Beyond the Funding Announcement: 7 Other Stories Worth Pitching

Here's the reality: most startup founders only pitch journalists when they raise money.

Think about that for a second. Most startups raise funding every 18-24 months. That means they're trying to get media coverage twice in their entire company lifecycle, then wondering why they struggle to build relationships with reporters.

Meanwhile, I know founders who get covered monthly — sometimes weekly — with stories that have nothing to do with fundraising. They understand that the best PR isn't about money raised; it's about problems solved, insights shared, and value created.

These founders treat media relationships like customer relationships: consistent engagement, ongoing value, and mutual benefit over time.

Why funding announcements are overrated

Don't get me wrong — funding announcements can work. But they're also the most competitive, least differentiated stories you can pitch.

Every funding announcement sounds the same:

• "Company X raises $Y to solve problem Z"
• "We're disrupting industry ABC with our revolutionary platform"
• "This funding will help us scale and grow our team"

Journalists get dozens of these pitches daily. Unless you're raising $100M+ or have a celebrity founder, you're just noise in their inbox.

Plus, funding announcements often generate the wrong kind of attention. They attract competitors, copycats, and sales pitches more than customers.

The 7 stories that work better than funding announcements

1. The customer success transformation

The hook: "How [Customer] achieved [specific outcome] using [your solution]"

Why it works: Journalists love stories with clear heroes, villains, and transformations. Your customer is the hero, their problem is the villain, and your product enabled the transformation.

Example pitch: "How a 50-person startup dramatically reduced their customer support workload using our AI chatbot — and the surprising lessons about automation that emerged."

2. The industry trend analysis

The hook: "Why [industry trend] is about to change everything for [target audience]"

Why it works: You position yourself as a thought leader who understands market dynamics, not just someone who built a product.

Example pitch: "Why 2025 is the year remote work finally kills the corporate VPN — and what IT teams should do instead."

3. The contrarian take

The hook: "Why everyone is wrong about [commonly accepted belief in your industry]"

Why it works: Journalists love controversy and contrarian perspectives. They generate engagement and discussion.

Example pitch: "Why MVP culture is killing great products — and how taking longer to build actually gets you to market faster."

4. The behind-the-scenes operational story

The hook: "How we [solved a common business problem] that every startup faces"

Why it works: Other founders want to learn from your mistakes and successes. It's valuable, relatable content.

Example pitch: "How we hired 50 engineers in 6 months without sacrificing quality — the playbook we wish we'd had."

5. The research-backed market insight

The hook: "Our research reveals surprising trends about [industry/behavior]"

Why it works: Original research creates unique, newsworthy content that other outlets will reference.

Example pitch: "We studied thousands of customer support tickets to understand why users really churn — and it's not what you think."

6. The regulatory/compliance angle

The hook: "How [new regulation/compliance requirement] will impact [industry] — and what companies should do now"

Why it works: Regulatory changes create urgency and affect entire industries. You position yourself as the expert who understands the implications.

Example pitch: "The EU's AI Act goes into effect next month — here's what it means for every SaaS company (even US ones)."

7. The partnership or integration story

The hook: "How [your company] + [partner company] are solving [industry problem] together"

Why it works: Partnership stories often get coverage from multiple outlets because both companies promote them. Plus, they're about collaboration and innovation, not just fundraising.

Example pitch: "Slack + our startup just made it possible to resolve customer issues without leaving your chat — here's how it works."

The story development process

Great stories don't just happen — they're developed systematically. Here's how to identify and develop your next story:

Step 1: The story audit

Monthly, sit down with your team and ask:

• What interesting customer problems did we solve this month?
• What surprising insights did we discover?
• What industry trends are we seeing that others might not be?
• What operational challenges did we overcome?
• What partnerships or integrations launched?

Step 2: The angle test

For each potential story, ask:

• Would I click on this headline if I saw it in my industry newsletter?
• Does this teach me something I didn't know before?
• Is this actionable for other people in my position?
• Does this challenge conventional wisdom or confirm a trend?

Step 3: The evidence gathering

Great stories need supporting evidence:

• Customer quotes and case studies
• Data and metrics
• Industry expert perspectives
• Visual elements (screenshots, charts, photos)
• Broader context and implications

The relationship-building advantage

When you pitch interesting, valuable stories consistently, something magical happens: journalists start reaching out to you.

They'll email asking for your take on industry trends. They'll quote you in other stories. They'll think of you when they need expert commentary.

This is how you build the kind of media relationships that turn into consistent coverage over time.

Getting started: Your first non-funding story

Pick one story type from the list above and commit to developing it in the next 30 days. Start with whatever feels most natural:

• Do you have a customer with impressive results? → Customer success story
• Did you discover something surprising in your research? → Research-backed insight
• Do you disagree with conventional wisdom in your industry? → Contrarian take
• Did you solve an interesting operational challenge? → Behind-the-scenes story

The goal isn't perfection — it's starting the habit of regular story development and journalist relationship building.