Ignite PR: How Founders Actually Earn Media Attention in the AI Era with Matt Stewart | Ep222
Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital, Tech, Future, and Society · 2025-12-28 · 50 min
Episode notes
Most founders think PR starts with a press release. That’s like thinking fitness starts with buying fancy running shoes. This episode of the Ignite Podcast is a long, honest, occasionally funny intervention for anyone who’s ever wondered why their “big announcement” landed with a quiet thud—and what actually moves the needle instead. Matt Stewart has spent 15+ years inside the PR machine, helping frontier tech companies—from climate to AI to biotech—turn real substance into stories people actually care about. He’s currently the West Coast GM at Method Communications, but more importantly, he’s a professional translator between founders and the outside world. This blog is for people who won’t listen to the full episode but still want the insight without the fluff. You’re welcome. The uncomfortable truth about PR PR isn’t about being louder. It’s about being interesting. Most founders aren’t boring because their companies are boring. They’re boring because they’re scared. Scared of saying the wrong thing. Scared of annoying an investor. Scared of sounding “too opinionated” in a world that feels permanently one tweet away from backlash. So they sand everything down into jargon soup.