Generating News When You Have None

From Product Features to National Features

Why This Matters

You won’t always have a new product or funding announcement, but sustained PR depends on showing up consistently. You can "create" newsworthy stories even in quiet periods.

Founder's Point of View

Startups often feel stuck when there’s no big launch. But the truth is, reporters need stories year-round — and your expertise, customers, and team values can fill that gap. By reframing everyday wins or building stories around trends, you can keep visibility high between announcements.

Overview

Creating news doesn’t mean manufacturing hype. It means finding angles that are useful, timely, and relevant to your audience. Ways to generate stories:
- Repurpose founder or team origin stories into angles tied to current issues
- Highlight customer wins or impact case studies
- Use holidays, awareness months, or regulatory changes as hooks
- Conduct light research or pulse surveys to produce quick data-driven insights
- Comment on industry debates or cultural moments where your brand has a voice

Quiet periods are often the best time to deepen credibility, because you can show up as a thoughtful source — not just someone promoting a product.

Key Actions to Take

- Repurpose founder stories, origin stories, or team values into angles
- Highlight customer wins and user impact stories
- Use holidays, awareness months, or current events as hooks
- Conduct light research or surveys to generate original data for media pitches

Metrics

Number of story ideas generated per quarter from non-launch activity
Pickup rate of pitches during “quiet” periods
Engagement on evergreen press content (shares, backlinks, mentions)

Examples

A fintech startup leverages consumer survey results to produce a thought-leading report, pitching newsworthy stats about concerning spending habits around the holidays
A founder comments on remote work trends during a national labor report release, landing quotes in two outlets
A local sustainability brand ties its volunteer efforts to Earth Day, generating regional coverage and strengthening community ties

Tools

Trend spotting & ideation: BuzzSumo, Brandwatch (paid) + Google Trends, AnswerThePublic (free)
Survey & data tools: Typeform, SurveyMonkey (paid) + Google Forms, LinkedIn polls (free)
Tracking non-launch coverage: Meltwater (paid) + manual Google News/Social tracking (free)

Optional Assets

- Story Bank Template
- Seasonal PR Planning Calendar
- Customer Story Pitch Template

Pro Tips

Media needs strong sources — if you bring value via insight or original data and information, they’ll listen, even without “hard” news.

Don't Make These Mistakes

Ignoring opportunities to tie your story into trending news or seasonal relevance
Assuming you need a “big” announcement to pitch