Episode Details

Most startup leaders hear “PR” and immediately think two things:

1. Write a press release.
2. Get us in the Wall Street Journal.

But according to Pete Voss, that’s missing the point entirely.

In this episode, Pete talks about what PR actually looks like when you do it well, and why the best PR is really about bridging audiences and building trust.

We get into how startups can create stories that journalists actually care about (even when you don't have some massive revenue number or headline-grabbing funding round), why trends are often more interesting than statistics, and how to build relationships with reporters before you need something from them.

We also talk about the other side of PR: what happens when things go wrong. From bad press to angry customers to a CEO saying something they probably shouldn't have said, Pete explains why the best crisis response starts long before the crisis happens.

Pete has spent his career working in PR across some of the biggest tech companies in the world, as well as on the startup side.

He's also the author of PR Does Not Mean Press Release: A Public Relations Handbook for Tech Startups, which is exactly what we’re talking about in this episode.

Find Pete Voss on LinkedIn and check out his new book, PR Does Not Mean Press Release, on Amazon.