Your Startup Doesnโ€™t Need PR. It Needs a Story.

Your Startup Doesnโ€™t Need PR. It Needs a Story.
๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ด a compilation of my LinkedIn articles (hyperlinked) I wrote ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ด, ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ-๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ข ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ. Hope this helps :)ย 

Every founder wants visibility, but not everyone understands what makes media coverage meaningful and impactful. Letโ€™s start with five grounding principles to help you build better narratives and relationships with the media:ย 

  1. Do You Need Media Coverage Right Now? Sometimes, waiting is the smartest move. Focus on building substance first. Media is a megaphone โ€” make sure you have something truly worth amplifying.

2. Most Startups Canโ€™t Afford PR โ€” And Thatโ€™s Okay. You donโ€™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 doesnโ€™t live your story.



3. Where Is Your Audience โ€“ Really? Before you shoot that email to your favourite publication, pause. Ask yourself โ€” who are you trying to reach, and where do they consume content? Your audience may not even be reading the outlet youโ€™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 ย for the next post in the series. Feel free to share your thoughts or feedback.

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The eChai Effect - In Their Words

"For me, eChai is a second home. I've been associated with it since the early days, when it was already setting a different tone for how startup communities could work. As a traditional business owner entering the new-age D2C space, eChai supported me in every direction. Over the years, it became my window to the startup world โ€” and also gave me lifelong friends who continue to show up, for business and beyond."
Pankaj Bhimani - Founder, 58miles
Pankaj Bhimani
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"eChai has played a truly pivotal role in HummingBirdโ€™s journey โ€” even before Day Zero. From ideation to establishment and into growth, itโ€™s been a constant source of support. It connected me with incredible people whoโ€™ve become more than just friends. One of the biggest reasons I chose to stay in Ahmedabad is because of the eChai community. It has shaped my growth โ€” both personally and professionally โ€” in ways that are hard to articulate. Honestly, words fall short when I try to express what eChai means to me. Iโ€™m deeply thankful and forever grateful to eChai for being such an integral part of my journey."
Harsha Bhurani - Founder, HummingBird Consulting Group
Harsha Bhurani
Founder, HummingBird Consulting Group
โ€œWhen we launched LegalWiz.in back in 2016, concept of procuring legal and compliance services through a digital commerce platform wasn't as prominent in India. eChai played a significant role in providing the early adopters, and building significant positioning in the startup fraternity. Overtime, eChai grew to be a massive network of like-minded entrepreneurs and extended that benefit to all the members in a true "co-rise" spirit. I personally love to attend eChai events, learn from subject matter experts who share relatable and actionable insights and experiences. For startup journeys, it is so important to be surrounded by people who can add relevance, perspective, and push you to do better. Most importantly a group of people where you aren't being judged about things going right or wrong, but be a motivational force that keeps you going, yet keeping you in check. eChai is that place for me!โ€
Shrijay Sheth - Founder at LegalWiz.in and Hire4Higher Consulting
Shrijay Sheth
Founder at LegalWiz.in and Hire4Higher Consulting

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