When most founders or VCs think about PR, they usually think about funding announcements or big product launches. But some of the best media visibility doesn’t come from news at all. It comes from having a strong opinion about what’s coming next.
In a recent episode of The Press Playbook, I sat down with Brittany Harran, a Senior Account Director at BAM, to talk about how our team helped two venture firms, Kostanoa and Matrix, land quotes in Fortune's Term Sheet by sharing bold predictions about the year ahead.
What stood out most from this conversation is how powerful prediction-based PR can be, especially for founders and investors who want to build visibility and thought leadership.
Every year, Fortune's Term Sheet runs a “crystal ball” series where they ask founders, VCs, and executives to share what they think is coming next in venture, AI, cybersecurity, and tech more broadly.
Brittany explained that this is something their team plans for ahead of time. They know the series is coming, and they work with clients early to shape strong predictions.
Instead of pitching a company story, they pitch insight.
This kind of opportunity is great because you don’t need funding news or a product launch. You just need a point of view.
One of the best parts of this episode was Brittany’s advice to founders who are nervous about sharing predictions.
Her main point was simple. Don’t be afraid to be bold.
She said reporters don’t want ten quotes that all say the same thing. They want something different. Something that makes them stop and think.
If you believe something strongly about where your industry is going, that is often exactly what reporters are looking for.
A lot of founders worry about predictions because they’re afraid of being wrong later. Brittany made a really important point here.
She said reporters are not going to come back a year later and hold you accountable if your prediction didn’t happen exactly the way you said it would.
They’re not looking for perfect forecasts. They’re looking for perspective.
These pieces are about showing how you think, not proving you can see the future.
Getting quoted in the right publication does more than look good on your website.
For venture firms, being featured in Fortune's Term Sheet helps with:
building relationships with new founders
showing expertise to LPs
strengthening personal brand for partners
For founders, it helps position you as someone who understands your market and is thinking ahead.
As Brittany shared, being quoted in the right circles plays a big role in building brand awareness and personal brand.
And honestly, that kind of visibility compounds over time.
This episode is a good reminder that PR is not only about announcements.
Sometimes the best press comes from:
having a clear point of view
sharing a bold perspective
timing it with the right editorial moment
If you are waiting for perfect news before you talk to the media, you may be missing a lot of great opportunities.
Not every founder or VC will have big news at the right time. But many have something just as valuable. Insight.
As this episode of The Press Playbook shows, sharing smart, bold predictions can be one of the easiest ways to build visibility, thought leadership, and long-term influence.
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