Digital PR for Startups: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Press Releases and Pitching Journalists

Why Digital Publicity is a Startup’s Secret Weapon

In today’s saturated digital environment, digital publicity is often the most cost-effective way for a startup to stand out. Unlike paid advertising, which vanishes when the budget dries up, effective startup PR builds lasting visibility and credibility.

Here’s why it matters:

• Attracts attention from investors and partners - A credible feature in the UK startup press signals traction, helping you open doors with funders, accelerators and corporate collaborators.
  

• Builds trust with potential customers - People are far more likely to trust a brand mentioned in Wired UK or TechCrunch than one that only runs Instagram ads.
  

• Strengthens your SEO performance - Backlinks from online publications drive traffic and push your site up search results, creating a compound effect over time.
  

• Cost-efficient growth - A thoughtful PR campaign can achieve the reach of advertising at a fraction of the price, particularly valuable when budgets are tight.
  

For early-stage startups, mastering digital PR isn’t optional, it’s often the fastest route to relevance.

Breaking Down the Building Blocks of Startup PR

What is Digital PR, Exactly?

Digital PR is the art of earning media coverage across online outlets, everything from blogs and trade press to global news platforms. At its best, it combines traditional PR storytelling with SEO, content marketing and social amplification. For startups, it’s a way to earn visibility rather than buy it.

Anatomy of a Press Release

A well-crafted press release is the engine that powers most digital publicity campaigns. Think of it as a journalist-ready story, complete with facts, quote  and context. The most effective releases share the same DNA:

By mastering these basics, you give journalists fewer reasons to hit delete.

How to Secure Coverage: A Practical Step-by-Step Approach

Here’s where founders often stumble, not in writing a press release, but in getting it published. Below is a tried-and-tested roadmap to landing coverage in the UK startup press.

Step 1: Find the Story Worth Telling

Journalists don’t cover companies; they cover stories. Your job is to uncover the “hook.” Examples include:

• Closing a funding round
  

• Launching a new product or feature
  

• Striking a notable partnership
  

• Releasing proprietary data or research
  

• Making a significant hire
  

• Driving social or environmental impact
  

If you can’t explain in one sentence why your update matters to the wider world, it isn’t press-worthy.

Step 2: Draft a Compelling Press Release

Use the structure outlined above. Remember: clarity beats cleverness. Don’t try to sound like an ad; write like a news reporter.

Step 3: Build a Targeted Media List

This step separates good PR from spam. Instead of blasting every outlet, identify:

• National titles (The Guardian, The Telegraph, BBC News)
  

• Startup/tech outlets (UKTN, Sifted, TechCrunch, BusinessCloud)
  

• Trade press covering your niche
  

• Regional media highlighting local growth stories
  

Tools like Muck Rack can help, but a manual search on Twitter/X or LinkedIn often reveals which journalists cover your niche.

Step 4: Personalise the Pitch

Your pitch email should feel written for that journalist, not copied to 50 others. Show you’ve read their work: “I noticed you recently covered the rise of AI in education; our startup has just launched…”

Offering exclusives or embargoes can also boost your odds of coverage, especially with tier-one publications.

Step 5: Send at the Right Time

Timing is underrated. Journalists are more receptive mid-week (Tuesday-Thursday), ideally in the morning. Avoid late Fridays or evenings unless your story is breaking news.

Step 6: Follow Up Politely

If you’ve heard nothing after three days, send a short follow-up: “Just checking if this is of interes-happy to provide images, quotes or data.” Don’t pester; one follow-up is enough.

Step 7: Measure and Learn

Did your release secure coverage? Generate backlinks? Drive traffic spikes? PR success is about outcomes, not just mentions. Tracking media memorability, whether investors and customers recall seeing your brand, matters even more.

Step 8: Build Long-Term Relationships

One-off PR wins are good. But the real value is in developing genuine relationships with journalists. Comment on their articles, engage with them on social, and share insights even when you’re not pitching.

Turning PR into Momentum

A single press hit won’t change your trajectory. But consistent execution will. To turn PR into a growth engine:

1. Repurpose coverage - Share articles across LinkedIn, Twitter/X, your newsletter and investor updates.
   

2. Archive successes - Build a “press” page on your site for social proof.
   

3. Keep feeding the pipeline - Plan quarterly announcements to maintain visibility.
   

4. Mix earned and owned media - Combine journalist outreach with publishing founder-led blogs, podcasts and LinkedIn posts.
   

When used strategically, each press release becomes a stepping stone, building credibility and narrative control over time.

Beyond Traditional PR: Founder-Led Storytelling

An emerging school of thought argues that the future of startup PR is founder-led. Instead of relying solely on agencies, founders are increasingly using their own platforms to tell stories directly.

PR strategist Lulu Cheng Meservey calls this the “radical PR playbook”: transparent, unfiltered communication. Whether that means posting threads on X, writing Medium articles, or jumping on podcasts, the principle is the same - own the narrative.

For UK founders especially, combining traditional digital publicity (press releases, journalist outreach) with founder-first storytelling (LinkedIn, podcasts, blogs) creates a hybrid model: credibility plus authenticity.

Building Your PR Muscle

Digital PR isn’t smoke and mirrors. It’s a repeatable process:

• Identify a newsworthy angle
  

• Write a clear, structured press release
  

• Pitch the right journalist at the right time
  

• Follow up respectfully
  

• Track coverage and refine your approach
  

• Build relationships for the long run
  
  

For startups, especially those targeting the UK startup press, mastering these steps can mean the difference between obscurity and recognition. Done consistently, digital publicity doesn’t just generate clicks, it builds lasting trust, authority and momentum.