In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, media attention is more competitive than ever before. Many startups and small businesses rely on PR agencies to get their name out there—but what if you don’t have the budget for one? The good news is that it’s entirely possible to build an internal public relations engine without hiring an agency. It requires strategic planning, persistence, and a deep understanding of your brand story. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to build a robust PR machine from scratch.
Why Build Your Own PR Engine?
Building your own PR infrastructure can offer long-term benefits. You’ll develop stronger relationships with the media, gain more control over your brand narrative, and build institutional knowledge within your team. Most importantly, you save crucial budget dollars while learning invaluable marketing skills.
1. Define Your Brand Story
You can’t pitch your company effectively unless you know what the heart of your story is. Your brand story is more than just your mission—it’s the journey, the people, and the bigger impact you hope to achieve.
Ask yourself:
- What problem are we solving?
- Why are we uniquely able to solve it?
- What makes our founder or founding story compelling?
- How does our product or service impact real people?
Your story should be simple, authentic, and relevant to the audience you want to reach. Consider writing a press kit or a brand deck that distills your narrative into a digestible, repeatable format.
2. Build a Media List
A quality media list is the backbone of any PR operation. Start by identifying journalists, bloggers, and editors who write about your industry.
Where to find them:
- Search byline in relevant publications (e.g., TechCrunch, Forbes, Fast Company)
- Use platforms like Hunter.io to find email addresses
- Explore Twitter and LinkedIn for journalist bios and contact details
- Join PR databases and communities like Muck Rack or HARO (Help a Reporter Out)
Organize your media list using a spreadsheet or CRM tool. Include the journalist’s name, contact info, beat (topic area), recent articles, and any notes about their preferences or interests.
3. Understand the News Cycle
Timing your outreach is crucial. If your pitch coincides with a trending topic, major funding news, or policy updates, you’re more likely to get coverage. Learn to spot and act on newsworthy angles quickly.
Stay updated by:
- Setting Google Alerts for your industry’s keywords
- Subscribing to newsletters like Axios, Morning Brew, or industry-specific rundowns
- Following major reporters on Twitter for breaking updates and commentary
Think like a journalist. What would make your story worth telling today?
4. Master the Art of Pitching
Your pitches should be short, targeted, and relevant. Don’t spam everyone on your media list with the same generic message. Instead, tailor your pitch to the individual journalist based on their beat and recent work.
Tips for writing a great pitch:
- Subject line: Make it clear and compelling. Think like a headline writer.
- Personalization: Refer to a recent article the journalist published that’s related to your pitch.
- Value: Explain why the story matters now. What’s the hook?
- Offer assets: Be ready to provide quotes, photos, data, experts, or access to sources.
Follow up after 3–5 business days with a polite reminder. If they still don’t respond, move on and update your media list accordingly.
5. Create Compelling Press Materials
Journalists are busy. Make it easy for them to write about you by building a comprehensive press kit and keeping your online presence polished and updated.
Your press materials should include:
- Company boilerplate (short company summary)
- Founder bios and headshots
- High-resolution logos and product images
- Press releases of key announcements (funding, partnerships, launches)
- Links to media coverage and press mentions
Host these files in a shared cloud folder, or create a dedicated section on your website labeled “Press” or “Media.”
6. Leverage Owned Media Channels
If you’re not getting media placements right away, don’t wait around. Use your own channels to build credibility and momentum. Treat each platform as a PR tool.
Effective owned media channels include:
- Company blog (publish thought leadership, behind-the-scenes, updates)
- Email newsletter updates to your community or stakeholders
- LinkedIn posts (especially from the founder or leadership team)
- YouTube or podcast appearances
When journalists research you, they’re looking for signs of traction and thought leadership. A strong body of content signals that you’re an authority—and that your story is worth telling.
7. Develop Founder as a Thought Leader
Media love expert opinions and original voices. Your company founder or CEO can become a go-to source if positioned correctly.
Ways to develop thought leadership include:
- Signing up for journalist source databases like HARO or Qwoted
- Writing guest op-eds or contributed articles in niche trade publications
- Speaking at virtual or in-person conferences
- Being active on professional platforms like LinkedIn and Medium
Becoming a thought leader isn’t just about visibility; it establishes brand trust and makes future PR efforts more successful.
8. Track Coverage and Measure Results
PR is not just about getting published—it’s about building sustainable relationships and measuring impact. Use tools like Google Analytics, UTM links, and media monitoring software to track performance.
Metrics to evaluate:
- Number of media mentions and pickups
- Quality of the publication (reach, authority)
- Referral traffic to your website
- Engagement on social channels from PR hits
- Qualified leads or partnerships initiated due to media exposure
Create a monthly PR dashboard to log efforts and results. This not only helps you improve future efforts but also demonstrates value to stakeholders and investors.
9. Apply Persistence, Not Pressure
Journalists receive hundreds of pitches a week. If you don’t hear back, it’s not personal. Building relationships and gaining credibility takes time. Don’t badger, but do stay on their radar by being helpful, informative, and respectful.
Offer unique data points, industry insights, or an understanding of their audience’s needs. If your story isn’t right for them, it may be right for another reporter down the line.
10. Keep Your Message Consistent
Consistency is key in PR. Ensure every pitch, post, and blog aligns with your brand messaging and tone. Conflicting messages confuse the media and dilute your impact.
Create a brand voice guide and key message document for internal use. This ensures everyone representing the brand—founders, marketers, even customer support—is speaking in the same voice.
Conclusion
You don’t need an agency to tell your story. What you do need is a clear message, strong media relationships, quality content, and consistency. Building your PR engine takes time and effort, but it’s a powerful way to increase visibility, establish credibility, and drive growth—all on your own terms.
The key is to think long-term. PR isn’t a sprint; it’s an ongoing investment. When done right, it can be one of the most cost-effective forms of brand building available to early-stage companies.