I’ve been featured in TechBullion, Benzinga, IMDb, Wikitia, regional press across MENA. None of it happened by accident, and almost all of it I underestimated until I needed it. Five lessons about earned media that would have saved me years.

1. PR is a long game played over years, not weeks

Most founders treat PR like a launch tactic — “we need press for our product launch.” That approach fails. The journalists who write about you on launch day are the ones who already know your name from two years ago. Build the relationships before you need them. By the time you need them, it’s too late.

2. The hook is everything

“We launched a new product” is not a hook. “We’re a Saudi-Sudanese voice actor turning a music project into an AI company” is a hook. Journalists need a frame — a reason their reader cares. If you can’t articulate the hook in one sentence, you don’t have one.

3. Niche outlets compound better than tier-one outlets

One feature in TechCrunch is great. But ten features in mid-tier industry outlets do more for your search engine results, your AI search citations, and your authority signals than a single TechCrunch hit. Especially in the AI search era, citation density across credible sources matters more than peak placement.

4. Your bio is the asset, not the press release

Journalists copy bios verbatim. If your bio has the wrong title, the wrong city, the wrong company name — that’s what 30 publications will print. Write your bio like it’s the only sentence anyone will read about you. Update it every six months. Have versions in 50, 100, and 250 words.

5. Help A Reporter Out (HARO) and equivalents are real

Free, structured ways to be quoted in mainstream press if you respond fast and have something specific to say. The hit rate is low but the ROI is enormous when one lands. The rebrand of HARO is Connectively; equivalents exist regionally.

What I do now

One day a quarter is dedicated entirely to PR work:

  • Update the press kit on the site
  • Reach out to 5–10 journalists I’ve followed all quarter
  • Pitch one specific story idea per outlet
  • Respond to relevant HARO/Connectively threads for two hours

That’s it. Compound interest does the rest.

The press kit essentials

A real press kit page on your site needs:

  • Three bio versions (50/100/250 words)
  • High-resolution headshots — landscape and portrait
  • Logo files in light and dark variations
  • Three pre-written quote blocks on your core topics
  • Direct contact for media

The principle

PR is not magic; it’s a slow, deliberate practice of being legible to journalists. The founders and creators who get covered consistently are the ones who made themselves easy to cover.

Building your media presence and want a press kit review? Email me.