Should we hire an in-house comms person?

Not until Series B+ and $30-50M ARR. Before that, the CEO owns comms, augmented by a fractional PR consultant or boutique agency during announcement cycles. In-house comms without a full-time volume of news to announce is an under-utilized role.

What about paid press or sponsored content?

Paid content sits in a different bucket than earned media. It builds SEO and brand at scale but doesn't produce the credibility signals earned press does. Use both, but don't confuse them — sponsored content in TechCrunch doesn't function like a feature.

How do we measure PR ROI?

Not by pageviews or share counts. Track: hiring inbound (before/after coverage), investor intros mentioning coverage, enterprise deals where coverage was cited, and Google Trends for your brand. Attribution is fuzzy but directional — if these don't move after a big feature, PR isn't the right investment.

Startup PR: What Works, What's a Waste, and When to Hire

Most startup PR spend produces nothing. Here's what press actually drives (hiring, fundraising, credibility) and how to earn it without wasting $15K/month.

Press and PR for Startups: What Actually Moves the Needle

Founders overestimate what press does for revenue and underestimate what it does for hiring and fundraising. TechCrunch coverage rarely drives sustained customer signup, but it dramatically shortens candidate outreach and warms investor conversations for 30-60 days. Understanding what PR actually accomplishes — and doesn't — determines whether to invest in it at all.

What press actually does

Hiring: candidates respond faster when they've heard of the company. A well-timed feature can lift inbound applications 3-5x for 30-60 days. Fundraising: investors take intro calls faster and reference press in partner meetings. Credibility with enterprise buyers: coverage in industry press (not TechCrunch) legitimizes you in RFPs. What it usually doesn't do: drive sustained customer acquisition. If your CAC math depends on press, the math is broken.

When press is worth pursuing

Announcement moments: funding rounds, major product launches, strategic hires (CXO level), acquisitions. Each has a natural news hook. Between moments, chasing coverage is usually low-ROI. Concentrate PR effort in 3-4 pushes per year around real news, not a constant drip.

DIY vs. agency

Below Series B: DIY. Founders can pitch reporters directly, response rates are higher than agency outreach, and $10-20K/month spend goes further into product or hiring. Series B+: consider a boutique agency ($8-15K/month) for the reporter relationships and narrative discipline. Big PR agencies ($25-50K+/month) are for public-company-track scaling — waste before that.

How to actually earn coverage

Build reporter relationships before you need them. Follow 5-10 reporters covering your beat, engage with their work honestly for 6+ months. When you have news, pitch personally with a subject line that would matter to their readers, exclusive framing (offer one reporter first look), and specific data or narrative angle. Cold pitches with press releases get ignored 99% of the time.

Frequently asked questions

Should we hire an in-house comms person?: Not until Series B+ and $30-50M ARR. Before that, the CEO owns comms, augmented by a fractional PR consultant or boutique agency during announcement cycles. In-house comms without a full-time volume of news to announce is an under-utilized role.
What about paid press or sponsored content?: Paid content sits in a different bucket than earned media. It builds SEO and brand at scale but doesn't produce the credibility signals earned press does. Use both, but don't confuse them — sponsored content in TechCrunch doesn't function like a feature.
How do we measure PR ROI?: Not by pageviews or share counts. Track: hiring inbound (before/after coverage), investor intros mentioning coverage, enterprise deals where coverage was cited, and Google Trends for your brand. Attribution is fuzzy but directional — if these don't move after a big feature, PR isn't the right investment.