warm introductions

The talk lays out a practical path to a startup’s first 10 customers, beginning with understanding where buyers spend their time. It recommends working personal and second-degree networks first, then using in-person meetings, small events, and online communities where customers discuss their problems. Once founders have early traction and a clearer message, tools such as Apollo, Clay, and LinkedIn Premium can support outbound prospecting. The core lesson is to do personal, manual work early, learn from customer conversations, and scale outreach only after the pitch is proven.

Kat Mañalac and Craig Cannon explain how early-stage startups can use content and PR to reach the right audiences. They recommend focusing first on making something people want, then treating content like a product: choose a goal, learn where customers spend time, create useful material, measure results, and promote it consistently. For PR, they cover when to pitch, how to shape a clear story, prepare for reporter questions, choose a target and offer an exclusive, and build relationships through warm introductions. They also stress being accurate, respecting reporters’ work, and evaluating whether coverage achieved its intended goal.