What Not to do to attract press coverage!
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
You Don’t Have a Press Problem. You Have a Relevance Problem.
Most founders think the issue is exposure.
“If we could just get coverage, everything would click.”
More customers. Better hires. Investor inbound.
So they do what seems logical: write a pitch, send it to a bunch of journalists, and wait.
And wait.
And… nothing.
Not because the email was bad. Because the premise was.
The Lie Founders Tell Themselves
You did something big.
Raised money. Shipped a product. Hit a milestone.
Internally, it feels massive.
Externally? It barely registers.
There are thousands of companies doing the same things every day.
Journalists know this. Their readers definitely know this.
So when your pitch shows up saying, “we raised” or “we launched,” it doesn’t land as news.
It lands as noise.
Attention Isn’t Granted. It’s Earned Over Time.
Here’s what actually separates companies that get covered from the ones that don’t:
Familiarity.
If a journalist has seen your name before — in a smart comment, a useful insight, a shared perspective — you’re not a stranger anymore.
And strangers don’t get coverage. Known quantities do.
This is where most founders fall short. They show up once, asking for something, with no prior context.
That’s not a relationship. That’s an interruption.
What To Do Instead
Forget “pitching” for a second.
Start by being present.
Find the people who consistently write about your space. Not the biggest names — the relevant ones.
Pay attention to what they cover:
What angles do they like
What stories they ignore
What they keep coming back to
Then participate.
Not performatively. Not strategically in an obvious way.
Just… add something worth reading.
A sharp take. A useful data point. A different perspective.
Do that consistently, and something subtle happens:
Your name stops being random.
Become a Source, Not a Story
Here’s a better goal than “get featured”:
Be someone a journalist can use.
Because when they’re on deadline, building a story, they’re not hunting for companies to promote.
They’re looking for people who can help them explain something.
If you’ve made yourself that person — even once — you’re now on their internal list.
That’s infinitely more valuable than a cold pitch.
If You Do Pitch, Don’t Make It About You
Most pitches fail for a simple reason:
They’re centered on the company, not the insight.
“We raised.”We launched.”We hired.”
None of that answers the only question that matters:
Why should anyone care?
A strong story does one of three things:
Reveals something people didn’t know
Explains a shift that’s happening
Challenges an assumption
If your update doesn’t do that, it’s not a story yet.
It’s just an update.
The Bar Is Higher Than You Think
Even if you’ve built a relationship. Even if your idea is solid.
You still have to make it easy.
Journalists don’t have time to decode your thinking.
They want the headline immediately.
What is this? Why now? Why does it matter?
If they have to dig for it, they won’t.
There Is No Shortcut Here
This is the part people try to skip.
You can’t automate trust.
You can’t template your way into credibility.
And you definitely can’t force someone to care.
The companies that consistently show up in the media didn’t “figure out PR.”
They invested in being relevant — over time.
The Shift That Actually Works
Stop thinking:
“How do I get coverage?”
Start thinking:
“How do I become someone worth covering?”
Those are very different strategies.
One is transactional. The other compounds.
If you play it right, you won’t need to chase attention.
You’ll already have it.
This article hits the nail on the head regarding the common pitfalls of PR; it’s so easy to get caught up in the excitement of a launch and forget that journalists are looking for clarity and structure, not just noise. It reminds me of the technical world where a lack of clear communication can lead to total project failure. I’ve seen many software engineering students struggle with this same issue when they try to map out complex systems without a proper visual strategy; they often end up needing uml assignment help in UK just to ensure their diagrams effectively communicate the logic to their peers and professors. Whether you are pitching to a reporter or designing a software architecture, the lesson…
This is such a sharp and necessary reality check on the common mistakes people make when pitching to the media. The emphasis on avoiding generic, "one-size-fits-all" approaches is spot on; in any professional field, whether it's PR or technical design, precision and tailoring your message to the audience are what lead to success. I've noticed this same need for specialized accuracy in the academic world too—for instance, when students are struggling with complex 3D modeling projects, they often seek out Solidworks Assignment Help UK specifically because generic advice just doesn't cut it for such technical software. Thanks for the great tips on what to avoid; it’s a good reminder that doing the "hard work" of personalization pays off in the long…
This blog makes a smart point: if you want press coverage, you have to think like a journalist, not like a researcher polishing a paper. The biggest mistake is packing your pitch with jargon, too much detail, and no clear “why it matters” angle, which is why even great ideas can get ignored. I especially liked the reminder that a strong story should feel timely, concise, and human, because that applies to almost everything, from business launches to Science Research Topics. If you can explain the impact in plain English and connect it to what people already care about, your message becomes much more relatable and far more likely to land.