Get your first customers

How do I get press coverage for my startup?

Give a reporter news, not a profile. Reporters cover what is new: a funding round, a launch, a milestone number, a finding from your own data, or a customer story with real stakes. Make a short list of journalists who covered your space in recent months, read their pieces, and pitch each one personally: the news in a line, why now, the proof, and an exclusive or early access under embargo if the story needs explaining. Time announcements to milestones; YC suggests waiting until you are well past one so the next is close. Agree what is on and off the record before you say it. Keep a press kit ready: founder photos, logo, a one-paragraph description and the numbers you are willing to share. A press release helps journalists check facts, but the pitch is what gets the story. Rule: one good story placed with the right reporter beats a release sent to a hundred inboxes.

Part of PR on eChai Explore.

Go deeper

6 resources, 6 link-checked.

📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Press is one of the easiest excuses to relaunch that founders under-use, and this guide teaches you to treat it as ongoing relationship-building with reporters rather than a one-time pitch saved for a big round or milestone. It pairs well with your short answer, since if you build a few real reporter relationships, every meaningful update becomes a small, low-effort story you can pitch.

Getting press for your startup

From Y Combinator (YC Startup Library) by Y Combinator

  • Treat press like business development: build reporter relationships before you need them.
  • Warm introductions beat cold pitches, and that pipeline takes ongoing work, not a one-time push.
  • Small, real updates are pitchable once you already have the relationship in place.
Open ycombinator.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

A VC firm's guide to early-stage PR: finding your story, using data, working with reporters and knowing on and off the record.

PR fundamentals for early-stage founders

From bvp.com by Bessemer Venture Partners Guide

  • Bring real data to every pitch.
  • Agree off the record before you say it, not after.
Open bvp.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

A guide to announcing a raise, including when to offer one reporter an exclusive and how embargoes work.

How to announce a funding round

From techcrunch.com by TechCrunch Article

  • Offer an exclusive when your story needs explaining.
  • Prepare quotes, photos and numbers before you pitch.
Open techcrunch.com →
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Paid Beginner

A paid wire service that distributes press releases to Indian and global media and websites.

PR Newswire India

From prnewswire.com by PR Newswire (Cision) Product page

  • A wire spreads a release; it does not replace pitching reporters.
  • Use it for formal announcements such as a funding round.
Open prnewswire.com →

People also ask

How do I do email marketing, step by step? 8 → How do I make a marketing plan for my business? 7 → How do I grow a small business, online and on social media? 7 → How do I market my startup? 9 → How do I figure out which distribution channel is right for my startup? 2 → Why does everyone say 'distribution is more important than product'? 2 →

Also in D2C

The same ground, over in Launch & get your first customers, our D2C track.

Where do my first 100 orders actually come from if I have no brand yet? 3 → Should I make myself the face of the brand, or keep the brand separate from my personal identity? 3 →

Also in How Founders Use AI

How founders actually use AI for this, over in Sales Prospecting.

Why use AI to find and qualify leads (Clay, Apollo + AI workflows)? 22 → How do founders personalize cold outreach at scale without being creepy? 22 →

Also in GTM

The same ground, over in Build pipeline, our GTM track.

How do I find B2B clients? 7 → How do I generate leads for my business? 6 →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →