5 Proven Strategies That Show You How to Get Press as a Startup Founder

By Zach Schleien

Stop wasting money on PR agencies. Learn how I got 200+ media features in NYT and Forbes using cold outreach and the exact strategy you can use today.

TL;DR

• Press is not a vanity metric, it is a trust signal that converts users and investors.
• You do not need a PR agency to get featured in the New York Times or Forbes.
• Success comes down to three things: a unique angle, perfect targeting, and high deliverability.

I remember sitting in my cubicle at J&J, trying to figure out how to get my side project, Filteroff, off the ground. I had no budget for a PR firm, and quite frankly, the quotes I was getting from agencies were more than my yearly salary. I decided then that if I wanted the world to know about my video dating app, I’d have to be the one to tell them. That decision led to over 200 media features across 150 countries and 2 million video dates. If you are wondering how to get press as a startup founder, the first thing you need to realize is that no one knows your story better than you do.

Journalists don't want to talk to a PR flack; they want to talk to the person in the trenches. Throughout my journey building Filteroff and a mental health community I built called 18percent, I learned that press is a game of persistence and positioning. I never hired an agency. Every single feature in the NYT, BBC, and Forbes came from a cold email I sent myself.

How do you get press coverage as a startup founder?

Getting press is not about "blasting" a press release to a thousand people. It is about identifying where your story intersects with what a journalist’s audience actually cares about. When I was running Filteroff, I didn't just email tech reporters saying, "I have a new app." I looked for trends. During the pandemic, I pitched the "death of the swipe" and how video dating was the only way to find human connection during lockdown. That local, timely angle is what got us into major publications.

1. Identify Your Unique "Hook"

The product is rarely the story. The problem you are solving or the trend you are riding is the story. To get press, you need to answer: Why now?

• Is there a shift in consumer behavior?
• Do you have data that proves a controversial point?
• Is your personal story so compelling it demands attention?

2. Build Your Own Media List

Stop buying "media databases" that are outdated the moment you download them. Use tools to find the specific writers who are already covering your competitors or your niche. When I was building Filteroff, I looked for journalists who specifically covered the "future of dating" or "tech and loneliness."

3. Mastering the Cold Outreach

Your email needs to be short, punchy, and additive. Journalists are overwhelmed. If your email looks like a template, it’s going to the trash. I’ve written extensively on how to write a cold email to a journalist that actually gets a response.

Why is it important to know how to get press as a startup founder?

Most founders think press is just for ego. It’s not. It is a massive growth lever. When a major publication writes about you, that link stays there forever. It builds SEO authority, it provides social proof for your landing pages, and it makes every sales conversation easier.

• Investor Credibility: Investors Google you. Seeing a BBC or Forbes feature creates immediate' "FOMO" and validates your progress.
• Improved Conversion: We found that adding "As Seen In" logos to our long landing pages significantly increased sign-ups. People trust what they see in the news.
• Hiring: Top talent wants to work for companies that are making noise.

What are the steps to execute a DIY PR strategy?

If you are following the founder-led marketing model, PR should be a core part of your weekly workflow. Here is the exact process I used to get hundreds of features.

Step 1: Monitor the News Cycle

You need to know what reporters are talking about right now. I spent 15 minutes every morning reading the tech and lifestyle sections of major papers. If a reporter wrote about dating apps on a Tuesday, I was in their inbox by Wednesday morning with a counter-point or a new data set from Filteroff.

Step 2: Craft the Perfect Subject Line

The subject line is 90% of the battle. It needs to look like an internal note or a tip, not an advertisement. I actually shared the exact subject lines that got me into Forbes and NYT in a previous post. The key is to be specific and avoid "marketing speak."

Step 3: Offer Value Before Asking for a Favor

Don't just ask for a feature. Offer a quote, offer a demo, or offer exclusive data. For 18percent, the mental health community I built, I would offer journalists insights into how people were coping with anxiety in real-time. I wasn't selling; I was helping them do their job.

Step 4: Use the Right Tools

You don't need a $10k/month retainer, but you do need tools that help with angles, targeting, and deliverability. This is why I built PressPitch AI. It helps founders find the right journalists and ensure their emails actually land in the inbox instead of the spam folder.

How do you handle rejection from journalists?

Rejection is the default in PR. You will send fifty emails and get forty-nine silences. That is normal. Understanding that rejection never stopped me was the biggest mindset shift I had as a founder.

1. Don't take it personally: Journalists are busy. A "no" today might be a "yes" three months from now when the news cycle shifts.
2. Follow up once: Send one polite follow-up a few days later. If they don't respond, move on to the next person or the next angle.
3. Iterate your pitch: If no one is responding to a certain hook, change it. The market is telling you your angle isn't interesting enough.

How to get press as a startup founder using data?

Data is the "cheat code" for PR. Journalists love original research. Even if you are a small startup, you have access to data that the big guys might not be sharing.

For Filteroff, we had data on how long people were willing to video chat before meeting in person. That aggregate data (never personal info) became a story for lifestyle journalists. We weren't just a dating app; we were a data source for the "state of modern dating."

How to turn data into a story:

• Look for "surprising" trends in your user behavior.
• Survey your audience on timely topics.
• Compare your data to national averages.

Should you ever hire a PR agency?

I am biased because I’ve done it all myself, but for most startups, the answer is no. If you are at a stage where you are spending more time on PR than on your product, it might be time to hire. However, I believe that knowing how to get press coverage for a startup without a PR agency is a fundamental founder skill.

An agency will never care about your baby as much as you do. They have 10 other clients. You have one. You will always be more persistent and more authentic in your outreach than a junior account manager at a firm.

FAQ

Do I need a press release to get media coverage?

No. In fact, most journalists hate press releases. They are dry and impersonal. A well-crafted, personalized cold email is 10x more effective for a startup founder.

How long should my pitch email be?

Keep it under 200 words. Describe the problem, your unique solution/data, and why it matters to their specific readers right now. End with a clear call to action like "Are you interested in a quick demo?"

How do I find a journalist's email address?

Use tools like PressPitch AI or specialized search tools to find professional email addresses. Never guess or send to "info@" addresses.

What if my startup isn't "newsworthy" yet?

Every startup has a story. If your product isn't ready for a review, pitch your expertise. Become a "source" for journalists writing about your industry. This builds the relationship for when you do have a big product launch.

Should I pay for press features?

Never. This is called "pay-to-play" or "sponsored content." Real editorial coverage is free and carries 100x the credibility of a paid post. If someone asks for money to publish a story, it is an ad, not PR.