Your Startup Doesn’t Need PR. It Needs a Story.
- by: Kumar Manish
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 a compilation of my LinkedIn articles (hyperlinked) I wrote 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘪𝘯-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺. Hope this helps :)
Every founder wants visibility, but not everyone understands what makes media coverage meaningful and impactful. Let’s start with five grounding principles to help you build better narratives and relationships with the media:
- Do You Need Media Coverage Right Now? Sometimes, waiting is the smartest move. Focus on building substance first. Media is a megaphone — make sure you have something truly worth amplifying.
2. Most Startups Can’t Afford PR — And That’s Okay. You don’t need an expensive PR agency to get coverage. In fact, in the early days, your authenticity and clarity can go further than a press release drafted by someone who doesn’t live your story.
3. Where Is Your Audience – Really? Before you shoot that email to your favourite publication, pause. Ask yourself — who are you trying to reach, and where do they consume content? Your audience may not even be reading the outlet you’re targeting.
4. Before You Pitch to the Media, Build the Relationship. Media engagement is not just transactional. If you're only reaching out when you need coverage, you're doing it wrong. Invest time in following, understanding, and connecting with journalists who cover your space.
5. Pitch Stories, Not Announcements. Reporters are not notice boards. They want stories that are relevant, timely, and human. Lead with the why, not just the what.
Do Follow Kumar Manish for the next post in the series. Feel free to share your thoughts or feedback.