In this episode of the Gloria Chou PR Podcast, I reveal why right now is the golden opportunity for small businesses to land major press—without hiring an expensive PR agency.
We’re talking about gift guides, AI search visibility, and free PR tools that make pitching faster and easier than ever. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to start PR, this is it.
Whether you’re a product-based founder, a one-person shop, or a busy parent building a brand, this episode shows you how to get featured in national media with zero ad spend.
Why Gift Guides Are the #1 Way to Get Featured in Q4
Gift guides aren’t just for Christmas. Editors are actively building guides for every season—Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Graduation, Back-to-School, and beyond.
By getting your product into these articles, you’re meeting customers where they’re already primed to buy. Even better? Gift guides give you lasting SEO that outlives paid ads and Instagram posts.
How AI Search Is Creating a PR Gold Rush
More consumers are turning to ChatGPT and AI search tools for product recommendations. That means if your brand shows up in credible media, you’re signaling to AI that you’re trustworthy and relevant.
This window won’t last forever—founders who act now can dominate search before the market gets saturated.
Free and Accessible PR Tools Every Founder Should Use
You don’t need a $5K/month PR agency to get results. In this episode, I share how small business owners are using tools like:
- Perplexity.ai → to uncover real-time trends and angles journalists care about
- ChatGPT → to fine-tune pitches into clear, concise stories
- Email + LinkedIn → to reach editors directly, no insider contacts required
Avoid These Costly PR Mistakes
You don’t need to:
- Send out tons of free samples
- Write vague, one-size-fits-all pitches
- Wait for the “perfect” time to start
Instead, focus on clarity, relationships, and consistency.
The CPR Method: Your PR Roadmap
I walk you through my signature CPR Method, a framework that helps founders land not only media coverage but also wholesale opportunities.
CPR =
C: Credibility → your story and why you’re legit
P: Point of View → your unique angle
R: Relevance → why now, why this outlet
Final Takeaway
This is the most powerful moment in the last 10 years to start pitching your business. You don’t need ads, agencies, or huge budgets.
What you do need is:
✅ A clear message
✅ A relationship-first approach
✅ A repeatable system
If other small businesses can land BuzzFeed, Refinery29, and Vogue, you can too.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.