Welcome back to Media Shot, my column on media training and storytelling for founders and investors. In each column, I share short, practical lessons on how to communicate better.
SF Tech Week took place last week. And reports said more than 700 panels, dinners, fireside chats and other events happened across the city during the week. For a decentralized gathering, that’s not surprising, but it’s still a lot of activity. It’s a lot of noise.
Nearly every event on Partiful promised to unpack what’s next for AI, startups and investors. I didn’t make it to everything I planned, and at the last minute I backed out of a few because I knew I’d never get across town in time.
For every insightful session, there were a dozen more that blurred together. The topics sounded similar. Even the faces of other attendees looked familiar. Still, I want to give credit where it’s due and say that most hosts stepped up their game with food, and the vegan pizza from Thomvest deserves a shoutout.
But walking around San Francisco through all that Tech Week activity reminded me of the reality of startup competition today.
Whether you’re hosting an event or building a company, attention is the scarcest commodity. It’s not enough to show up or speak louder than the next person. You have to give journalists, investors and customers a reason to remember you.
Founders often misunderstand what they’re competing for. You may think it’s funding or media coverage. But really it’s the Clarity of your message. It’s the ability to express what you do and why it matters better than anyone else.
In a community full of smart people saying smart things, the ones who stand out are those who make their narrative memorable.
I’ve written before about how acknowledging competitors is a sign of strength. This week’s Media Shot builds on that. Competition validates your market and defines the arena where your story will be tested. The crowd proves you’re in a space people care about. What separates you is how sharply you communicate your edge.
So the next time you find yourself in a noisy room — or a crowded event — don’t worry about being first or loudest. Focus on being clear. The companies that win are the ones that people (journalists and investors, alike) can describe in one sentence, without reaching for buzzwords or filler.
🔶 Focus on clarity, not volume.
🔶 Own one message and repeat it until people can quote it back.
🔶 If your story sounds like everyone else’s, it is.
🔶 Visibility is easy. Memorability is hard. That’s the real competition.
That’s your Media Shot for this week. Make yours count.
I work with founders and investors to sharpen pitch decks, prep for media in8ujm terviews and build stronger stories for customers and backers. If that’s on your plate, let’s talk.
Editorial image generated using AI assistance. Image concept by the author.
