By Jordan Baker, Founder of Fair Public Relations and former UK national journalist
A British business can be successful, well known and regularly featured in the UK press and still mean absolutely nothing to an American journalist.
That is not an insult to the business.
It is a relevance problem.
Imagine the pitch:
Successful British homeware brand expands into America following strong UK growth
The founder may think the words "successful British brand" should be enough.
The American journalist is more likely to ask:
What exactly is now available to my readers?
Where can they buy it?
Why is it different from what they already have?
Does the company actually operate in the US?
Is there a customer, location, partner, office, retailer, spokesperson or market development connecting this to America?
Why should I write about this now?
Those questions should drive a UK-to-US PR strategy.
The objective is not to erase the British background.
That history can be a useful credibility asset.
The job is to translate it into a story with present-day American relevance.
Why isn't your existing UK PR strategy automatically right for the US?
Some media assets travel extremely well.
A genuinely useful expert may be relevant internationally.
A distinctive product may appeal in both markets.
A strong founder story may work almost anywhere.
Credible UK newspaper coverage can help establish that the business has previously attracted editorial interest.
But the pitch itself normally needs to answer the needs of the new audience.
A Manchester-based retailer opening in Florida has a different story from a UK ecommerce brand beginning nationwide US shipping.
A British consultancy selling into American technology companies has a different media opportunity again.
That is why copying your UK press release, changing "£" to "$" and emailing American journalists is rarely a serious international PR strategy.
The US is not one media market
This is one of the most important practical ideas.
The United States is enormous.
The official UK government export guide describes it as the UK's largest export market, but also stresses that the US federal system means businesses may need to treat individual states as separate markets with their own rules and procedures.
That commercial reality matters for PR too.
"America" may be too broad a starting point.
Ask:
Where are the customers?
Where can the product actually be delivered?
Where does the founder have connections?
Is there a physical launch?
Which industries are being targeted?
Is a particular state or city materially important?
Are you selling online nationwide?
The media strategy follows those answers.
Start by deciding which part of America you are actually entering
Consider three companies.
Company one: a restaurant concept opening in Miami
Local media matters immediately.
There is a physical place.
Local customers.
A local opening.
Local jobs.
A neighbourhood.
Perhaps local suppliers.
A national food journalist could potentially care if the concept is genuinely unusual, but the geographic story begins in Miami.
Company two: a British skincare brand now shipping nationwide
There may be no one launch city.
The useful proposition could instead involve product reviews, beauty media, shopping publications, founder expertise, consumer trends or a particular customer problem.
Company three: a UK B2B consultancy targeting American technology founders
Physical geography may matter much less.
Trade media, business publications, podcasts and expert commentary may be more relevant.
All three companies are "expanding into the US".
They should not receive the same media list.
Does a UK company need a US office to get US media?
No universal rule says you need a US office before approaching an American journalist.
But I do think some genuine US connection usually makes the proposition much easier.
That connection might be:
customers
product availability
a retail partnership
an office
a local spokesperson
a launch city
US data
an American client base
a founder spending significant time in the market
a service genuinely being made available to American companies
The journalist's first question remains:
Why is this relevant to my audience?
A real US connection helps answer it.
What makes a British company's American expansion newsworthy?
"British company now sells in America" can be a starting fact.
It is not always the finished story.
Stronger possibilities include a meaningful market development.
Perhaps the business has signed a credible US partner.
Perhaps its product solves a customer problem particularly relevant to its target market.
Perhaps it brings something genuinely distinctive.
Perhaps the founder has expertise around an American industry issue.
Perhaps there is original research involving US customers.
Perhaps a strong human story connects Britain and America.
Perhaps there is a local economic angle around a physical expansion.
The best story depends on the business.
Existing UK success can still help
I would absolutely tell an American journalist about strong British experience where it is relevant.
If a business has been featured by credible UK publications, that can signal that journalists have previously found something interesting.
If the company has thousands of genuine UK customers, that can demonstrate commercial experience.
If a founder is already an established UK expert, that professional history does not disappear at the Atlantic Ocean.
But it needs to be positioned honestly.
Do not write:
Leading US brand expands across America
when you only opened US shipping last Thursday.
Say what actually exists.
UK coverage is credibility evidence, not proof of US traction
That distinction is useful.
Suppose a British interiors brand has appeared in several UK national newspapers.
Those features can go into the press kit.
They may reassure an American shopping editor that the company is established rather than completely unknown.
They may help explain the founder's background.
And, more broadly, good international online coverage can still contribute to a company's wider public evidence, links and credibility.
But the US journalist still needs an American reason to care.
The British features support the pitch.
They do not replace it.
Should UK businesses only want US coverage after expanding?
Not necessarily.
I encourage clients to be reasonably broad-minded about good relevant media opportunities.
If you are entering the US, naturally American coverage becomes strategically important.
That does not mean useful UK or international coverage suddenly becomes worthless.
A strong UK article may continue building credibility.
It may contain a valuable backlink.
It may reach partners, customers or investors who operate internationally.
It contributes to the public record around the company.
I would simply separate market-specific PR objectives from the wider value of earned media.
If your immediate commercial goal is US customer acquisition, an American audience deserves particular focus.
Is the business actually ready for US customers?
PR should not outrun operations.
Before pitching the US market, check what happens if an American reader genuinely wants to buy.
Can they?
If the website still says:
"US shipping coming soon"
then a national consumer pitch may be premature.
If the service only operates in Britain, do not describe it as available across America.
If prices are displayed only in pounds and the checkout cannot process a US address, that creates friction.
If there are regulatory issues around the product, resolve them with the appropriate specialists first.
The UK government's US market guide specifically warns exporters to consider state and federal tax, standards, technical regulation, packaging, labelling, customs, product liability and other legal requirements depending on the product and business.
PR cannot answer those questions for you.
US-market PR readiness checklist
Before serious American media outreach, I would want to understand:
Is the product or service genuinely available to US customers?
Which locations are covered?
Is US pricing clear where relevant?
Does fulfilment work?
Are samples physically capable of reaching US journalists?
Are product claims valid for the US market?
Does the website contain useful American-market information?
Who can take interviews?
Who can answer journalist questions during US working hours?
Are local examples available?
Is the supposed "US expansion" actually happening, rather than remaining an aspiration?
If several answers are uncertain, fix the foundations.
How do you make a UK announcement relevant to an American journalist?
Start by removing the assumption that British success is automatically the story.
Generic UK-led pitch
British consultancy brings award-winning leadership programme to the United States
The company may love that headline.
The journalist still does not know why they should care.
More useful US-facing version
UK leadership consultant: US technology founders are making the same management mistake British scale-ups made five years ago
Now there is a subject.
The consultant can explain what they observed through their British work, what appears similar or different in the US companies they are now advising and why the issue matters.
The company's expansion can sit naturally in the attribution.
The expert contribution becomes the journalism.
Again, the claim needs evidence.
If the consultant has never advised an American business, the pitch would be misleading.
My experience of US journalists
I am careful about generalising because there are thousands of American journalists working across completely different publications.
A New York business reporter and a lifestyle writer in Texas are not one personality.
But from our experience pitching in both countries, US journalists often feel particularly quick and direct.
The angle needs to become obvious rapidly.
I have also found that a punchy news hook can matter a great deal.
US media can sometimes respond well to angles that feel immediate, bold or highly news-led.
I would not turn that into permission to fabricate sensational claims.
It means the headline and opening need to make the consequence clear.
There tends to be less patience for a long preamble explaining how passionate the founder is before the actual story appears.
Concise helps.
Specific helps.
Useful helps.
Americanisation is not changing "colour" to "color"
Local language conventions matter.
If you are sending copy to an American publication, using terminology its readers naturally understand is sensible.
But localisation is much more substantial than spelling.
A British story quoting pounds, British regulations, UK customer examples and British institutions does not become US-relevant because somebody changed "organisation" to "organization".
Real localisation means:
American context
American availability
appropriate US evidence
local examples
correct currency
correct measurements where relevant
an understanding of what the publication's reader actually needs
Should you target local, trade or national US media first?
It depends.
Local and regional media
Particularly useful when the expansion has a real geographic footprint.
An opening
A location
Jobs
A local partnership
A founder moving into the area
A community impact
Trade publications
Often extremely useful for B2B companies.
They may care far more about specialist market knowledge than whether the founder has a dramatic consumer story.
For some businesses, a trade feature could be substantially more commercially useful than a broad national mention.
National business media
Requires a genuinely strong business reason.
Scale
Data.
A broader trend
Significant company news
Strong founder insight
Or something with obvious relevance beyond one city or niche.
National consumer media
Products, services, health, lifestyle, money, homes, food, travel and other consumer categories may have opportunities where the story genuinely fits.
Do not begin with:
"We want Forbes, The New York Times and CNN."
Begin with:
Who has a real editorial reason to care?
Example A: a British consumer product brand
Imagine a British kitchenware brand has had attractive UK coverage and is now launching nationwide US shipping.
A weak pitch says:
Popular British kitchenware brand lands in America after UK success
A better campaign prepares:
confirmed US availability
dollar pricing
real shipping information
US-compatible product specifications
high-quality images
sample stock located somewhere that makes American fulfilment practical
two or three clear product angles
If the UK coverage is strong, include it in background materials.
Then pitch appropriate American shopping, food, lifestyle or home journalists based on the product itself.
The US availability is the new fact.
The UK coverage is supporting credibility.
The product still has to earn the journalist's attention.
Example B: a UK professional-services founder
Imagine the founder of a British recruitment consultancy wants to attract US technology clients.
There may be no dramatic launch.
They do not need to invent one.
Instead, the founder's opportunity may sit in their knowledge.
Perhaps they have credible experience of recruiting AI engineers.
Perhaps they have useful salary data spanning UK and US roles.
Perhaps they can explain a hiring trend affecting global technology companies.
Perhaps they are already working with US clients.
That can support targeted business and trade commentary.
Existing UK press can demonstrate media experience.
The current US relevance comes from the expertise and market connection.
What happens to the founder story?
Keep it where it adds value.
A British founder building a US business can be interesting.
Why America?
Why now?
What did they learn in Britain?
What surprised them about the US?
What problem are they solving?
What risk did they take?
The founder story becomes weak when it consists solely of:
"I always dreamed of conquering America."
Specific experience is stronger.
What does a sensible US PR preparation plan look like?
Stage 1: Market readiness
Define the actual customer.
Location.
Availability.
Operational capability.
US connection.
Evidence.
Pricing.
Spokesperson.
Then identify obvious gaps.
Stage 2: US media proposition
Decide which parts of the business genuinely translate.
Create market-specific stories.
Prepare US-relevant examples.
Map national, trade, consumer and regional journalists according to actual fit.
Update media materials.
Stage 3: Outreach and learning
Pitch selectively.
Respond promptly.
Record journalist interest.
Notice what questions US media asks.
Adjust weak angles.
Expand where there is genuine traction.
Do not interpret the first rejection as proof the market is impossible.
Do not interpret one article as proof you have conquered the US.
Learn.
Does the time difference cause problems?
It can if the company is doing its own PR from Britain and nobody is reachable after the UK working day.
A journalist in California may begin work when a British founder is already thinking about dinner.
If they need a comment by their afternoon deadline, the founder may not see it until the next morning.
That can kill reactive opportunities.
The solution depends on the business.
Perhaps the founder keeps some flexibility.
Perhaps a US colleague handles first response.
Perhaps the PR agency provides the journalist with an immediately monitored contact route.
Perhaps interviews are scheduled in overlapping hours.
Fair's own international working pattern means time-zone coverage is generally manageable for us.
For a founder doing everything alone, it needs to be considered deliberately.
Does the spokesperson need to be American?
Not necessarily.
But a meaningful US connection helps enormously.
The spokesperson could be British and still highly relevant because they:
work with US clients
operate a US location
are launching into the market
have American data
have industry expertise directly applicable to the country
are physically spending time there
The journalist needs a reason the source belongs in the story.
Nationality itself is not the test.
Relevance is.
What mistakes should UK companies avoid?
The first is copying UK materials verbatim.
The second is targeting "America" as though it were one publication.
The third is pretending US traction already exists.
The fourth is pitching a product that American readers cannot actually buy.
The fifth is forgetting time zones.
The sixth is using statistics or legal claims that only apply in Britain.
The seventh is overestimating how much an American journalist cares that a British newspaper has already covered the company.
And the eighth is doing the opposite, throwing away strong UK credibility that could legitimately strengthen the introduction.
Balance matters.
Do you need a US PR agency?
Not automatically.
A competent internal team can research US journalists and pitch them directly.
A UK PR professional with genuine US experience can potentially do it too.
The physical postcode of the agency is not what earns the article.
What matters is whether the team understands the relevant American media, can work effectively across the time zone, knows how to make the story locally relevant and can communicate professionally with US journalists.
An agency becomes useful when the business wants experienced research, editorial judgement, writing, outreach, journalist handling and ongoing campaign management.
How should you judge progress?
Do not count every article in every country equally.
If the objective is American market entry, track American-market signals.
Relevant US journalist responses.
Interviews.
Sample requests.
Trade interest.
Appropriate regional coverage.
National interest where realistic.
Accurate message uptake.
Useful backlinks.
Qualified US enquiries where they can genuinely be identified.
At the same time, do not dismiss credible UK or international coverage purely because the publication is not American.
International earned media may still contribute to reputation and public evidence.
The measurement should follow the objective without becoming artificially narrow.
Frequently asked questions
Can UK companies get US media coverage without a US office?
Potentially, yes. A physical office is not a universal requirement. However, the pitch normally needs a genuine US connection, such as product availability, customers, a partnership, a spokesperson, a location, market data or a development with clear relevance to American readers.
Should a UK business target national or regional American media first?
It depends on the story. A physical opening may have strong regional relevance, while an online B2B service may suit specialist national trade media. Do not assume national press is automatically the best starting point.
Can I reuse my UK press release when pitching US journalists?
Use it as source material, but adapt the pitch around the American audience. Update currency, availability, examples, market context, terminology and evidence where appropriate. Translation is not simply changing British spelling.
How far ahead of US market entry should PR preparation begin?
There is no universal timetable. Begin early enough to confirm US readiness, build appropriate materials, identify the strongest American relevance and organise spokesperson or sample logistics before media outreach becomes urgent.
Expanding from the UK into the US and wondering how to approach American media?
Fair PR works across UK and US earned media and can assess whether your proposed expansion, expertise, founder story, product or market development offers a credible journalist-facing angle.
Explore US PR Agency for the American market, Standard PR for wider campaigns or the relevant sector service for your business.
The important starting question is not:
How do we tell America we're coming?
It is:
Why should the American audience care when we arrive?
About the author
Jordan Baker is the founder of Fair Public Relations and a former UK national journalist. Fair works with clients across the UK, US and Canada, developing journalist-led earned-media campaigns around founders, experts, business developments, products and services.
View Jordan Baker’s media expert profile
