PR isn’t dead. It’s just evolved.
And if you’re still thinking of it as a formal press release sent to a list of journalists once a year, you’re missing out on one of the most credible ways to reach new customers.
Here’s what the research shows: 72% of journalists now prefer to discover stories through industry contacts and relationships rather than unsolicited press releases. Your beautiful 500-word announcement about a new product launch? It’s probably sitting in someone’s spam folder.
But here’s what’s interesting. The businesses that are winning with PR aren’t necessarily bigger or better resourced. They’re smarter about it.
Real PR isn’t about announcements. It’s about narrative. It’s about being the person or brand journalists want to talk to when they’re writing about your industry. It’s about building relationships before you need coverage.
Most startups get this backwards. They wait until they have a big announcement, then frantically email everyone they can find. What they should be doing is building a reputation over time, being useful to journalists, and positioning themselves as the go-to expert in their space.
Think about how this works.
A journalist is writing an article about the future of your industry. They need a quote from someone credible. Are they going to pick a random company that emailed them a press release? Or the expert they’ve already spoken to, who always gives them great insights and actually understands what they’re working on?
PR strategy starts with clarity on your story.
Not what you want to announce, but what actually makes your business different. What problem are you solving that nobody else is? Why should anyone care? Why should a journalist care enough to write about you?
Once you have that clarity, you can start building relationships. This means reaching out to relevant journalists, writers, and industry commentators with actual value. Not a pitch. Not a press release. Real conversation. What are they covering? What are they interested in? How can you be helpful to them?
The platforms matter too. Journalists are on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, industry Slack groups, and podcasts. They’re reading industry newsletters. They’re paying attention to what’s trending. If you’re only thinking about traditional media, you’re already behind.
Consistency is where most people fall apart.
They’ll do a big PR push for a product launch, then go quiet for six months. Journalists have short memories. Consistency builds familiarity. You should have a regular cadence of media outreach, commentary opportunities, and thought leadership that keeps your brand in view.
We’ve seen startups go from zero media coverage to being quoted in major publications within six months by simply committing to a structured PR program. Not because they got lucky with one big story, but because they were consistently visible, consistently helpful, and consistently positioned as experts.
The good news is that you don’t need a big budget or a team of people. You need strategy, clarity, and consistency.
Start this month. Identify three journalists who cover your industry. Follow them. Read their recent articles. Find one genuine insight you can add to their work. Reach out with a genuine message (not a pitch). Do this consistently, and by year-end, you’ll have relationships that generate real coverage.
By month three, you’ll have your first piece of coverage. By month six, you’ll have momentum. By year one, you’ll be known.
