PressFriendly grew from a PR platform into a software-backed agency.
PressFriendly started as a self-directed platform for planning, sending, and tracking media outreach. The goal remains practical: give startup teams an appropriate PR scope and make the work easy to review.
Early campaigns improved when the team added hands-on strategy and advising to the software workflow. PressFriendly now operates as a virtual agency, while PitchFriendly remains the platform behind the work.
Contemporary accounts: TechCrunch on the 2014 product and Inc. on the early service model.
“PR work should be visible enough to review and specific enough to improve.”
Each program starts with a business goal, such as customer acquisition, thought leadership, recruiting, or fundraising. The story calendar and outlet list follow from that goal.
We want your input, and we walk you through every step of the project and our progress. You get a standing weekly call and regular reporting on the outreach and the coverage it earns, so you always know where your campaign stands.
Client records span 800+ clients and 32 countries.
Source: PressFriendly client and placement records since 2013.
Client work includes coverage in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Inc., and VentureBeat. See the campaign examples and client-reported outcomes.
Four practices guide campaign decisions.
Be agile
Startup plans change quickly. We revise the story calendar and outreach when a launch, round, or market shift changes the priority.
Be transparent
A standing call and regular reports show the reporters contacted, the responses, and the coverage earned.
Focus on results
The program is built around coverage in outlets your customers, candidates, and investors use.
Iterate & build
Reporter responses show which angles deserve more work. We use that evidence to refine the next round of outreach.
Three leaders oversee strategy, operations, and client work.
Joel Andren
A startup entrepreneur who has worked in PR in-house, agency-side, and as a client. He held early marketing roles at software companies as employee 4, 5, and 6, and co-founded enterprise storage company Bitcasa. MA in Communication with a PR focus; started his career at the third-largest PR firm in Seattle.
Lauren Schiffman
A 20-year veteran of communications who has built and run PR programs across healthcare, human services, B2B and non-profit. Architect of multiple award-winning campaigns. BS from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College.
Paul Denya
A lifelong coder who built the platform that helps startups manage their PR. Previously employee #2 at HelloSign and built microsites at New York ad agencies. Guides PressFriendly’s technology vision from North Carolina.
Ready to get your startup in the press?
Tell us what you’re building. On a quick call, we’ll outline the stories and outlets that fit your goals.
- A 30-minute call
- A stage and scope review
- Reply within one business day