.EU, FinSMEs); two Sifted interviews; global broadcast interview on Ticker News (180M potential reach); Consistent visibility through a thought leadership campaign in HR and AI titles (AI Journal, HR Review, People Management)

The Results

“Ballou transformed our Series A announcement into a sustained growth engine. Media presence influenced 25% of all new business projects published the following month. More than visibility, the campaign strengthened our credibility and accelerated our European expansion by firmly positioning Shakers as a differentiated voice in the Future of Work across Europe.”

Jaime Castillo – Cofounder & CRO of Shakers

The campaign transformed Shakers’ Series A announcement into sustained brand momentum across Europe and the UK, extending visibility well beyond the initial news cycle.

Traffic spiked +45% on announcement day, and website traffic remained 23% higher in the post-event period, with referral traffic up 73% and social traffic up 43%, as coverage continued to drive qualified audiences well after the launch.

The campaign sharpened Shakers’ positioning around its AI–human hybrid model, differentiating it from larger freelance platforms and reinforcing its credibility within the Future of Work and HR tech landscape, particularly as it entered the UK market. Social momentum reflected this impact, with LinkedIn impressions up 80% following the announcement.
Crucially, this visibility translated into business impact: media presence contributed to influencing 25% of all new business projects published the following month.

The strength and durability of these results led Shakers to extend its collaboration with Ballou beyond the initial pilot into a long-term partnership.