Startup founders misread PR — focusing on company promotion when the real lever is elevating themselves as industry authorities. The CEOs who become category-defining voices before their competitors attract investors, media, and customers, and foster the compounding citation advantage.
A tech startup approaching Series B operates under existential exposure — security incidents, regulatory inquiries, executive departures, customer breaches. The crisis playbook every founder should have locked before the round closes: roles, decision trees, dark sites, and the 24-hour response cadence.
Small tech startups don't outspend incumbents. They outwork them on narrative discipline, founder visibility, and earned media that compounds into AI-search citation share. Five disciplines that actually move the business.
