Why Entrepreneurs Should Tell Their Own Stories

You have a brilliant business idea. You spend months – hopefully not years – conceptualizing it, refining your business model, building a cash runway, assembling your team, creating your minimum viable product (MVP), testing and piloting, fundraising, and preparing for your go-to-market moment. Then, you hire a public relations (PR) firm to tell your story to the world.

Does this sound intuitive to you? Let me answer for you: it does not.

Startup founders are often inundated with a set of standardized practices the market normalizes as essential for a successful launch – everything from endless cycles of refining a product pre-launch (which often does more harm than good), to an inflated perception of the need to hire external consultants to craft and tell the company’s story – coming from a PR professional, this may sound unexpected.

The truth is, PR holds immense benefits for businesses. It establishes a brand’s voice and identity in a noisy market, drives credible endorsements and trust, and safeguards a company’s reputation. That positive, organic article that pops up top of search results for your product or business can do wonders for growth and investment opportunities.

However, having been in the industry for 15 years, working closely with startup founders from early-stage ventures to scaled businesses, I can confidently say it is rarely effective to leave PR solely to the specialists, especially when founders remain uninvolved, and leave it to the PR firm to deploy a system that “works.” This approach often results in unclear storytelling during the critical early days, a lack of a distinct brand tone, and missed opportunities for founders to position themselves as trusted thought leaders – all of which are essential for growth. The expectation that PR firms will come in with a magic wand and deliver unparalleled results is more fantasy than reality.

Having worked in PR both agency-side and in-house, as well as as a journalist for one of the leading entrepreneurship ecosystem accelerators in MENA, I have developed lots of media pitches, while also receiving several others from startups both directly and via PR agencies. But the most effective pitches always involve founders playing a central role in the process. As a founder, what you need is communications coaching to equip you with the right tools and guidance. Michael Seibel, a founding partner at Y Combinator, explained it best: “PR is like business development: you get a warm intro, you follow up, you build a relationship, and you provide something of value… And when you are dealing with press, it is the exact same thing.”

So, keeping that premise in mind, here are five (glaring) reasons why early-stage founders should take charge of their own communications before engaging a PR firm:

1. Establish Credibility

When your personal and business brands are still in their infancy, there is little to no value in adding a layer between you and the press. It injects your story into a queue of pitches that PR consultants are pushing to the media. I have no doubt of the effectiveness and integrity of those pitches, but at this stage, your story will be far more credible and impactful if it comes directly from you.

People connect with people. Your personal voice is a powerful engine for your company’s progress and growth. Start with direct, authentic conversations with the press about your story: the problem you’re solving, why it matters, and what’s coming up in your realm that is newsworthy. Setting the tone early on creates a credible foundation for your brand’s future PR efforts.

2. Build Relationships

Creating direct relationships with the press in your company’s early days yields undeniable returns. By connecting directly rather than through a third party, you lay the groundwork for long-term advocacy for your brand.

The key is to present value to journalists. Share newsworthy milestones and industry insights that are valuable to their segment. This positions you as a thought leader they turn to for future stories, and that creates a successful launchpad for your eventual PR agency to build upon.

3. Reflect Authenticity

The MENA region is fortunate to have visionary PR leaders who consistently raise industry standards. However, originality often suffers due to PR generalists treating journalists as marketers in disguise, and there are a few out there who simply spray and pray, whether voluntarily or upon pressure from their clients, ending up burning bridges with the press.

As a new founder, you are uniquely positioned to present your story in the most personal and authentic way. You know it better than anyone else, and its authenticity often stems from your personal journey.

4. Save Money

It is a no-brainer. Cost optimization is critical for new businesses. At this stage, it’s premature to allocate resources to a third-party advisor when your focus should be on core business needs. 

Instead, absorb the PR process internally. Invest in coaching to learn PR best practices, and consider external consultancy only as your business grows, and when you have more cash to offload this growing function to a PR advisory. When you do bring in a PR firm, stay engaged to ensure consistency in your brand’s voice and story that serve your evolving business objectives.

5. Shifting Focus

In the first few years, a startup evolves significantly, responding to its market with agility rather than rigidity. While your core mission may remain intact, your product or service offerings and unique selling points often shift as you find your footing.

During this phase, prioritize quality over quantity in media coverage. You don’t need to create excessive buzz that locks you into a positioning you might later need to pivot away from. Instead, focus on steadily building trust and credibility.

It is incumbent upon PR professionals to be transparent about what they can and cannot do for you as a founder. If a PR advisor tells you that they’ll “create your story for you,” you’re in the wrong hands. Craft your story yourself, then as your business matures, hire PR advisors to amplify your story, your version of it.

Author Bio

Shaimaa El Nazer is an award-winning communications professional with 15 years of experience across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt. She has most recently been featured in PR Week’s Middle East Power Book 2024, and she was also listed on Campaign ME’s PR Faces to Watch List 2019. She sits on the Strategy Board of the Middle East Public Relations Association and is a founding member of Global Women in PR’s Abu Dhabi chapter. She has previously covered regional entrepreneurship stories for Wamda, and has supported social entrepreneurs’ work in the Arab world through the non-profit Ashoka during the Arab Spring.

This article first appeared in the December issue of Inc. Arabia magazine. To read the full issue online, click here.