Dear hustlers, founders, operators and visionaries,

At Follow the Gradient, our mission is simple: to connect you with experts who’ve "been there, done that" in the world of entrepreneurship. Being a founder means juggling dozens of skills, and we’re here to bring you first-hand insights from seasoned pros.

Today, we’re delighted to launch our new weekly podcast series! Season I drops every Thursday, leading up to Christmas, with episodes covering key topics every founder needs to master—like nailing your legal strategy or building a winning team.

We kick things off with Amy Lewin, one of Europe’s most sought-after startup journalists. Exclusively for our newsletter subscribers, Amy has shared additional insights below.

🎧 Tune in now on Spotify, Apple, YouTube and share your thoughts! Who should be our next guest?

In the meantime: Follow the Gradient and stay tuned!

PS: Has this e-mail been forwarded to you? Sign up here.

How to get your startups in the headlines

What you will get out of this episode

We sit down with Amy Lewin, Editor at Sifted. Sifted is the go-to media platform for European startups, backed by the Financial Times. Amy’s journey from Sifted’s first employee to Editor has made her an expert in helping startups stand out in the crowded media landscape.

In our interview, Amy shares:

• How to build credibility and visibility with journalists

• How to craft media strategies for big and small announcements

• The do’s and don’ts of media outreach

• The most effective approaches to pitch your startup to the media

• and much more!

This episode is packed with actionable insights you can start applying right away!

Our main take away’s

1. Know WHY you want media coverage: Getting featured isn’t just for bragging rights. Are you trying to attract investors, build your employer brand, or drive customer growth? Know your goal, and use it to guide your outreach.
   

2. Journalists are your long-term partners: Think beyond one-off pitches—start building genuine relationships. What do you have in common with the journalists you’re contacting? Is your company operating in a field they are passionate about? How can you help each other? Be human, share your story, ups and downs included.
   

3. Accept that you can’t control the media: Journalists have a job to do: present what’s most relevant to their readers. You can’t dictate the narrative, but you can control how you communicate. Keep reporters in the loop, share milestones, and give them reasons to follow your journey.

4. Press releases aren’t dead: They’re still useful for factual, news-worthy events (such as funding rounds), but they work best when part of a broader media strategy. Use them to inform journalists and provide key figures.

Additional material on the topic

• In the conversation about how to best manage comms in a crisis, Amy was mentioning this helpful article.

• for German-speaking readers, we recommend the book Wie kommunizieren Start-ups, which covers best practices in startup communication, including how to build strong media relationships.

How to reach out to Amy (after listening to the episode)

• LinkedIn

• Write her an email: [email protected]

• For our London-based readers: Meet Amy in person at the Sifted Summit, organized by Amy and her team, taking place from October 2-3.

Exclusive from Amy

What can you recommend to founders to establish a good relationship with journalists over time?
Treat them like anyone else you want to build a relationship with: find out what they're interested in; share what you're interested in; get their number; keep in touch (and not only when you have something you want to publish!) And share - whether it's a useful contact or market intel or gossip!

What is one thing that everyone knows but barely anyone talks about when it comes to the startup world?  
That building a startup is 99% pain? Being a founder is really, really tough.

What is the most underrated skill you can have or hone when it comes to getting your startup covered in media outlets?
Finding an 'angle'. Journalists get endless pitches; people who can find a way to make what they're working on stand out from 100s of similar companies will have a better chance of landing coverage.

Are there any books, frameworks, etc. that you can recommend for those who want to dive even deeper or just resources that helped you or your team?
Here's a guide to what Sifted is interested in being pitched. 

Talk to you next week! Until then, connect with us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and YouTube!

🫶 Melanie & Christian

Each week, a lot of work goes into the Follow the Gradient project to help you navigate this crazy jungle called entrepreneurship. Help us grow this community and we’ll make sure that you or your project gets a shoutout in the weekly newsletter!