The PR Pitfall: Why Your Startup's Media Coverage Isn't Working As Expected
- emily7212
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Early-stage founders often become fixated on PR—and it’s easy to see why.
The typical trajectory goes something like this: Build a promising product. Attract investor interest. Close a seed round. Refine the offering…And then comes the urge to shout about it from the rooftops.
PR (especially that much-lauded Press Release) feels like the logical next step. And on the surface, this makes perfect sense. After all, what says "we've made it" more than seeing your company name in TechCrunch, Forbes, or a relevant industry publication?
But here’s the problem: visibility alone isn’t the goal.
Visibility without depth is a dead end. And many founders learn this the hard way.
The companies that win long-term aren’t the ones who get featured once - but the ones who turn that initial visibility into lasting credibility.
A Story That's All Too Common
Take one of our clients—we’ll call them NeuroPath.
They had just closed their seed round and launched an AI-powered diagnostic tool for early stroke detection. Huge potential. Huge excitement.
They hired a PR agency to help announce the funding. A week later, Fierce Medtech ran a feature. The founders posted it on LinkedIn. The team celebrated. And then… nothing happened.
No investor inquiries. No demo requests. No surge in LinkedIn followers. No spike in traffic.
Why?
Because when people read the article and Googled the company, here’s what they found:
A vague website with generic copy
No blog. No case studies. No insights.
A LinkedIn page with only two posts and 48 followers
No founder content explaining why the team mattered or why the product was credible
The article sparked curiosity.
But there was nowhere for that curiosity to land.
What If?
What if NeuroPath had also published:
A founder blog explaining the clinical inspiration behind their tech
A short article showcasing the ground science behind the solution
A series of compelling LinkedIn posts with insights from the founder/s
A 90-second explainer video
A webinar walking through the problem they solve
Suddenly, that PR moment becomes a gateway.
It doesn’t just spark interest—it captures it, nurtures it, and converts it.
What PR Can (and Can't) Do
Let's be clear: PR is a powerful tool when used correctly and with appropriate expectations.
The mistake founders often make is believing that PR alone can carry their growth strategy.
When, in actual fact, PR should just be one piece of the puzzle.
Here's what PR can do:
Build credibility through third-party validation
Get your name in front of investors, partners, and media
Open doors for conversations and attention
But here's what PR can't do:
Educate your audience about what you actually do
Make your case in detail
Nurture relationships over time
Convert attention into action
As Robert Rose puts it:
"PR is about telling people you're a rock star. Content marketing is about showing them you are one."
PR gives you the stage. But content takes the spotlight and runs with it, building a foundation of information that keeps your audience in their seats for the longer haul.
Without content, your PR investment is like buying an expensive billboard in Times Square that disappears after 24 hours—flashy but fleeting!
Why Content Completes the Picture
According to Semrush, 84% of B2B marketers say content marketing helped build brand awareness last year.
This is because top marketers know:
Content delivers what PR can’t: depth, education, and ongoing discovery.
When someone becomes interested in your company through PR, they will quickly want more. If they Google you and find nothing—or worse, something generic—you’ve lost your moment. Your PR-generated visibility evaporates despite the initial interest it ignited.
This is precisely why early-stage founders need content:
To articulate the "why" behind their product
To show credibility, not just claim it
To build and sustain trust
And no, it doesn’t require a big team to churn out endless blogs.
Small Content, Big Impact
Many founders hesitate to invest in content because they fear it will drain their limited budget, consume excessive time, and require additional headcount they can't afford.
This concern is understandable but misplaced.
The truth is, you can build a solid content foundation with far fewer resources than you might think.
A strategic content foundation for an early-stage startup can be simple and lean, looking something like this:
One founder blog explaining why this problem matters now
A clear product explainer tailored for your ideal customer
A short and impactful explainer video
A monthly webinar or virtual Q&A
Two LinkedIn posts per week sharing insights, not just announcements
It’s not about volume but about high-leverage visibility that compounds over time.
What an Integrated Approach Looks Like
When early-stage founders stop treating PR and content as isolated tools and start using them in tandem, they amplify each other.
Here’s how it could work in practice. Let’s say you land a piece in Forbes. This is what you could do to cover your PR and content bases without double-work:
Turn that article into a series of founder posts on LinkedIn that add a personal perspective
Pull a quote or two for a short video or carousel on LinkedIn
Use the coverage as social proof in your sales deck
Repurpose the message across a newsletter, one-pager, or webinar
Now your PR doesn’t fade after the initial buzz but becomes the fuel for a consistent stream of aligned messaging and content across all channels.
In this unified system, instead of constantly creating from scratch, your marketing team builds one core message and adapts it across channels.
PR amplifies your content's reach, while content gives depth and long-term value to your PR wins.
An integrated PR and content strategy creates a natural, seamless experience that earns attention and builds trust.
The Takeaway for Founders
Early-stage PR is only as powerful as what follows it.
An integrated approach to PR and content ensures that when a prospect, journalist, or investor Googles your company after seeing that big PR piece, they will find something of substance to fuel their interest.
So the next time you’re prepping a press release, ask yourself—what will people find when they Google us?
Back up your PR with something that lasts—content that builds trust, showcases credibility, and keeps the conversation going long after the headline fades.
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