How to Get Press Coverage Without a PR Agency (The Founder's Guide)

By Zach Schleien

Learn how to get press coverage without a PR agency. Use Zach Schleien's proven cold email strategies that landed him 200+ features in the NYT, Forbes, and BBC.

• Press is earned, not bought, and you do not need to pay a monthly retainer to a firm to get featured in top-tier publications like Forbes or the New York Times.
• Success in PR comes down to three things: a unique angle, a hyper-targeted list of journalists, and a brief, personalized cold email.
• You should focus on "newsjacking" or offering exclusive data to make your story irresistible to reporters who are already looking for content in your niche.

I have never hired a PR agency. Not when I was building Filteroff, not when I built 18percent (a mental health community I started), and not now. Despite that, I have been featured in over 200 media outlets, including the BBC, Good Morning America, and the New York Times. I did all of this while working a full-time job at a Fortune 500 company.

If you are wondering how to get press coverage without a pr agency, the secret is that journalists actually prefer hearing from founders directly. They don't want a polished, corporate press release from a junior account executive at a firm. They want the raw story and the direct access that only a founder can provide.

Why should you learn how to get press coverage without a pr agency?

Most founders think they need to spend $5,000 to $15,000 a month on a retainer to get noticed. I have seen startups burn through their entire seed round on agencies that delivered nothing but a few mentions on low-tier blogs. When you do it yourself, you own the relationships.

You are the best spokesperson

No one knows your product or your "why" better than you. When I was running Filteroff, a video dating app that facilitated over 2 million video dates in 150 countries, I was the one who could explain the nuance of "video-first" dating. An agency would have sent a generic pitch. I sent stories about how we were solving loneliness during a global pandemic.

It scales with your time, not your wallet

When I started 18percent, a community I built for mental health that grew to 18,000 users, I had zero budget for marketing. By learning the mechanics of outreach, I could send 10 targeted emails a week and see results. If I had relied on an agency, the project would have died before it started.

Direct relationships lead to repeat coverage

Once a journalist at Forbes or TechCrunch has your direct email and knows you provide high-quality insights, they will come back to you. I have had reporters reach out to me months after an initial pitch because I became a "source" for them. An agency acts as a barrier to that relationship.

How do you find the right journalists to pitch?

The biggest mistake people make is the "spray and pray" method. They buy a list of 5,000 "tech reporters" and hit send. This is the fastest way to get your domain blacklisted.

Use the "Last 24 Hours" rule

Go to Google News and search for your competitors or your industry keywords. Filter by the last 24 hours or the last week. The journalists writing about these topics right now are your primary targets. They are clearly interested in the space and are looking for their next follow-up story.

Find the specific beat

Don't pitch a general business reporter your new AI tool. Pitch the person who specifically covers "Generative AI in Healthcare." Use tools like LinkedIn or Twitter (X) to verify what they have been talking about recently. If they just tweeted about how they are tired of receiving AI pitches, do not pitch them your AI company.

Verify their contact information

I spent years manually hunting for emails. Today, I use 5 PR tools that actually work for founders to streamline this. You need a direct work email. Never send a pitch to "info@magazine.com" or "tips@news.com." It goes into a black hole.

How do you craft a pitch that gets a response?

Your email needs to be shorter than you think. Journalists are flooded with hundreds of pitches a day. If they see a wall of text, they archive it.

The subject line is 80 percent of the battle

If your subject line doesn't get the open, the rest doesn't matter. I have tested hundreds of variations to see what works. For example, when I got my dad into the New York Times, the subject line was simple and factual. You can see the exact formulas I use in my post on subject lines that got me into Forbes, NYT, and GMA.

Lead with the "Hook," not your bio

The journalist does not care that you graduated from X university or that you have been in business for five years. They care about what is interesting now.

1. The Hook: A surprising stat, a contrarian opinion, or a response to a current news event.
2. The Connection: Why you are emailing them specifically (reference a recent article of theirs).
3. The Value: What can you provide? An interview? Exclusive data? A demo?
4. The CTA: A simple "Would you be interested in chatting more about this?"

Give them an experience

Instead of sending a PDF of a press release, I always invite journalists to actually see what I've built. At Filteroff, I'd invite them to join a private speed dating event. For a physical product, I'd offer to ship it to them immediately. You have to invite journalists to experience your product, not read about it.

How do you use "Newsjacking" to get featured?

Newsjacking is the art of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story. When a major event happens in your industry, you have a 24-to-48-hour window to offer yourself as an expert.

Monitor the trends

While I was at Johnson & Johnson, I kept a close eye on how digital health was evolving. When a major story broke about the rise of tele-health, I was ready with my own take on how community-led support (like 18percent) was the missing piece of the puzzle.

Be contrarian

If every expert is saying "X," and you have data that suggests "Y," you have a story. Journalists love a "man bites dog" angle. It breaks the monotony of their inbox and gives them a reason to write a story that will actually get clicks.

Use PressPitch AI for angles

This is where I focus a lot of my energy now. At PressPitch AI, we help founders find these specific angles and ensure their deliverability is high. It’s not about the AI writing the whole thing for you; it’s about using technology to see the "gap" in the current media cycle that you can fill.

What are the common mistakes when doing DIY PR?

If you are committed to learning how to get press coverage as a startup, you need to avoid these three traps.

1. Following up too much (or not enough)

One follow-up 3-4 days after the initial pitch is standard. A second follow-up a week later is okay. Following up every day for a week is harassment. If they haven't responded after two follow-ups, the angle didn't land. Pivot and try a different journalist or a different hook.

2. Pitching "Features" instead of "Stories"

A product update is not news. "We added a new dashboard" is a tweet, not a story. "How our new dashboard revealed that 40% of users are doing X" is a story. Always look for the human element or the data-driven insight.

3. Not being ready for the "Yes"

When a reporter from a major outlet finally says "Yes, I'd love to chat tomorrow at 9 AM," you need to be ready. Have your founder bio, high-resolution headshots, and key talking points ready in a folder. If you scramble and delay, they will move on to the next person.

FAQ

Do I need a press release to get media coverage?

No. In 14 years and 200+ features, I have rarely used a formal press release. A well-written, personalized cold email is far more effective. Modern journalists find press releases too corporate and boring.

How long does it take to see results from DIY PR?

It can happen overnight if you hit a breaking news story, but generally, expect to spend 2-4 weeks building a list and sending pitches before you land your first meaningful piece. PR is a momentum game.

What if my industry is "boring"?

There is no such thing as a boring industry, only boring angles. Every industry has trends, challenges, and data. If you sell accounting software, you don't pitch "software," you pitch "Why 60% of small businesses are failing their audits this year."

Is it better to target local or national news?

Start local or niche. It is much easier to get into a trade publication or a local city paper. You can then use those features as "social proof" when you pitch larger outlets like the New York Times.

Can I do PR while working a full-time job?

Absolutely. I built Filteroff and 18percent while working at J&J. I spent 30 minutes every morning before work sending targeted pitches. Consistency beats intensity every time.

If you want to stop guessing and start getting featured, check out PressPitch AI.