At Outset PR, we say:
“When PR results are verifiable and grounded in reliable data, it becomes much easier for the business to understand – and justify – the investment behind it.”
And this blog piece is about to prove our point to you.
How PR budgets are actually decided
Decision-making varies from company to company. Sometimes, usually in more established companies, a CMO or PR lead already has a pre-approved budget and can decide on it independently. Fast, without multiple approvals. In leaner setups, there’s no fixed PR budget at all, and even a small test spend requires convincing arguments and clear logic.
And while one project might sign off on “$100 to float a trial balloon” in minutes, another will demand detailed reasoning, forecasts, and even ROI models.
Typical objections and how we deal with them
The most common pushback is “it’s too expensive.” Then we explain why it costs what it costs, and demonstrate the value. If needed – adjust the offer without compromising the goals.
Sometimes it’s the opposite, “too cheap.” It might be not really obvious, but cases like that are worse, because it triggers doubts, like will it even work?
In some other cases, clients might simply not yet understand what PR does. Here our proposals look almost like internal memos: a detailed offer with an attached letter explaining the logic, supported by metrics and data until everything clicks.
Every argument eventually comes down to answer five essential questions:
- What are we doing?
- Why are we doing so?
- What will we get?
- How much does it cost?
- Why does it make sense to invest in it?
Startups vs. established companies
Startups and mature brands approach PR very differently.
Startups move fast and expect immediate results: quick recognition, investors, traffic. It’s a “20-something” phase of business: restless, experimenting, testing what works.
Mature companies are more like 35-year-old people: strategic, focused, calm. They already have internal PR processes and established hierarchies, which makes them harder to get in but more consistent once you do. Their PR is long-term, they strive to build credibility, sustain visibility, and strengthen trust.
The biggest difference isn’t in budget size, as it may seem. It’s in perspective. Startups think in sprints. Established teams think in systems.
Perfect timing: when it’s best to pitch PR
At some point, every project faces goals that can’t be reached without reputation, and PR naturally becomes essential. It’s what allows them to be seen, trusted, and understood.
- Fundraising. When a project starts raising capital, PR becomes the bridge between investors’ curiosity and their confidence. It helps founders explain who they are, why they matter, and why their story deserves trust – something numbers alone can’t achieve.
- Market entry. During launch, PR builds visibility fast and gives context to the product: why it exists and how it fits into the market. Without it, even the best product risks going unnoticed or being misunderstood.
- Crisis. In stressful moments, communication defines survival. PR shapes the narrative before speculation does, turning chaos into clarity and helping brands preserve credibility when everything else feels unstable.
Crisis management in action
Crisis situations come in many forms – from hacks to regulatory setbacks – but one thing always stays the same: how a brand communicates in those moments defines what happens next. Let’s look at two examples that show how PR (or its absence) can make or break trust during a crisis.
When Atomic Wallet faced a security breach, they seemed to lack a PR approach. In June 2023, the wallet was hacked, with tens of millions of estimated losses. The team publicly claimed that “less than 0.1% of users” were affected but didn’t clearly explain what caused the breach or how users would be protected. The vague messaging and absence of regular updates quickly eroded trust, especially among those who expected transparency during the crisis.
Or look at MANTRA: similar reputation hit but the opposite way of managing the situation. In April 2025 the OM token plunged nearly 90% in hours, wiping out billions in market value. The team swiftly responded: the CEO publicly blamed “forced liquidations” via centralized exchanges, held live X/Spaces sessions, pledged to burn his own token allocation and invited community questions. And for their image – it worked.
In one such scenario, we partnered with ChangeNOW when their risk system flagged suspicious transfers worth approximately $1.5 million. Recognizing the urgency, we quickly crafted tailored news-style pitches and executed rapid-fire media placements. Articles snowballed into major features on platforms like Cointelegraph and CoinDesk.
The result: a shift from “at risk” to “trusted” in the eyes of the audience – proof that timely, strategic PR communication can redefine a crisis into credibility.
How to negotiate for a PR budget the right way
One of the most common mistakes teams make when defending their budget – they rely on emotion instead of logic. Passion helps, but it doesn’t persuade. “We really need this” or “PR is important for visibility” won’t move decision-makers. What does work is structure: using facts, data, and the answers for the questions from the essential formula we mentioned earlier.
Another frequent issue is the lack of clear goals. Many teams can describe what they want to do but not what they want to achieve. Without defined outcomes, even the most convincing offer sounds vague. The fix is simple: tie your PR objectives to tangible business results. Visibility that drives users, trust that brings investors, or credibility that accelerates partnerships.
We look at it like it’s kind of an engineered process: the more specific we are, the stronger our case. And analytics is the strongest supporting argument you can bring to the table. That’s why our Outset Data Pulse media reports have become such a powerful tool both for clients and partners.
Measuring what PR really changes
A clear understanding of which metrics actually matter for a certain type of company makes PR far more effective. It helps shape the right set of tools, explain their value, and show that PR is tied to concrete levers that influence business outcomes.
Every project measures success differently, but most PR impact fits into two groups:
- Financial metrics – revenue, margin, profit, burn rate, etc.
For exchanges and B2B products, trust directly converts to turnover: the more people believe in you, the more deposits, volumes, and clients you get. For product-based companies, PR affects conversions and sales because it removes the trust barrier before purchase. Our case with the ChangeNOW ecosystem is living proof that it really works this way. - Engagement and perception metrics – loyalty, CTR, branded search, share of voice.
You show two ads, one from Coca-Cola and one from an unknown beverage brand. The first will always get more clicks, simply because PR has been working for it for decades.
The same is true in Web3: projects with reputation built in advance get better results from every other marketing effort. PR doesn’t replace marketing – it amplifies it.
Why does it make sense to invest in PR right now?
AI is reshaping everything – including how brands are seen, found, and trusted. As search evolves and algorithms start deciding which voices get heard, PR becomes a visibility engine for the new era. The boundaries between marketing, analytics, and technology are blurring, and companies that ignore this shift risk disappearing from the conversation altogether.
For years, teams got used to optimizing for clicks. But in an LLM-driven world, visibility works differently. You appear in AI-generated answers, whether through AI mentions or AI citations, and even if the user doesn’t click right away, your brand still registers. It shows up repeatedly, gets remembered, and becomes the choice the user makes later through a branded search.
And this is essentially how PR has always worked: a long-game discipline focused on influence rather than instant conversions. AI simply brings the industry back to fundamentals and makes strategic communication even more valuable.
This transformation only reinforces one truth: PR budgets are what keep your brand top of mind when the rules of attention are being rewritten. Strong communication, supported by data, becomes the foundation of trust in a world run by algorithms.
In the end, strong goals, analytics, and clarity – that’s what wins budgets. When you know exactly why you do PR and can prove its impact, your budget stops being a question mark and becomes a strategic investment.
