Most companies think PR is about visibility. But PR for category creators, especially early-stage category-defining companies, works very differently. When you’re naming and shaping something new, the real risk isn’t being unseen. It’s being misunderstood.
Early coverage shapes perception. And in category creation, the first story told often becomes the story repeated. If that framing is off, it can take years to unwind. That’s why clarity comes before amplification.
🧭 Category creation starts with narrative
For early-stage category-defining companies, PR isn’t about competing for attention. It’s about helping the market make sense of something unfamiliar.
That means answering, clearly and consistently:
-
What problem does this category exist to solve?
-
Why does this problem matter now?
-
What is this category not?
-
How does it complement existing systems rather than replace them?
Without this clarity, the market fills in the gaps for you, often by forcing your story into familiar but inaccurate comparisons.
Category ownership isn’t built through volume.
It’s built through language discipline.
🔇 Why restraint beats reach early on
One of the most common mistakes early-stage category-defining companies make is amplifying too soon.
Broad, untargeted visibility often:
-
oversimplifies complex ideas
-
frames innovation as a trend rather than a structural shift
-
positions new categories as features instead of operating models
For category creators, PR should prioritise:
-
fewer, higher-quality conversations
-
outlets that allow nuance and context
-
journalists who understand enterprise, finance and systems-level change
Being selective isn’t playing small.
It’s playing long. ♟️
👤 Founder stories matter more at the beginning
In the early stages of category creation, people anchor meaning to people.
For early-stage category-defining companies, founders aren’t just spokespeople. They’re signals of intent, credibility and judgment. Their background, motivation and values shape how the category itself is perceived.
The question the market asks isn’t only:
“What does this company do?”
It’s also:
“Who’s behind it, and why should we care?”
Founder PR at this stage isn’t about personality or personal branding.
It’s about giving the market a human lens through which to understand something new.
🧠 The real role of PR in category creation
For early-stage category creators, PR isn’t a distribution channel.
It’s a sense-making function.
At PR Plug, this means focusing on:
-
narrative clarity before amplification
-
repetition of the right language across key moments
-
credibility over short-term exposure
-
alignment with marketing so the story reinforces itself everywhere
The goal isn’t to dominate headlines.
It’s to make the category feel inevitable and clearly defined by you.
🔚 Final thought
If you’re an early-stage category-defining company, PR isn’t about being loud. It’s about being precise.
When the story is right, the market starts repeating it back to you in its own words, on its own terms.
That’s when category creation sticks.
🔌 PR Plug works with founders and early-stage category-defining companies at moments where narrative, timing and credibility matter more than volume.
If you’re building something new and want it understood before it’s amplified, that’s where PR Plug adds the most value.
👉 Get in touch for an informal chat: hi@prplug.io
