Yes, when it’s treated as a long-term growth channel, not a quick hit.

B2B buying decisions are slow and complex, rarely driven by one touchpoint. PR works because it builds credibility over time, keeping your brand visible and trusted while deals move through the pipeline. Unlike paid media, PR doesn’t disappear the moment the budget stops. It creates proof: third-party validation that reassures buyers, partners and investors. For B2B companies competing on expertise, PR helps shape perception long before a sales conversation starts. Done well, it underpins marketing as well as supporting it.

A startup needs PR earlier than most founders think, but don’t go too early. PR works really well for startups, as you can see immediate results and brand awareness. You’re going from zero to a hundred very quickly by getting out there in the news both as founders and as a company.

Startups often use PR to build credibility, attract talent, support fundraising or stand out in a crowded niche. Waiting until you’re ‘big enough’ usually means missing the moment when attention is easiest to earn. The key is clarity, not business size.

However, don’t start before you are absolutely clear on what you’re saying, what you’re offering and how you’re going to do it. PR becomes valuable once your startup has a story to tell and you can clearly explain the problem you’re solving, why it matters and who it should matter to.

Very simple: marketing is paid, PR is earned. With marketing, you get to be completely 100% self serving - you’ve paid for it, it’s your opportunity to talk only about your company and solutions. PR has to be focused in on your audience, customers, their needs and challenges, or on wider industry issues that are impacting your clients and customers. PR is the storytelling, marketing is the hard sell. 

Marketing is about driving demand for your business, whilst PR is about building trust and belief in your business. Marketing typically focuses on channels that you can control, including ads, email, social and your website, with clear calls to action. 

PR operates in spaces you don’t control. With PR, you earn attention through credibility rather than spend. In B2B especially, PR often makes marketing more effective by developing customer trust, authority and relevance. The two work best together, but have very distinctive approaches and require different expertise. The Digital Voice™ can provide both.