There’s a particular kind of hope that comes with putting yourself out there. Ask any actor who has ever auditioned. You stand in front of a camera or a panel of bored casting directors who have seen twenty other people today who kind of look like you, and you do your best. You try to be memorable. You try not to sweat too much. You make eye contact but not weird eye contact. And then?
You walk out. And you wait.
And wait.
You refresh your inbox like it might suddenly, miraculously, contain the future you’ve been working toward. You tell yourself it’s fine, that no news is good news, that surely someone somewhere is watching your tape right now and nodding approvingly. You start rewriting history in your head. Maybe I should have said that line differently. Maybe I should have worn a different shirt. Maybe they hated me.
And then, eventually, you hear nothing.
PR is like that.
For a lot of entrepreneurs, DIY PR starts with optimism. You have built something—a business, a product, a mission—and you know it’s good. You just need the right people to see it. So you sit down, you write a pitch, you take a deep breath, and you press send.
And then?
Nothing.
No polite rejection. No “thanks, but not right now.” Just silence, which is somehow worse than a no because it leaves space for all your self-doubt to rush in like an uninvited guest at a dinner party.
Here’s the thing: PR is a game of rejection. It is built on rejection. If that sounds discouraging, let me say this—so is life. And writing. And dating. And basically anything worth doing.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. In fact, I want you to try. I want you to understand the mechanics of PR because even if you eventually hire someone to do it for you, knowing how it works will make you a better storyteller, a better business owner, and frankly, a little bit tougher in the best possible way.
When DIY PR Makes Sense
DIY PR is like cutting your own bangs—sometimes it works beautifully, and sometimes you end up Googling “how long does it take for hair to grow out?” Here’s when you should absolutely go for it:
You have a genuinely newsworthy story – And I mean actually newsworthy. Not “We’re launching a new website” or “We made our logo a different shade of blue.” But if you’re solving a real problem in a way that is fresh, surprising, or tied to something happening right now, you’ve got a shot.
You’ve done your research – You know which journalists cover your industry. You’ve read their articles, you understand what they care about, and you’re sending your pitch to the right person instead of just guessing and blasting emails into the void.
You can write like a human, not a press release generator – The best pitches sound like one person talking to another. If your pitch starts with “We’re thrilled to announce…” you are writing for an audience that does not exist. Instead, try: I saw your piece on [relevant topic], and I thought you might be interested in this… Be real. Be brief. Be helpful.
You are okay with silence, ghosting, and rejection – Because I promise you, it will happen. Not because your story isn’t good, but because journalists are drowning in pitches, and sometimes your email is the equivalent of an audition tape that never even gets watched.
You can follow up gracefully and then move on – Following up once or twice is great. Following up every day for a week is like showing up at someone’s house uninvited and wondering why they’re not answering the door. If they don’t respond, let it go and pitch someone else.
When It’s Time to Call in an Expert
Sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is not try to do everything yourself. You wouldn’t perform your own root canal, right? (I mean, I hope not.) Here’s when hiring a PR expert is worth the investment:
You’ve sent pitches and heard absolutely nothing – If your inbox is a ghost town, it might be your story, your timing, or your approach. A PR pro can help figure out what’s not working.
You’re launching something big – A funding round, a game-changing product, a high-stakes moment—these aren’t the times to wing it.
You need connections you don’t have – PR pros spend years building relationships with journalists. This doesn’t mean they can wave a magic wand and get you press, but they do know how to pitch in a way that makes reporters pay attention.
You don’t have time to do this yourself – Running a business is already a full-time job. If PR is eating into the time you should be spending on strategy, sales, or sleep, hand it off.
You don’t know what to do if someone actually says yes – Getting a journalist interested is just the beginning. You still have to give a great interview, provide the right details, and avoid saying something that sends the whole thing off the rails.
The Emotional Roller Coaster of PR
PR is a long game. It’s an exercise in resilience. You will pitch things that never get a response. You will check your email one too many times. You will convince yourself you’re terrible at this.
And then, one day, it will happen.
An email will land in your inbox. A journalist is interested. They want more details. Maybe they want an interview. Maybe they’re writing a piece, and they think you’d be perfect for it.
And suddenly, every bit of waiting, every ignored email, every moment of doubt—it will all be worth it.
Because that’s the thing about putting yourself out there. It’s terrifying. It’s exhausting. But when it works, when someone sees you, when you get that moment where you realize you broke through?
It feels like the best kind of magic.
So go ahead. Put yourself out there. Try. And when it gets overwhelming, when the silence gets too loud, when you need a guide, call in someone who can help. But whatever you do—don’t stop telling your story.