What do a Y Combinator partner, a Shark Tank investor, and a serial entrepreneur have in common? On the surface, not much. Michael Seibel built Twitch and now guides hundreds of startups at YC. Mark Cuban made billions and became a household name on reality TV. Jason Calacanis launched multiple companies and hosts one of tech's most popular podcasts.
But when it comes to PR, they all say the same thing: founders should build direct relationships with reporters. Not through PR firms. Not through intermediaries. Directly.
This isn't about bashing PR firms—many successful companies use them effectively. It's about recognizing that the most valuable media relationships are personal ones, and those relationships are built by founders, not by hired hands. Whether you work with a PR firm or not, you should be building these connections yourself.
The Three Voices
Michael Seibel: The $100,000 Lesson
As the former President of Y Combinator and co-founder of Twitch (originally Justin.tv), Michael Seibel has seen thousands of startups navigate PR. His advice comes from hard-won experience—and expensive mistakes.
"Reporters want to talk to CEOs and co-founders–not PR people. As an early stage startup founder you should be building reporter relationships and making pitches. Your success rate will go up and you will actually spend less time and money on PR. Take it from me–we spent over $100,000 on PR retainers and PR people as an early stage startup before we figured this out."
Seibel's key insight: "99 percent of PR in the early stages is stuff you can do yourself." It's not about having PR expertise—it's about having founder expertise. You know your business better than anyone. You have the passion and context that no PR person can replicate.
His approach mirrors business development: warm-up intro, follow-up to build relationships, then add something of value. The difference? You're building relationships with journalists instead of customers—but the principles are the same.
Mark Cuban: The Survival Argument
Mark Cuban's perspective is characteristically direct: "Never hire a PR firm." But his reasoning isn't just about cost—it's about survival and long-term value.
"A public relations firm will call or email people in the publications you already read, on the shows you already watch and at the websites you already surf. Those people publish their emails. Whenever you consume any information related to your field, get the email of the person publishing it and send them a message introducing yourself and the company. Their job is to find new stuff. They will welcome hearing from the founder instead of some PR flack."
Cuban's argument is practical: You already know who the key writers are in your industry. If you don't, you need to do the work to learn. Then reach out to them directly. The relationships will have long-term value to you, and the money you save can be the difference between living or dying as a company.
His point isn't that PR firms are useless—it's that you can do the core work yourself, and you should, because those relationships are assets that compound over time.
Jason Calacanis: The Authenticity Imperative
Jason Calacanis, founder of This Week in Startups and an active angel investor, frames it differently: "Be amazing, be everywhere, be real." His advice: "Fire your PR company."
"As the founder, you must genuinely believe in your product at a deep, intrinsic level—if you don't truly care about what you're building, journalists and bloggers will detect it immediately."
Calacanis's core insight: Authenticity can't be outsourced. Journalists can tell when a founder is genuinely passionate about their product versus when they're reading talking points. That authenticity is what makes stories compelling—and it's something only you can provide.
His approach emphasizes direct engagement: be present, be authentic, be the person telling your story. PR firms can help with logistics and strategy, but they can't replace the founder's voice.
The Common Thread: Why They All Agree
Despite their different backgrounds and communication styles, Seibel, Cuban, and Calacanis converge on four fundamental principles:
1. Reporters Prefer Founders
Journalists want the source, not the middleman. They want to talk to the person who can answer questions with depth, context, and genuine passion. PR people can facilitate, but they can't replace the founder's knowledge and enthusiasm. When you reach out directly, you're giving journalists what they actually want—access to the person who knows the story best.
2. Relationships Compound Over Time
The relationships you build with journalists today will pay dividends for years. A reporter who knows you personally is more likely to cover your funding round, your product launch, or your pivot. These relationships are assets that grow in value—and they're assets that belong to you, not to a PR firm. Even if you work with a PR firm, maintaining your own relationships ensures you're not starting from scratch if you change agencies or go in-house.
3. Authenticity Can't Be Faked
Journalists are experts at detecting inauthenticity. They've heard thousands of pitches, and they can tell when someone is genuinely excited about their product versus when they're reading from a script. Your passion, your unique perspective, your personal story—these are things that can't be outsourced. They're what make your story worth telling, and they're what make journalists want to tell it.
4. You Know Your Business Best
No PR person, no matter how skilled, knows your business like you do. They don't know the customer conversations that changed your direction. They don't know the technical challenges you overcame. They don't know the vision that drives you. When you pitch directly, you can answer questions with depth and nuance that a PR person simply can't match. This doesn't mean PR firms can't help—they can provide strategy, messaging, and logistics support. But the core knowledge and passion come from you.
Building Direct Relationships: A Practical Framework
The question isn't whether you should build direct relationships with reporters—it's how to do it effectively, whether you're working with a PR firm or going solo. Here's a practical framework:
Step 1: Know Your Industry
As Mark Cuban says, you probably already know who the key writers are in your industry. If you don't, you need to do the work to learn. Read the publications that cover your space. Follow the reporters who write about companies like yours. Understand their beats, their writing style, and what they care about.
How HeyJared Helps: Our reporter search makes it easy to find journalists who cover your industry. Filter by beat, publication, location, and more. Read their recent coverage to understand what they care about—all in one place.
Step 2: Build Relationships Before You Need Coverage
Don't wait until you have news to reach out. Start building relationships now. Follow reporters on Twitter and LinkedIn. Engage with their content authentically—share insights, ask thoughtful questions, congratulate them on great stories. The goal isn't to pitch immediately; it's to become a familiar name so that when you do have news, you're reaching out to someone who already knows who you are.
How HeyJared Helps: Our relationship tracking helps you remember when you last contacted each journalist, what you discussed, and when to re-engage. Set reminders to check in periodically, share relevant updates, or congratulate them on recent coverage. These small touches turn cold contacts into warm relationships.
Step 3: Make the Pitch Personal
When you do have news to share, make your pitch personal. Reference their recent coverage. Explain why your story fits their beat. Show that you've actually read their work. And most importantly, write it yourself. Even if a PR firm helps with strategy and logistics, the actual pitch should come from you—it should sound like you, not like a corporate press release.
How HeyJared Helps: Our AI pitch generator can help you craft personalized pitches that reference each reporter's recent coverage and writing style. But remember: the final pitch should sound like you. Use the AI as a starting point, then make it your own.
Step 4: Be Responsive and Helpful
When a reporter responds, be responsive. Answer their questions quickly. Offer to connect them with customers, provide data, or share additional context. Be helpful even when it's not directly about your company—if you can help them understand your industry better, do it. These small acts of generosity build trust and make reporters more likely to come back to you as a source.
Remember: you're not just pitching your company—you're building a relationship with someone who covers your industry. That relationship will pay dividends long after your current news cycle.
Working with PR Firms: The Hybrid Approach
Here's the thing: building direct relationships doesn't mean you can't work with a PR firm. In fact, the most successful founders often do both. They build their own relationships while also working with PR professionals who handle strategy, logistics, and execution at scale.
What PR Firms Do Well
- •Strategy and messaging: PR firms excel at helping you craft your narrative, identify key messages, and position your company in the market.
- •Logistics and execution: They handle press releases, media kits, event coordination, and other time-consuming tasks that let you focus on building your business.
- •Scale: When you need to reach hundreds of reporters simultaneously, PR firms have the infrastructure and relationships to do it efficiently.
- •Crisis management: When things go wrong, experienced PR professionals can help you navigate the situation effectively.
What You Should Do Yourself
- •Build key relationships: Identify 5-10 top-tier journalists in your space and build personal relationships with them. These are your most valuable media assets.
- •Make the first pitch: When you have major news, reach out to your key relationships personally. Let your PR firm handle the broader outreach, but you should own the most important conversations.
- •Be the voice: When journalists want to interview you, do the interview yourself. Don't send a PR person in your place. Your authenticity and knowledge are what make the story compelling.
- •Stay engaged: Continue engaging with reporters on social media, sharing their work, and providing value even when you don't have news. These relationships compound over time.
The best approach is often a hybrid: use PR firms for strategy, logistics, and scale, but maintain your own direct relationships with key journalists. This gives you the best of both worlds—professional support and personal connections that belong to you.
Your First 30 Days: A Practical Action Plan
Ready to start building direct relationships? Here's a 30-day plan to get you started:
Week 1: Identify Your Targets
- •Use HeyJared's search to identify 10-15 journalists who cover your industry
- •Read their last 5-10 articles to understand their beat and interests
- •Follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn
- •Add them to your relationship tracking system
Week 2: Start Engaging (No Pitches Yet)
- •Share their articles on social media with thoughtful commentary
- •Reply to their tweets with insights or questions (not pitches)
- •Comment on their LinkedIn posts with value-add perspectives
- •Track your engagement in your relationship management system
Week 3: Build Your Story
- •Use AskJared to identify what's newsworthy about your company
- •Create a simple press kit with your story, key metrics, and founder bio
- •Practice telling your story in 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 5 minutes
- •Identify the angles that would interest each of your target journalists
Week 4: Make Your First Pitch (When You Have News)
- •Wait until you have actual news: funding, major customer win, product launch, or significant milestone
- •Use HeyJared's pitch generator to craft personalized pitches for your top 5 relationships
- •Personalize each pitch—reference their recent coverage and explain why your story fits
- •Send the pitches yourself, from your own email address
- •Follow up once after 3-5 days if you don't hear back
The Long Game: Why This Matters
Building direct relationships with reporters isn't a quick win—it's a long-term investment. But it's an investment that pays dividends:
- •Better coverage: Reporters who know you personally are more likely to cover your news, and they're more likely to tell your story accurately and compellingly.
- •Faster responses: When you have news, you can reach out directly to reporters who already know you, rather than starting from scratch with cold pitches.
- •Source relationships: Reporters who know you as a founder will come to you for expert commentary on industry trends, even when you don't have company news.
- •Portable assets: These relationships belong to you, not to a PR firm. If you change agencies, go in-house, or go solo, your relationships come with you.
- •Cost efficiency: Building relationships yourself is free. Maintaining them takes minimal time. The ROI is undeniable.
The bottom line: whether you work with a PR firm or not, you should be building direct relationships with reporters. These relationships are assets that compound over time, and they're assets that only you can build. As Seibel, Cuban, and Calacanis all agree: this is work that founders should do themselves.
Start Building Relationships Today
The best time to start building relationships with reporters was yesterday. The second best time is today. Don't wait until you have news—start engaging now, and when you do have news, you'll have relationships to leverage.
HeyJared makes it easy to find the right reporters, track your relationships, and craft personalized pitches. But remember: the relationships themselves are built by you. Use tools to make the work easier, but don't outsource the relationships.
As Michael Seibel, Mark Cuban, and Jason Calacanis all agree: founders should build direct relationships with reporters. Whether you use a PR firm or not, these relationships are assets that belong to you—and they're assets that will pay dividends for years to come.
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