Why the angle changes everything
"Startup X raises 2 million euros." This sentence is a fact. It is not an angle. It doesn't interest any journalist as it stands, because it tells their readers nothing.
Now consider: "How an 8-person startup from Bordeaux just landed a contract with LVMH without raising a single euro in 3 years." That is an angle. It has tension, surprise, a character, and context. It makes you want to read more.
The same information, two different approaches. The angle is what makes the difference between a ignored press release and a published article.
The most effective types of angles for startup PR
- The disruption angle : you are doing something that goes against industry norms.
- The timing angle : your news resonates with a recent event (a new law, a trend, or a crisis).
- The data angle : a surprising result or statistic that illustrates a broader trend.
- The personality angle : the founder's background or vision used as a narrative entry point.
- The industry angle : your case as a symptom of a deeper market transformation.
How to build a strong angle
Start with this question: "If I remove my company's name, would anyone still be interested in this topic?" If the answer is yes, you might have an angle. If the answer is no, you have corporate news.
To refine your angle, read the last 10 articles by the journalist you are targeting. Identify what they cover, what type of approach they prefer, and what topics interest them. Then, frame your pitch based on their logic, not yours. Finding the right content to interest journalists starts with understanding their perspective.
What we see with our clients
Founders who understand the logic of an angle stop sending press releases that would never get published. They shift from a distribution mindset ("we'll send it and see what happens") to an editorial one ("we are proposing a story, not just information").
This shift in approach is often the turning point of a PR campaign: before, coverage is rare. After, it becomes predictable.
To go further
A journalistic angle is learned by reading newspapers like a journalist, not a reader. Ask yourself: "Why was this article published today? What makes it relevant right now?" Our article on the content that interests journalists details the concrete mechanisms.
