New founders get terrible advice about building personal brands.
Create content daily. Post on LinkedIn. Build your audience first, then monetise.
Here’s what happens when you follow this advice: You spend several months creating content that gets zero engagement. Your “thought leadership” posts collect dust. Your expertise goes unnoticed.
The founders who succeed understand one simple truth about authority building: You don’t need to create an audience.
You need to borrow one.
After analysing dozens of founder media strategies, we’ve found the approach that works fastest for people starting from zero: expert commentary. The founders who master this get their first media mentions in 60-90 days, while others spend years shouting into the void.
The Chrysler Executive Who Became America’s Celebrity CEO (Using Strategic Media Positioning)
In 1978, Lee Iacocca got fired from Ford after 32 years and joined Chrysler Corporation, which was heading towards bankruptcy. As president, he wasn’t well known outside the auto industry. Chrysler was losing money, and from 1979 to 1986, Iacocca had to rebuild both the company and his reputation as a leader.
Lee Iacocca knew something most executives didn’t: media coverage wasn’t just publicity, it was positioning.
When Iacocca took over Chrysler in 1978, the company was losing billions and on the brink of bankruptcy. Instead of hiding from the press during the crisis, he did the opposite.
He made himself completely available to journalists.
His rule: hold press conferences regardless of quarterly results because “Reporters have a story to write no matter how our earnings turn out, their editors don’t give them the day off if we have a dud of a quarter, so why shouldn’t I be available to explain why we fouled up?”
The results speak for themselves. Iacocca’s autobiography was the best-selling non-fiction hardback of both 1984 and 1985. Chrysler went from near bankruptcy to profitability in five years.
By 1985, he was more famous than most politicians in America.
Even the Gallup Poll ranked him as the third most admired man in the U.S after Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II.
Lacocca did this by positioning himself as the go-to guy journalists called when they needed a credible quote on American business, manufacturing or economic recovery.
Why Most Founders Waste Months Building Audiences (Instead of Borrowing Them)
Check out what happened to Ryan Hoover before Product Hunt existed. In November 2013, he was running a simple email list experiment about product discovery. The first week? Hundreds of people subscribed with zero promotion beyond a single post on Quibb.
But here’s what changed everything: Instead of grinding away at content creation, Hoover reached out to Carmel DeAmicis, a reporter at Pando. They met at a bar. He told her the Product Hunt story. Two days later, she published this:
That single media mention did what months of audience building couldn’t: it made Product Hunt look like a real platform worth paying attention to. Within a year, Hoover had closed $6.1M in Series A funding from Andreessen Horowitz.
The difference is clear when you see it. Hoover’s own Medium post shows exactly how this went down: email experiment → strategic media outreach → credibility transfer → investor interest.
This is the problem with standard personal branding advice. When you have zero followers, your content gets zero traction. You’re shouting into an empty room.
But when a journalist quotes you, something magical happens: their credibility transfers to you instantly.
Pando readers didn’t care about Hoover’s follower count. They cared that Pando thought his approach to product discovery was worth writing about.
Here’s the math that matters: Building an audience of 10,000 engaged followers takes 18-24 months of consistent content creation.
Getting quoted in a publication with 10,000 readers takes one strategic conversation with the right journalist.
What Media Coverage Does for Your Business
We have to be honest about what media coverage delivers versus what founders think it delivers.
Media coverage won’t flood your website with customers overnight. Here’s what it delivers:
Investor conversations happen faster. VCs scan for signals that founders get their market. Media coverage is social proof that you understand the industry.
Top talent answers your calls. Senior candidates research founders before considering opportunities. Media coverage means you’re building something worth joining.
Partnership doors open more easily. Businesses prefer to work with recognised voices in their industry. Your media mentions are credibility assets in partnership conversations.
Sales cycles get shorter. B2B buyers research founders during purchase decisions. Media coverage is third-party validation that makes you a trusted advisor, not a vendor.
The compound effect matters most. Your first media mention leads to speaking opportunities. Speaking opportunities lead to more media coverage. More coverage leads to investor interest and partnership inquiries.
Here’s an example of well-executed expert commentary:
Step 1: What Is Your Expertise That Others Would Quote?
An expert can’t be just “entrepreneurship” or “startup growth”. That’s too broad. You need specific expertise that you can back up with case studies and data.
Work within this framework:
What specific problem do you solve that nobody else in the industry does better? Instead of something like “I help businesses grow”, you can say, “I help B2B SaaS companies acquire enterprise customers when they’re stuck below $1M ARR.”
What data-supported opinion do you hold that goes against the conventional wisdom?
Maybe you believe cold outreach is the best way to acquire customers for early-stage companies rather than content marketing, and you have the numbers to prove it.
What industry trend can you comment on with a unique perspective? Perhaps your education allows you to understand how AI will impact small business accounting in a way that others don’t.
Test your expertise:
Can you talk about this topic for 15 minutes without notes?
Do you have case studies or data to back up your claims?
Would your angle be valuable to a journalist working on a specific story?
Step 2: Build Your Media Source Profile
Create a one page “source sheet” that makes it easy for journalists to quote you.
Your source sheet should include:
Your areas of expertise (max 3 topics)
Your credentials and unique background
5 quotable quotes on each topic
Your contact info and interview availability
Platform optimization:
Update your LinkedIn headline to “Available for Expert Commentary on [Your Topic]”
Create a basic “Media” page on your website with your bio and expertise areas
Get one professional headshot that journalists can use
Step 3: Execute Media Outreach
First, help journalists solve their immediate problem (find a credible source) before asking for anything.
Target the right people. Find 3-5 journalists who cover your industry. Read their last 10 articles. Pay attention to which journalists report on the areas you specialize in. Follow their Twitter accounts and interact with their posts for a week before initiating contact.
HARO strategy that works. HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is the service that connects journalists to sources. Create keyword alerts for areas of your expertise. When you see a matching question, answer it with this template within 90 minutes:
Direct response to the question asked (2-3 sentences maximum)
One supporting statistic or example
Your credentials (1 line)
Explain that you’re happy to elaborate if necessary.
Real-life example: The Content Factory responded to 21 HARO requests over 30 days and was quoted 6 times (28.5% success rate), leading to coverage in Success Magazine, Media Shower, and elsewhere.
Step 4: Turn Media Mentions into Authority Assets
Amplification:
Share every mention on social media with extra commentary
Create a “Press” page on your website with all coverage
Add “As featured in [publication]” to your email signature
Reference media coverage in investor and partner meetings
Relationship building:
Thank journalists and share their articles
Introduce journalists to other experts in your network
Stay in touch for future opportunities
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Media Outreach
Generic positioning. Saying “I’m available to comment on entrepreneurship” instead of “I’m available to comment on B2B SaaS customer acquisition for companies under $1M ARR.”
Selling instead of serving. Pitching “I’d love to tell your readers about my startup” instead of “I have data about this trend that might interest your readers.”
Inconsistent execution. Responding to one HARO query and giving up rather than building systems for long-term relationship building.
No follow-up strategy. Two follow-ups, two weeks apart. If no response, wait three months before trying again.
Want to Work with Us to Implement This Expert Commentary Strategy?
Our Digital PR Agency: You can learn more about us here.
Help us help you borrow credibility from established authority and media outlets, or more so, handle everything your digital PR needs to thrive.
How New Founders Can Use Expert Commentary to Build Authority from Zero (And Land Their First Media Mentions in 90 Days)
New founders get terrible advice about building personal brands.
Create content daily. Post on LinkedIn. Build your audience first, then monetise.
Here’s what happens when you follow this advice: You spend several months creating content that gets zero engagement. Your “thought leadership” posts collect dust. Your expertise goes unnoticed.
The founders who succeed understand one simple truth about authority building: You don’t need to create an audience.
You need to borrow one.
After analysing dozens of founder media strategies, we’ve found the approach that works fastest for people starting from zero: expert commentary. The founders who master this get their first media mentions in 60-90 days, while others spend years shouting into the void.
The Chrysler Executive Who Became America’s Celebrity CEO (Using Strategic Media Positioning)
In 1978, Lee Iacocca got fired from Ford after 32 years and joined Chrysler Corporation, which was heading towards bankruptcy. As president, he wasn’t well known outside the auto industry. Chrysler was losing money, and from 1979 to 1986, Iacocca had to rebuild both the company and his reputation as a leader.
Lee Iacocca knew something most executives didn’t: media coverage wasn’t just publicity, it was positioning.
When Iacocca took over Chrysler in 1978, the company was losing billions and on the brink of bankruptcy. Instead of hiding from the press during the crisis, he did the opposite.
He made himself completely available to journalists.
His rule: hold press conferences regardless of quarterly results because “Reporters have a story to write no matter how our earnings turn out, their editors don’t give them the day off if we have a dud of a quarter, so why shouldn’t I be available to explain why we fouled up?”
The results speak for themselves. Iacocca’s autobiography was the best-selling non-fiction hardback of both 1984 and 1985. Chrysler went from near bankruptcy to profitability in five years.
By 1985, he was more famous than most politicians in America.
Even the Gallup Poll ranked him as the third most admired man in the U.S after Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II.
Lacocca did this by positioning himself as the go-to guy journalists called when they needed a credible quote on American business, manufacturing or economic recovery.
Why Most Founders Waste Months Building Audiences (Instead of Borrowing Them)
Check out what happened to Ryan Hoover before Product Hunt existed. In November 2013, he was running a simple email list experiment about product discovery. The first week? Hundreds of people subscribed with zero promotion beyond a single post on Quibb.
But here’s what changed everything: Instead of grinding away at content creation, Hoover reached out to Carmel DeAmicis, a reporter at Pando. They met at a bar. He told her the Product Hunt story. Two days later, she published this:
That single media mention did what months of audience building couldn’t: it made Product Hunt look like a real platform worth paying attention to. Within a year, Hoover had closed $6.1M in Series A funding from Andreessen Horowitz.
The difference is clear when you see it. Hoover’s own Medium post shows exactly how this went down: email experiment → strategic media outreach → credibility transfer → investor interest.
This is the problem with standard personal branding advice. When you have zero followers, your content gets zero traction. You’re shouting into an empty room.
But when a journalist quotes you, something magical happens: their credibility transfers to you instantly.
Pando readers didn’t care about Hoover’s follower count. They cared that Pando thought his approach to product discovery was worth writing about.
Here’s the math that matters: Building an audience of 10,000 engaged followers takes 18-24 months of consistent content creation.
Getting quoted in a publication with 10,000 readers takes one strategic conversation with the right journalist.
What Media Coverage Does for Your Business
We have to be honest about what media coverage delivers versus what founders think it delivers.
Media coverage won’t flood your website with customers overnight. Here’s what it delivers:
Investor conversations happen faster. VCs scan for signals that founders get their market. Media coverage is social proof that you understand the industry.
Top talent answers your calls. Senior candidates research founders before considering opportunities. Media coverage means you’re building something worth joining.
Partnership doors open more easily. Businesses prefer to work with recognised voices in their industry. Your media mentions are credibility assets in partnership conversations.
Sales cycles get shorter. B2B buyers research founders during purchase decisions. Media coverage is third-party validation that makes you a trusted advisor, not a vendor.
The compound effect matters most. Your first media mention leads to speaking opportunities. Speaking opportunities lead to more media coverage. More coverage leads to investor interest and partnership inquiries.
Here’s an example of well-executed expert commentary:
You can find the whole article here.
The 4-Step Expert Commentary System
Step 1: What Is Your Expertise That Others Would Quote?
An expert can’t be just “entrepreneurship” or “startup growth”. That’s too broad. You need specific expertise that you can back up with case studies and data.
Work within this framework:
What specific problem do you solve that nobody else in the industry does better? Instead of something like “I help businesses grow”, you can say, “I help B2B SaaS companies acquire enterprise customers when they’re stuck below $1M ARR.”
What data-supported opinion do you hold that goes against the conventional wisdom?
Maybe you believe cold outreach is the best way to acquire customers for early-stage companies rather than content marketing, and you have the numbers to prove it.
What industry trend can you comment on with a unique perspective? Perhaps your education allows you to understand how AI will impact small business accounting in a way that others don’t.
Test your expertise:
Step 2: Build Your Media Source Profile
Create a one page “source sheet” that makes it easy for journalists to quote you.
Your source sheet should include:
Platform optimization:
Step 3: Execute Media Outreach
First, help journalists solve their immediate problem (find a credible source) before asking for anything.
Target the right people. Find 3-5 journalists who cover your industry. Read their last 10 articles. Pay attention to which journalists report on the areas you specialize in. Follow their Twitter accounts and interact with their posts for a week before initiating contact.
HARO strategy that works. HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is the service that connects journalists to sources. Create keyword alerts for areas of your expertise. When you see a matching question, answer it with this template within 90 minutes:
Real-life example: The Content Factory responded to 21 HARO requests over 30 days and was quoted 6 times (28.5% success rate), leading to coverage in Success Magazine, Media Shower, and elsewhere.
Step 4: Turn Media Mentions into Authority Assets
Amplification:
Relationship building:
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Media Outreach
Generic positioning. Saying “I’m available to comment on entrepreneurship” instead of “I’m available to comment on B2B SaaS customer acquisition for companies under $1M ARR.”
Selling instead of serving. Pitching “I’d love to tell your readers about my startup” instead of “I have data about this trend that might interest your readers.”
Inconsistent execution. Responding to one HARO query and giving up rather than building systems for long-term relationship building.
No follow-up strategy. Two follow-ups, two weeks apart. If no response, wait three months before trying again.
Want to Work with Us to Implement This Expert Commentary Strategy?
Our Digital PR Agency: You can learn more about us here.
Help us help you borrow credibility from established authority and media outlets, or more so, handle everything your digital PR needs to thrive.
Get in touch with us here.
Most Recent Posts
Category
Explore Our Services
We offer tailored solutions designed to fit your needs, practical, effective, and built to deliver real results.
Tags