Quote · Sweat Equity
How to Build a $200M App Without Showing your Face w/ Chris Josephs
Where this was said
Getting on National News Without a PR Agency
At 46:33 · chapter starts 45:00
One of the episode's most actionable segments: Chris Josephs has never hired a PR agency. Instead, he identified reporters and producers covering congressional stock trades, looked up their emails and their prior stories, and sent a simple pitch — 'I track Pelosi's trades, I'll feed you interesting stories, want them?' Nobody said no. Over time, he became the go-to tip source, periodically adding 'I'll be in New York if you want to chat' or 'we're about to make a big announcement' to deepen the relationship. Fox and Friends eventually called for a studio appearance. News Nation now books Autopilot every Friday. The total cost: time and hustle, no invoice from a PR firm. Chris's punchline is direct — PR agencies are just people who do exactly this, except they charge you for it.
Autopilot has never hired a PR agency. Chris Josephs cold-emailed producers and reporters, offering them a steady stream of exclusive stories about suspicious congressional stock trades. By the time Fox and Friends called, the relationship was already warm — it's exactly what PR firms do, just without the invoice.
