How She Built a $1M PR Agency Helping Startups Get Acquired
Release Date: 07/18/2025
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info_outlineIn this episode, Valerie Chan—founder and CEO of Platf4orm PR—breaks down how she scaled her boutique PR agency to 7 figures by helping startups land on the biggest stages (TED, SXSW, NASDAQ), attract acquisition offers, and navigate PR in the AI era.
From starting out as a lawyer to advising legal-tech startups on strategic visibility, Valerie reveals how niching down, building authority in the right rooms, and focusing on high-leverage strategy over tactics led to explosive, sustainable growth.
Whether you run an agency, startup, or B2B business—this conversation is a roadmap for scaling through positioning, platform building, and long-term relationships.
🔑 Key Insights from This Episode
💼 From Prosecutor to PR Strategist How Valerie’s legal background gave her an edge in the high-trust, high-stakes world of legal tech and enterprise communications.
🎯 The Power of Niching Down Why “buffet-style” agencies fail—and how specialization can unlock pricing power and referral-based growth.
📈 How to Scale Without Paid Ads Valerie shares her most effective client acquisition channels—hint: it's not cold calls or SEO.
📣 Building Thought Leadership that Converts How speaking at SXSW and coaching TEDx founders led to high-ticket client relationships.
🧠 Using AI (and Where to Avoid It) Why Platform PR is cautious about AI tools—and the ethical, strategic reasons for doubling down on human-led storytelling.
🚫 Avoid This $200K Mistake Valerie explains how operating as a contractor-heavy consultancy stunted growth—and how switching to a full FTE model changed everything.
🌍 How to Win Enterprise Clients From internal workshops to multi-department contracts, Valerie explains how agencies can land (and expand inside) Fortune 500s.
📚 Resources & Links
🔗 Learn more about Platform PR: https://plat4orm.com/
📬 Connect with Valerie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerieachan/
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