“I talked to one influencer he posted about photo.com my AI photo startup and the um Mr went from 12K to like 40 or 50k it's insane... and it stayed that way uh and of course it was sure so I also worked in it but this shows you have a really big effect of these influence and it's way bigger effect than press like I also got a lot of press for these AI startups and this press does almost nothing”

One trusted influencer can dwarf all the press combined

Pieter's Photo AI jumped from $12K to $40-50K MRR — sustained — after one creator post. Comparable press coverage produced almost no measurable lift. The lesson: redirect PR budget and effort toward identifying 5-10 trusted creators in your niche and earning their genuine endorsement. Logos on a Featured-In strip don't convert; one creator's personal recommendation can be a sustained MRR step-change.