PR for Designers: The Cost, the ROI, and Why Most of You Are Waiting Too Long – Rebecca Goldberg

Should you hire a PR firm… or are you just paying someone to spam editors?

Rebecca Goldberg — co-founder of Dada Goldberg, the most dialed-in design PR agency in New York — finally pulls back the curtain.

We ask every question designers are dying to ask about PR:

- What does real PR actually cost these days?

- When is the right moment to pull the trigger?

- Does PR actually move the needle on sales and collabs or is it just ego?

- Can you get overexposed and ruin your brand?

- Big agency vs boutique: which one is best?

- Do legacy magazines (AD, Elle Decor, Vogue) still matter or is it all Instagram now?

- Why dinners, press releases?

Plus: what is the one thing every emerging designer needs before they even think about hiring PR? (hint: it’s not a finished website).

If you’ve ever googled “design PR firms” at 2 a.m., this episode will save you six figures and a lot of heartbreak.

Hosted by Alyssa Gerasimoff & Fernando Mastrangelo

Guest: Rebecca Goldberg (Dada Goldberg)

https://dadagoldberg.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dadagoldberg/

Timestamps & full takeaway list in the show notes.

01:20 How much does design PR really cost in 2025?

06:45 When should you actually hire PR (the exact moment)

12:10 Does press = sales? The honest ROI breakdown

18:30 Can you get overexposed and kill your brand?

23:15 Legacy media vs Instagram: what actually moves the needle

29:40 Big agency vs boutique: pros, cons, and horror stories

35:20 Why dinners are the new press release

41:50 The personal toll no one talks about

48:30 How PR unlocks collaborations and bigger opportunities

54:10 The future of design PR in a cooked economy

1:01:00 Rebecca’s one piece of advice for every emerging designer

This episode is pure fire for anyone trying to figure out how to go from “talented” to “known.”