Do not hire PR until reporters have a reason to care
Lester Chen calls press a test of whether a startup story holds up, and says reporters usually want a fundraise, proven demand, or a launch before writing.
speedrun.substack.com · Don't Hit the NOS Too Soon: A Founder's Guide to PRThe most common mistake Lester Chen sees in early-stage founders is pushing for press too early. Chen, an investor who works with founders in the a16z speedrun program, says, "I hear it a few times every batch." A team that is still building asks when to talk to the press, convinced that coverage will turn into customers. He calls it "hitting the NOS too soon" after the nitrous boost in the Fast and Furious movies, meaning a premature push while too many basic variables are still vague.
Chen treats press as a test rather than a way to find buyers. Pitching reporters, in his view, is a way to learn whether the story about why the company exists holds up for outsiders who owe the founder nothing.
He says reporters look for signals that many early teams cannot yet show. Those include a fundraise to announce, clear product-market fit, which means strangers will pay and keep using the product, reasonable costs to win each customer with steady retention, and a product that has publicly launched.
Starting that process while those pieces are unsettled "ends up burning time and money," he says. For most, "simply raising some pre-seed money isn’t enough." He adds, "The plot needs to thicken." There are instances where companies get written about anyway, but usually with some outlier catalyst, such as a team with strong backgrounds or "a viral moment worth talking about."
Questions people ask
How do I know if I actually have product-market fit?
Product-market fit means people beyond friends and early testers will pay for what you sell and keep using it without heavy discounts or constant prodding. Founders often check repeat purchases, retention over several months, and whether new customers arrive by word of mouth. If growth stalls as soon as you stop pushing, you likely do not have it yet.
Why does having a fundraise matter to a journalist?
A fundraise helps because it gives a reporter a clear news hook, a dollar amount, and outside validation that someone bet on the company. A small pre-seed round usually lacks that weight unless the investors are unusually prominent or the round is large for its stage. Later or larger rounds, especially with known firms participating, are easier to turn into a story.
What should I do instead of PR while I wait?
Do the work that makes the story stronger: get the product live, talk to users, improve retention, and grow through direct sales, partnerships, or community. Collect proof such as revenue, customer names, and usage numbers. When you can point to traction and a launch, a pitch becomes much simpler.