Is DIY PR Worth It? What Small Businesses Need to Know Before Doing PR Themselves
By Jordan Baker, Founder of Fair Public Relations and former UK national journalist
DIY PR can absolutely be worth it.
For some small businesses, founders, experts, consultants and coaches, it is an excellent way to start building media visibility before investing in professional PR support.
It can help you understand how journalists work, what kinds of stories they are looking for, how your expertise fits into the media, and how quickly opportunities can appear and disappear.
If you have time, patience and a willingness to learn, doing your own PR can be a smart place to begin.
It can be particularly useful if you are an early-stage founder, have a capable assistant or VA who can monitor opportunities, or simply want to test whether journalists are interested in your expertise before committing to an agency.
However, DIY PR also has clear limitations.
The biggest mistake many businesses make is assuming that having access to journalist requests is the same thing as having a PR strategy.
It isn't.
Journalist request platforms can show you opportunities.
They cannot tell you whether a particular opportunity is worth pursuing.
They cannot position your business.
They cannot decide which angle is most likely to interest a journalist.
They cannot rewrite a weak comment into a stronger one.
They cannot develop proactive stories or identify opportunities you never considered.
Most importantly, they cannot step back and look at your business objectively.
That is where DIY PR often becomes frustrating.
You may spend hours replying to journalist requests without hearing anything back.
You may struggle to know which opportunities deserve your attention.
You may write responses that seem perfectly reasonable but never quite get quoted.
Or you may keep pitching the same version of your business, never realising that journalists would probably be far more interested in a completely different angle.
So, is DIY PR worth it?
Often, yes.
But it depends on how much time you can realistically dedicate to it, how comfortable you are writing for the media, how objectively you can view your own business, and whether you are prepared to treat PR as an ongoing discipline rather than a quick route to publicity.
What is DIY PR?
DIY PR simply means managing your own public relations instead of hiring an external PR agency.
That responsibility might sit with:
a founder
a business owner
an assistant
a VA
an in-house marketer
a member of your internal team
DIY PR commonly includes:
monitoring journalist request platforms
replying to media opportunities
writing pitches
writing press releases
contacting journalists directly
following up appropriately
monitoring published coverage
maintaining a media list
securing expert commentary, product placements, interviews or case studies
In its simplest form, DIY PR is about earning media coverage without employing a PR agency.
There is nothing inherently wrong with that.
For many businesses it is a sensible starting point.
Doing your own PR helps you understand how journalists think, which stories attract attention, what types of expertise are genuinely useful and how competitive media opportunities can be.
It also teaches an important lesson that surprises many business owners.
Journalists rarely publish businesses simply because those businesses exist.
They publish stories that are useful, timely, interesting or relevant to their audience.
Understanding that difference is one of the biggest benefits of DIY PR.
However, it is equally important to understand that access to journalists is not the same as having a long-term PR strategy.
DIY PR works best when you see it as a skill that develops over time rather than a shortcut to guaranteed media coverage.
When DIY PR can work well
DIY PR can work extremely well when you have both the time and the right expectations.
It is often a good fit if:
you have a clearly defined area of expertise
you can respond quickly when opportunities appear
you are comfortable writing concise, practical comments
you understand what makes your opinion credible
you are willing to keep going for months rather than expecting immediate results
you have an assistant or VA who can help monitor opportunities
you accept that many perfectly good pitches will never receive a reply
DIY PR can be particularly effective for expert-led businesses.
Mortgage advisers, accountants, solicitors, psychologists, interior designers, HR consultants, fitness professionals, financial planners, career coaches and similar specialists often have practical knowledge that journalists regularly need.
If your advice is relevant, well written and arrives before the deadline, it may be included.
Product businesses can also succeed with DIY PR.
Gift guides, seasonal round-ups, product recommendations and review requests frequently provide opportunities for smaller brands.
However, relevance still matters.
Sending the same product to every journalist rarely produces meaningful results.
The strongest DIY PR campaigns focus on opportunities where the business genuinely adds value to the story rather than simply trying to gain exposure.
The biggest benefits of DIY PR
The biggest advantage of DIY PR is simple: access.
You can register with journalist request platforms, monitor opportunities and begin learning how the media works without immediately paying for agency support.
That experience is valuable.
As you spend more time following journalist requests, patterns begin to emerge.
You start to recognise which subjects appear repeatedly.
You notice which publications regularly look for expert comments.
You see how short media deadlines often are.
You begin to understand the difference between opportunities that are genuinely relevant to your business and those that simply look attractive because they come from a well-known publication.
Over time, DIY PR can also help refine your positioning.
Repeatedly asking yourself, "Am I genuinely qualified to comment on this?" often leads to a much clearer understanding of your own expertise.
Many founders discover that journalists are interested in a far narrower area than they originally expected.
That is useful knowledge.
For small businesses with limited budgets, DIY PR can also be an affordable way to begin building credibility before investing in professional support.
Some of the biggest advantages include:
learning what journalists actually ask for
understanding how media opportunities work
testing your expertise in the market
securing occasional quotes or mentions
developing confidence when speaking to the media
building early credibility through published coverage
identifying the topics that genuinely suit your business
improving your ability to respond quickly
recognising patterns within your industry
Those are meaningful benefits.
However, they are not the same as having a structured PR strategy.
Learning how PR works and building consistent PR momentum are two different things.
The biggest pitfalls of DIY PR
The most common mistake in DIY PR is assuming that more activity automatically produces better results.
It doesn't.
Sending twice as many pitches rarely doubles your media coverage.
If the opportunities are weak, the positioning is unclear or the comments are generic, sending more emails usually just creates more frustration.
Another challenge is objectivity.
When you spend every day building your own business, it becomes incredibly difficult to judge what journalists will actually find interesting.
The launch of a new service might feel like major news to you.
A journalist may simply see another business announcing another service.
The product you've spent years developing may feel revolutionary.
A journalist may only become interested if it connects to a wider consumer trend or solves a timely problem.
That difference in perspective is often the biggest hurdle.
Journalists are not asking themselves:
"What does this business want people to know?"
They are asking:
"What will my readers genuinely care about?"
Every pitch is judged through that lens.
They want to know:
Why now?
Why should readers care?
Is this genuinely useful?
Does this add something new?
Is this person credible?
Does this make my story stronger?
That can make DIY PR surprisingly difficult.
You are not simply trying to explain your business.
You are trying to view your business through somebody else's eyes.
That is much harder than it sounds.
The bias problem: why pitching yourself is harder than it looks
One of the biggest hidden challenges with DIY PR is bias.
This is completely natural.
When you have spent years building your business, developing your expertise or creating your product, you naturally believe certain parts of the story matter.
Sometimes they do.
Often they don't.
Journalists are rarely looking at your business from the inside.
They're thinking about:
their readers
the current news agenda
their editor
competing stories
available space
deadlines
whether your contribution genuinely improves the article.
That difference changes everything.
A founder may believe the story is the launch of a new service.
The stronger story might actually be the customer problem that inspired it.
A business owner may think their personal journey is the interesting part.
A journalist may care far more about the lessons that experience offers other people.
An expert may focus heavily on their qualifications.
The journalist may simply want one practical piece of advice readers can use today.
Those are very different angles.
Businesses also tend to become attached to the obvious version of their story.
"We launched..."
"We won..."
"We've introduced..."
"We're celebrating..."
Those can occasionally become media stories.
Much more often, journalists are interested in something sitting underneath those announcements.
Perhaps it's:
a wider consumer trend
a common mistake
practical advice
a surprising statistic
a seasonal angle
a warning
a myth worth challenging
an unusual customer insight
Good PR often comes from finding that deeper angle rather than promoting the obvious headline.
That is one reason experienced PR professionals can add value.
They are slightly detached from the business.
That distance makes it easier to identify what journalists are actually likely to find useful.
It also helps protect media relationships by avoiding pitches that feel overly promotional or poorly targeted.
Why not knowing what to pitch is such a common PR problem
Many businesses don't struggle because they cannot write.
They struggle because they genuinely don't know what the story is.
They know they want media coverage.
They simply don't know which part of the business journalists would actually care about.
That usually leads to one of two mistakes.
The first is pitching the business itself.
"We're a great company."
"We've launched."
"We'd love some coverage."
Unfortunately, journalists rarely need another business profile.
They need stories.
The second mistake is believing PR only happens when something significant changes.
Businesses often wait until they:
launch a new product
win an award
move offices
hire staff
hit a revenue milestone
Those can all become media opportunities.
But they are far from the only ones.
Many of the strongest stories come from things businesses almost overlook.
For example:
lessons learned
founder experiences
common customer mistakes
practical advice
industry myths
seasonal guidance
consumer behaviour
useful data
emerging trends
strong opinions
Sometimes the best story isn't the one the business wanted to tell.
It's the one that helps a journalist explain something bigger.
That is usually where good PR begins.
Questions to ask before pitching anything
Before you send any pitch, pause and ask yourself a few simple questions.
These questions often reveal whether you have a genuine media angle or whether you're simply hoping for publicity.
Ask yourself:
Why would this journalist care?
Why would their audience care?
Is this useful, timely, surprising or genuinely relevant?
Am I offering insight or simply asking for attention?
Does this connect to a wider trend, problem or conversation?
Can I explain the angle in one sentence?
Do I have the experience, evidence or credibility to support what I'm saying?
Is this really the strongest story, or just the first one I thought of?
If you struggle to answer those questions clearly, the pitch probably isn't ready yet.
Very often, improving the angle makes a far bigger difference than improving the writing.
The time problem: DIY PR is far more time-consuming than most businesses expect
One of the biggest reasons businesses eventually seek PR support isn't because they dislike PR.
It's because they run out of time.
From the outside, PR can look deceptively simple.
Find a journalist.
Write an email.
Send it.
Wait.
In reality, there is much more happening behind the scenes.
Before you even write the first sentence you often need to:
find relevant opportunities
decide whether they're genuinely suitable
understand what the journalist is actually looking for
decide whether your business is the right fit
identify the strongest angle
prepare supporting information
write the response
source images or other media assets
obtain approvals if necessary
submit everything before the deadline
monitor for updates
follow up appropriately
review what happened afterwards.
That is a significant amount of work.
And most of it happens before you know whether the journalist will use your contribution.
For founders and small business owners, this is often the real challenge.
Running the business usually comes first.
Customer enquiries.
Sales.
Operations.
Recruitment.
Finance.
Product development.
PR often becomes the task that's left until tomorrow.
Unfortunately, journalist deadlines rarely wait.
The opportunities that lead to coverage are frequently available for only a few hours.
Miss the deadline and the opportunity disappears.
Consistency matters just as much.
PR is rarely built through one productive afternoon every few months.
The businesses that see the greatest benefit are usually the ones that stay visible over time.
That means regularly monitoring opportunities, developing new ideas and continuing to pitch relevant stories.
That level of consistency becomes difficult when you're already responsible for everything else.
A VA or assistant can certainly help.
They might:
monitor journalist requests
organise opportunities
keep media assets updated
prepare first drafts
track deadlines
maintain simple media lists
record coverage
Those tasks are genuinely useful.
However, the most difficult part of PR is rarely administration.
It is deciding which opportunities deserve attention and how to turn them into compelling media angles.
That judgement usually comes through experience.
What DIY PR actually involves
Many people imagine DIY PR as simply replying to journalist requests.
In practice, it involves much more than that.
A typical week may include:
monitoring journalist request platforms
researching journalists
identifying relevant opportunities
spotting proactive story ideas
writing expert commentary
preparing press releases
updating your biography
keeping headshots and media assets organised
responding before deadlines
following up politely where appropriate
recording what has been pitched
monitoring published coverage
learning from previous responses
None of those tasks are particularly difficult on their own.
The challenge is maintaining them consistently while also running a business.
That is why DIY PR works best when businesses view it as an ongoing marketing activity rather than something they occasionally try when they have spare time.
Why you might pitch journalists and hear absolutely nothing back
Perhaps the most frustrating part of DIY PR is the silence.
You spend time researching an opportunity.
You carefully write your response.
You send it before the deadline.
Then...
Nothing.
No reply.
No rejection.
No feedback.
No article.
No explanation.
That silence often leads businesses to conclude one of two things:
"Journalists don't like my business."
or
"PR doesn't work."
Neither conclusion is usually correct.
Silence is completely normal in PR.
Journalists receive an enormous number of emails every day.
They work under significant time pressure.
They often only reply to the people whose comments they decide to use.
That doesn't necessarily mean your response was poor.
Perhaps they had already secured enough contributors.
Perhaps another expert replied first.
Perhaps the story changed.
Perhaps the article was dropped.
Perhaps your quote was good but someone else's was simply a slightly better fit.
Those things happen constantly.
However, repeated silence is still useful information.
If months pass without any responses, it usually indicates that something needs improving.
Perhaps:
the angle isn't strong enough
the comments aren't quotable
the response is too promotional
you're replying too slowly
you're targeting the wrong journalists
your expertise isn't obvious enough
you're trying to fit your business into opportunities that aren't genuinely relevant
The difficult part is working out which of those issues is causing the problem.
Without feedback, many businesses simply repeat the same approach over and over again.
They send more pitches.
Not better pitches.
That becomes exhausting.
Good PR requires patience and resilience.
Most pitches will never become published articles.
Even experienced PR professionals expect far more silence than success.
The difference is learning from that silence rather than allowing it to become discouraging.
Over time you begin recognising patterns.
Which journalists regularly use your comments.
Which angles consistently attract interest.
Which topics rarely perform well.
Those patterns gradually improve your results.
Without them, DIY PR can easily become an endless cycle of activity that feels productive but produces very little.
When DIY PR stops being the most effective use of your time
There often comes a point where DIY PR is no longer the problem.
Time is.
Most businesses don't stop doing their own PR because they dislike it.
They stop because they realise every hour spent searching for opportunities, writing pitches and following up with journalists is an hour they could have spent running the business.
That's an important distinction.
Hiring a PR agency isn't simply about buying media contacts.
It's about freeing up time while benefiting from people who spend every day thinking about stories, journalists and positioning.
That doesn't mean every business should immediately outsource PR.
If you're just starting out, DIY PR may still be the right decision.
But if PR keeps falling to the bottom of your to-do list, it's worth asking whether you're saving money or simply delaying progress.
A useful question to ask yourself is:
"If I had an extra five hours every week, would I spend them doing PR?"
If the honest answer is no, outsourcing may eventually become the better investment.
Can you combine DIY PR with professional PR support?
Absolutely.
Many businesses assume they must choose one approach or the other.
In reality, some of the strongest campaigns combine both.
For example, you might:
continue responding to journalist requests within your specialist area
publish your own thought leadership on LinkedIn
maintain relationships with journalists you've already worked with
while a PR agency:
develops proactive media stories
identifies new angles
pitches journalists
manages longer-term campaigns
spots seasonal opportunities
helps position you as an expert
supports product launches or business announcements
That hybrid approach can work particularly well for founders who enjoy contributing to the media but don't have time to manage every aspect of PR themselves.
It also allows businesses to stay closely involved while benefiting from an experienced outside perspective.
What should you expect if you hire a PR agency?
One of the biggest misconceptions about PR is that hiring an agency guarantees media coverage.
It doesn't.
No reputable PR agency can honestly promise that.
Journalists decide what gets published.
Editors decide what runs.
News agendas change every day.
Even an excellent story can miss out because something bigger happens.
A good PR agency isn't valuable because it controls journalists.
It's valuable because it helps improve everything that happens before a journalist makes that decision.
That may include:
identifying stronger stories
refining your positioning
challenging weak angles
writing more compelling pitches
spotting opportunities you may never have considered
helping you become a more credible expert
maintaining momentum over time
adapting when certain approaches aren't gaining traction
Good PR is rarely about one brilliant pitch.
It's usually the result of hundreds of thoughtful decisions made consistently over months.
That is difficult to replicate when PR is only one small part of your working week.
Where Fair Public Relations fits
DIY PR is a perfectly sensible place for many businesses to start.
In fact, we often encourage founders to try it.
It helps you understand how journalists think, what types of stories attract interest and whether media visibility is something you want to invest in over the longer term.
However, many businesses eventually reach a point where they want more structure and consistency.
That's where Fair Public Relations can help.
Our Standard PR service is designed for founders, experts, consultants, coaches, professional services firms, consumer brands and growing businesses that want journalist-led PR without the complexity or cost often associated with larger agencies.
We begin by understanding your business, experience and goals.
From there, we help identify your strongest stories, refine your positioning and develop media angles that journalists are more likely to find relevant.
Our team then manages both proactive and reactive PR activity, keeping you informed throughout your campaign.
Our Standard PR service includes:
Founder & Authority Positioning Session
tailored PR strategy
proactive media pitching
reactive journalist opportunities
expert commentary
founder stories
product and service PR where appropriate
support developing quotes and journalist responses
dedicated WhatsApp group
online client portal
fortnightly progress updates
monthly calls
ongoing support from an experienced, journalist-led PR team
Our Standard PR service costs £797 per month (or US$997 per month) with an initial three-month term.
Unlike DIY PR, you're not trying to work everything out alone.
You still play an important role in the campaign, but we help guide the strategy, identify opportunities and keep the work moving consistently while you focus on running your business.
So, is DIY PR worth it?
Yes.
For many businesses, it is one of the best ways to begin learning how public relations works.
It helps you understand journalists, develop confidence, refine your expertise and appreciate what makes a story genuinely newsworthy.
If you have time, patience and realistic expectations, DIY PR can produce excellent results.
However, it also has limits.
The more your business grows, the more difficult it becomes to dedicate enough time to PR while managing everything else.
That doesn't mean DIY PR has failed.
It simply means your priorities have changed.
For some businesses, continuing with DIY PR will remain the right decision.
Others eventually decide that their time is better spent serving clients, developing products or growing the business while an experienced PR team manages the day-to-day work of identifying stories, pitching journalists and maintaining momentum.
Neither approach is automatically better.
The right choice depends on your budget, available time, confidence with the media and long-term goals.
The important thing is understanding what each approach can realistically achieve—and choosing the one that gives your business the greatest opportunity to build lasting credibility and visibility.
FAQs
Is DIY PR worth it for small businesses?
Yes, it can be.
DIY PR is often an excellent way for small businesses to begin building media visibility, particularly if budgets are limited. It helps you understand how journalists work, develop confidence and test which stories attract interest.
However, it also requires consistency, patience and time. Many businesses eventually decide that managing PR alongside everything else becomes difficult as they grow.
Can you get media coverage without hiring a PR agency?
Absolutely.
Journalists regularly work directly with founders, experts and businesses.
Many people secure coverage by responding to journalist requests, pitching relevant stories or providing useful expert commentary.
The challenge is not gaining access to journalists.
The challenge is consistently identifying worthwhile opportunities, developing strong angles and maintaining momentum over time.
How long does DIY PR take to work?
There is no fixed timetable.
Some businesses receive media coverage within their first few weeks.
Others spend several months refining their positioning before seeing consistent results.
PR depends on many factors, including:
the strength of your expertise
the quality of your stories
how quickly you respond
current news agendas
editorial demand
competition from other contributors
PR should generally be viewed as an ongoing activity rather than something that produces immediate results.
Is DIY PR free?
Not entirely.
Although you may avoid agency fees, DIY PR still requires an investment of time.
You may also choose to pay for media request platforms, media databases, training, photography, copywriting or other tools that support your PR activity.
The biggest cost for most founders is the time spent managing PR instead of running the business.
What are the biggest mistakes people make with DIY PR?
Some of the most common mistakes include:
pitching stories that are too promotional
replying to opportunities that are not genuinely relevant
sending generic comments
missing journalist deadlines
expecting every pitch to receive a response
giving up after only a few weeks
focusing on quantity instead of quality
failing to develop proactive story ideas
Successful PR is usually built through consistency and continual improvement rather than one perfect pitch.
When should you consider hiring a PR agency?
There is no single right moment.
However, businesses often benefit from professional support when:
PR keeps falling to the bottom of the to-do list
they struggle to identify stories
they want a more consistent media presence
they need an outside perspective
they want someone proactively generating ideas rather than simply reacting to opportunities
they no longer have enough time to manage PR themselves
Hiring an agency does not guarantee media coverage.
Instead, it gives you experienced support to help improve your positioning, strengthen your stories and manage PR more consistently.
Final thoughts
DIY PR isn't the "wrong" option.
For many businesses, it's exactly where they should begin.
It helps you understand the media, develop confidence and learn what journalists genuinely value.
Some founders continue doing their own PR for years and achieve excellent results.
Others discover that, as the business grows, the opportunity cost becomes too high. Every hour spent searching for journalist requests, writing pitches and chasing stories is an hour that could have been spent serving clients, developing products or growing the business.
Neither approach is automatically better.
The best choice is the one that matches your budget, available time and ambitions.
If you enjoy PR, have time to dedicate to it and are willing to learn, DIY PR can be a highly effective way to build credibility.
If you want a more structured, journalist-led approach while remaining closely involved in your campaign, professional support may help you progress faster and more consistently.
At Fair Public Relations, we work with founders, experts and growing businesses that want to raise their profile through thoughtful, transparent and commercially sensible PR.
Whether you're just starting to explore PR or you're ready to move beyond doing everything yourself, the goal remains the same: helping your expertise and your business reach the people who matter most.
Ready to build your profile?
If you'd like to explore whether PR is the right fit for your business, get in touch with Fair Public Relations. We'll have an honest conversation about your goals, explain how our journalist-led approach works and tell you whether we think we're the right fit. If DIY PR is still the best option for you, we'll tell you that too.
Written by Jordan Baker
Founder of Fair Public Relations and former UK national journalist
Jordan Baker is the founder of Fair Public Relations and a former UK national journalist with more than a decade of PR experience. He writes about public relations, journalist outreach, founder visibility, expert positioning and earned media.
View Jordan Baker’s media expert profile
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