Don F. McLean Of McLean Media On The Future Of Communication Technology

An Interview With David Leichner

Originally published in Authority Magazine by David Leichner.

As a part of this series, we had the pleasure to interview Don F. McLean.

McLean is an award-winning PR strategist and LinkedIn expert, based in Detroit. He helps global companies, AI innovators, and entrepreneurs grow their visibility through modern communication strategy. Don is the author of The In Crowd for LinkedIn Mastery and a sought-after speaker, with recent sessions at the Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE), the NAGC Communications School, SXSW, and Madonna University’s School of Business. In March 2026, he’s launching future communication technology named Press Hustle to bring public relations (PR) to every founder and creator in an accessible, affordable way.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I have spent nearly 20 years in public relations and marketing, helping brands earn visibility that drives real growth. When Covid-19 began winding down, I founded McLean Media in Detroit and built it into an award-winning agency serving global life sciences companies, AI innovators, and entrepreneurs. Along the way, my team and I have generated billions of media impressions and saw firsthand how powerful earned attention can be. I also saw how many founders could not access that expertise early on. Press Hustle is a new technology that I’m creating with a strong developer to help close that gap.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

One of the most meaningful moments in my career started with a late-night decision. I saw the call for content for SXSW and almost talked myself out of applying. The voice in my head said it was competitive. It said thousands would submit. It said maybe next year. Instead, I sat down and wrote the pitch.

I treated it the same way I advise founders to approach media. Have a clear angle with a strong hook, defined audience, and practical takeaways. I focused on why the topic mattered now, not just why I wanted to speak. When the acceptance email came through, it felt more like proof to me that visibility rewards action.

And, now, I get the opportunity to read my book “The In Crowd for LinkedIn Mastery,” live on stage at one of the world’s largest events. As I give my presentation, I’ll tell the story of making it to the stage and will take a moment to launch Press Hustle. The great part is, I lived the PR strategy I’m discussing. I pitched myself, earned the stage, and then used that moment to introduce a platform built to help other founders do the same.

This experience reinforces something I believe deeply, that opportunity often sits on the other side of the pitch you almost do not send.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite life lesson quote is something my father told me growing up: “Don’t tell yourself no.” It sounds simple, but it shaped how I approach opportunity. What he meant was this. Do not disqualify yourself before the world has a chance to respond. Too many people talk themselves out of applying, pitching, launching, or speaking before they even try.

That mindset influenced nearly every major move in my career. Starting an agency. Pitching myself for SXSW. Writing a book. Launching Press Hustle. In each case, there was a moment where it would have been easier to assume the answer was “no.”

Press Hustle was born from that same belief. Many founders assume public relations is out of reach because they cannot afford an agency. They tell themselves no before exploring what is possible. I wanted to build something that removes that internal barrier and replaces it with structure, strategy, and confidence.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My family, especially my kids, make me a better entrepreneur in ways that have nothing to do with business strategy. Kids are honest. They ask simple questions about my work and what I am building, and they don’t care about industry terms. They just want to know why it matters, and it brings a ton of clarity to me.

They also keep me grounded. Entrepreneurship can pull you into constant motion through numerous launches, clients, growth targets, etc. Being present with my family reminds me that success is not only measured in revenue or impressions. It is measured in impact, balance, and the example I set.

When I built Press Hustle, part of the motivation was long term. I want my kids to see that you can build something meaningful, rooted in integrity, from Detroit, and share it with the world. They remind me every day that ambition should be paired with perspective, and that combination makes me a better founder.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I believe that success carries responsibility. Over the past two decades, I have seen how powerful public relations can be. The right visibility can accelerate funding, attract talent, build trust, and open doors that would otherwise remain closed. I have also seen how many strong founders never get that chance because professional PR often feels financially out of reach.

Press Hustle was built to change that dynamic. Instead of keeping agency-level strategy behind retainers, we translated our frameworks into a structured platform founders can access directly. It teaches the skill of public relations while providing AI-supported tools to execute it. That combination gives entrepreneurs leverage they might not otherwise have.

For me, bringing goodness into the world means expanding access to opportunity. It means making sure that great ideas are not overlooked simply because the founder does not yet have a large budget. When more builders are visible, more innovation reaches the market. That ripple effect benefits communities, industries, and cities like Detroit that are filled with talent and ambition. Press Hustle is our way of widening the doorway to visibility in a very affordable way.

Ok wonderful. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about the cutting-edge communication tech that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?

Press Hustle lives at the intersection of public relations, AI, and digital discoverability. The platform combines structured PR education with AI-assisted writing tools and campaign planning systems. That combination gives founders both the knowledge and the execution support they need.

Communication today is shaped heavily by search engines and generative AI platforms. If founders do not understand how authority signals are built, they leave visibility to chance. Press Hustle teaches how PR works, then walks users through creating press releases, media pitches, and structured campaigns that strengthen credibility over time.

When founders being to understand the mechanics behind visibility, they can influence how their brands appear in search and AI-generated responses. That creates momentum that compounds.

How do you think this might change the world?

Communication has shifted toward authority-driven discovery. Search engines and AI systems surface signals of credibility, consistency, and earned attention. Founders, especially those who love to bootstrap, that understand how to build those signals can gain a meaningful advantage.

When more entrepreneurs learn how to shape their own narrative, opportunity will naturally expand. Strong ideas can reach wider audiences without relying solely on advertising budgets, and this can open doors for builders in cities from Detroit to Los Angeles and beyond who are innovative but have limited access to traditional PR resources. If more founders build authority intentionally, we will see a much broader representation in media coverage and AI-driven visibility.

Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

AI accelerates content creation. That speed can create noise if strategy does not guide it. Communication still requires judgment, ethics, and accountability. If founders lean entirely on automation, their messaging can begin to lose authenticity. Target markets of these businesses tend to respond to the authenticity and credibility of the source, not volume alone. I want Press Hustle to sharpen thinking and execution from founders, and give them better opportunities.

There is also a broader conversation around trust. As AI-generated content becomes more and more common, brands will need to work harder to be transparent. That is why Press Hustle places education at the center of it all. The tools support the strategy.

Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?

The tipping point was one specific point, because it came through repeated conversations. I kept meeting founders with strong products and meaningful missions who felt invisible. They has very little money, and the ones that did needed to guard it to put it back into their products. Some founders thought that PR just belonged to later stages of growth.

There is a quote from Bill Gates that has stayed with me for years, “If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations.” The spirit of that idea resonates deeply. If he knows the power of PR, everyone should take a moment to consider it.

What I have found is that many early-stage founders understand the importance of PR, but they simply feel priced out of access. Instead of telling founders to wait until they could hire an agency, I began asking how we could give them access to the system itself. Press Hustle emerged from that question. It feels less like launching a new product and more like extending opportunity earlier in the founder journey.

What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?

Education. Founders must see PR as a skill, not a luxury.

The pandemic has changed so many things about the way we behave. One of them of course is how we work and how we communicate in our work. How do you think your innovation might be able to address the new needs that have arisen as a result of the pandemic?

The pandemic definitely reshaped how businesses earn trust. In-person conversations have given way to digital research, and first impressions now seem to happen online. This is why I place so much emphasis on LinkedIn with my first book.

What I have seen is how remote work has accelerated the importance of digital authority. Investors and customers evaluate brands through search results, media coverage, LinkedIn profiles, and generative AI responses. Press Hustle gives founders a structured way to build that authority. It teaches how earned media works and provides AI-supported tools to execute in an easy understood way.

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What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

1. Visibility compounds, and early media matters more than you think.

I used to think PR was something you focused on once you were established. What I learned is that early visibility creates momentum that builds on itself. A small feature can lead to a speaking invite. A speaking invite can lead to a partnership. Attention stacks if you treat it intentionally.

2. Authority drives opportunity.

The moments that changed my career were often tied to showing up publicly. Writing articles. Speaking on stages. Sharing insights on LinkedIn. When you publish your thinking, people see you differently. Doors open faster when you are positioned as the expert.

3. Take the leap before you feel ready.

Some of the biggest moves in my career started with discomfort. Launching my agency. Pitching myself for SXSW. Writing my book. Building Press Hustle. There was never a perfect moment. If you believe in the idea, you have to move before certainty shows up.

4. Access brings opportunity forward.

Not every founder starts with the same network or resources. I saw talented entrepreneurs get overlooked simply because they lacked the right network. That realization directly influenced why I wrote my book and built Press Hustle.

5. Make time for what matters most.

Success feels hollow if it costs you the moments that actually matter. Building a business is important, but being a present father, husband, son, and friend is more important. When you protect time for what truly matters, you lead with clearer priorities and better perspective. That balance has made me a stronger entrepreneur.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

A movement where every founder believes they deserve to be seen and builds the skill to make that happen. Too many talented builders stay quiet because they assume visibility belongs to someone else, like the loudest voice or the biggest budget. I would love to see a shift where founders understand that communication is a learnable skill.

When people feel confident telling their story, they can unlock massive opportunity, attract partners, and earn trust. If more entrepreneurs believed their ideas were worth amplifying and took ownership of that process, we would see stronger companies, stronger communities, and stronger cities.

Visibility changes trajectories, and with press Hustle I would love to inspire more founders to claim it.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Visit www.presshustle.com to try out our new tool, see my PR agency at www.mcleanmedia.com, read my latest book on Amazon, and/or follow me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldfmclean/.

Thank you so much for the time you spent doing this interview. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success.

About The Interviewer: David Leichner is a veteran of the Israeli high-tech industry with significant experience in the areas of cyber and security, enterprise software and communications. At Cybellum, a leading provider of Product Security Lifecycle Management, David is responsible for creating and executing the marketing strategy and managing the global marketing team that forms the foundation for Cybellum’s product and market penetration. Prior to Cybellum, David was CMO at SQream and VP Sales and Marketing at endpoint protection vendor, Cynet. David is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Technology College. He holds a BA in Information Systems Management and an MBA in International Business from the City University of New York.

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