Quick Answer:
A winning strategy for PR development starts by flipping the script: it’s not about chasing press releases, but about building a system that consistently attracts the right audience. You need a documented 90-day plan focused on 2-3 core narratives, built on deep audience insight, with clear metrics tied to business goals like lead quality or investor interest, not just vanity clips.
You are probably thinking about PR all wrong. I know this because for 25 years, I have sat across from founders and CMOs who slide a budget across the table and ask, “How do we get into TechCrunch?” That is not a strategy. That is a wish. A real strategy for PR development is not a list of media outlets; it is a business plan for your reputation. It answers who needs to hear your story, why they should care, and what you want them to do after they have heard it. Let us build that plan.
Why Most strategy for PR development Efforts Fail
Here is what most people get wrong: they treat PR like a megaphone. They believe the goal is to broadcast their message as loudly and widely as possible. So they hire an agency, draft a generic press release about a funding round or a new feature, blast it to a list of 500 journalists, and call it a day. When nothing happens, they blame the agency or declare that “PR does not work for us.”
The real issue is not the output. It is the input. A strategy built on “we need coverage” is destined to fail because it is entirely self-referential. Journalists and your audience do not care about your need for coverage. They care about their own problems, trends in their industry, and stories that surprise or educate them. I have seen this pattern play out dozens of times: a company spends $15,000 a month for six months, gets a handful of forgettable mentions, and has zero measurable impact on pipeline or perception. The failure is in treating PR as a tactical, outsourced activity instead of a core, integrated business function.
A few years back, I was brought in by a Series B SaaS company. They had a “great” PR agency, but the CEO was frustrated. They were getting mentions—maybe one or two a month—but their ideal customer profile, enterprise VPs of operations, had never heard of them. We paused everything. I asked the team a simple question: “What specific problem keeps your ideal customer up at night this quarter?” We dug into niche forums, read analyst reports they read, and listened to the podcasts they listened to. We found a very specific, painful regulatory change causing them massive headaches. We repositioned the CEO not as a SaaS founder, but as an expert navigating this change. We crafted a single, deep dive article on the implication of that regulation. That one piece, placed in one specialized publication, generated more qualified leads in a month than the previous year of “broad” PR. The agency was doing its job; the strategy was wrong.
What Actually Works: Building a System, Not a Campaign
Forget the 12-month agency retainer. Your strategy for PR development needs to be agile, insight-driven, and owned internally. Here is how you build it.
Start with Audience, Not with Your Logo
Your first document should not be a messaging platform. It should be an audience map. Who exactly influences your target buyer? It is not just Forbes. It is a specific analyst at Gartner, a Substack newsletter with 5,000 dedicated readers, a LinkedIn influencer who is a former industry executive, and two podcast hosts who interview practitioners. Map these 10-15 channels first. Your goal is to be valuable to their audience, not to use them.
Develop Narratives, Not Press Releases
You need 2-3 core narratives for the year. A narrative is a bigger story you can tell from multiple angles. For example, “The shift to distributed work is breaking traditional management software.” From that, you can pitch data stories, opinion pieces on leadership, case studies with early-adopter clients, and trend commentary. Every piece of content you create—a blog post, a CEO talk, a byline—feeds this narrative ecosystem. This makes you a predictable, credible source on a topic, not a company shouting random news.
Measure Impact, Not Impressions
If your main KPI is “number of articles,” you will get meaningless articles. Tie PR directly to business outcomes. Are sales development reps mentioning a recent article in their cold outreach? Is there an increase in direct traffic to a pricing page after a key podcast appearance? Are you seeing inbound interest from a specific investor after an analyst mention? Work backwards from these goals. This often means you pursue fewer, higher-quality placements with a direct line to your target audience.
Effective PR in 2026 is less about who you know in the media and more about how well you know the problems of the people you want to reach. The story that finds an audience is the one that speaks directly to their reality.
— Abdul Vasi, Digital Strategist
Common Approach vs Better Approach
| Aspect | Common Approach | Better Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Start with company messaging and boilerplate. | Start with an audience & influencer channel map. |
| Content | One-off press releases for company milestones. | A rolling 90-day calendar of narrative-driven content (data, opinions, stories). |
| Outreach | Blast pitches to a massive, generic media list. | Personalized pitches to 5-10 targeted channels, offering exclusive angles. |
| Ownership | Fully outsourced to an agency on a long retainer. | Internal strategist sets direction; agency or freelancers execute tactically. |
| Measurement | Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) and clip counts. | Lead source tracking, share of voice among target accounts, message pull-through. |
Looking Ahead: strategy for PR development in 2026
First, the line between PR and SEO blurs completely. Your target audience finds expertise via search, not just media brands. Your strategy must treat key narrative pieces as SEO assets, optimized for the questions your buyers are asking. Ranking for “how to solve [specific pain point]” is now a PR goal.
Second, executive platforms become non-negotiable. The media landscape is fragmented, but individual authority is concentrated. In 2026, your CEO or CTO needs a direct, owned channel—a serious newsletter, a video series—where they build a following. Media coverage then amplifies this existing platform, not the other way around.
Third, AI forces authenticity. AI can draft a generic pitch in seconds. What it cannot do is provide a genuine, nuanced point of view from lived experience. Your strategy’s competitive edge will be deep, human insight that cannot be automated. Journalists will crave this more than ever to cut through the AI-generated noise.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you charge compared to agencies?
I charge approximately 1/3 of what traditional agencies charge, with more personalized attention and faster execution. My model is built on building your internal strategy capability, not keeping you on a perpetual retainer.
How long does it take to see results from a PR strategy?
If you measure by quality leads or investor conversations, you can see initial traction in 60-90 days with a focused narrative. If you measure by front-page Forbes, you might wait forever. Set the right expectations from day one.
Do I need to hire a PR agency at all?
Not necessarily. You need someone internally who owns the strategy. For execution, a skilled freelance journalist or niche specialist can often deliver better media relationships for specific targets than a generalist agency account manager.
What is the single most important part of the strategy?
Ruthless focus. Choosing one core audience, one key narrative, and 5-10 perfect channels to start. Trying to be everything to everyone is the fastest path to getting nothing from anyone.
Can a small startup with no news compete with funded companies?
Absolutely. In fact, it is easier. You are nimbler. You can take a bold opinion on an industry trend, share unique early data, or tell a compelling founder story. Big companies are often stuck in approval cycles. Your insight is your advantage.
Look, developing a PR strategy is not about buying a service. It is about installing a new lens through which you view your entire business: the lens of your audience’s world. Stop asking, “How do we get coverage?” Start asking, “What do we know that our ideal customer finds indispensable?” Build your entire plan around the answer to that question. That is how you move from being a company that does PR to a company that is sought after.
