Go Direct? Yes, And...
Having founders involved in PR is table stakes. But it's not a strategy.
Media companies are struggling. Just this week, Teen Vogue announced it will fold into Vogue.com and laid off mostly people of color. CBS is gutting its properties following the Paramount deal. As media conglomerates merge and condense even further, there are fewer and fewer human journalists doing real reporting. That leaves a scarcity problem for PR professionals, who, as of 2018, outnumber journalists 6 to 1 (which is now likely off by a mile).
The solution posed by some of the loudest voices in PR? Go direct. Circumvent reporters and “traditional media” to have founders speak directly to their audience. Don’t let other people tell your story for you. PR professionals are obsolete, so just let your founder rip on the internet.
Except now, the biggest champions of “going direct” are already backtracking. They’re saying it was never about bypassing media entirely. It was just about founders being involved in communications. About founders being involved in shaping and telling the story.
Which is…not new. That’s just PR 101.
If that’s all “going direct” ever meant, why did we need a new term? Why the manifesto-style posts about killing traditional media and PR agencies? Why position it as some groundbreaking insight when that’s always been best practice in communications?
The original “go direct” framework was rightfully criticized for being too narrow, but even the revised definition is just repackaging common sense as strategy.
Let me pull back the curtain on this shiny new object — founder-led comms.
Founder Involvement is Table Stakes (Not a Strategy)
I’ve written before about what PR pros wish founders knew. The number one thing? That PR only works when leadership is invested and involved.
If they don’t understand what PR achieves, aren’t available for media interviews, don’t have a unique and compelling POV and just want to outsource the whole program like it’s Google AdWords, it’s going to fail. Every time.
Having founders lead the narrative isn’t a strategy; it’s a key ingredient to the success of any comms program. So the misleading nature of “go direct”/founder-led comms makes founders think they can just post on LinkedIn and call it a comms strategy.
But going direct—no matter how authentic or frequent—can’t replace the fundamental things that actually build credibility and reach.
You Still Need to Play Outside Your Own Sandbox
If you’re Elon Musk, the man who infamously dissolved his entire Tesla PR team, you can “go direct.” He is the medium and the message. He literally owns the platform. A single tweet can move markets.
But for founders who don’t own a social media platform, who are raising a Series A or launching out of stealth, “going direct” assumes you already have the audience’s attention. Most startups don’t.
To reach beyond your mutuals, you need to tap into other platforms. That means “traditional” media. That means content creators. That means third-party experts who can tell your story to people who have never heard of you.
I’m not against owned channels. Build them! Post on LinkedIn, X, BlueSky, wherever you’re already active and know your audience lives. But that can’t be your only play.
You Still Need Credibility
Public trust in institutions is at record lows. A majority believe that governments, businesses and the wealthy make their lives harder, not better. People are skeptical of what companies say about themselves (as they should be).
Every founder claims their startup is disruptive, has no competitors, is a category leader. Why should anyone believe them?
But when a journalist at a credible outlet covers your launch? When an expert or creator they’ve followed for years endorses your product? That carries weight.
External validation offers something you can’t manufacture on your own: third-party credibility.
Your CEO can post all day about how great your product is, and it might create interest. A top-tier feature, however, can create belief.
You Still Need Discoverability
“Go direct” ignores how people are searching and discovering companies now. A Muck Rack study found that more than 89% of links cited by AI tools are earned media. And there’s a strong bias toward stories published in the last 12 months.
GenAI search is proving what PR professionals have known all along: earned media matters.
When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity about your category, the AI isn’t pulling from your CEO’s tweets. It’s citing articles from Business Insider, Forbes, Reuters and reputable trade publications. Even newswires!
Your owned content might reach your existing network. But earned media reaches everyone searching for solutions in your space, including people who have never heard of you.
For years, executives undervalued PR because it was hard to measure. Thanks to AI, they’re starting to care again.
You Still Need to Diversify Your Risk
If your entire communications strategy hinges on your founder’s voice, you’re one bad tweet away from a viral crash-out.
Founders are human. Humans sometimes behave badly. Perform poorly in high-stakes moments. Leave companies. Get showcased on big screens at Coldplay concerts.
Sorry, but no, not all press is good press. Much like your investment portfolio, you need to diversify to manage reputation risk. Can the CTO or CPO also articulate your mission and vision? Are your customers available to validate your claims? Can creators act as loyal ambassadors for your brand?
Founders should absolutely be involved, but they’re not the only faces and voices that can help evangelize your story and earn credibility.
There’s No Silver Bullet.
So should you “go direct?” Absolutely.
But don’t stop there.
The most effective communications strategies aren’t either/or. They’re yes, and.
Go direct and secure media coverage that reaches new audiences.
Post on LinkedIn and pitch your funding announcement to Upstarts.
Build your newsletter audience and collaborate with creators who can amplify your message.
The brands that win aren’t picking sides in manufactured debates between “go direct” and “traditional PR.” They’re building comprehensive strategies that meet audiences where they are—on owned channels, in earned media, through trusted voices, and yes, directly from their founders.
PR needs to evolve as quickly as media, technology and attention spans do. But let’s not pretend that “founder-led comms” is the silver bullet.
It’s just good comms with a new hashtag.
In the Comms Group Chat
🇺🇸 Elections 2025 takeaway: know your audience. The rest is just noise.
📰 RIP Teen Vogue, as we know it.
🤌 Snaps for Laurene Powell Jobs’ PR team. S tier op-ed.
😬 When CEOs get defensive…
🗑 If you backtrack on your values today, don’t expect to relaunch them in three years.
☕️ Pouring one (PSL) out for Starbucks’ comms team.
Every single one of your posts is just filled with so much great insight. I wish I had a resource like this when starting in PR.