Real estate professionals trust industry voices, not tech press releases. A TechCrunch hit does not move a single deal with a brokerage or property management firm. Winston Francois builds PR and comms programs for PropTech companies that earn attention from the audiences who actually buy the product. Our clients become known names in the industry, not just the tech ecosystem.
The Problem
Your PR targets tech media when your buyers read industry publications
A feature in a general tech outlet gives your team a dopamine hit but does not generate pipeline. Real estate brokers read Inman, property managers read Multi-Housing News, and investors read Real Capital Analytics and CRE-focused outlets. If your PR program is not placing stories in the publications your buyers actually read, you are building awareness with the wrong audience entirely.
You do not have a narrative beyond your product features
PropTech companies struggle to get media attention because they pitch product features instead of industry stories. Real estate has been in structural upheaval since the 2024 NAR commission settlement reshaped how buyer-agent fees work, and brokerages are still adjusting compensation models and disclosure practices in 2026. Editors want stories that connect to that shift, not another feature release. Without a narrative tied to what is actually happening in the industry, your pitches land in the delete folder next to dozens that sound the same.
Your executives are not positioned as industry voices
The real estate industry runs on relationships and reputation. If your CEO or CPO is not a known voice in real estate technology, you are missing the most effective form of earned media. Every conference panel, podcast appearance, and byline is a chance to build the trust that drives inbound interest. Most PropTech founders underinvest in thought leadership because they have no system for producing it consistently.
How We Help
Winston Francois builds PR and communications programs for PropTech companies that prioritize industry credibility over vanity coverage. We know which publications, conferences, and voices matter in real estate, and we build programs that put your company in front of the right people.
We start by defining your communications narrative: the story about your company that goes beyond what the product does. It connects your company to a shift underway in real estate – how transactions are priced, how buildings get managed, how data drives investment decisions, how the post-settlement commission landscape is being renegotiated deal by deal. This narrative gives journalists, podcast hosts, and conference organizers a reason to feature you, and it aligns with your [growth strategy](/services/strategy/) so PR reinforces your market positioning instead of running parallel to it.
From there we build the media strategy: the specific trade outlets, podcasts, conferences, and industry voices that influence your buyers. For PropTech this is a mix of real estate trade media, business press with a real estate beat, technology press that covers industry-specific innovation, and the social channels where brokers and operators actually share recommendations. We build a tiered target list and pitch each outlet on its own editorial terms rather than sending one press release to everyone.
Thought leadership is core to every PropTech PR program we run. We develop a speaking platform for your key executives – the topics they own, the data they can reference, the perspective only they can offer. We ghostwrite byline articles, secure podcast appearances, and submit speaking proposals to industry conferences. Over time your executives become recognized voices in real estate technology, which opens doors cold outreach never can.
Crisis and issues management is built in from day one, not bolted on after something breaks. Real estate involves large financial transactions and regulatory exposure – a data breach, a compliance challenge, a customer dispute that goes public – and you need a response plan before you need it. Our [creative](/services/creative/) team supports with messaging assets and visual materials for any scenario we plan for.
We coordinate PR with your [marketing](/services/marketing/) programs so earned media compounds instead of sitting in isolation. A placement is not a standalone event – it feeds social content, email campaigns, sales outreach, and investor updates. We build the workflow that makes sure every piece of coverage works across your entire marketing system, not just the day it runs.
Every engagement includes [measurement](/services/measurement/) that goes past clip counts. We track share of voice against named competitors, message pull-through in coverage, referral traffic from earned media, and pipeline influence from PR-touched accounts, so you know whether the program is moving the business.
What we deliver
- Communications narrative and messaging platform – the overarching story and key messages for all audiences
- Media strategy and target list – prioritized outlets, podcasts, and conferences with tailored pitch angles
- Thought leadership program – executive speaking platform, byline articles, and speaking opportunity pipeline
- Crisis communications framework – scenario playbooks, response templates, and stakeholder notification plans
- PR performance reporting – share of voice, message pull-through, and pipeline influence tracking
In real estate, trust transfers from person to person, not from a masthead. PR that positions your executives as credible industry voices is worth more than any product press release.
Our Methodology
We build PR programs in 90-day sprints because media momentum needs sustained effort, not a one-time push. The first sprint establishes the narrative foundation, builds the target media list, and begins outreach. We typically land initial placements within 30 to 45 days because we start pitching immediately while longer-lead stories develop in parallel.
Sprint two shifts into sustained outreach and thought leadership. We are pitching weekly, placing bylines monthly, and building the speaking calendar for upcoming industry events. Media relationships deepen over this period, so placement quality improves as journalists start coming to us for expert commentary instead of the other way around.
By the third sprint the program has real cadence. Your executives are known to key journalists, speaking opportunities are flowing inbound, and coverage is consistent rather than sporadic. We assess impact on business metrics at this point and adjust the next quarter's strategy based on what is actually driving value.
How We Work
In the first 30 days we develop the communications narrative, build the media target list, brief your executives on media engagement, and begin proactive outreach. We also audit your current media presence to find gaps and immediate opportunities – initial placements often come from news hooks we surface during this phase.
From day 30 to 60 the program is in active outreach mode: pitching stories, scheduling interviews, submitting bylines, and building relationships with the journalists and editors who actually cover your buyers. We hold bi-weekly PR syncs to review coverage, flag upcoming news hooks, and coordinate with marketing campaigns already in flight.
From day 60 to 90 we deliver the first full PR performance review – coverage analysis, share of voice data, and recommendations for the next sprint – along with a status check on the thought leadership pipeline: speaking opportunities secured, articles published, executive visibility gained. Your team gets a playbook for keeping the momentum going whether you continue with us or bring the function in-house.
Your team includes a PR strategist with real estate media relationships, a content producer for bylines and thought leadership, and an account coordinator managing day-to-day media relations.
- Increased coverage in the real estate industry publications your buyers actually read
- Executive positioning as recognized industry voices
- Measurable share of voice improvement against named PropTech competitors
- PR-influenced pipeline and inbound interest from media exposure
If your real estate / proptech company needs pr / comms leadership, we should talk.
Expand your marketing team output with our experts
Let us take a custom approach to your growth goals by assembling and leading the best-in-class marketing team to support your next stage.
Frequently asked questions
How much does PR cost for a PropTech company?
PR engagements are priced as monthly retainers based on the scope of outreach, the number of spokespeople we support, and whether the program includes thought leadership content production. We work on 90-day minimum commitments because PR requires sustained effort to build media relationships and momentum. We scope every engagement after an initial assessment so you know exactly what you are investing in before we start.
How long before PR generates measurable results?
Expect initial media placements within 30 to 45 days. Building a consistent cadence of coverage takes 60 to 90 days. The business impact – share of voice improvement, inbound interest from coverage, executive recognition at industry events – typically becomes visible within the first two quarters. PR compounds: early placements make the next ones easier to land.
How does your PR team coordinate with our marketing team?
We integrate directly with your marketing function – joining planning meetings, aligning on messaging and campaign calendars, and sharing coverage for amplification across owned and paid channels. When your marketing team has a campaign launching, we pitch stories that reinforce it. When we land coverage, your marketing team has assets ready to amplify it same-day. The coordination runs through shared channels and regular syncs, not a quarterly check-in.
What makes Winston Francois different from other PR agencies?
Most PR agencies pitch tech media because that is where their relationships are. We have relationships with real estate trade media – the publications, podcasts, and conferences your buyers actually consume. We measure PR against business outcomes, not clip counts, and because we are a growth firm, PR connects to your broader marketing and sales motion instead of operating as a standalone function nobody else touches.
How do you measure PR ROI?
We track share of voice against defined competitors, message pull-through in coverage, referral traffic from media placements, and pipeline influence from PR-touched accounts. We set up CRM tracking so that when a prospect mentions seeing your company in a specific publication or hearing your CEO on a podcast, that touchpoint gets captured. Quarterly reviews tie these metrics directly to business outcomes, not vanity numbers.
What type of PropTech company is the right fit for PR?
PR works best for PropTech companies with a product in market, initial customer traction, and a story to tell beyond their feature set. If you are raising a round, entering a new market, or competing against well-known incumbents, PR accelerates awareness and credibility with your target audience. Companies at Series A and beyond typically have enough news flow and executive bandwidth to sustain an active program.
