But you’ve found that, in reality, gaining traction with investors can be hard work, especially if you’ve not been on the journey before.

Funding is as much about perception as it is about market projections, and that's where PR can quietly but powerfully tip the scales.

What is PR? Well, there are a lot of lofty and over-complicated definitions out there, but essentially, it’s the part of the marketing mix that focuses on reputation – “the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you”, to quote the Chartered Institute for Public Relations.

First impressions last🔗

Investors don’t just back ideas; they back the people behind them. A well-placed article or an insightful mention of your startup by a leading authority within your industry sends all sorts of positive signals to investors – that you’re well-connected, that you know your stuff, that you’re recognised by the market as a company worth watching.

More than that, PR lets you tell your story. Not the formulaic pitch deck version, but the relatable, real-world story of why you’re here, the problem you’re solving, and why it matters. Done right, PR is how you bring your vision to life and share it with the world. After all, people remember great stories more than numbers.

Establishing your leadership credentials🔗

Investors aren’t looking to back also-rans – they want to pick winners, as that’s how they’ll deliver strong returns to their stakeholders further down the line.

When you’re early in the game, you won’t have blockbuster revenues or growth figures to show off. What you do have is insight into your market, into your audiences and their painpoints, into how things need to change and improve.

Writing about your industry’s challenges, or signposting future trends, and publishing this content – in the media, on LinkedIn, or on your website – positions you as an expert, someone with their finger on the pulse. This type of ‘thought leadership’ is an underused but powerful way to establish yourself as someone worth paying attention to. It’s not a sales pitch – it’s a way to showcase your expertise and future vision. Remember, investors want to back people who aren’t just solving today’s problems but are primed to tackle tomorrow’s.

The question you have to answer is: Why now? Why is your company essential, not just interesting? PR can help you tie your story to broader trends, showing how your vision meets a real, urgent need. It’s not just about being viable—it’s about being inevitable.

For example, we help founders tap into the ongoing news agenda, issuing commentary when relevant new stories break, writing articles in response to what’s happened over the past week, reaching out to journalists who are tracking these stories and encouraging them to interview our founders. This type of ‘newsjacking’ is something that PR agencies often specialise in, but it’s also something you can try out yourself on LinkedIn to start conversations and share your story.

For founders, these platforms aren’t just for networking—they’re your stage. Posting regularly about your insights, achievements, and even challenges shows you’re engaged, thoughtful, and invested in your industry.

But don’t spread yourself too thin. You don’t need to be everywhere; you just need to be present where it matters. LinkedIn is the obvious choice for reaching investors, but if another platform fits your audience or niche, lean into that instead. The worst thing you can do is open accounts you never use, and thus give the outside world the impression that your startup isn’t active.

This matters because founders don’t just have to raise an initial round of capital; they will likely need to return to the well many times along the growth journey.

The key is authenticity. If you say you’re solving a problem, make sure you really are. If you claim expertise, back it up. PR is a long game, and the ones who win are those who stick to the truth and let their track record do the talking.

And if you’re thinking about hiring PR support, be sure to shop around – and seek recommendations from your peers and advisors. You may not need an expensive agency right away. A freelancer or a focused project can often give you the direction you need to get started without breaking the bank.

A strategic lever🔗

Done well, PR helps you stand out, builds your credibility, and gets your story in front of the right people. For founders looking to ease the path to funding, it is a strategic lever that allows you to foreground the leadership qualities investors look for in founder teams – intelligence, vision, audience understanding, industry experience and more.