(And Why the World of Work Needs It Now More Than Ever)

For 20 years, I’ve built PR campaigns in places most people weren’t paying attention.

Early livestreaming.
Early social platforms.
Early internet culture.
Early AI experiments, before anyone knew what to call them.
And now, Early HR tech innovation.

After two decades of watching patterns repeat themselves across industries, one truth has remained absolutely consistent:

The brands that win aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the loudest messaging.
They’re the ones who move first.

They see the signal before the market sees the trend.
They set the narrative before the category knows it needs one.
They shape the moment before anyone else realizes it's happening.

That’s the foundation of what I now call The Early Signal PR Method — the same muscle I’ve developed from viral internet experiments all the way to the HR tech companies I support today.

Here’s what it is, and why it matters more than ever in the AI era.

1. Early Signal PR Is About Knowing What Matters Before Anyone Says It Out Loud

Most companies wait for the world to tell them a trend is important.

Early Signal PR works the opposite way.

It identifies:

• subtle behavior shifts

• small whispers in analyst circles

• early movements at conferences

• emerging user patterns

• sentiment changes months before headlines catch up

• the topics buyers will be asking about next quarter, not last quarter

This isn’t guesswork — it’s pattern recognition.

It’s the same skill I described in my poker story: spotting the moment before the market sees it.

In PR, the brand that gets there first anchors the narrative.
Everyone else is responding.

2. A Method Built From Imperfect Information

PR has a lot more in common with AI-driven HR tech systems than most people think.

Both operate in:

• incomplete context

• ambiguous signals

• imperfect information

• constantly changing variables

• human psychology layered over data

Early Signal PR borrows directly from that logic.

Where others hesitate because they don’t “have enough information,” Early Signal PR sees opportunity in the gap.

Because the moment you wait for perfect clarity… you’re already late.

This is the same reason poker AIs dominated: they learned to make optimal decisions under uncertainty while everyone else waited for a perfect hand.

The same advantage exists in PR.

3. Narratives Don’t Start With Logic — They Start With Emotion

Here’s the part most companies still miss:

People move when stories move them.

The best candidates.
The best customers.
The best analysts.
The best coverage.

None of it comes from data alone.

In poker, humans rooted for the human, not the mathematically perfect machine.
In HR tech, they root for the company that feels human, relatable, and emotionally resonant.

Early Signal PR turns early signals into stories with stakes:

• What does this trend mean for people?

• What does it protect?

• What does it unlock?

• What does it challenge?

• What fears does it tap into?

• What hope does it create?

A signal becomes a storyline.
A storyline becomes a movement.
A movement becomes a market advantage.

4. Novelty Sparks Attention — Consistency Builds Authority

Early Signal PR isn’t just about finding the spark.

It’s about sustaining the flame.

The process looks like this:

• Spot the signal

• Frame it into a compelling narrative

• Spark the moment

• Layer consistent insights

• Build founder authority

• Anchor the category

• Sustain the narrative long after competitors start copying it
  
  
  

This mirrors the same progression bots went through: from strange novelties → to research tools → to dominant systems.

Consistency is the compounding engine that makes Early Signal PR powerful.

Most companies never get this far.
That’s why most companies stay forgettable.

5. Being Early Will Always Feel Uncomfortable — That’s Why It Works

The earliest ideas always feel a little strange.

“Why livestream something no one asked for?”
“Why build a poker robot?”
“Why push a narrative before the product is fully shipped?”
“Why plant a flag in a space competitors aren’t even in yet?”

Because that’s exactly where category opportunity lives.

Everything that feels unnecessary today becomes inevitable tomorrow.
Everything that feels risky today becomes obvious next year.

Early Signal PR isn’t about hype.
It’s about timing — and the courage to act before the room agrees with you.

The companies that master this win conferences, dominate analyst cycles, outperform in press cycles, and build reputations that last years.

So, Why Does the World of Work Need This Now?

Because HR tech is crowded.
AI is repetitive.
Buyer attention is limited.
LinkedIn is noisy.
Events are oversaturated.
Most teams are reactive.
And nearly every product claims the same features.

Early Signal PR gives founders, executives, and category creators something the market can’t compete with:

Narrative Advantage.

The ability to:

• get ahead of the conversation

• create the moment instead of waiting for it

• shape the questions buyers will ask next quarter

• build thought leadership machines

• tie early signals to emotional storytelling

• design PR programs that work for humans and LLMs

• build a reputation the market remembers

It’s not just a method — it’s a way to lead.

FAQ

Is this just for HR tech?
No — but the world of work is where this method is most urgently needed and where I am currently invested.  

Is this different from traditional PR?
Yes. Traditional PR reports the story.
Early Signal PR creates it.

Does this work for AI-driven products?
Absolutely. It’s built on the same imperfect-information logic that drives AI itself.

Can this help founders become category leaders?
It’s one of the fastest ways to do exactly that.