How To Get Real Press in 2026 (Without Paying For Forbes.. Ex-CBS Journalist POV) - w/ Vaishali

Someone slid into your inbox last week offering Forbes for a thousand bucks. Maybe you almost said yes. 😅Vaishali Gauba spent years inside CNBC, NBC and CBS newsrooms before starting her own PR agency, and she'll tell you flat out: that yes quietly costs you the exact people you were trying to reach.Here's the uncomfortable part about how to get into Forbes with a credit card. The crowd doesn't care where you got featured. But the client you actually want? They can smell paid coverage from a mile off (and once they do, your credibility is done).So we spent an hour on what earned media vs paid media really means when you're a founder with no PR budget and a business to build. Vaishali breaks down how to spot a real article versus a press release in about five seconds. Hint: the "we're thrilled to announce" opener gives it away every time.We get into why a journalist writing about you beats you writing about yourself, and why that gap is the whole game. Why Forbes might do nothing for your sales while a local paper your actual buyers read does everything. And how to find the story hiding inside your own company (the one you're too close to see because you live it every day).If you're a founder trying to figure out how to pitch journalists, whether paying for Forbes is worth it, or how to get press without buying it, this is the honest version nobody sells you. Vaishali also explains why any agency promising guaranteed coverage is quietly telling you to run.Her own path is a story too. She went from the Rutgers student newsroom to CBS, lost her US visa, rebuilt in India and Canada, and now runs earned media for founders who want the real thing. If you're building anything and you need people to trust it, start here.This one is for anyone thinking about startup PR, personal branding, and how to build credibility as a founder that actually holds up.Connect with Vaishali:Website: vaishalimedia.comEmail: [email protected] episodes weekly. Subscribe on YouTube and Spotify so the next one finds you.Timestamps:00:00 - Vaishali Gauba08:50 - Building Trust Through Earned Media13:30 - Paid Coverage vs. Real Credibility15:15 - Vaishali's Journalism Roots at Rutgers21:30 - Inside CBS and the Reality of Newsroom Work27:30 - Journalism Degrees, Visas, and Career Pivots32:03 - The Evolution of Journalism and PR33:19 - Understanding PR: The Misconceptions38:40 - Why Local Press Can Matter More Than Forbes40:10 - Crafting Compelling Stories: The Art of PR45:13 - The Role of Relationships in PR52:50 - Why Journalists Remember Great Stories56:00 - Relationships Help, But the Story Still Matters