How should Asian companies approach US media in 2026?
ACID’s partner and US media relations consultant Ally Chua breaks down the assumption among Asian founders that breaking into American media is simply a matter of “going bigger” with announcements, explaining that the landscape is far more constrained and competitive than it appears from Asia.
As a consultancy working across Asia and the United States, we get frequent requests from Asian companies—from fast-growing startups to established enterprises—looking to secure a foothold in the American market. Their goals are typically ambitious: drumming up investor interest, acquiring US customers, or establishing themselves as a credible alternative to entrenched American competitors.
This approach often rests on misconceptions about the American media landscape that set teams up for unachievable outcomes. Many assume the US is simply “bigger” than Singapore, so there must be far more outlets to pitch.
In reality, the US looks large because it is organised differently. A big share of outlets are city- or state-level and cover local news. Many newsrooms are lean after layoffs, relying heavily on wire services and shared copy. Strip out local-only publications and wire-driven syndications and the field shrinks rapidly.
The Competitive Landscape
To understand how an overseas company can stand out in US media, let’s take a look at what your company is up against.
For starters, the US is the largest startup hub in the world with over 1.2 million companies, generating 47% of all startup activity worldwide. In fact, if you combine the countries with the next three highest startup activities – China (9.2%), the United Kingdom (5.6%), and India (5%), you would still not meet half of the US's startup activities and movement. The United States significantly outpaces all other countries when it comes to startup activity.
Many US startups remain global market leaders in their fields. To take artificial intelligence (AI) as an example – the US still leads globally when it comes to AI advancements, and in 2025 produced 40 notable AI models, well above China’s 15 and Europe’s three.
This market dominance is reflected in other fields as well. The Cambridge area in Massachusetts is well known as a biotech capital, and it is said that there is more lab space in Boston and Cambridge than anywhere in the world. Over on the West Coast, Silicon Valley may have lost some of its luster over the years, but it is still the de facto center for tech innovations and startups.
What this means is that American journalists covering startups already have their hands full keeping up with domestic companies. This is especially since many influential tech founders continue to dominate the news cycle with new developments and startups.
For more established companies, the challenge is different but no less daunting. You are no longer just competing with agile startups for attention, but are going head-to-head with established incumbents with deep pockets, long-standing customer relationships, and a home-field advantage.
Breaking through requires more than a good product; it requires a narrative that can challenge the status quo and offer a compelling reason for an American consumer to listen.
How the US media landscape works
US newsrooms also cover stories differently. In much of Asia, when a pitch lands, coverage often runs in a straightforward, announcement-style format. In the US, outlets tend to favour storytelling.
They look for a hook that connects the company to a larger trend or problem, and they pay attention to founder origin stories that give the news texture. Think of seed coverage framed around a founder cold-emailing Mark Cuban, or an Uber Eats alum building an app to fix messaging chaos for doctors.
US media also favour concrete figures – amount invested, market share, current users, and so on.
Finally, US media like bold, disruptive predictions. Do you believe that established practices in your field are wrong? Is your startup looking to disrupt conventional practices?
Entering the US
So, now that we know how competitive the US media landscape is, how do we approach it?
For starters, your US approach cannot begin with publicity. Instead, it needs to begin with strategic public relations—cultivating media connections, developing thought leadership, establishing networks, and sharpening a unique American proposition.
Trying to secure coverage as a way to enter the market will get you nowhere. Instead, you have to get your hands dirty and commit to spending time here.
For early-stage companies, diving into the ecosystem is one such way. The US remains the global startup hub because of its robust network of accelerators, incubators, and mentors. Programmes like Y Combinator and Zfellows accept participants from all over the world and, crucially, lend you credibility with American media.
For leadership at a growth-stage or enterprise company, it might be getting your executives on stage at major industry conferences like SaaStr or Money 20/20, or building relationships with key industry analysts at Gartner or Forrester who influence enterprise buyers.
Or it could mean establishing a small initial presence—a US-based country manager or a sales office—to signal serious commitment to the market.
A communications strategy
After you have spent time in the ecosystem, you can begin the work of media relations.
A word of advice—if you are expecting coverage in your first three months, you will likely be disappointed, and a blitzkrieg approach rarely works for an overseas startup. Instead, build presence steadily starting with trade titles and credible independents.
Startups are competing for attention in a crowded landscape, so you need to show up sharply. What makes your company meaningfully different from others in your category? Can you articulate that proposition in a way that resonates with American audiences? Are you disrupting something entrenched, or advancing a movement? In many cases, your core message needs to be bolder than what works in Asia.
If you have achieved significant scale or market leadership in your home region, that can be a powerful part of your US narrative. Frame your entry not as a new, unproven player, but as a global leader making its US debut. This requires careful translation of your Asian success into a story that resonates with American stakeholders, focusing on the universal problem you solve rather than regional metrics they may not understand.
New independent media
In speaking with Asian founders and business leaders, we find that legacy media outlets like Forbes, CNBC, and The New York Times still come to mind when they think of American media.
For reasons we have explained above, these media companies are not likely to cover an overseas startup—and even for established Asia-based companies with US traction, securing coverage in these outlets remains highly competitive and often requires significant news value, brand recognition, or existing relationships.
Instead, consider podcasts and independent media outlets in the United States. Independent media have not taken off in Asia, so it is hard to parse how established and influential they have become in the United States. But they are influential.
Some podcasts have the same prestige as the New York Times today. Prominent figures like Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman and even former president Barack Obama have appeared on podcasts, using the long-form format to share their thoughts without time constraints diluting their message.
When it comes to tech, one podcast example is Big Technology, an independent newsletter and podcast hosted by Alex Kantrowitz. Big Technology has featured figures like Demis Hassabi (CEO of Google DeepMind) and Dario Amodei (Anthropic’s CEO) on their thoughts on AI, the future of tech, privacy, and other topics.
final thoughts
Whether you're entering the US market for the first time or scaling an established presence, we’ve seen Asia-based companies face unique communications challenges. From our view, the path to success isn't through mass publicity, but through strategic participation in the right ecosystems, building relationships with independent and trade media, and establishing thought leadership with audiences that matter to your business.
When you've laid this groundwork, you'll start to see traction from media relations.