Healthcare PR for Startups: What Actually Gets Covered

Posted on June 30, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

Healthcare startups often ask, “How do we get media coverage?” The better question is, “What do healthcare reporters actually want to cover?”

The difference usually has very little to do with the quality of the product.

Healthcare PR is one of the most exciting industries for innovation, but it’s also one of the hardest sectors in which to earn media coverage. Every week, startups announce new medical technologies, artificial intelligence platforms, digital therapeutics, telehealth solutions and healthcare apps. Only a small percentage of those companies receive meaningful press attention.

Successful healthcare public relations campaigns typically begin with understanding how reporters think. Before founding MACIAS PR, I spent years approving story ideas as an Executive Producer with NBC and CBS in New York. That newsroom experience continues to shape how our agency develops healthcare PR campaigns because journalists evaluate stories much differently than entrepreneurs.

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How Do Healthcare Startups Get Media Coverage

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

Healthcare startups solve some of the world’s biggest challenges. They improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, accelerate diagnoses and help physicians deliver better care. Despite those innovations, many healthcare founders struggle to earn meaningful media coverage.

Many founders assume their innovation should naturally attract reporters but healthcare journalists receive hundreds of pitches every week. During my time as Executive Producer with NBC in New York, publicists and founders pitched me all kinds of ideas. Most of them weren’t focused. They missed the payoff and suspense that drives most coverage.

The majority of these pitches focused on the product rather than explaining why the product matters. News organizations and journalists always ask a different question than founders do.

A startup asks: “Why is our technology unique?”

A reporter asks: “Why should my readers care?”

Those are two very different conversations.

The healthcare companies that consistently earn media coverage connect their innovation to larger issues affecting patients, physicians, hospitals or the healthcare system.

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Why Nobody Covered Your Latest Funding Round

Posted on June 24, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

Raising capital is one of the biggest milestones in a startup’s journey, which is why it can be so frustrating when your funding round is ignored by the media. Why doesn’t the media cover your capital raise?

Funding alone is not news.

As a former Executive Producer with NBC and CBS and founder of MACIAS PR, I’ve worked with startups across healthcare, technology, artificial intelligence and finance. One lesson has remained remarkably consistent throughout my career: journalists do not cover events simply because they are important to a company. They cover stories that are important to their audience.

Understanding that difference is often the key to successful fundraising publicity.

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How Do Startups Get Featured in Forbes?

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

Few media placements carry as much weight with startup founders as Forbes.

Forbes has become a destination for entrepreneurs, investors, executives and business leaders looking for insights on innovation, leadership, technology and emerging companies. As a result, one question consistently surfaces among startup founders:

How do startups get featured in Forbes?

Many assume the answer involves a large marketing budget, personal connections or a public relations stunt. Reality looks very different inside the newsroom. Forbes reporters and contributors are constantly searching for compelling stories, but they are not searching for companies that simply want publicity.

Coverage is earned when a company has something genuinely interesting to say.

Having spent years as an Executive Producer with NBC News and later becoming a contributor for Forbes, I’ve seen how journalists evaluate stories from both sides of the media landscape. That experience provides a unique perspective into what attracts attention and what immediately gets ignored.

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Why Great Products Don’t Get Media Coverage

Posted on June 22, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

Founders often believe a great product should naturally attract media attention, and the logic seems reasonable. If a company has built an innovative, useful and disruptive product – journalists should want to write about it. Yet every year, thousands of startups receive little to no media coverage for their launch.

The problem is not the product. More often than not, the issue is the story.

Having spent years as an Executive Producer with NBC and CBS in New York – and later building this public relations agency – I’ve seen this mistake repeatedly. Entrepreneurs assume reporters are looking for products. In reality, journalists are looking for stories. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a startup, healthcare or tech company.

Understanding that distinction can dramatically improve your chances of securing media coverage.

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How can PR Help Startups Raise Capital?

Posted on June 21, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

Can PR Help Startups Raise Capital? Absolutely. Unfortunately, many founders overlook a powerful tool that can influence how investors perceive their company, assuming they can’t afford it.

The question often comes up during conversations with startup founders and CEOs. Can PR help startups raise capital?

The short answer is yes. Public relations alone will not secure funding for a company with a weak business model or limited market opportunity. Strategic PR, however, can help create the visibility, credibility and momentum that investors often look for when evaluating potential investments.

As a former Executive Producer with NBC News and founder of MACIAS PR, I’ve worked with startups across healthcare, technology, artificial intelligence, finance and consumer products. One pattern consistently emerges among companies that successfully raise capital: investors are attracted to momentum.

A recent example involved the bootstrapped dating app, Weepo. The client didn’t have any funding but after their brand started getting exposure with local TV, Time Out New York, New York Post and Business Insider, they ended up raising several million dollars with investors. You can read that client case study here.

Media coverage can help create that momentum.

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What Healthcare Reporters Actually Look For

Posted on June 20, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

Healthcare is one of the most competitive sectors in journalism. I share that from experience as a former Executive Producer with NBC and CBS in New York, where I oversaw the health and medical units.

Every day, reporters and producers receive pitches from hospitals, pharma companies, digital health startups, healthcare technology firms, medical device manufacturers and healthcare advocacy organizations. Most of those pitches never become stories.

That’s because most healthcare organizations approach public relations from the wrong perspective. They focus on promoting products, services and corporate achievements when reporters are evaluating stories through an entirely different lens.

Before founding MACIAS PR, I spent years approving story ideas as an Executive Producer. The newsroom experience continues to influence how our agency approaches healthcare public relations today.

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How Long Does It Take to Earn Media Coverage?

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

One of the most common questions I hear from startup founders, CEOs and marketing leaders is simple: “How long does it take to earn media coverage?” The honest answer: it depends.

Some stories generate media interest within hours. Others may take weeks to gain traction. The timing often has less to do with the quality of the company and more to do with the strength of the story, the news cycle and the relevance of the topic being pitched.

After spending years as an Executive Producer with NBC and CBS in New York, and working with journalists across national television, newspapers, magazines and digital media, I’ve learned one important lesson: reporters do not operate on your timeline. They operate on the news cycle.

Understanding that distinction can dramatically improve your chances of earning media coverage.

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When Should a Startup Hire a Technology PR Firm?

Posted on June 18, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

Many startup founders ask the same question: When is the right time to hire a technology PR firm?

The answer is often sooner than they think.

One of the biggest misconceptions about public relations is that companies should wait until they have achieved major success before investing in media visibility. In reality, the most effective technology PR campaigns often begin before a product launch, funding announcement or major growth milestone. Public relations can help create momentum that supports those business objectives rather than simply publicizing them after they occur.

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How Much Does Technology PR Cost?

Posted on June 17, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

One of the most common questions startup founders and technology executives ask is simple: How much does technology PR cost?

The answer depends on the goals of the company, the scope of work, the competitiveness of the industry and the experience of the public relations firm. Technology PR can range from a few thousand dollars per month for limited support to more than $30,000 per month for comprehensive national media campaigns.

The more important question is not how much technology PR costs. The better question is what results a company expects to achieve. And just because you are a startup, don’t assume you can’t afford PR. There are approaches to help every type of business.

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