Lenny's PodcastThe ultimate guide to PR | Emilie Gerber (founder of Six Eastern)
Lenny Rachitsky and Emilie Gerber on startup PR, Demystified: Tactical Playbook from Six Eastern’s Emilie Gerber.
In this episode of Lenny's Podcast, featuring Emilie Gerber and Lenny Rachitsky, The ultimate guide to PR | Emilie Gerber (founder of Six Eastern) explores startup PR, Demystified: Tactical Playbook from Six Eastern’s Emilie Gerber Emilie Gerber, founder of PR agency Six Eastern, breaks down highly tactical, step‑by‑step advice for startups on how to get and leverage press. She reframes PR’s value for B2B as second‑order effects—credibility, sales enablement, recruiting, and partnerships—rather than direct sign‑ups, and explains when PR *does* directly drive growth for consumer products.
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Startup PR, Demystified: Tactical Playbook from Six Eastern’s Emilie Gerber
- Emilie Gerber, founder of PR agency Six Eastern, breaks down highly tactical, step‑by‑step advice for startups on how to get and leverage press. She reframes PR’s value for B2B as second‑order effects—credibility, sales enablement, recruiting, and partnerships—rather than direct sign‑ups, and explains when PR *does* directly drive growth for consumer products.
- She maps out which publications to target for which types of stories, how to craft concise, compelling pitches, and how to reach reporters via email, DMs, and social. Gerber also contrasts good and bad messaging, shows how to position against incumbents instead of “creating categories,” and shares concrete examples of successful pitches and campaign structures.
- Beyond traditional media, she covers podcasts, newsletters, social media, and awards as critical channels, including how to discover and approach them. The episode closes with guidance on when and how to hire a PR agency, what it costs, and what to expect from those engagements.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasFor B2B, PR’s main value is credibility and leverage—not immediate sign‑ups.
Press logos, third‑party validation, and in‑depth articles become powerful tools in sales decks, outbound emails, fundraising, and recruiting. Think of PR as strengthening trust and de‑risking you in buyers’ and candidates’ eyes, not as a direct growth channel.
Match the story to the right publication and format.
TechCrunch is ideal for funding and some product news; Axios is highly deals‑ and sector‑focused (fintech, healthcare); Business Insider loves pitch‑deck breakdowns and entrepreneurial metrics; VentureBeat is strong for AI; Fast Company for future‑of‑work, design, and leadership op‑eds; Forbes for lists and contributor pieces. You’ll get better results tailoring pitches to each outlet’s actual beats and incentives.
Keep pitches brutally concise, direct, and pattern‑matching to what reporters already cover.
Great email/DM pitches are often three sentences: who you are, what the news is, why it matters (with a concrete hook), and a clear ask (e.g., an exclusive funding story). Avoid long market essays and buzzwords; reporters respond better to clarity and specificity than to grand narratives.
Anchor your story to incumbents instead of claiming to “create a category.”
Positioning as “a better X than Salesforce/Bill.com/Zapier for Y reason” gives reporters instant context and a compelling underdog angle. “Category creation” language is usually vague, overused, and ineffective in pitches—even if it has internal marketing value.
Use founders’ and execs’ personal stories and contrarian views as PR assets.
When the product seems dry or niche, lean into founder journeys, mission‑driven angles, or sharp, non‑obvious opinions on industry trends (e.g., critiquing Shopify’s meeting policies or the credit system). These often land as op‑eds, panels, or quote opportunities that meaningfully raise visibility.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesNo one ever gets this tactical in PR. At the end of the day, if you are a startup that wants to get coverage, you need to know actually the steps to take to do it.
— Emilie Gerber
A lot of founders automatically think, ‘I raised money so TechCrunch will cover this.’ The reality is TechCrunch wrote nine funding stories in a week and there were about 50 funding rounds.
— Emilie Gerber
I’m of the belief that [warm relationships] do not matter as much as many people think. Cold outreach done well is just as effective.
— Emilie Gerber
Most companies want to position themselves as category creators, and I actually hate that—for PR. It doesn’t work, and most of the time it’s not totally true.
— Emilie Gerber
Press releases came about because reporters checked newswires for story ideas. No reporters do that anymore.
— Emilie Gerber
QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS EPISODE
5 questionsGiven my specific product and audience, which 3–5 publications and 3–5 podcasts/newsletters would be the highest‑leverage targets, and why?
Emilie Gerber, founder of PR agency Six Eastern, breaks down highly tactical, step‑by‑step advice for startups on how to get and leverage press. She reframes PR’s value for B2B as second‑order effects—credibility, sales enablement, recruiting, and partnerships—rather than direct sign‑ups, and explains when PR *does* directly drive growth for consumer products.
How can I reframe my current “category‑creating” narrative into a clear, incumbent‑anchored story that a reporter would instantly understand?
She maps out which publications to target for which types of stories, how to craft concise, compelling pitches, and how to reach reporters via email, DMs, and social. Gerber also contrasts good and bad messaging, shows how to position against incumbents instead of “creating categories,” and shares concrete examples of successful pitches and campaign structures.
What concrete contrarian or under‑told angle about my market or customers could realistically make my founder or product a go‑to source for reporters?
Beyond traditional media, she covers podcasts, newsletters, social media, and awards as critical channels, including how to discover and approach them. The episode closes with guidance on when and how to hire a PR agency, what it costs, and what to expect from those engagements.
If I had to write a three‑sentence pitch email for my next launch, what exactly should each sentence say?
At our current stage and budget, should we run PR ourselves with this playbook, or is it time to bring on an agency or consultant—and what would a six‑week engagement look like in detail?
EVERY SPOKEN WORD
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