The ultimate guide to PR | Emilie Gerber (founder of Six Eastern)
Emily Gerber, founder/CEO of SixEastern, provides tactical PR advice for startups, detailing how to secure press coverage, identify target publications, craft effective pitches, and leverage non-traditional media for enhanced awareness and growth.
Deep Dive Analysis
18 Topic Outline
Introduction to Press Value and Second-Order Effects
When Press Coverage May Not Be Worthwhile
Targeting Publications: Suitability and Focus
Strategies for Avoiding Negative Press Stories
Identifying and Pitching Relevant Podcasts and Awards
Effective Cold Outreach to Reporters
Leveraging Controversial or Contrarian Pitches
Why 'Category Creation' Fails in Press Pitches
Successful Pitch Examples: Ramp, Column Tax, Gamma
Crafting Compelling Pitches for Podcasts
Common Mistakes in Product Announcements
The Limited Value of Traditional Press Releases
Crafting Clear and Concise Product Stories
Integrating Newsletters, Podcasts, and Social Media into PR
Building an Executive Social Media Presence
How to Get Featured in Morning Brew
Key Considerations When Choosing a PR Agency
Optimal Timing and Budget for PR Engagements
6 Key Concepts
Second-Order Effects of Press
The indirect benefits of press coverage, such as validating a business for potential sponsors or customers, enhancing credibility for early-stage companies, aiding sales teams with linked articles, and supporting recruiting efforts, rather than direct sign-ups or growth.
Affiliate Marketing (in B2C Press)
A model where publications receive a percentage of sales generated from product review articles that include tracked links. This is a common practice for consumer companies seeking product reviews and placement on 'best of' lists.
Exclusive Pitch
The strategy of offering a news story (e.g., a funding announcement) to only one specific reporter or publication. This increases the likelihood of coverage by that outlet because they get to break the news first.
Cold Outreach (to Reporters)
The practice of contacting reporters or podcast hosts without a pre-existing relationship. When done thoughtfully, concisely, and respectfully, it can be just as effective as warm introductions for securing coverage.
Category Creation (in PR)
A common but often ineffective strategy in PR where companies attempt to position themselves as the first to define a new market category. Reporters typically prefer framing a product as a better solution to an existing problem or an incumbent, rather than inventing a new category.
Press Release (Modern Use)
A traditional, formulaic document for announcing news, which has diminished value for early to mid-stage startups in terms of direct media pickup or SEO. A well-crafted blog post is often a more flexible, shareable, and website-driving alternative.
13 Questions Answered
Press isn't always for direct sign-ups or growth, but it offers crucial second-order effects like third-party validation, credibility for early-stage companies, and aids in sales and recruiting by providing reputable links.
To increase chances, be concise and direct in the pitch, clearly stating the amount raised, the company's space, and investors, and offer it as an exclusive. Follow up respectfully, and if no response, try another relevant reporter.
TechCrunch is good for funding and some product news; Axios is strong for fintech/healthcare and deals; Business Insider for pitch deck stories and entrepreneurial journeys; VentureBeat for AI news; Fast Company for future of work/design/leadership op-eds; and Forbes for awards and its contributor network.
While full control is impossible, ensuring the spokesperson is well-prepared to articulate key messages, reiterating desired angles, and providing accurate materials can influence the story's direction. Only factual inaccuracies can be corrected post-publication.
Warm introductions primarily help get an email opened or a reply, but they do not guarantee coverage. Reporters make editorial decisions based on story merit, not personal relationships.
A multi-platform approach is best, including short, direct DMs on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn) and concise emails (3 sentences or less). Subject lines should be clear, and follow-ups should be respectful, sometimes pointing out gaps in their coverage.
This approach often fails with press because reporters prefer a clear frame of reference. Instead, frame the company as doing what an existing household name does, but better, for specific reasons.
Companies often use vague percentage increases (e.g., '700% increase since exiting stealth') that lack real substance. Instead, provide more specific, contextualized metrics like revenue figures, growth rates per quarter, or adoption rates from specific sectors.
Minimal. Reporters rarely check news wires for stories. Blog posts are a more flexible, shareable, and website-driving alternative, offering more control over messaging and format.
Focus on executive presence rather than corporate channels, as people follow personalities. Executives should be willing to share bold or controversial opinions to cut through noise, and social activity can complement traditional media strategy.
Visit the 'Morning Brew Co-working Series' for the relevant vertical, find the 'If you want to be featured' link, and fill out the Google form with interesting, fun, and non-self-promotional answers.
Don't assume bigger agencies are better; inquire about month-one activities to avoid long ramp-up cycles; request recent writing samples to assess their style; and ensure you meet the actual team members who will be working on your account.
Ideally, engage an agency at least six weeks before a major announcement. For budget, expect a minimum of $10k/month, with boutique agencies starting around $15k/month for retainers, and one-off projects ranging from $10k-$20k.
21 Actionable Insights
1. Understand Press Second-Order Effects
For B2B companies, press offers third-party validation, credibility for buyers, and aids recruiting by signaling legitimacy, rather than directly driving sign-ups. For B2C, press can directly drive significant growth, especially for products with low barriers to entry like Perplexity.
2. Reference Incumbents in Pitches
Instead of positioning your company as a ‘category creator,’ frame your product as doing what a well-known incumbent does, but better, to instantly provide reporters with a frame of reference and make your pitch more successful.
3. Pitch Funding Stories Concisely
When pitching funding news, be straightforward and concise: state the amount raised, the company’s space, and the investors. Offer the story as an exclusive to the most relevant beat reporter to increase your chances of coverage.
4. Prioritize Newsletters & Podcasts
Integrate newsletters and podcasts into your core PR strategy, as they are now a crucial part of media and can be highly effective for awareness and engagement, often more so than traditional media for certain goals.
5. Keep Pitches Short & Direct
Aim for three-sentence pitches that clearly state your intentions and what you’re offering, as concise communication is more effective given reporters’ short attention spans and busy inboxes.
6. Offer Contrarian/Bold Perspectives
Provide a unique or controversial viewpoint on a relevant industry topic to stand out to reporters. This helps them write balanced articles and offers an interesting angle beyond common stances.
7. Craft Pitches for Specific Audiences
Tailor your pitch to the specific audience of the publication or podcast you’re targeting, focusing on what they care about and the tactical lessons relevant to their readership or listenership.
8. Avoid Generic Marketing Jargon
Strip out vague marketing phrases and jargon (e.g., ‘robust multiplayer experience,’ ‘human in the loop collaboration’) from your pitches and press materials. Instead, use clear, human language that articulates exactly what your product does.
9. Use Blog Posts Over Press Releases
For early to mid-stage startups, opt for blog posts over traditional press releases. Blog posts offer more flexibility in style, are more shareable on social media, and live on your website, providing better value than paid wire services.
10. Qualitatively Analyze Podcasts
When targeting podcasts, conduct qualitative analysis: check if they feature vendor executives, are actively producing, have high-quality content, and if past guests align with your desired peers. Also, understand your customers’ media diet to find relevant shows.
11. Start Podcast Outreach Lightly
Begin outreach to podcast hosts with a casual note on LinkedIn or email, simply asking if they’re open to guest ideas. This approach is more approachable and saves time compared to sending a full pitch upfront.
12. Build Executive Social Presence
Focus on building an executive’s social media presence rather than solely corporate channels, as people follow personalities. Executives offer more flexibility in tone, can push boundaries, and their posts can influence traditional media coverage.
13. Test Social Media Strategy
Experiment with social media posting for a month or two to see if it generates value, such as client or candidate inbounds. Adjust your strategy based on these results, even if posting doesn’t come naturally.
14. Seek Out Panel Opportunities
Propose panel ideas for conferences by collaborating with colleagues from non-competing but similar companies. Pitching a group is often more successful than pitching yourself alone, and can lead to multiple companies being featured.
15. Leverage Morning Brew Co-Working Series
Utilize Morning Brew’s co-working series forms (available for various verticals like Emerging Tech Brew or HR Brew) to get executives featured. Keep answers interesting, fun, and not overly self-promotional for a good success rate.
16. Choose PR Agency Carefully
Don’t assume bigger, well-known agencies are always better; look for those with a scrappy, fast approach suited for startups. Understand their month-one activities to avoid long ramp-up cycles and ensure immediate action.
17. Review Agency Writing Samples
Request recent writing samples (blogs, releases) from potential PR agencies to assess their writing style. Ensure their communication is clear, human-centric, and avoids the marketing jargon often found in traditional press releases.
18. Plan PR Six Weeks in Advance
Aim to kick off PR efforts at least six weeks before a major announcement. This allows sufficient time for blog creation, media training, outreach, coordinating with all parties, and image creation.
19. Prioritize Reporter Over Firm Date
Be flexible with announcement dates and prioritize securing coverage from your first-choice reporter over sticking to a rigid timeline. Getting the right reporter will drive a much better outcome for your business than announcing a few days sooner.
20. Avoid Misleading Growth Stats
Instead of vague percentage growth claims (e.g., ‘700% increase since stealth’), provide more specific and realistic metrics like revenue figures or adoption rates from specific sectors. This gives more credible color to your growth without being disingenuous.
21. Find Personal/Founder Angles
If your product isn’t inherently exciting or easily understood, lean into compelling personal or founder stories, or unique use cases. This can create an interesting narrative that reporters are more likely to cover.
6 Key Quotes
No one ever gets this tactical in PR. There's just so much theoretical conversation and examining the big blunders. But at the end of the day, if you're a startup that wants to get coverage for your company, you need to know actually the steps to take to do it.
Emilie Gerber
The only thing that a relationship will get you is, you know, an open and an answer. And so, you know, like any good reporter is not going to be making their editorial decisions based on like who their friends are.
Emilie Gerber
My most successful pitches are three sentences and anytime it needs, sometimes it needs to be longer than that. And generally I feel like my pitch is weaker for that reason.
Emilie Gerber
It's talking through, like the basic questions, like, what does this product do? Who is it for? Who are your customers? Like, if you can answer each of those in one sentence... chances are you're not going to be far away from what you're looking for.
Emilie Gerber
I think there's an assumption that bigger, more well known agencies are going to do a better job. I think a lot of those bigger, well known agencies are used to working with a lot of household brands. And so their strategies tend to be very reactive... That is like the polar opposite, in my opinion, of doing startup PR.
Emilie Gerber
Strong opinions loosely held. I'm a very opinionated, trust my gut kind of person. But that doesn't mean I'm not willing to change my mind on things and be wrong.
Emilie Gerber
4 Protocols
Pitching a Funding Story to TechCrunch
Emilie Gerber- Clearly state in the pitch that it is a startup launch or funding announcement.
- Offer the story as an exclusive to the reporter.
- Explicitly state the amount raised, the company's industry, and the investors involved.
- Target reporters who specifically cover that industry (e.g., a FinTech reporter for FinTech funding).
- Follow up respectfully after 3-4 days, potentially including new, relevant information.
- If no response, try another relevant reporter, repeating this process 3-4 times.
Finding and Pitching Aligned Podcasts/Awards
Emilie Gerber- Identify customer verticals and search for podcasts or awards within those fields.
- Conduct qualitative analysis: check if existing episodes feature vendor CEOs/executives and if the content aligns with your target spokesperson.
- Verify the podcast is actively producing new episodes.
- Listen to at least one episode to ensure quality and alignment with desired guests.
- Gather insights on customer media consumption through casual conversations or surveys.
- Initiate contact with the host via LinkedIn or email with a lightweight, friendly note asking if they are open to guest ideas, rather than a full pitch.
Crafting an Effective Press Pitch
Emilie Gerber- Utilize an all-platform approach (email, Twitter DMs, LinkedIn) for outreach.
- Create clear and direct subject lines that state the goal (e.g., 'Guest for [Column Name]').
- Keep the pitch concise, ideally three sentences or less.
- In follow-ups, acknowledge the reporter's busy schedule and maintain a human, respectful tone.
- Demonstrate critical thinking by pointing out gaps in their existing coverage.
- Consider including a bold or controversial perspective to make the story stand out.
- Avoid 'category creation' language; instead, frame the company as a better alternative to an existing incumbent.
Getting Featured in Morning Brew's Co-working Series
Emilie Gerber- Navigate to the 'Morning Brew Co-working Series' for the relevant vertical (e.g., Emerging Tech Brew, HR Brew).
- Locate and click the link that prompts users to 'If you want to be featured, click on this link and fill out this form.'
- Complete the approximately 10-question Google form.
- Ensure all answers are interesting, engaging, and avoid overt self-promotion.