public-relations

Build a list of 20-40 journalists who cover your beat, score them on beat match, reach, engagement, and recency, then send a pitch under 150 words with a specific subject line. Reference their recent articles, lead with the story rather than your product, and include data, a quote, or a named customer as proof.

Fit your situation to one of three story angles: Founding Story (build in public with real numbers), David vs Goliath (own your small size against an incumbent), or Have an Enemy (attack a broken system, never a named competitor). Alternatively, package proprietary data into a benchmark report journalists can cite.

Newsjacking means injecting your point of view into a trending story in your category, typically within a 4-48 hour window depending on story type. It works when you have genuine expertise, proprietary data, or a contrarian angle, and fails when applied to tragedies, forced product tie-ins, or stories outside your domain.

The main press request platforms are Connectively (formerly HARO), Qwoted, Featured, Help A B2B Writer, SourceBottle, Terkel, and the #JournoRequest hashtag on X. Responses under 200 words with specific data points and pre-written attribution get quoted most often, especially when sent within the first six hours.

Research the show's RSS feed for recent episode threads, review the hosts' backgrounds and side projects, and map two or three of your stories with concrete numbers onto the show's recurring themes. Speak your company name and key numbers aloud clearly since transcripts get cited by AI assistants for years.

Skip PR when you are pre-launch with no story beyond existing, when no one on the team can sustain pitching for four to six weeks, or when you cannot articulate which readers care about your story. Earned media multiplies existing distribution rather than substituting for it.