When should a startup begin working on PR?

If you want your PR efforts to yield impactful results, start planning as early as possible.

If you’re preparing to launch your brand or product next week and you’ve only just started thinking, “Maybe we should get some PR going,” you’ve done yourself, your team, your investors, and whatever it is you’re launching a disservice.

Good PR can score big wins for your business. But when it's treated as an afterthought, something that's barely squeezed in between last-minute bug fixes and during blurry all-nighters, it's highly unlikely to return the results you're hoping for. Today, I'm digging in to talk about when startups should begin working on PR efforts, as well as what that might look like for your business.

The Last-Minute PR Trap

I get it, startups are incessant juggling acts. Founders balance product development, hiring, fundraising, and countless other responsibilities. In the middle of all that, building a media strategy can feel nonessential.

What often happens to PR in the entrepreneurial world is either: 1) a founder rushes out a last-minute press release and hopes for the best, or 2) startup pays a rush-job premium to a PR agency to push a press release out and then cross their fingers for a few media hits.

Sometimes these efforts return decent results. And when they do, fantastic. But more often than not, they fizzle. Even when coverage is secured, the momentum tends to stall quickly without a longer-term plan in place to build on those initial wins.

PR Works Best with Lead Time

Here’s the reality: the less time and thought you invest in your PR strategy, the less return you’re likely to see.

On the flip side, when public relations is approached with planning and intention, it becomes a powerful tool that builds awareness, credibility, and trust over time. That’s why the best time to start thinking about PR isn’t a week before launch. It deserves your attention months in advance. Ideally, you’re considering your communications strategy as early as possible in your startup journey.

In-House or a PR Partner? Know Your Resources

In a perfect world, every startup would have an in-house PR lead working in lockstep with the leadership team. But let’s be real, most startups don’t have that luxury.

Instead, you may be choosing between hiring a fairly seasoned marketing generalist who can wear multiple hats (including PR), or engaging an external partner, usually either a freelance contractor or an agency.

If you go the external route, consider two strategic approaches:

1. A hyper-focused short-term engagement (3 to 4 months): Ideally, this would start three(ish) months before launch and would include a post-launch phase to ensure all media leads get wrapped up.

1. A long-term partnership (12 months+): This is the more impactful option. A year-long (or longer) engagement allows your PR team to not only support the launch but also develop and implement a sustainable strategy that builds on each win. The longer you work together, the better they’ll understand your brand, your goals, and your audience, while also becoming better adept at scouting for media opportunities. Additionally, they’ll be well-positioned to act quickly and strategically as your company evolves.

Why Long-Term PR Pays Off

If your budget allows for a long-term partnership, I’d always recommend taking this route. Public relations is a long game, and although it doesn’t always require all hands on deck, keeping your foot on the gas pedal of your PR efforts can contribute continuously to your overarching business objectives.

A strong, long-term PR partner will:

• Build a deeper understanding of your brand and audience
• Leverage early wins into sustained media momentum
• Reduce the need for constant oversight over time
• Integrate new developments into a larger narrative
• Respond quickly to opportunities while keeping the big picture in view

When evaluating potential partners, avoid anyone offering a cookie-cutter approach or those who rely solely on press releases. PR is not shorthand for “press release.” It's a comprehensive discipline that touches everything from thought leadership and brand positioning to media relations, influencer outreach, and more.

Think Long-Term, Act Early

It’s tempting to ignore public relations until the last minute, especially when you have a thousand other priorities. But investing in a proactive PR strategy pays off across the board. It can, at bare minimum, increase sales, help open doors to investors and partners, enhance your hiring pipeline, and put added shine on your overall halo effect.

Let’s be honest, startups need all of those things. And that’s why you need to be thinking about PR as early as you can. Like, yesterday.

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David Martin, partner at Heed Public Relations and author of the book PR for Startups and Growing Businesses, recently launched Feed the Narrative, a weeklong online training program for people who need to Learn PR at Hyperspeed.