PR Isn’t Press—It’s Positioning

How Founders Can Shape the Story Before Anyone Asks

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Most Startups Pitch Too Soon

Before the logos, before the press kit, and way before your cousin’s friend from college “knows a guy at TechCrunch”—there’s a question every founder must answer:

Why should anyone care?

Public relations for early-stage startups isn’t about sending press releases to overloaded journalists. It starts internally, with how you position your brand in the mind of your audience before any formal media outreach begins.

“If you don’t tell your story, someone else will tell it for you,” says Kendall Bird, PR expert and startup advisor.

Let’s break down why PR begins with positioning, how to shape it before launch, and why getting it right early makes investor outreach, customer marketing, and even hiring much easier.

The Founder Story vs. The Company Story

There’s you. And then there’s the thing you’re building.

The founder story is personal. It taps into your motivation, origin, challenges, and values. It’s the “why now, why me” part of the narrative.

The company story, on the other hand, is about the product, the market need, and how your solution stands apart.

Both are necessary. But too many startups blur the lines. Or worse—skip the founder story entirely in favor of product specs.

Case in Point: Figma founder Dylan Field didn’t start with feature comparisons. He framed the need for real-time collaboration in design around his personal frustration with isolated workflows. The result? A human-centered story that scaled with the company.

Emotional Triggers Matter More Than Features

A 2022 study by Edelman found that 88% of consumers say trust is critical when deciding which brands to support. And trust is emotional—not logical.

What does that mean for you?

Instead of starting with “our software is 3x faster,” begin with “we help small business owners reclaim their weekends.”

Strategic positioning is about matching what your product does with the feeling your audience wants to have. Relief. Empowerment. Excitement. Safety. Speed.

“PR is less about what you say and more about what others feel when they hear your name,” notes Ann Handley, bestselling author of Everybody Writes.

A Framework for Founders: The Positioning Worksheet

You don’t need a PR agency to get started. Just clarity. Here’s a free downloadable worksheet (PDF) you can use to define:

• Target audience personas

• Key emotional triggers

• What your company is really solving

• How your backstory intersects with your brand mission

• Messaging pillars for all future comms

Use this internally first. Then let it shape your investor deck, landing page, and even your About section on LinkedIn.

How Early PR Shapes Funding, Traction, and Hires

Messaging precedes momentum.

A solid positioning statement makes everything downstream easier. Investors don’t just fund ideas—they fund people with clarity. Employees don’t just join companies—they follow missions.

When Stripe launched, their PR wasn't just “we make payments easy.” It was “we want to expand the GDP of the internet.”

That message helped them close early investors and attract early employees aligned with that mission—even before they had wide media coverage.

Positioning vs. Promotion

Element	Positioning	Promotion
Focus	Internal clarity	External reach
Timing	Pre-launch to Series A	After early traction
Tools	Messaging docs, story frameworks	Press releases, ad campaigns
Outcome	Investor belief, team alignment	Customer awareness

Don’t Outsource the Most Important Part

You can hire PR. You can pay for ads. But you can’t outsource clarity.

Positioning is the foundation. Media comes later.

Whether you’re bootstrapping or backed by angels, make sure your brand’s story starts with intention—not with noise.

Just launched your new business and need resources to ace direct marketing at lower costs with higher ROI?

Check out Salesfully’s course, Mastering Sales Fundamentals for Long-Term Success, designed to help you attract new customers efficiently and affordably.

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