If you’re building a venture-backed startup, PR is not a “nice to have” once you’ve got a few funding rounds under your belt. It’s a core part of your role as founder—meaning it's on you to make sure your story gets told well. That starts with having the right conversations with your PR team.
Whether you're working with an agency, a freelancer, or an in-house comms lead, here are the convos worth having if you want your PR efforts to actually move the needle.
1. “Here’s where we’re going—and how fast.”
Your PR partners can’t pitch what they don’t know. Keep them looped into your vision, upcoming milestones, and the pace at which things are moving. (Your idea of “soon” might mean three months. Theirs might be three days.) The earlier they know what's coming—product launches, hiring plans, new customers—the better they can layer that into earned media, awards, and speaking opportunities.
2. “This is what success actually looks like to us.”
Don’t default to vague goals like “buzz” or “exposure.” Want to impress future investors? Hire top-tier talent? Build a moat with thought leadership? Great—say so. Align on what outcomes matter most, and let your PR team reverse-engineer a strategy from there.
3. “Who needs to hear our story most?”
Your audiences aren’t just customers. They’re investors, regulators, potential partners, job seekers, and even your competitors. Clarify who you’re trying to influence and why. Great PR campaigns are built around message-audience match, not a spray-and-pray press release.
4. “Are we clear on what makes us actually different?”
Your messaging needs to be ironed, not wrinkled. If your PR team is struggling to articulate your ‘why,’ journalists will too. This is where your agency can push you to get crisp—and brutally honest—about your differentiators, proof points, and tone of voice.
5. “Let’s talk when things go sideways, not just when they’re great.”
Founders love to do PR when there’s good news. But how you show up in tough moments (a round that didn’t close, a partner who bails, a product that breaks) matters just as much. The best PR teams are your first call in a crisis—not your last.
Have the conversations.
A high-functioning PR relationship is a force multiplier. These conversations are how you get there. So talk early. Talk often. And make sure you’re not just outsourcing PR—you’re owning it.
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