Within the tech world, the place product is king and engineering expertise is gold, PR typically will get handled just like the shiny additional you put money into when you’ve raised your Collection A. Or worse, it’s seen as an arrogance play. Headlines with no actual influence.
However right here’s the factor. PR has all the time been a strong differentiator, particularly at an early stage. It builds authoritativeness. It builds credibility. And now, it’s enjoying an much more central function in shaping how startups are discovered, ranked and validated in AI-powered search instruments like ChatGPT and Gemini.
PR isn’t simply press. Its presence.
Let’s transfer past the concept PR is nearly getting press. Good PR immediately is about constructing your footprint throughout the net in a manner that offers your organization authority, visibility and lasting discoverability.
With the rise of generative AI instruments, the data that trains and feeds LLMs (Massive Language Fashions) is more and more pulled from trusted, listed content material. Assume on-line media footprint, well-structured founder interviews and skilled quotes in respected retailers. When Gemini or ChatGPT is prompted with “Finest European AI startups” or “prime sustainable mobility options in France”, you need your organization to point out up. Not since you’ve gamed search engine marketing, however since you’ve earned your home within the dialog.
And the way do you earn that place? Strategic, good and constant PR. You don’t must make it to the entrance web page of the Monetary Occasions. However constructing a hint within the media, even should you begin small, can and can proceed to be game-changing.
AI is the brand new search. PR is your rating engine.
Once we converse with founders and even VCs, we nonetheless hear the identical objection. “Unsure PR is a precedence proper now. We have to concentrate on product and runway.” And whereas these priorities are completely legitimate, you’re leaving critical visibility on the desk by not constructing public-facing authority alongside them.
AI instruments are shortly changing into the brand new discovery layer. Individuals aren’t simply Googling anymore. They’re prompting ChatGPT or Perplexity to shortlist distributors, instruments and companions. They’re asking for product comparisons, ecosystem insights and startup maps. The content material that surfaces will not be from adverts. It’s from listed, high-authority, earned media. In different phrases, the output of fine PR.
Momentum begets momentum.
There’s a compounding impact that good startups perceive. PR builds momentum. Momentum builds credibility. And that credibility accelerates every thing else. Expertise acquisition, fundraising, enterprise growth and sure, discoverability in AI-driven environments.
We noticed this firsthand with Sorare. From Day 1, we launched them in a number of markets. We pushed their Seed announcement throughout key European areas the place grassroots communities had been already rising. That early media footprint helped place them as a worldwide participant earlier than they even scaled. Later, when SoftBank got here on board and names like Mbappé and Serena Williams joined, the foundations had been already there to amplify the story tenfold.
Founders, take notice.
In case you’re constructing in stealth, that’s effective. However should you’re already in-market and your product is reside, even should you’re pre-Collection A, don’t underestimate the ability of visibility. Don’t wait till the “proper second” to begin investing in PR. That second is now. The price of invisibility is rising.
Your rivals are getting listed. Their narratives are coaching the AI fashions your future clients are utilizing. In case you’re not in that dataset, you’re not within the dialog. Interval.
Ultimate thought
In 2025, PR isn’t nearly buzz. It’s about presence. Strategic PR places your startup in the best publications, conversations and information graphs. It makes your voice a part of the dataset that AI instruments floor and amplify. It builds belief at scale.
In case you’ve been hesitant to speculate, I get it. Budgets are tight. However on this new period of AI discoverability, PR can transfer the needle in methods few different levers can. Particularly for startups trying to punch above their weight.
