Honeyjar Launches AI Tools to Automate PR Workflows

Communications startup Honeyjar, appearing at TechCrunch Disrupt as part of the Startup Battlefield 200, has launched an artificial intelligence platform designed to streamline public relations operations. Founded by CEO Michelle Masek, former senior vice president of marketing and communications at venture firm Obvious Ventures, and CCO Nadia Jamshidi, the company aims to codify senior PR expertise into software. Masek conceived the idea after handling communications support for 110 portfolio companies, realizing the need to scale strategic judgment using automation.

Honeyjar automates several labor-intensive tasks, such as writing announcements, finding relevant journalists, building media lists, tracking news, scanning social media, and surfacing speaking engagements. The platform aims to integrate complete communication workflows, covering strategy, timing, and execution. The concept gained rapid traction, generating 10,000 signups in its first 24 hours after opening a waitlist. Early beta testers currently using the platform include social network Nextdoor, tech startup Coco Robotics, investor Bloomberg Beta, and PR agencies Mission North and Full Picture.

Rather than attempting to eliminate human involvement, Honeyjar requires users to manually authorize and send communications. Through a broader initiative dubbed the Comms Lab, Masek and Jamshidi are actively training the platform on the strategic judgment of experienced public relations professionals. This training enables the software to evaluate whether a company is truly ready for press coverage and determine optimal timing.

For practitioners, the tool allows individual PR account handlers to manage additional client workloads without increasing operational overhead. It also serves non-traditional communicators across marketing, investment, and education who lack dedicated communications staff. By embedding strategic decision-making directly into automated drafting and distribution tools, the system seeks to improve the credibility and relevance of pitches reaching reporters.