For startups
AI PR and marketing for Australian startups
iStories does PR and marketing for Australian tech and SaaS startups: media coverage that builds credibility, content that establishes a point of view, and social that reaches the people you’re selling to. Senior strategy from Lee Robson, delivery accelerated by AI, priced for a company that’s watching its runway.
Why startups struggle to buy PR
Traditional agencies price for a team’s hours, which puts a decent retainer out of reach at seed stage. So most startups do their own comms badly in the gaps between building the product, or pay for a junior account executive at a big firm and wonder why nothing lands.
Using AI for the research, drafting and monitoring takes enough cost out of the work that senior attention becomes affordable. That’s the whole proposition.
What you get
Coverage that supports the raise
Media coverage is a credibility signal investors and customers both read. We find the angle in what you’re building, work out who covers it, and pitch. Coverage helps a raise. It doesn’t cause one, and anyone telling you otherwise is overselling.
A content presence from a standing start
Going from nothing to a working content calendar takes weeks rather than quarters when AI handles drafting and a person handles the thinking. Blog posts, LinkedIn, launch materials and the founder’s own voice.
Launch and announcement support
Funding rounds, product launches, partnerships and milestones, with the media release, the angle and the pitch planned properly and sent to the right people.
How we work with startups
Lean. Work happens in short cycles with visible output, rather than a three-month strategy phase.
Measured. Coverage, traffic and enquiries tracked against what you’re spending, so the line item defends itself at a board meeting.
Scalable. The work grows with you, from pre-seed through Series A and after.
Who it’s for
A good fit if
- You’re a pre-seed to Series A startup with a launch, a raise, a partnership or a milestone coming up.
- A founder can be the spokesperson, and has a point of view worth hearing.
- You want senior attention rather than a junior account executive.
Probably not the right fit if
- You expect coverage to cause a raise. It helps one; it doesn’t make one happen.
- You need financial or legal advice on a raise.
- Your budget is under $2,000 a month. AI-Stories starts at $19 + GST a campaign.
What it costs
Startup PR and marketing projects and retainers start from $2,000 a month, quoted on scope after a short brief, before any work starts. A single launch or funding announcement can be run as a project.
Common questions
We’re pre-revenue. Is it too early?
Usually not. Building credibility before you need it is easier than manufacturing it during a raise. The lean version of this work is affordable enough to start early.
How is this different from a traditional agency?
You get a senior practitioner rather than a junior account executive, because software is doing the work that would otherwise need a team. Turnaround is faster for the same reason.
Is your pricing flexible for startups?
Projects and retainers start from $2,000 a month, quoted on scope. Tell us the budget and we’ll tell you honestly what it buys.
Can you help with investor communications?
Announcement support, messaging and materials, yes. Financial or legal advice on a raise, no.
Guides for founders doing their own PR
- AI-powered PR vs traditional PR agencies: which is right for your startup?: costs, speed and fit.
- How to write and pitch a press release using AI: drafting, pitching and costs.
- Turning a $300 survey into media coverage: data PR on a startup budget.
- 5 ways small businesses can punch above their weight in PR: getting noticed without a big team.
Ready to build some credibility?
Book a free, no-obligation 15-minute session and we’ll work out what’s worth announcing and when.
Send us your brief · Or email info@istories.com.au
Prefer to run it yourself? AI-Stories gives you five AI departments, from $19 + GST a campaign or $29 + GST a month for all of them.