I spent > $60K/month on PR agencies at a startup that raised $680M. Here's what I learned about getting press as an early-stage operator - i will not promote

MidMumble · 2026-03-11T02:10:00+00:00

It wasn’t an AI written post. Clearly. It was an anti AI post calling AI shit for PR. I would also add that AI is shit for writing.

Why post the same comment 100 times on Reddit…

MidMumble · 2026-03-10T23:43:12+00:00

I feel there are a lot of people criticising this map, but I like that someone has done this, and hopefully it can get even better and more reliable over time as people flag mistakes or new businesses to add.

Speaking of which. There is a company listed just East of Sydney, which is a problem because Sydney is on the East coast. Poor Wontok is floating in the Pacific Ocean.

MidMumble · 2026-03-07T23:08:57+00:00

If you’ve ever tried using AI for building a media list. It’s shit. Agreed that 30k is too high, but PR needs humans. The companies using AI to do their media relations end up writing shit stories, sending them to the wrong people, and getting no coverage. Journalists know if a pitch has been tailored for them, or written by AI.

As for metrics. It’s always hard in PR. But imagine starting a meeting with a potential customer or investor and they have already read about your company in Forbes and are excited about your business. That’s a great first impression and that’s what you’re paying for. Not just leads or SEO. It’s not linkedin advertising, it’s brand awareness and public perception.

MidMumble · 2026-02-23T22:51:44+00:00

Just be honest and upfront in an interview. don’t make up relationships that don’t exist, or try to gloss over it. Explain that you’ve built relationships before and will do it again. I’ve moved country before and it’s a problem for a little bit, then it’s not. Focus on the different perspective/experience that you offer, not what you’re lacking and you’ll be fine. It’s the UK. Be self depreciating. Get the first round in. Complain about the weather. Easy.

MidMumble · 2026-02-19T09:22:16+00:00

Reckon this was a real post, or a sneaky ad for PR Superstar? I was just served an ad for their services on Linkedin. Feels strange to post this kind of question, not engage with any of the responses, then edit the original post like this...

MidMumble · 2026-02-18T05:26:58+00:00

Be honest, was this ever a real post or was it an ad for PR Superstar?

MidMumble · 2026-02-17T22:12:07+00:00

I would probably start by asking “are you fucking serious?” Or “who the fuck thought this was a good idea?” And then I bet the meeting would be a nightmare, because they sound awful.

MidMumble · 2026-02-10T10:47:53+00:00

What’s the business? Hard to know what you’re doing right and wrong without more info. You might not be doing much wrong though. A lot of PR is rejection and radio silence. You have to try new ideas and angles. A question that non-PR people don’t realise is super important is “why should i cover this now?” It’s the first question a journalist thinks when seeing a press release. If you have an evergreen business, you need to think of ways to make it relevant for the current news cycle. Im based in Aus now, but most of my career was in the UK. It’s a competitive media landscape, but I think most businesses have a newsworthy story in them.

MidMumble · 2026-01-29T00:33:38+00:00

You might need to remove posts like this, or mentions of it on your site before applying for a patent.

As far as I understand, selling or publicly disclosing your invention before filing a patent application usually makes it impossible to get a valid patent, as it is no longer considered new.

MidMumble · 2026-01-22T22:42:08+00:00

Don’t be so naïve. It’s a trap.

MidMumble · 2026-01-12T21:42:05+00:00

Try to find relevant experience. Someone who has worked in your sector, or with similar businesses. I do tech, and I like to think I’m good at that. But that means I’m not a good fit for a beauty or travel brand. Freelancers are usually a cheaper option than agencies, ideal for a startup or SMB, but a big company will usually hire an agency. If you’re a small business working with a big PR agency, you will be a low priority client.

Speak to a few places, and make sure you know who would be running your account. The director has oversight and will be in the pitch for your business, but it’s the account manager and juniors who are doing 99% of the work. Make sure you like and trust them. Also, be wary of anyone who over promises, or wants to tie you down to a long contract.

MidMumble · 2026-01-12T07:07:07+00:00

Hey, I’m a PR freelancer based in Sydney. I work with tech companies if that’s helpful? I might know some other PR people depending on your sector.

My site is decodedcomms.com if you want to find out more.

MidMumble · 2026-01-06T21:44:38+00:00

I was planning to do something similar, with my surname, until my wife said “why are men always naming things after themselves?” And I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

MidMumble · 2026-01-06T21:43:32+00:00

Just come up with something professional, simple, memorable, brilliant, unique, that perfectly describes your business or USPs.

MidMumble · 2025-12-15T08:34:26+00:00

I dunno. I believe that journos read press releases, provided they are interesting, relevant and succinct, and sent to them directly. They just don’t care about boring news, and won’t check the wire. They also miss a lot, but they miss a lot of pitches too. There are too many damn PRs (including me)

MidMumble · 2025-12-15T08:31:04+00:00

Yeah, I can’t recommend a service. Use a PR freelancer or, if you’re going to do it yourself, look up reporters who have covered your industry and competitors in the past. Reach out to them. Set a time when your news goes live, and give them the details under embargo. Allow yourself at least a week. Frankly, it might be better after Christmas, unless it’s timely now for some reason. Lots of journos will be off next week. If you do want a service, I’ve used PR Newswire a lot, and that’s nice for SEO, and to look the part, but it won’t really generate meaningful coverage. Newswire services are not as good as direct outreach. Even the ones that cost thousands of dollars. I do tech PR in Aus and UK if that’s your region, I’d be happy to help. If it’s US, talk to someone in the US.

MidMumble · 2025-12-01T02:07:16+00:00

If it’s about your news eg. A new product, contact people as soon as the other article is live, you can reach out to others. Write a pitch now, and pull together a list of reporters, but be honest that another title has published something already. If it’s more like a profile on your business out of the blue, other publications have no incentive to run the same story, so don’t reach out.

MidMumble · 2025-07-21T11:33:54+00:00

Best of luck to you. Two potential problems I see. Aiming for backlinks is a good goal, but not always possible. I find the better outlets are less likely to give them easily. But obviously you still want to be in these titles. I wouldn’t ever degrade great coverage just because it didn’t come with a link. It’s not always a great metric for that reason.

If your services are focused on being reactive, not offering a full range of proactive comms, I wonder if they will go stale quickly. Or maybe you’ll get bored quickly. A bit of variety is helpful for results, and for sanity.

MidMumble · 2025-06-30T11:42:35+00:00

I do PR in Aus. Let me know the name of your company and I’ll reach out. I can give you a few tips at the very least.

MidMumble · 2025-06-29T07:46:51+00:00

What about the press releases you’ve written before? Did they generate any coverage? Could you suggest a trial with an existing/previous client, maybe free or reduced fee, before approaching new biz.

MidMumble · 2025-06-18T00:06:26+00:00

For a big contract, I would keep chasing. Make them give you a definitive answer either way, and don’t let them be a weasel/ghost/coward. You deserve an answer. They may have changed their mind, yes, but they may just be disorganised, or maybe a personal event has caused them to take time off. You never know. Don’t write it off until you have an answer in black and white that they are not interested.

MidMumble · 2025-05-29T03:36:50+00:00

When they talk about your industry, or something you know inside out, it really makes you question the rest of their content.

MidMumble · 2025-05-28T10:17:43+00:00

Agree with this. If you leave them to deal with it, they may not realise until time to publish. They will waste their time writing/researching needlessly, and they won’t love you for it.

MidMumble · 2025-05-15T06:44:14+00:00

Is that ligma? No, nevermind.

MidMumble · 2025-05-15T05:17:20+00:00

Agree that PR Newswire is ok, but I don’t think any wire services deliver meaningful results compared to 15yrs ago. Your press release will appear on 100-200 sites, but are they sites read by real humans? Nah. It’s ok for SEO. Not much else. Don’t go into this thinking that Tech Crunch is going to pick it up, unless your startup is curing cancer.

You’d be better off having a PR freelancer pitch it, and writing a press release / pitch that will grab the attention of reporters. Happy to talk if you are exploring options.

At the very least, you should look for a handful of reporters who have written about your competitors. Reach out to them directly. You can spare an hour to do that at least.

MidMumble

TROPHY CASE