Second-Order PR Effects

PR's primary value is validation and credibility, not direct growth

Emilie Gerber
The ultimate guide to PR | Emilie Gerber (founder of Six Eastern)

Second-Order PR Effects

"It's not necessarily going to directly drive signups, but when that AE is sending their sales emails and they can link to a story, I think that really helps. Also, candidates too, when you're reaching out... If it's a recruiter reaching out on LinkedIn and they only have 100 characters to make their pitch, linking to that story can be really powerful." - Emilie Gerber

What It Is

Many founders dismiss PR because they can't see a direct line to growth. They get a story in a major publication, watch their traffic, and see nothing. But this misses how PR actually creates value.

The real value of PR comes from second-order effects—the indirect benefits that compound over time. For B2B companies especially, press coverage serves as third-party validation that enables other business activities: sales, recruiting, partnerships, and fundraising.

The story reporters write about you isn't "This is the best product you've ever seen"—it's about your journey, your culture, your approach. That content doesn't convince customers directly. But the fact that a respected publication wrote about you signals legitimacy in ways that matter enormously to enterprise buyers, candidates, and partners.

How It Works

Second-order PR effects manifest in several ways:

Sales Enablement

  • AEs link to press coverage in outreach emails
  • Buyers who are skeptical of new vendors see third-party validation
  • Enterprise procurement teams see reduced risk from a covered company

Recruiting Leverage

  • Recruiters with 100 characters to make a pitch can link to coverage
  • Candidates researching companies find validation
  • Top talent gravitates toward companies that get attention

Partnership Credibility

  • Potential partners see you as a real player
  • BD conversations start from a position of credibility
  • "As seen in TechCrunch" opens doors

Investor Relations

  • Early-stage companies reduce perceived risk
  • "What if they don't raise more funding?" concern is mitigated
  • Press coverage signals market validation

B2C Exception For consumer products with low barriers to entry, PR can drive direct growth. Perplexity invested essentially zero in paid marketing, but PR drove massive signup spikes. The key conditions: easy to grasp (Google alternative), easy to try (just type a query), and instant value demonstration (one use shows the power).

How to Apply It

When planning your PR strategy:

  1. Reframe the ROI question - Don't measure PR success by website traffic on announcement day. Measure it by how it enables other activities over months.

  2. Build your "as seen in" portfolio - Collect logos from coverage to use on your website, email signatures, and sales materials. This is often the primary value.

  3. Create linkable assets - Stories that explain your business, culture, or approach become resources your team can share repeatedly.

  4. Match story type to use case - Culture stories help recruiting. Funding stories help sales. Product stories help awareness. Be intentional about what you're optimizing for.

  5. Time PR with other activities - Coordinate press coverage with fundraising, hiring pushes, or sales campaigns where the validation matters most.

When to Use It

This framework is most relevant when:

  • You're a B2B company where buyers are skeptical of new vendors
  • You're hiring and need to attract top talent
  • You're raising money and need third-party validation
  • You're in enterprise sales with long evaluation cycles
  • Your sales team needs credibility ammunition

It's less applicable when:

  • You have a consumer product with viral characteristics
  • Your primary growth channel is product-led
  • You're pre-revenue and don't yet have a story to tell

Source

  • Guest: Emilie Gerber
  • Episode: "The ultimate guide to PR | Emilie Gerber (founder of Six Eastern)"
  • Key Discussion: (00:05:27) - Why press doesn't drive direct signups but enables sales, recruiting, and partnerships
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

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