How Early-Stage Startups Can Win PR Without Agencies
Co-founder at King’s Cross Labs · ex-LinkedIn PM & Forbes 30 Under 30
Is PR worth it for early-stage founders? We didn’t think so. Until users told us our fintech app looked like a scam. Here’s what we did to land TechCrunch, Forbes+ without a PR firm.
(Note: Actual templates we used for emailing reporters, our press kit, etc. in the comments!)
🎯 Get clear on your goals → Most people think getting press & launching big via PR is the main event. It’s not. → Instead, it’s a booster for your actual goals — trust, SEO, conversion, hiring, fundraising. So make sure your messaging, CTAs, etc. reflect that. Press just gives it a short-term boost and public forcing function to ship. → When we launched Parallax, we knew we didn’t need press for press’ sake. As a financial app, we needed to build credibility, trust, and a presence people could Google.
📸 Decide: embargo or *exclusive strategy We went with an exclusive strategy: → More guaranteed with 1 high-quality feature. Writers like this more. → Then let smaller/local outlets follow Embargo strategy = more coverage, but way riskier — you may not get picked up.
📅 Find the right reporter → Actually research which reporter is a good fit for your message. Chances are higher that they’ll say yes if they already write in the same niche. → Ideally, you also build a relationship with reporters beforehand.
📅 Launch timeline Give yourself 4 weeks.
- Write your story + build the press kit
- Reach out to reporters
- Prep your amplification plan
💸 No PR firm, no problem (for us) → Saved $ → Built direct relationships with reporters, now and for the future → Learned what makes a pitch land
✉️ What makes a good pitch? → Not “we exist.” But: Why now? Why you? Why this story? → The best hooks are timely + human. If we were doing PR today, we’d tie it to the tailwinds we’re seeing in our industry.
📦 What goes in a press kit? → Company overview → FAQs → Quotes (founder/investors/customers) → Media (logos, product shots, founder photos) → Contact info → PRO TIP: Send this kit as a link. Never attachments. Imagine reporters getting multiple pitches with attachments in their inbox - that takes up A LOT of memory.
📣 On launch day, amplify like crazy! → Prep for 10x traffic. Week before our launch, a bunch of scammers and fraudsters raided our website. (A story for another day) Thank goodness - we got to battletest our website that week & were prepared upon launch! → Share a single post to amplify. We used LinkedIn. We then ask our investors, friends and family to be prepared to share the post once it was out. → Make it stupid easy for others to help e.g. Give people copy-paste blurbs.
TAKEAWAY: Press is not magic. But when used right, it’s a credibility unlock. Don’t treat it like a vanity moment — treat it like a GTM tool.
Frequently asked questions
- Can early-stage startups do PR without an agency?
- Yes. We landed TechCrunch and Forbes for Parallax without a firm. Skipping the agency saved money, built direct reporter relationships we still have, and taught us what makes a pitch land. Give yourself about 4 weeks: write your story and press kit, reach out to reporters, then prep your amplification plan.
- Should you use an exclusive or an embargo PR strategy?
- An exclusive, where one reporter breaks the story, is more likely to get picked up and writers prefer it, then you let smaller and local outlets follow. An embargo can get you wider coverage but it's riskier, since you may get nothing at all if the story isn't captivating enough.
- What makes a good press pitch?
- Not 'we exist.' Answer why now, why you, and why this story. The best hooks are timely and human, ideally tied to the tailwinds happening in your industry right now.
Related reading
- How to Launch with Press and PR — the full timeline, press kit, and reporter-outreach playbook
- How to Hard Launch Your Company — the amplification plan that grew users 151% month over month